Have a Classroom Beach Party!

• Plan the party:  date, time, where, party format (in what order are things done) how many guests, what kind of food and drink, decorations, invitations, costumes or half costumes, budget, etc. (make ‘to do’ lists to help you plan your party – things to buy and things to do)

 

• Invitations:  Have children make the invitations.  Colour and decorate with ‘beachy’ things.  The children can choose which classmate to give the invite to.  Be sure to include date and time and other information pertaining to your party.

 

• Decoration Ideas:  Have the party inside or outside depending on the season and space.  Include beach chairs, lawn chairs, director’s chairs, beach umbrellas, hammocks, and beach towels around party area.  Other props to add to the scene: pails and shovels, sea shells, toy boats, stuffed animals (sea-related), crepe paper palm trees, scenic view of the ocean (painted cardboard will work), plastic beach balls, sand box, etc.  Be as creative as your budget and energy can allow.

 

• Take ‘beach’ pictures. Polaroids are quick or digital camera.  Have child pose with beach ball; sit in beach chair sipping from a straw, sunglasses on by the ‘sea’, etc.  Use the photos to make a seasonal bulletin board.  Or to put in a classroom scrapbook.

 

• Food and Drink:  Bring in cookies, cakes and snacks homemade or store bought around the beach theme. (Have parents help bake.)  If you are looking more for a meal, hot dogs are easy! Or a packed lunch would suffice.  ‘Sunny’ drinks are good fun for the beach – Fanta, Lemonade, or fruit punch.

 

• Games to play:  (Please look to the game or drama section of book.)  Other activities could include sharing books about the sea, reading poetry about the sea, or listening to beach music.

 

• Prizes and take-home ideas:  Have a prize box chocked full of small gifts to award winners of games.  Include seashells, toy boats, grass skirts, sun hats, sunglasses, books about the sea, sea creatures, boats, etc. Give small lucky bag with sweets and beach party stuff to take home. 

 

 

• More ideas: For each place setting use a Frisbee with a paper plate inside it.  Have freezes and Popsicles for the guests.  Make some Shirley Temple strawberry daiquiris putting little cocktail umbrellas in the glass. Blow bubbles and have a "shave the balloon" competition. Have a seashell search, a hoola hoop contest, a skipping contest, or a bathing suit contest. Have a game of musical beach towels. Play the Beach Boys. 

 

 

• Variation:  Plan a Pirate-themed party!  Decorate with pirate ships, make a treasure island with stuffed toys (monkeys and parrots, etc.), treasure chests, etc. Learn sea shanties, Make a treasure chest and fill it with small gifts to award winners with things like, plastic coins or chocolate coins, pirate hats or beards, plastic jewels, eye patches, cardboard swords, books about pirates or ships. Give small ‘booty’ of sweets to take home.         

 

• Variation: Plan a ‘Little Mermaid’ Party!    Decorations:  Blow up clear white balloons in x-small, small, and medium sizes. Tie the balloons together in a long straight line.  About 15 balloons for each line.  Hang the balloons from the ceiling on either side of the table.  When you do this it looks like bubbles. Also use clown balloons in blue, green, and yellow to make it look like seaweed. Place shells, beach buckets, a small beach ball, and some blue material around the balloons to represent the beach and water. Craft:  Kids can make sand art bottles. Set up two covered card tables.  Fill old spice bottles with different coloured sand. Put out small plastic bottles on each table.  Make funnels out of white computer paper shaped in a cone.  Games/Activities: Musical Game: The kids make a circle and sit on the ground.  Put a plastic treasure chest in the centre of the circle.  Play the Little Mermaid CD.  The kids pass a crown around.  When the music stops the child puts on the crown, then opens the treasure chest, and picks out a prize. Pin the Flower on Ariel:  Make a Little Mermaid poster and attach it to the wall.  Make a paper hibiscus flower for them to use for the game. Treasure hunt: Get two plastic baby pools and put sand and treasures in each one.  The kids take turns digging for treasures.  Taking turns makes them excited about what each other find.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

From ‘Exploring the Lough: Creative Activities for the Primary School Classroom

Compiled & Written by Molly Freeman, Edited by Adrian Rice