17 different women, 36 crazy children, 0 babies in utero
Adventures, Advice and Questions from a group of Mormon women who met in Queens, NY and have now scattered all over the place.
 

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

A Summer Swim Party: No Pool Required

Note: I figured it was too late to post this at the end of last summer. Now this summer, time has slipped away again, but I am going to post it anyway. Maybe our friends "down under" will find it useful with their impending summer. And I guess it'll be in the archives in time for next year!

At the end of last summer, Princess had her first ever "friend" party for her 4th birthday. Even though the party wasn't quite the "Little Mermaid Pool Party" she originally requested, I think she was more than thrilled with the co-ed, non-Disney, non-pool, "Under the Sea"party we ended up with. If you have a birthday party still to plan for this summer, this one was easy, super-fun, and did not include a bounce house rental so check it out.

Details: Held on a Saturday morning/afternoon. Kids were told to wear a swimsuit and bring a towel. We encouraged "drop offs" in the invite. It seems here, parents are expected to stick around at parties (probably because most of the parties I have been to include 20+ kids). We only had 6 and 3 adults, so I figured we could handle it. And I didn't want to have to feed and entertain all those parents too. In lieu of gifts, we requested guests bring new or gently used books that Princess could donate to the local family shelter (which BTW, was a great experience for her--the woman who took the donation was so incredibly nice and even sent her a nice thank you card in the mail a week later). And between the gifts from Grandma, Grandpa, mom, dad, and old NY friends, she didn't miss the extra presents at all.

Decorations:

Food:
We provided "highly nutritious" lunch and snacks.

Activities:Goody Bags:
  • beach balls
  • small buckets and shovels (also used in the treasure hunt)
  • sunglasses from the dollar store.
  • visors
  • treasures from the hunt
  • NO CANDY - I figured I was already sending the kids home on a total sugar high, the parents didn't need more sugar to dole out to them.
It was a really fun and easy party. The kids entertained themselves for the majority of the time in the sprinklers and on the slip 'n' slide. They also spent a lot of time re-hiding their treasures in the sandbox after that activity was over.

Good luck with your party!

6 Comments:

  • Wow! Do you hire yourself out? That fish cake is fantastic! I wish I could have seen the looks on the girls faces as they went around and discovered all the fun things you'd planned out. I love the sandbox idea too!
    posted by Blogger Sarah at 8/22/2007 01:26:00 PM  



  • Ok, that is SO cute. I MUST make sure to have another baby and be CERTAIN it is born in July.
    posted by Blogger Katie at 8/22/2007 01:53:00 PM  



  • tftcarrie-

    Great job! That whole thing is really fun. I love that it's simple enough to seem really do-able, and yet totally not lacking in fun factors or presentation! I love the cake, the fish streamers, and the fish in the jello! I'd like to make jello jigglers with the fish in it. Hmmmm, definately great ideas to remember!Thanks!
    posted by Blogger Rachel H at 8/22/2007 07:30:00 PM  



  • TftCarrie:

    Your constant creativity is inspiring...Did your class make the Under the Sea float for the homecoming parade (its Coleen from T.O)because that was amazing as well?

    I love the fact that there was no bounce house and idea of not receiving tons of presents....

    Take Care
    posted by Blogger Coleen at 8/23/2007 12:08:00 PM  



  • oh wow. good job, but I'm intimidated if that's what a party is supposed to be.
    My guys are soon turning 1,3,5 and I've only done 2 parties, each were just food for adults as kids amused themselves like a normal playdate. or maybe I'm doing playdates wrong too...? :)

    the 5 year old will need some sort of "friend party" this year. IMO it's something I compeltely don't want to do but a good parent would do it anyway, so...
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 8/23/2007 03:25:00 PM  



  • Thanks for the kind words everyone. The reason I put it all out there was because when I was planning the party, I so appreciated all the ideas that I found on the web. It made the party come together so quickly and easily. Anyway, not much of it is original, but at least all the links are in one place.

    cj- What's up!! It's been so long! I didn't do the under the sea float in HS, but I did participate in many a float building back then.

    cchrissyy - don't be intimidated at all. There is no one definition of party and like I have said before, I come from a long line of kids theme party throwers (and in HS I actually did hire myself out for parties). It's something I enjoy doing. Maybe you should think about going on a special outing with the 5 year old + one friend for his/her birthday. It can be just as memorable.

    That being said, I don't do parties for my kids until they turn 4 and then they get a friend party every other year. Every odd year is a simple family dinner celebration.
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 8/23/2007 04:51:00 PM  



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