Make the Grade -- with a Cooking Party!

No party is complete without great food, and everyone loves to eat. So why not make food the raison d'etre for the evening by throwing a cooking party? Purchase recipe cards and write the party details on them -- trust us, this makes a simple and stylish invitation. Then hire a chef to lead everyone through the steps of making sushi, pizza, fondue -- or whatever else you can think up.

This is especially fun when guests cook something they can customize -- they'll have a blast creating and naming their very own sushi roll, for example! Be sure to make plenty of table work-space, and have aprons (you can even customize these with your guests' names, for fun take-home party favors).

Home Ec Is in Session, So Have Your Cake -- And Eat It Too!

Gather your girlfriends for an afternoon of sweet and sugary delight. A cake decorating party is the perfect opportunity to unleash your creative side, learn a new skill, and indulge in some not-so-low-cal goodies. Prepare cakes ahead of time, and set up decorating stations with icing, food coloring, candies, and all sorts of other embellishments. Enlist the help of a local chef or baker who can teach the basics, or check out Wilton.com for instructors in your area. Encourage guests to be innovative -- whether they create a flower tower or an animal-shaped extravaganza. Then, of course, at the end of the day, dig in and enjoy the final results. Yum! 

Continuing Ed -- Use Your Noodle!

From flower arranging to hula dancing, knitting to photography, there are so many skills that partygoers would welcome the chance to try. So put on your thinking cap and you'll come up with endless ways to make learning fun -- and make fun a learning experience.