Theme Birthday Party: Splish Splash Pool Party!

Pool parties offer a sociable way to cool down and have some fun. Here are some steps to help you jump right in. Use large, colored index cards for the invitations, and hand-deliver or wire them to friends and family. Remind guests to bring towels, bathing suits, goggles and colourful fun floaties. Name the party for what theme you would like: common themes are BBQs and Luaus or just mainly Splish Splash!

Set up the table with bright tablecloths, hula skirts and colorful paper plates, cuttleries and napkins. Create catchy centrepieces! Dress up your pool by surrounding it with inflatable palm trees and cover the surface with rubber duckies, balloons and bright colourful balls. All of the floaties can then be given away as party favors.

Keep dining simple by putting out large platters of assorted finger foods you don’t need to restock. Start with snacks like tortilla chips and salsa, pita chips and hummus, and potato chips with onion dip. Keep platters of freshly cooked pizzas, cheeseburgers and hot dogs on the table at all times. Cut assorted sandwiches into bite-size pieces.

To make your pool party extra cool, plan some activities geared to your guests. Buy some inner tubes and foam noodles they can splash around with or fill your pool with beach balls and floating rafts that will then create exciting games.

Say "thanks for coming", with fun and unique party favors. Add a Flip-flop decorating activity to the party and they'll have a fun gift to take home. It's easy with inexpensive flip flops, ribbons, silk flowers and beads. A bottle of fun sun-screen, small beach ball or a squirt gun and a few sweet treats has always been a favourite. Place the items in a plastic sand pail. Fill a plastic poolside cup with a lip sun block and bright colored candies. A beach towel and sunglasses for each guest, will make a special party favor for smaller parties. However, it can be costly if your guest list is larger than a few children.

It's essential to have adults supervising the pool festivities at all times. Consider hiring a professional lifeguard to monitor your pool. You could also appoint some friends or family to help you monitor. The most important rule of thumb is to have a few adults be willing to watch the swimmers at all times. Have a phone on hand at all times in case of an emergency.

Above all the preparation, there's always the weather that takes charge. Keep an inflatable pool standby so you could party rain or shine!