Mermaid pool party

What it is

A water party themed around mermaids and the sea. It works in a garden paddling pool, a home pool, or a booked session at a local leisure centre. Kids play diving and racing games, then dry off for a shell craft and an ocean feast.

Plan ahead

• Two weeks before: send seashell-shaped invitations and tell parents what kind of pool it is and whether children need armbands.
• One week before: buy sinking dive toys, a few inflatables, shells and craft boxes. Check you have enough towels; ask guests to bring their own.
• The day before: set up the shade (a gazebo or parasols), check the pool and fill it in the morning so the sun warms it.

Set the scene

Hang blue and green streamers from the gazebo like seaweed. Tie teal, purple and silver balloons to the pool fence. Lay a “beach” of towels and a basket of sunscreen by the pool. Stick paper fish and shells on the fence.

Activities

Pearl dive

Scatter sinking gems and toy pearls in shallow water. Each child has a small bucket. In a home pool, keep to the shallow end so everyone can stand.

Mermaid races

• Noodle race: sit on a pool noodle like a sea horse and paddle across.
• Tail hop: in a paddling pool or on the grass, hop with legs together like a tail.
• Shell relay: carry a shell on a spoon from one end of the pool to the other.

Shell treasure boxes

While kids warm up in towels, they glue shells, gems and sequins to small wooden boxes. Use tacky glue or glue dots for speed.

Food and drink

• Goldfish crackers and “seaweed” (cucumber ribbons)
• Fish-shaped sandwiches
• Blue jelly cups with gummy fish
• “Ocean water” (blue sports drink or lemonade with a drop of colouring)
• A cake with a mermaid tail made from chocolate and shells made from moulded white chocolate

Tips

• Safety first: one adult whose only job is watching the water, at all times. No phones.
• Make the “watcher” wear a bright hat so everyone knows who is on duty and swap every 20 minutes.
• Bring kids out of the water for food and cake; no eating in the pool.
• Have spare swimwear and towels for the guest who forgets.