Mermaid Birthday Party - Part 2

This article is Part 2 of a simple and fun mermaid birthday party idea, inspired by the Barbie Mermaidia movie which just came out. After you have all your mermaid guests dressed in their tails and seated in the magical room you have decorated, it's time for the fun and games to begin! Here are several game ideas; you can choose one or do several.

Bubble Toss: Blow up a blue or white balloon. This is a bubble, and the guests have to keep it in the air at all times. They toss it back and forth (remember, they can't run or walk!) and try to keep it from touching the ground. If you like, you can make the rule that the last person who touched it before it hit the ground is out of the game, until only one mermaid is left.

Mirror Mask: To prepare for this game you will need to have a hand-mirror with a handle, and a simple paper mask on a stick (paint stirring sticks work best). One mermaid is "It", and has the mirror. The other mermaids need to be sitting roughly in a circle around her, and be able to reach each other easily. "It" is only allowed to look at the mermaids behind her using the mirror. She will turn around in place, trying to spot which mermaid in the circle is holding the mask up to her face. The mermaids will pass the mask back and forth, and each one who receives it must hold it up over her face before passing it on. "It" tries to catch someone holding it up to her face, then yells "You're It!" The mermaid who was caught now becomes It, and sits in the middle.

Pretend: Most young children just want lots of free time at parties for imaginative play. Being dressed up as mermaids is the perfect set-up. Be sure to provide lots of props, such as plenty of hair ornaments and hand-mirrors so the mermaids can dress up their hair. If inclined you could also provide sparkly makeup. This might be the best time to let each guest choose some treasure from the treasure chest to keep - they could pick out pretty pearls and costume jewelry to dress up with. You could give each guest a small bag to put extra treasure in, to take home later. Just be sure to write their names on the bags with permanent marker so they can find them easily before departing.

Another fun prop the girls might enjoy is a bit of fish netting. These can be found at craft and party stores.

When it's time for food and cake, serve all the mermaids in their party room, picnic style. Good choices would be fish sticks, chicken nuggets or cooked shrimp for the entrée. For sides you could serve Goldfish crackers or Veggie Straws (pretend seaweed). Carrot and celery sticks would make an easy vegetable. You could make the birthday cake into the shape of a fish, and cover the top with green and blue M&M's for scales. Of course, any birthday cake will do. For drink, you could serve blue Koolaid, clear bubbly soda (like Sprite) or water.

After the food, bring all of the gifts to the guests and let each one present her gift to the birthday girl. By this time the guests may be ready to have the run of their legs again. But it's a fun idea to let them take home their mermaid fabric, in case they ever want to wrap up in it at home and relive the memorable party!