Blue fabric, paper jellyfish and a paddling pool full of fish to catch. A calm, cheap, very pretty party theme that works from two years old up to seven.
This page may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
We did this one for my daughter's fourth birthday on a hot day in the garden, and it was the easiest party I have ever thrown. Almost all the decorating is fabric.
The fishing pool did most of the entertaining. Children came back to it again and again between everything else, which is exactly what you want from a party station.
Everything blue counts as decoration. Blue plates, blue cups, a blue sheet. Nobody is inspecting the details.
Peg two or three shades of blue fabric along a fence or wall and let them fall in loose waves — that is your whole backdrop. Drape a piece of fishnet over the top if you have one and tuck a few shells into it.
For the jellyfish, glue lengths of white crepe paper streamer inside the rim of paper lanterns and hang them at different heights from a branch or the edge of a gazebo. They move in the wind and children genuinely gasp at them.
On the table, a pale blue cloth, a tray of sand with real shells down the middle, and a jar of blue lemonade is more than enough.
Fill a paddling pool or a large tub with a few centimetres of water and float plastic fish in it. Hand out small nets and let the children scoop.
For older children, make it a fishing rod game: slide a paperclip onto each fish, tie a magnet to a string on a stick, and challenge them to catch five fish before the timer runs out.
Add a rule that every fish caught gets counted and released, and the game runs itself for as long as the water stays interesting.
Blue jelly cups with a gummy fish set inside are the one thing every child remembers. Make them the night before in clear plastic cups.
Alongside them: a watermelon and melon platter, a big bowl of fish-shaped crackers, cucumber slices, and cupcakes with blue and white swirled frosting to look like waves.
Blue lemonade in a dispenser with paper straws finishes it, and it is the only drink you need to make.
Small blue paper bags with a bubble wand, a real shell and one mini sea creature in each. Three items, no plastic tat, and the shells are free if you have been to a beach this year.
Set them by the gate so nobody leaves empty-handed and you do not have to hand them out in the middle of the cake.
Do the jellyfish and the jelly cups the night before, and leave only the fabric and the pool for the morning. If the weather turns, everything except the pool moves indoors without losing anything.