Hawaiian Luau
Yes! Of course I would love to come and provide balloon creatures, hawaiian flowers and little monkeys to all of the children. But if that is not in your budget this year...no worries! Check out the rest of my page for the coolest games, recipes and party ideas for your luau!
This party theme is may favorite because I can pull out the items I have on my "Must Haves" list for the last minute parties and I am a hero every time. I try to stick to the primary colors when I am purchasing items so that I can use it for my son or daughter.
Over the years I have collected a list of Luau "Must Haves":
Floral Leis
Parasol Picks (little umbrellas)
Hula Skirt set (wear with swimsuit)
Hawaiian Shirts or Hawaiian Swimsuit for the boys with headbands and leis
Beach Ball Cooler (see below)
This handy cooler is great to put out on the patio as an easy way to grab drinks. It's also a great display and will work for all your future parties too! Great buy at only $15 at
Hawaiian Finger Foods
Serve root beer floats,
virgin pina coladas and watermelon Kool-Aid as well as chopped strawberries, pineapples and melon on fruit kabobs. Remember that Hawaii is all about fresh fruit and fresh flowers.
Games and Activities
Hula Hoop contest
Most Wal-Marts and Dollar Stores carry Hula Hoops, but they have good quality hoops online too.
Try some of these challenges-
Who can keep a hula hoop going the longest?
Who can do the most hula hoops at a time for at least 10 seconds?
Crazy Fun – See how much people can fit in a hula hoop.
Hula Hoop Ring Toss – See who can ring an item 10, 20 or 30 feet away!
Hula Hoop Roll – Who can send a hula rolling the farthest?
Bingo
Try, Aloha Bingo if you don't already have a Bingo game at home! Learn Hawaiian words while having fun and winning prizes!
Pinata
I love pinatas. If you are planning a party for a very young crowd, make sure you get a "pull string" pinata, instead of using a bat to break the pinata! That can be way too dangerous...for you! :)
Limbo contest
Using a string of christmas lights or a broom stick, have two children hold and the rest of the players form a line and pass under it. Players are not allowed to touch the limbo stick, and they cannot have any body part but their feet touch the floor. At first this is easy, but after each player has gone under once, lower the limbo stick before the players pass through again. The game continues this way, with the limbo stick being lowered each time. If a player accidentally touches the limbo stick or the floor, they are out. The last player left doing the limbo wins.
Play Hawaiian or island music. Play
Hawaiian 105.com's Online Radio Station is you don't want to buy a CD.
<<-- I couldn't resist this one! I am not sure if your pup wants to be this involved in the party...but if he is ok with wearing clothes...this is as cute as can be!
Tug-O-War
Many hardware stores carry quality cotton rope or you can go online to buy a
Tug-O-War Rope.
Official Rules:
First find a nice level area to play on. Parks are good.
Mark a line on the ground using paint or chalk This will be the "center line".
Choose someone who is not a competitor to be the judge. The Judge's job is to mark the rope, start the pull, figure out who the winner is and to make sure everyone sticks to the rules. You will need a 120 foot long rope marked at the center with tape. You can also have knots in the rope but make sure they are evenly spaced.
Measure off Fifteen feet from the center of the rope in both directions and mark these points with tape. When the "15 foot" mark crosses the center line on the ground then the team at that end has lost. You should also make one more tape mark at either end 2 foot further back than the ones you just made. IE: 17 feet from the center. this as as far as either team is allowed to hold the rope.
You then form up teams of about 6 people each.
The largest person on each team should be the anchor. This is the person who is at the end of the team.
You then line both teams up on their respective ends of the rope with the first person holding the rope just behind the second tape mark or "17 foot" mark. Stagger each person so that one is on the right of the rope and the next is on the left and so on.
Then on a command from the judge everyone picks up the rope and takes up the slack between the two teams. the judge can now make sure that the center of the rope is lined up with the mark on the ground.
When the judge is satisfied that everything is lined up and the teams are ready he yells "pull". They pull until one the "15 foot" tape of one team crosses the line.
Balloon Twisting & Face Painting
Nothing will make a child's face light up more than getting a balloon of their choice and transforming into a Hawaiian Princess or tribal warrior. Consider hiring a
balloon artist and/or
face painter in your local area.