Beach Birthday Party

Giant Octopus Attacks Local Pool! Ok, the papers didn't really say this the next morning, but they sure could have. Octopi attacks are a real issue these days, especially in southern Utah. I love having a July baby to plan a birthday for and the town pool seems like an obvious place to hold such an event.

I wanted to be sure to have a child-planned party with her, instead of a mom-planned party for her. I wanted something she could help with, own, and love. I also wanted her to help and she wanted to help just the same. Helping included letting her make lots of the decorations for the event. She picked the theme, from my suggestions, and then I picked a color scheme so that no matter what we made it would be cohesive. Sure some of the things weren't picture perfect, but the party was hers and she loved it even more because she was part of the process. Seriously, get your kid involved in the party planning; that way you are working on something wonderful together instead of you taking time from them to get something done. I had a blast co-planning the party with a five-year-old; she has a knack for event planning.

Now I'll show you around.

A giant starfish welcome sign that she made. I cut it out and glued it together; she wrote and dotted (notice the fish on its upper arm, she thought the starfish might need a friend).

The set-up:

This my daughter didn't help with.... I made it the day of the party while she played with cousins. This is actually an orange igloo cooler that I covered. The "tooth" is where the water comes out. 🙂 Pretty sweet way to work a big ugly drink cooler into the party. I'll tell you how I did it later in the week.

We made a fun sea creature garland to hang here and there. She picked the shapes she wanted, I cut them out of scrapbook paper, and then she helped me add the accents and tape them to some yarn. We cut out two kinds of seashells, star fish, two kinds of fish, dolphins, and seahorses.

Here are the details she added. Again, not Pottery Barn approved but adorable because she made them.

A fish with "lungs":

I love themed party food! These beach-inspired treats were low-key, easy, and kid-friendly.

We had the catch of the day: Swedish and Gold Fish
Escargot: Ham and cream cheese pinwheels
Cowboy Caviar: Bean and corn salsa
Dried Starfish Legs: tortilla chips for the salsa
Oysters a la Ranch: Ranchified Oyster crackers
Starfish: Birthday cake with buttercream icing

To add a little beach to our party, I put down a plastic tablecloth, spread sand on top, and then put a piece of clear vinyl on top (bought at the fabric store for $1/yard) so that the food wouldn't get sand on it. Then I laid out seashells and the food. You can buy seashells from the Dollar Store in big packs. I thought this was a cheap way to add a lot of impact and loved how it turned out.

Glass jars with sand, seashells, and rope:

The fence behind the octopus was the perfect place to hang our jellyfish. The wind blew through that way and made them flutter and dance just perfectly. I'll let you know how we made them later, too.

Pools and birthday parties are awesome because the entertainment is built right in.

I'm so glad that I went about the party with May in charge. This was the least stressful and most fun party I've done yet. Thanks for the help, little one, and happy birthday to you!
So what do you think? Could you let your child help you and feel ok inside when things aren't perfect?

I'm linking this project up over at:
36th Avenue