If you've got a pool or access to a great swimming spot, throwing a cool birthday party is a piece of cake
Pool Party Pointers
• Ask guests to bring their own towels (to minimize postparty laundry) and hand out plastic trash bags for toting wet things home.
• Set up a big self-serve cooler filled with cold beverages.
• Have plenty of sunscreen on hand. THINGS TO MAKE
A Splashy Bash
This clever invite turns into a mini aquarium--just remove the paper wave from the plastic bag, pour in water, and presto, the expanding sponge capsules become sea creatures that beckon you to a fantastic pool party. To make the invitation, trim a piece of blue paper to fit loosely inside a sealable sandwich bag. Cut a wavy pattern across the top. Print the party info on the front. On the back, write: "Remove this card, pour in 1 cup of warm water, and seal the bag." Seal the wave in the bag with a few sponge capsules (sold in most craft stores).
Poolside T-Shirts
Start off the festivities with a quick project that lets guests use fabric markers to transform T-shirts into hip cover-ups they can wear later when they get out of the pool.(You can either pick up an inexpensive package of oversize T-shirts or ask the kids beforehand to each bring one to the party.) Step 1:
Slide a piece of cardboard inside each shirt to keep the ink from seeping through to the back.
Step 2:
Let everyone color on their own design. To create a beach ball, first trace around a paper plate (a technique that works well for a sun, smiley face, or any other circular shape). Let everyone color their own shirt.
Step 3:
Allow the ink to dry completely (about a half hour) before getting the shirts wet. To make the cover-ups easy to slip on and off, trim off the collar below the seam across the front and just above the seam around the back. Then cut off the sleeves just beyond the shoulder seams. You can even remove the lower hem and cut fringe around the bottom of the shirt.
GAMES TO PLAY
Frosty Free-for-all
Counting your cubes before they melt is the key to success in this invigorating cool-off game.
What you need:
Two large plastic bowls or a small pails (one for each team)
Large bag of ice cubes
Inflated pool doughnut
Swimming pool
For each team, nestle a large plastic bowl or a small pail in the center of an inflated pool doughnut and set it afloat in the pool (another option is to shape a foam noodle into a ring and secure it with a rubber band).
Once everyone's in the water, quickly dump a large bag or two of ice cubes into the center of the pool.
The team that gets the most cubes in its bucket within 3 minutes wins. If it's extra hot out, you may have to limit the time to 2 minutes or less.
Rubber Duck Races
In this swimming race, the victor always wins by a nose--that's because contestants use their noses to nudge bobbing toy ducks all the way to the finish. First, make the ducks for the race.
SPECIAL TOUCHES
Poolside Lunch: Grill burgers or hot dogs and serve with Goldfish crackers, fresh fruit salad, and a Snorkeler Cake.
Swimming Send-offs: "Wave" good-bye with grab bags filled with inexpensive sunglasses, bubble solution, and rolls of Life- Savers candies.
hope this helps!
~Deb~
http://www.partiesinyourmailbox.com
