Brandi Young, our March 2009 Mom of the Month, is known for throwing fabulous parties, including baby showers, weddings, and family get-togethers. So when her daughter Rachel's fifth birthday was approaching, she put on her event-planner hat to come up with a foolproof and fun idea. What would keep 15 five-year-olds happily engaged, without too much parental intervention? How about letting the kids loose with oodles of everybody's favorite non-toxic moldable clay? "Playing with play dough was one of Rachel's favorite pastimes, and I figured we could use the same bright color theme for the party," says Brandi. "It was a snap."

THE SET-UP

Invitations: "We used neon-colored construction paper, just like the neon bright play dough. I wrote the invitation information on one color, then pasted it onto a larger piece of a different color. My kids cut out shapes and pasted them on the border."

Decorations: Brandi went with a primary color theme for the party itself: red, blue, and yellow streamers, tablecloths, and plates.

Materials to have on hand:

Play dough ("I bought tons of colors," says Brandi.)

Play-Doh Fun Factory Sets (Brandi bought just a few and distributed the tools among the tables)

Popsicle sticks

Pipe cleaners

Googly eyes

Cookie cutters

ACTIVITIES

DIY sculpting: The beauty of this party theme lies in how little direction the kids need, says Brandi. "They just got to work. They used the tools and the dough to make monsters, cakes, houses, cars, and animals. Some kids chose to take their creations home to dry."

Very cool volcano: The highlight of the party, a play dough volcano that actually erupts, blew the guests away. You'll need to make the volcano at least two days in advance so it can dry. Set it on a deep tray to catch the overflow, or put it somewhere you don't mind making a mess.

1. Roll about 10 ounces of play dough into a ball. Turn the ball into a volcano shape by pushing the edges upward while keeping the base wide. As you do so, form a 5- to 6-inch deep hollow inside the top of the volcano.

2. At the party, put approximately 3 teaspoons of baking soda inside the hollow. Pour about a cup of white vinegar on top (for a colored eruption, first add food coloring to the vinegar). Sit back and watch the "lava" flow!

SWEET TREAT

We know it won't kill you, but we still wouldn't recommend eating play dough. Instead, try mock-clay cupcakes like those Brandi made: "We dyed frosting with neon food coloring, then used a pastry bag and large round tip to pipe it on. It really looked like play dough."

PARTY FAVOR

In each child's party bag: a can of play dough, of course.