Awesome Pool Party Ideas
by Cheryl Levey - http://www.party-planning-ideas.com
Copyright (c) 2005 Cheryl Levey. All Rights Reserved.
Living in Arizona, lots of people have pools, so around
here, pool parties are extremely popular. The pool is an
attraction and can be either used or simply as a backdrop
to a more refined party. Many "wine and cheese" kinds of
poolside patio parties are very nice, with dim outdoor lighting
accentuated by the pool lighting. On the other end of the
spectrum are the down and rowdy pool parties, where
everyone's splashing and having a great time. That's the
kind this article focuses on.
Where
Wherever the pool is. If you have one in your backyard,
great! If not, a community or public pool can be used.
Sometimes, community and public pools will even allow
you to rent them out for parties, but if they don't, you'll
just have to share the pool with whoever else is there.
Invitations
Shindigz has a cute one that looks like a flip flop.
You can also write the details on an inflated beach
ball and then deflate it to mail or give to the invitee.
Use phrases like "Make a Splash With Us!" and be
sure to explicitly say to bring or wear a swimsuit.
Decorations
Pool party decorations should be wildly colorful. Lots
of primary colors - balloons can be tied to the pool fence
(or around the yard), streamers can be put on the patio
or even in the kitchen. Beach balls could be tossed
around. The pool should have plenty of floatable toys,
rafts, noodles, etc. in it. Be sure to put out all of your
lawn chairs and lounges and give them a festive look by
putting colorful towels over them. Other fun things - use
a beach shovel (clean!) to scoop ice for drinks and use
(clean!) pails or frisbees to serve fruits and veggies. Use
tiki torches or paper lanterns for light (if your party is at
night).
Costumes
Well.... if you are swimming, major costumes are not
recommended! Swim suits are the costume of the day!
Favors
Favors for a pool party could be sun screen (or zinc oxide!),
beach balls, flip flops, sunglasses, snorkel and mask, or a
beach towel.
Food
Since everyone will be swimming, you want to keep the
food lighter. Salads and snack foods will be best. If the
food will be outside, avoid anything with dairy or mayo.
Here are a couple of "cool" ideas: jello, popcicles, finger
sandwiches, fruit smoothies, fresh veggies, watermelon,
hot dogs.... You get the idea - really easy!
Cake
Here are a few pool party ideas for cakes: A sheet cake
with a pool in blue icing and little outdoor loungers or figures
lying on icing beach towels. Or a round cake decorated to
look like a fristbee, a beach ball, or an inner tube (maybe
even a bundt cake!). A cake decorated to look like a beach
towel or a flip flop.
Games/Entertainment
Ok, is there anyone on earth who has never played Marco
Polo? It's a little like a water-based hide and seek. One
person keeps their eyes closed and calls out "Marco" and
then everyone else calls out Polo, and the person with
their eyes closed tries to find and tag anyone calling out
Polo. That person then becomes "it" and calls out Marco.
You can also toss play gold coins and dive for them (if the
water is deep enough) or have swim races. Last but not
least, just plain playing and splashing is always a hit!
You can also have activities out of the pool like dancing, the limbo, "hot" potato (with a water filled balloon), water gun fights,
and other similar games.
Pool parties are such a blast! When you have yours, get wet,
get wild, and above all, have fun!
_______________
Cheryl Levey is a writer living with her family in beautiful central
Arizona. Check out her website at http://www.cherylsweb.com
for more articles, ebooks, and other information.
