Plan a Hawaiian-themed preschool party.
Capture kids' imaginations with the sights and sounds of the Hawaiian Islands in your own backyard. Create a party for preschool-age children that sneaks in a little learning about the Hawaiian culture while providing plenty of good times. Raise a juice-filled glass to the 50th state and enjoy a memorable preschool Hawaiian-themed party. Does this Spark an idea?
Party Decorations
Define the party space with tropical-colored crepe paper streamers. Wind them around porch rails, outdoor light fixtures and even low tree branches. Buy tiki torches to stick in the ground, but do not fill them with oil or light them. Instead, buy silk hibiscus flowers--the state flower of Hawaii-- at a hobby shop and attach them to the torches with craft wire. Buy dollar store foil palm trees, island-themed banners and leis to hang in the party area. Cover tables with yellow plastic tablecloths and set pineapples and coconuts there. Play authentic Hawaiian music CDs. Your librarian can recommend recordings for you. Bring a TV outside and set it up in an area where kids will not be able to knock it over or trip over the cord. Play a Hula-instruction DVD from the library throughout the party. Place a basket of dollar store grass skirts and leis nearby so kids can dance along. Lay blankets or beach towels around the party space for seating.
Party Food
Serve ham chunks, fresh pineapple and cherries on a wooden kabob skewer with cups of tropical flavored juice to drink. Order Hawaiian pizzas from your favorite pizzeria. Cut it at home into bite-size pieces suitable for small children's appetites. Place banana chunks in small bowl, top them with vanilla ice cream, then sprinkle coconut on top for a Hawaiian desert.
Party Games
Set up a tropical relay race for your preschool party guests. Separate the children into two even teams and help each team form a line in front of one of two baskets containing identical Hawaiian-style clothes and accessories. Fill the baskets with two pairs of sunglasses, two grass skirts and two leis. Add a beach bag to both baskets. Spread two beach towels flat on the ground, eight feet from each basket. When you say "go," the first youngster in each line puts on all the items in the basket. Team members help with this task. The child runs to the beach towel and does a short hula dance. Just a few hula moves will do. Before leaving the towel and running back to his team, the player must yell "Hawaii is the 50th state." Team members help the player out of all the game clothes and gear, then help the next child in line into them. Continue the relay until one of the teams gets all players through the relay.
Settle in after an active game for a round of "hot coconut." Let the children sit in a circle and get a coconut from the food table. Use your Hawaiian music CD to provide passing music. When you pause the music, the child holding the coconut is out of the game.
Tags: 50th state, beach towels, dollar store, grass skirts, grass skirts leis, Hawaiian music, members help