One of the great things about having kids is that you get to share with them the things you love. That love may be hiking, or cooking, or soccer, or maybe your passion lends to the nerdy side (like mine.) Perhaps it is epic space adventures you’ll be sharing with your offspring.
May 4th has become a day to celebrate one of the most loved movie franchises in history, Star Wars. The term, “May the Fourth Be With You” was first used in 1979 – somewhat randomly to congratulate Margaret Thatcher when she took over the Prime Minister office. If you fast-forward to 2011, the first May the Fourth (also known as Star Wars Day) was celebrated in our very own Toronto. Star Wars Day included a trivia game, costume contest, and fan tributes and parodies – and it’s back for another year!
If you have a great love for Star Wars, or your kids are developing their own obsession for the much-loved epic space opera, here are some ways you and yours can celebrate this upcoming May the Fourth.
Dress it up!
For the adult and child alike, dressing up like our favourite on-screen heroes and villains is always a good time. With the long roster of Star Wars characters from all seven movies (plus the animated series and the comic books), the possibilities are endless. Here are a couple of ideas to help you get your cos-play on!
Han Solo – a trip to the thrift store and a little bit of sewing will probably give you the basics you need for this simple costume – a white collared t-shirt, black vest, and navy pants. Then you just need your Blaster! Here is a tutorial from The Stylish Geek to give you some Han-some ideas on tweaking your costume for some authenticity.
Princess Leia – don some braided side buns to become the brazen, stubborn, and all around awesome Princess – now a General – Leia. Here is a tutorial from Carrie Elle for a no-sew Princess Leia costume for kids.
Rey – our new Star Wars leading lady is an excellent choice, too! You can go relatively simple with this costume – dark capris, long white tank top, and a long piece of gauzy beige fabric to drape and cross over the shoulders to be secured with a belt. Cut off the sleeves of a long sleeve shirt for her armbands or wrap more fabric around your arms. Dress up a broomstick or curtain rod to use as Rey’s staff. You can also check out this video for some more specific tips on how to get your Rey on.
Storm Trooper – for the kid or adult who just can’t shoot straight or hit a target, consider dressing up as the dark side’s cannon fodder! You can go complex, or you can go simple like with this easy cardboard Strom Trooper costume from StarWars.com (many other simple Star Wars costume ideas can be found here too!).
Star Wars Day Toronto
If you are getting dressed up, be sure to head to Star Wars Day in downtown Toronto to enter their costume competition. They have an under 12 category and an over 12 category. There is also Star Wars trivia and food. It starts at 6 pm at the Hard Rock Café in Dundas Square and proceeds benefit the SickKids Foundation.
Space board games
Immerse yourselves in the tactical world of Star Wars with these board games!
For the 12+ crowd, a fan favourite is Star Wars: Imperial Assault. Join the Rebel Forces to take on the Imperial regime in this tactical miniature game.
For ages 8 and up, Star Wars: The Card Game is a two person game that pits the force against the dark side.
And don’t forget those classic games that have been revamped in honour of the films. Try out Star Wars Monopoly or, if you have the time and the strategic inclination, Star Wars Risk.
Crafts in a galaxy far, far away
Just like with costumes, there are plenty of Star Wars crafts you can do with your little Padawans to celebrate the day. You can try out these pool-noodle light sabers from Muddy Boots (although you’ll have to do the initial cutting). Dollarama has their pool noodles in stock now and are a good source for this craft.
You can also make a Death Star (or a Star Destroyer from the newest film!) Piñata. This project is a little more involved, best started a couple days ahead of time, and is definitely a whole family affair. Here is a tutorial to help get you started from Voss Family Bainbride and a video from Troom Troom on YouTube if adults want to make something ahead.
For something a little lower key, you can print off some pretty awesome Star Wars colouring pages from Everything Etsy or you can make some Star Wars characters from Kids Activities Blog out of repurposed toilet paper rolls and a bit of paint.
Celestial snacks
Star Wars’ long list of wild and amazing characters leaves lots of room for decorative cakes, pies, cookies, and cupcakes. There are so many fun and tasty treats you can make when you feel the force coming on.
Try out these fairly simply Princess Leia cupcakes from Just Jenn Recipes or these Wookie Cookies from Sugared Nerd. To make things even easier, give these Star Wars cookie cutters from Think Geek a try, and just decorate to you and your little one’s heart’s desire.
Getting away from the sweets, you can try some BB8 quesadillas from Totally the Bomb or some Yoda apples from Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons. You can also get ready to do some battle with the empire with these pretzel light sabers from I Should Be Mopping The Floor.
Movie marathon
Return to the source – after you’ve created your Star Wars delicacies, sit down for some viewing pleasure. Depending on the age of your children, you can start with the original trilogy, Episodes IV–VI, or you can try out Episodes I-III. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope is rated G while the other films are rated PG.
Thanks to the (now) old-fashioned special effects from the late 70’s and early 80’s, most kids aren’t too scared when Luke loses his arm; however, Anakin’s brutal accident at the end of Revenge of the Sith has more modern effects that can be a little too hard to handle.
The newest addition Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, is freshly out on DVD and digital download. You can also spend some time drooling over the new trailer for the next Star Wars movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, due to come out in December of this year.
Beyond the movies there is also a bigger Star Wars world for you and yours to explore and enjoy. Two animated series have garnered high praises and are worth checking out for your house’s Star Wars fans.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars follows Anakin Skywalker with other notable characters and chronologically falls between Episodes II and III. The Clone Wars can be watched on Netflix or purchased on Amazon.ca.
Star Wars: Rebels is set between Episodes III and IV and follows a band of rebels united against the Imperial forces. While not available on Netflix, Star Wars: Rebels can be found on iTunes and Amazon.ca.
See the stars
May the Fourth happens to fall on a Wednesday, the day of the week York University’s Observatory is open to the public! Take a trip to the campus the night of the Fourth and, if the weather is clear, check out some real stars and other celestial objects!
If you need another taste of space, head over to the Ontario Science Centre to see their new IMAX film A Beautiful Planet, which is almost entirely shot by astronauts on the International Space Station. Travel through the stars and see how beautiful our planet is from outer space.
And in case you didn’t know – you can throw a Jedi Training themed children’s party for the next Star Wars fan’s birthday! Much have you to learn, Young Padawan.
And of course, May the Fourth be with you!
Jen Vander Vecht is a writer and soon to be full-time mom. When not crafting four different knitting projects at once, she can be found dumping ingredients into her slow-cooker, walking the dog, watching Doctor Who, or researching cloth diapers. Jen has a Masters of Geography from UofT where she studied Urban Forestry. She has planted hundreds of trees throughout Toronto and the GTA and works with various organizations to improve the state of urban trees.
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