Bear Night

by Emma
(Lincoln, NE)

For dinner we ate fish (or fish sticks), termites (aka rice), berries, and toast with peanut butter and honey. Then we built a bear cave out of blankets and chairs and watched our favorite bear movie, Jungle Book.

50's Diner

by Kesi
(Georgia)

We had a 50's diner - rather like "Happy Days". We used a checkerboard tablecloth, dressed in poodle skirts (the girls, anyway), and served hamburgers, fries, and shakes/rootbeer floats. We listened to some golden oldies and even made a cardboard "jukebox" cover for the cd player.

Kid-dough Family Fun

by ARE Students
(Stockbridge, GA)

This evening is about bringing the KIDDOS into the kitchen and spending some family time together!

Everything is related to DOUGH. Thankfully, you'll find all the recipes you need here, http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/play-dough-recipes.html

To start the evening, you'll need to prepare your favorite pizza. This is great because everyone can add the toppings they like best.

While the pizza is baking, the family will spend time creating dough-models of their favorite family memories.

Then...they will mix cookie dough up (which will bake while they eat their yummy pizza!)

This is a fun night of KID-DOUGH FAMILY FUN!

Chew for Charity

Charity Family Dinner-
Write letters to children in other countries that suffered from a natural disaster, hunger, etc.
Draw pictures for similar children
Auction off items and donate proceeds to charity
Ask for donations from dinner guests
Play music with albums that donate proceeds to charity
Play www.freerice.com, a website that donates rice to hunger victims
Educate dinner guests about issues that may encourage them to donate money

"Green" Dinner

by Noa L
(Los Angeles, CA)

A theme idea would be to make a dinner "green". You could build a solar oven, which you could find directions for online, and cook your food. You can make a bunch of things, I like to make mini pizzas!

You could go to the store and pick out some paper plates that you can recycle. Pick out a few other things to eat, and then pack it up.

Then you and your family can pick out a nature filled place that you like to go to. The park, the beach, or outside in your back yard are a few ideas. By doing this you are recycling, saving energy, and enjoying nature. This is a great thing for the environment, and fun for everyone!

Around the World Dinner Party

by Katie

Invite friends and family over and make a list of several countries(1 per person). Then, let them choose 1 country they would like to cook for.

Then, look up popular recipes and dishes originally created by that specific country. Each person makes that dish, and everyone gets to try them. Then, play a game where a person is blindfolded and they have to guess what dish it is and where it is from.

Movie Theme Dinner

Pick your favorite movie and make a list of all the things they eat in the show. Look closely at anything that has to do with food in the movie and plan your menu accordingly.

Make a special movie invitation that goes with your movie.

Southern Nights

by Marie Keith
(Media, PA)

As my husband is originally from Alabama, and we live in PA, I like to incorporate his southern traditions and foods he grew up eating into our family dinners. This helps my boys realize that you need not even leave the U.S. to experience different food and customs.


We start in the morning by seasoning our Pork Shoulder and placing in the crock pot to slow cook all day. The aroma each time you enter the house makes your mouth water. Each of my four sons play a part in preparing the dinner.

Sweet Tea (which we drink out of jars)
Pulled Pork BBQ
Coleslaw
Beans
Corn on the Cob

Red Velvet Cupcakes

We spend the dinner allowing my husband to share stories of his dinners growing up on a farm in rural Alabama.