Planning a Birthday Party on a Budget: Sea Life Theme

Serve fish sticks, gold fish crackers, blue koolaid, and cupcakes. Cut out starfish, shells, coral, etc. from poster board and hang from the ceiling very low so that the children get the feeling they are under the sea. Make crowns from posterboard and cover with tin foil. Or get them from Burger King as stated in another post. Provide glitter glue and small trinkets from the dollar store so that each child can create their own crown. If you are outside, buy 1 bag of play sand (about $3) from your local home improvement store and scatter that around the patio.

We did a party with this theme a year ago. Dollar Tree had a lot of ocean items that we used for decorating.

Let's see. How about turning an appliance box into a sea cave and letting them take turns being the giant squid and trying to touch the others? Prizes for the best fish imitation? A sprinkler and wading pool in the back yard could be the "ocean." If you have a recording of Disney's "Under The Sea" from The Little Mermaid, they could learn a dance that goes with it. Supply boas, jewelry and doo-dads for a fashions show and let them model for The Mermaid Queen (you?).

For food, you could make tuna sandwiches cut out like fish or other sea creatures. You can make your own sandwich cutter by bending a tin can, both ends removed, to shape. Make the KoolAid blue-green. Let them decorate cupcakes with a few candies to resemble seaweed. If you start looking in thrift shops early, none of this should cost very much.

Hope this helps.

Put a dvd in like LIttle Mermaid, give them some wands, a crown, and let them play. Fish sticks would make a good meal goes along with your theme and still low cost. Wands could be poster board rolled and taped then decorated. Crowns, go to Burger King and request a few then either cover with tin foil, are paper.