Go "Under the Sea" for a Great Birthday Party!
Oct 12 '00
I encourage parents to have Theme Birthday Parties because it brings so much more fun and variety to the party!
This year my daughter is turning seven in November and I asked her to go shopping with me to get an idea for a Theme she would like to do this year. She saw plates with ocean life on them, and I suggested we do an "Under the Sea" birthday party and she loved it!
This is how we are going to have an "Under the Sea" Party!
1. Find a Place
We are holding the party in our spacious, heated basement because of the cold weather and plenty of room for lots of kids to play!
2. What You Need:
Write out a list of what you need for the party, including food, drink, decorations, grab bags,invitations, and paper goods:
Food: Try to have food that corresponds with your theme. We are having Goldfish Crackers and Ocean Life Gummy Snacks.
Cake: Going along with our theme, we are having our cake done at a Grocery Store or Bakery. This helps save time for you, and you can assure everyone gets cake by choosing the right size and shape for your party! They are always willing to work with you on a certain picture or shape. We are having a light blue frosting with pictures of dolphins, seals, whales, and different kinds of fish.
Ice Cream: We are going to get Chocoloate Ice Cream to represent the sea bottom, then add whip cream on top, which will be blue after adding the food coloring, representing the ocean water. To top it off we will add sprinkles to represent the colorful fish!
Drink: Blue Ice Kool-Aid will represent the ocean water. A fun drink also for birthday parties are Shakes!
Decorations: You can have such a blast with party decorations-your imagination is your only boundary! We have decided to take blue crepe paper and string up waves along the ceiling, so it looks like we are "Under the Sea." Fish will be hung everywhere, and the light bulbs will be changed to blue ones. We will have Sea Shells placed in nets, along with stuffed animals that we got from Sea World. We will have an Ocean Sounds CD playing to give it that full effect, and make the entrance special by asking that everyone who enters to become their favorite fish!
Grab Bags: I love making Grab Bags, and will search all year for fun party gifts for all of my daughter's friends! I recommend every parent check Clearance Sales and pick them up during the year so that you don't have to spend alot of time looking for inexpensive grab bag items right before the party! You can buy just brown paper bags and place stickers of your theme all over them, or buy the theme bags at your Local Party Store, but they will cost more and won't hold as much! We are buying brown or white bags and will cover them in Sea Life pictures and stickers with each Child's Name to make them feel special!
Invitations: Again, try to get ones that go with your theme, or make your own! Since the Computer Age, we have been able to make beautiful, inexpensive invitations for virtually any occasion! We bought Sea Life Computer Stationary at Wal-Mart, a 25 pack for $1.47! I then printed out the invitation along with a poem to make it more fun to read for the kids!
Paper Goods: Kyra loved picking these out with me, choosing colorful plates with Sea and Ocean Life on them, along with party hats, cups, and tablecloths. I always buy solid color napkins and table cloths as well so that the Theme isn't lost among all those pictures! It is also cheaper to include solid colored items, as I have found that in bulk at Party Stores you can get a great deal for those plain items. I DO NOT suggest combining solid colored and themed hats or plates because some child will have wanted the sea life plate or hat, not the plain blue one!
3. Games and Activities
Games are what make kids birthday parties so much fun! There are no limits to what you can do! We have decided to play "Pin the Fin on the Fish" and "Musical Chairs" to the song "Under the Sea" from the "Little Mermaid."
A Piniata is also lots of fun, and if you are having a party in cold weather, have the Piniata in the basement or garage. We are going to have a rainbow fish or starfish one, making sure that the kids have a plastic bat and that the candy is distributed equally to make sure their are no hard feelings.
4. Time to open Presents
We try to make this as fun as possible so that every child gets to be a part of it. So we have each child get the present that they bought, and give it to Kyra, while sitting next to her while she opens it. Then each child gets a chance to tell us why he/she chose that for Kyra! The kids love it and it makes Kyra feel special. We always save our present for last, always wrapped for the Theme, and then I tell them why we picked out for her- the kids always get a kick out of that!
5. Make it Unique~Make it a Memory
I encourage parents also to try new themes and games each year- the same games year after year can get boring, so spice them up or make up new ones! Involve your child in every aspect of planning to decorating, so they feel that they have contributed something to their special day! Make sure to take lots of pictures and when they are developed, make scrapbook pages of the party having your child help. It's a great way to remember that special birthday party! I also like to send each child a thank you note signed from Kyra with a picture from the party of them with Kyra- they love that!
I hope that you get a chance to give an "Under the Sea" Birthday Party and as always, thanks for taking the time to read this:)
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Member: Amy Joy
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