Fishing Party - Sailor" Hat and Collar

Fishing Party.    We chose a fishing theme for my son's third birthday party.

We sent invitations shaped like a boat inviting sailors to come fishing for their lunch at Zak's house, and that all sailors should wear a blue top.

On arrival we presented them with paper sailor collars and a sailors hat (made from cardboard and crepe paper). We borrowed an idea from the March Batman party, adapting it to fishing by using a fishing pole with yarn attached. Each child had a pole and they had to follow the yarn to the prize at the end. Each piece of yarn led each child to another room where we had set up a paddling pool filled with pieces of ripped up newspaper. (we made every one wait until all had made it to the pool)

On the command "pull up the lines" the kids started to wind up the last part of the wool and out of the pool jumped a helper dressed up as a shark. The noise was amazing! Newspaper flew every where! Half the kids ended up in the pool too, it was great fun.

We actually had chocolate fish attached to the end of the yarn but it took awhile for the kids to realize it. While the shark played tag with the kids, the parents helped with the next stage getting the food ready. We captured the shark and banished it outside (downstairs in our case along with the individual food parcels) and then had the kids fish over the balcony for their lunch (fish and chips of course).

The shark attached the parcels to the lines along with other bits and pieces i.e. tin cans, boots, cardboard fish and the birthday child fished up the piñata too. Inside to eat their catch, we spread out on a fishing net on the floor, and added plates of sausage rolls (decorated with fish shaped pastry as well) and fish shaped cheese  crisps etc etc..

We brought out the cake HMS Party (cut a round cake in half and ice and decorate with lots of sweets.) We also had bowls of blue jelly with gummy fish in them and an ice-cream island with a wafer palm tree for each child.

The drink was green lime cordial with soda water and blue ice cubes. I suspended tiny chocolate fish in the ice by 1/2 filling the ice tray and freezing and then piping melted chocolate on top of the ice in the shape of fish..starfish octopuses etc and covering with the rest of the blue water and re freezing They looked great. 

We broke the piñata (I made it myself shaped like a fish with smarties and M&M's inside) and each child took home a small paper bag drawn on to look like a  fishing net with fish stickers on it, and with some Birthday cake (They were too full to eat it at lunch time) a balloon and sweets inside. (Our community has an agreement not to buy toys for the party goers)

The swimming pool idea was a huge success, if you don't have a paddling pool, then a cardboard box painted up would also work.

The mess is easy to get rid of afterwards, and it would work outside as well as inside if you wanted it too. There are lots of fishing type games you could add for older kids. WE had pin the water spout on the whale ready to be used but found the news paper pool was so much fun that it wasn't needed.