pinata

[blue heron]

I'm sure this had been discussed here before, but...

I'm looking for ideas of things to put in a pinata.

My boys are turning 5 and 8 and we're having a science themed birthday party for them.

I love making a pinata, and the boys love having a pinata as part of their party.

But, I hate filling it with candy and tons of little cheap plastic junk.

We don't have lots of money to spend on the stuff either.

Last year,  I made bean bags and bought a bunch of beanie babies at the thrift shop, it was heavy but it worked.

I'm looking for more ideas.

[ElliesMomma]

i filled ours recently with pencils (that we acquired at various parades where they throw out goodies for the kids). 

i also offloaded whatever miscellaneous whatever i could find that was new and sitting around in junk drawers, etc. lots of it garnered from parades, etc.

small books, sometimes you can find at Dollar Tree.

Edited by ElliesMomma - 5/28/11 at 9:58pm

[4evermom]

How about plastic test tubes?  I'm seeing packs of 25 with caps on Amazon for $5-6.  Maybe you can think of something to put in them, too...  You could get a pack of Ph paper strips and divy it up into them (and color copy the chart that comes with it).

I've gotten a large cup of pick-a-brick legos and put them in a pinata, before.  Ds has a bag of mini erasers from the last party with a pinata he went to...  Stickers, bouncy balls?

[4evermom]

Plastic magnifying glasses?  You'll have to hunt for a good deal and quantity though you could give them out for Halloween too if you bought the 144 pack for $15 (on Amazon).

I'm seeing safety goggles for around $1.50-2.00 ea but that would be better to give each kid individually so you could get the exact number.  Plus that'll add up $$ fast.

A pack of 100 Ph strips should be about $5, btw.

[4evermom]

Slime in a beaker shaped container.

http://www.carnivalsource.com/store/p/18812-Novelty-Toys-Galaxy-Slime-One-Dozen-.html

[elevena true]

i didn't know that it was tradition to use fruit from trees...but have filled pinatas with satsumas and other tiny oranges. my daughter once picked all of the flowers from our tree (some kind of rose bearing bush) to put inside her pinata. we have also done the round up of tiny little treasures around that house that can be regifted without attachment. bean bags are a great idea. we've also done pretty marbles, larger glow in the dark stickers, and other types of things too, i'm sure. just drawing a blank.  we've also made little bundles with pistachios, almonds, and other trail mix type nuts..... and i was at a party where the pinata had yogurt covered raisins and little seed packages.

i love to get creative with what goes inside---but it can be tricky to think up things.

let us know what you come up with!

[~cassie]

We have done erasers/miniature notebooks/silly straws/little tubs of playdoh/little sticker books/snack bars.

[gmvh]

We had a *huge* pinata last year - I used a 36" balloon.  To take up some of the extra space, we filled some of it with small blown up balloons and streamers.  I think a lot of the ideas you've gotten are what we used treat-wise.  Have fun!

[Youngfrankenstein]

Try www.americanscienceandsurplus.com for lots of cheapish science stuff.

[sraplayas]

We've done the tradition thing (candy) and also boxes of organic raisins and the 100 calorie pack cookies from TJ's (found those to be a little big for a pinata). 

I think the idea about the pencils is great but I am always thinking about safety with the pinatas.  :)