It’s hard to bring an ocean-loving kid’s birthday to the beach, especially if they have more than three friends! So why not bring the beach home with these summer party ideas!

There are a few games, crafts, activities and themed foods that make this party complete, read on to learn…

• Decorate with seaglass, seashells and colored glass marbles on the tables. If you don’t have your own, you can purchase these at craft stores. Be sure to hang streamers in blues and greens. Party Works also carries ocean themed mylar balloons!
  
  
• For snacks, buy goldfish crackers to munch on (hey, that’s easy!) Another easy treat is to make blue Jell-O jigglers following the package directions. Once the Jell-O is cool, but not set, insert Swedish fish below the surface. Later, cut into random, puddle like shapes.
  
  
• Make punch out of blue Kool-Aid, sprite and white or yellow sherbet. Freeze Swedish fish in ice cube trays to float in the punch. If you want, you can float a small toy boat.
  
  
• Octopus Ice cream sundaes: Arrange licorice so 4 pieces cross in the middle of the plate, plop two scoops of ice cream on top of X part. You can make a face with icing gels or candy, too!
  
  
• To bring your cake into the theme, add blue food coloring to batter before you cook it. Frost it a light blue color. Then, going up the sides, using the star tip and writing tip, make coral and seaweed in bright colors. On top stick some toy fish and dolphins and float a boat!
  
  
• A great craft idea is to purchase seashells with holes in them from a craft store, providing the kids with cord let them create their own jewelry.
  
  
• Find ocean themed coloring books or print them off the Web. Using cotton swabs, Elmer glue, and colored sand, let the kids “color” their pictures. Do this the same as when using glitter. Make sure the colored sands are in wide mouthed bowls so the kids can easily tap the excess into them.
  
  
• Octopus tag is a great game to play outside. Before the party, make two lines from spray paint or rope about 20 ft. apart. The inside of the lines is the ocean, which is where you can be tagged. One player is the octopus; the other “fish” stand behind one of the lines. The octopus yells “swim, fish” and all the fish have to run and cross the other goal line while the octopus tries to tag them. Anyone who gets tagged has to join hands with the octopus and become its tentacles. During the next round they run together and more kids add onto the tentacles, forming a snake. The last kid free is the winner.
  
  
• “Who am I?” is played by taping a picture of an ocean creature to each child’s back. Each child tries to determine what they are by asking the other kids yes/no questions such as: “Do I have fins?” Do I have to come up for air?” The first kid to correctly guess wins the game, but he can keep playing by answering other’s questions. This could also be played as “Ocean Charades!”
  
  
• A great favor to make for the kids to bring home is sweet sand pails. Buy small galvanized or plastic sand pails. Fill bottom with candy rocks. In top put in fish/shell shaped chocolates and candies. Also, make starfish and fish shaped sugar cookies. Wrap in cellophane bags and tie with raffia.