Beach Party - Sunglass Invitations

BEACH PARTY:  This party is always great birthdays but can also be put together a few weeks before school starts so that your kids can get reacquainted with their school friends. 

INVITATIONS:  We purchased novelty sunglasses and printed our party information on white copy paper in the shape of the sunglass lenses.  We then cut each lens out and gluesticked the information to the outside of the sunglass lenses and added some curling ribbon where the arms meet the lenses.  The invitation read Hey dude, come have fun in the sun and celebrate (name)'s 5th birthday.  Put on your bathing suit or board shorts and join us at (address) for some beach blanket bingo!... 

DECORATIONS:  We used lots of plastic pools around the yard.  One was filled with sand and sand toys (buckets, shovels, molds, etc), one was filled with bubbles and bubble toys (different sized wands and small blowers), one with water balloons.  We also had hula hoops and beach balls around the yard and a limbo and volleyball area.  Fake palm trees where ordered and placed around the patio area where the food was placed.  We hung green crete paper from each corner of the patio to the center with about 2 feet hanging from each end and used brown balloons in each corner and in the center of the patio (to look like coconuts).  We also took the Crete paper and cut it into strips and hung around the outside of the patio cover to give the food area the grass hut effect. 

Each table was covered with a floral print tablecloth with coconuts and pineapples surrounded by fresh flowers for centerpieces. Food was served in sand pails and shovels were used to scoop food.  Leading up to the entrance to the back yard, we created a signs with boards (like you use for a fence)and nailed them sideways to a stake and painted signs that said Surfs Up with an arrow pointing toward the entrance, Dead Mans Curve, No Fishing Off Of Pier, Beach Blanket Bingo This Way.  Each sign had bright yellow balloons tied to them.  Hanging over the entrance to the backyard was a surfboard that we made out of 3 pieces of posterboard taped together and painted that said Welcome to Gidget's Beach. 

We also purchased plastic seaweed (from a local pet store) and hung from the surfboard.  We played 60's beach music at the entrance and party areas and each guest was greeted with a lei.  The Party tables matched the food tables.  They had floral print tablecloths with coconuts and pineapples and fresh flowers scattered in the center around them.  All plates, napkins and cups where floral print. 

FOOD:  For food we served Hot dogs and Kabobs, Fruit Salad served in pineapple and watermelon bowls, kettlecorn, goldfish crackers, chips and dip and a vegetable platter. Of coarse, we served Hawaiian Punch to drink. 

GAMES:  We played volleyball with a beach ball, limbo and musical chairs to 60's beach music.  We hired dancers from a local dance studio to hula dance while everyone ate and afterwards, they gave the kids hula lessons. 

GOODIE BAGS:  We again used sand pails for goodie bags.  Inside were sand toys (the toys we used in the sand pool), bubbles, balloons (no water), packages of goldfish crackers, individual bags of kettle corn and a certificate for a goldfish from a local pet store.