Fun Kids Summer Party + Ocean Sensory Bin

As summer comes to a close for my kids and they go back to school next week, I wanted to thow them one last summer party so we could just play and have fun before it’s back to the busy schedules and homework.  I created a really fun party and an awesome ocean sensory bin that I want to share with you!

I wanted the party to be engaging and active for the kids, for them to be free to play how they wanted and with what they wanted.  I decided to put the fun completely in their hands- best idea ever!

Fun Kids Summer Party Ideas:

Since we were going to have our summer party outdoors and by the pool, I focused on games and activities that had to do with water.  I placed these activities all around the table and let the kids just go for it and choose which ones they wanted to do.  They LOVED it!

I filled up a bunch of water balloons beforehand and stored them in a large bucket.  Be sure to add some water to the inside of the bucket too! I’ve found that it helps with the water balloons not popping.

I also filled a pail with water balloon slingshots, which were a hit with the kids too!

Another option the kids loved were the bubbles.  I bought bottles of bubbles and covered the labels by adding a rectangular piece of colorful scrapbook paper over them.  Much better!

Backup floaties are a must when inviting friends over, just in case they forgot theirs or one pops.  Even better when they’re ocean-themed like these cute ones!

The kids loved playing with a big bucket of colorful bouncy balls.  They were quick to claim their favorite colors- luckily I bought plenty.

When the kids got hungry I had a few treats for them- ice cold lemonade, some fresh fruit, giant colorful suckers, and my personal favorite- snowcones!

I pulled out my favorite snowcone maker and our yummy homemade snowcone syrup and we cooled off with our tasty treats.

Ocean Sensory Bin:

Sensory bins are a great way for kids to use their senses, get creative, and have fun playing.  I created an ocean sensory bin with water beads that kept some of the kids busy for over an hour!

If you haven’t tried playing with water beads yet, they’re pretty amazing!  When just out of the package, they’re tiny and look almost like small beads.  After you let them soak in water, however, they swell up much bigger and are so soft and squishy!

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own ocean sensory bin-

Supplies:

• Water beads
• Blue food coloring
• Ocean animal plastic toys, seashells, and other ocean or nautical toys (that can get wet)

Directions:

Step 1.  Soaking the water beads in water is what makes them get bigger, so follow the directions on the packaging to soak them.  You’ll also add about 10-15 drops of blue food coloring to the water and stirring completely.

The water beads will absorb the water as well as the blue color!

Step 2.  Once the water beads are larger and soft, place them in a medium-sized plastic tub, along with a little water.  Add plastic ocean animal toys, sea shells, and anything else that goes in the ocean and is safe to play with.

Now just sit back and watch the kids play and have fun with their new ocean sensory bin!  Go ahead and play too- you know you want to! 😉  If you do this with younger kids be sure to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t put the water beads in their mouth.

This was such a fun afternoon we had!  The kids loved all the choices and freedom they had at our summer party.

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I know that we will!