Speaks for itself...
From making leis and sandy candy to finding buried treasure, a child's beach party luau needs ice breaker activities, a few fast-paced competitive games and a fond farewell. Keep transitions short for younger children. A mix of physical activity and quiet regular and edible crafts allows you to set a pace that keeps your beach party guests entertained and relaxed from beginning to end. Does this Spark an idea?
Sand Candle Candy
Melted chocolate and brown sugar sand...
Brown sugar and toasted coconut become edible beach sand and melted chocolate is the wax for these whimsical treats. Use a 9-inch by 12-inch baking pan as the sand tray. Mix the coconut and brown sugar together and fill the baking pan with it. As children arrive, have each one choose a small sand toy to push into the tray of edible sand to make a mold. Once each child has done this, use a pair of large tweezers to grip the edge of the toy and remove it from the sand.
After you fill the molds (the toy-shaped holes in the sand) with melted chocolate, the sand tray should go into the refrigerator until just before the party ends. Heat chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, not over direct heat, or it can burn. Chocolate Candy Maker advises, "...bring the chocolate up to a temperature of 110º F, (and) then cool it to about 88º F." The candies will look like miniature sand candles when removed from the tray.
Chocolate-Covered Tiki Torches
Marshamallows make great tiki torches.
Hand children two of the giant-size marshmallows and a pretzel rod. Push the marshmallows onto the rod to look like the top end of the tiki torch. Dip it in melted chocolate and place on trays in the refrigerator. Make two extra torches to use as props for a hula dancer relay.
Leis
Traditional welcome...
As children finish making their sand molds and tiki torches, give them a zipper bag with two handfuls of felt, silk or paper flowers, a length of 3mm yarn and a plastic tapestry needle so they can make a lei. Hawaiian Luaus instructs, "...string the flowers together by going through the centers of the flowers, from front to back, and slide them two or three at a time down the string." After you string the flowers, tie the ends of the string together. By the time each child is finished making a lei, all of your guests will have arrived.
Hula Dancer Relay
Beach sandals complete the look.
Two sets of hula-related items at each end of the room are the goals for each relay team. Include a grass skirt, lei, beach sandals and a flower wreath. Each hula team member will race across the room, grab one hula dancer costume piece and return to the start. Once each team has all their items, the team leader has to don each item and run across the room to grab a chocolate-covered tiki torch. The first team to get their torch wins.
Buried Treasure
Dig for buried treasure...
The same trays used to make the candle candy can become a pirate's treasure trove. Place one small toy in the sand for each child. Blindfold each player. Players feel through the sand until they find something. Before they can keep the toy, they have to describe it to everyone and guess what it might be.
"Name that Beach Tune" Musical Chairs
Beach chairs are easy to set up and remove.
Use any beach or ocean-related songs of your choice. Set up one beach chair for every child. While the songs are playing, have everyone pretend to shovel sand, swim or surf. Do not remove any chairs until the beginning of the second song. At that point, there should be one less chair than there are children. When you stop the music, the child who does not have a chair can stay in the game by naming the song. Remove another chair only when the extra child does not know the song title.
Aloha Oe
Fifteen minutes before the end of the party, children assemble in a circle, with the birthday child in the center. Teach children the words of the song Aloha Oe, written by the last queen of Hawaii, Lil'iuokalani. The birthday child gives each child a lei and a hug or handclasp. Sing the song three times and thank everyone for coming to your beach party luau.
Tags: each child, beach party, across room, across room grab, beach party luau, before party, birthday child