Tired of the winter blues? When the winter weather is not conducive for outdoor play, the kids get bored and restless. Parents need to quickly think of ways to spark enthusiasm with their children and one that will get the kids ready to participate in a group effort to have an entertaining party day. How about something warm and sunny – think beach party at home! Since I live in a tropic region this theme is near and dear to my heart. Here are some ideas to pull this party off no matter how far north you live.
You need to create an atmosphere
Use simple things you may already have in your home. Bring out a beach umbrella, lawn chairs, colorful beach towels, inflatable beach balls, beach buckets and tools and even a bag of sand. Yes, sand can be placed into a utility bin where the kids can play with sand toys indoors. Since this is a dreary time of the year, these summer items are sure to brighten up any room for a day of fun in the sun. And don’t forget to dress in your summer wear and sandals providing your furnace keeps the house warm.
Craft summer wearables
Speaking of sun, why not make sun visors or decorate old sunglasses for a craft. Take a white paper plate and cut it in half, shaping it into a sun visor dome. Punch a small hole in each side of the visor and thread with a length of elastic to fit the child’s head. Bring out the crayons and markers and invite the kids to decorate their visor with summer flair. Old sunglasses can be adorned with faux jewels glued on. Even flip-flops can be decorated with puffy paints, pom-poms and other small trinkets that the kids can glue on the top straps.
Fun in the sun partner games
Clam Dig
Gather the kids and family members to partake in these fun summer games. Start with a clam dig. Fill an old cooler or utility bin with sand. Bury some trinkets inside such as a peanut (in shell), bottle cap, eraser, coin, seashell, plastic figure and so on. Set up teams and begin the game. The first player digs through the sand to find one item. That player then walks back and tags the next person in line. All finished players sit down in a line. The winning team is the team that has all the players sitting down first holding their beach find.
Musical Towels
Spread out beach towels (or large bath towels) on the floor, one fewer than the players. Put on some surf music, how about the Beach Boys? When the music starts the players walk around the towels. When the music stops, each player must lie down on a towel as if they were sun bathing. The person without a towel is out. Remove a towel with each round until there is only one bathing beauty left.
Plan a surf-side picnic
Pack a cooler with some favorite summer foods, like potato salad, cold slaw and fruit salads to accompany a sandwich. Fill sand buckets with the following snack below – the kids will love it.
1-cup of each:
Dry chow mein noodles (pretend sea weed) Pretzel sticks (driftwood) Goldfish crackers (fish) Roasted peanuts (beach pebbles) Cheerios (life preservers) Mixture of raisins and dried pineapple pieces for sweetness
Enjoy your day at the beach and feel the warmth!
Sources:
Personal experience
Beach snack mix courtesy of Family Fun Parties; Deanna F. Cook; 1999
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