Kids Luau Party Ideas

Make a Sand Castle Centerpiece

To make a sand castle centerpiece, purchase textured, sand-colored spray paint at any local hardware store. Spray paint shoe boxes and use them to form the main part of the castle. To construct the towers, glue Styrofoam cones to empty coffee cans, then paint. Other details, such as scallops across the top of the castle, can be cut out of Styrofoam and painted.


Decorate With Other Luau Items

Set the mood further by visiting a local travel agency and asking for old travel posters of Hawaii, the Caribbean, or other tropical destinations. After you hang the posters, tape butcher paper around the seats of chairs and fray the edges to resemble grass skirts or hula skirts. In the same way, add frayed green paper to serving bowls and cups, if desired. You can also purchase adorable luau decorations, such as lanterns and palm tree decorations, online to save time.

If you're hosting the party outdoors in the summer sun, use play sand to set up a "beach." You can use a sand box or, if one isn't available, spread sand on large trash bags for easy clean up. Add to the beach feel by placing the following items around the party area:

• Beach balls
• Beach towels
• Beach umbrellas (if the party is outdoors)
• Flip flops
• Flippers
• Flower lies
• Lounge chairs
• Palm trees (made from construction paper or store-bought)
• Rafts, boogie boards and/or flotation noodles
• Seashells and Starfish
• Snorkels and snorkel masks/goggles
• Sunglasses
• Suntan lotion

Serve Hawaiian Beach-Themed Treats

Expand on your beach-themed decorations by setting out goldfish crackers in sand buckets. Also, create an ice cream cart by setting up a table with cones and two or three flavors of ice cream at one end and a variety of toppings in serving bowls at the other. Guests can "order" their scoops from an adult then move down the table to add their toppings. Don't forget the whipped cream and cherries!

Bake a Hawaiian-themed birthday cake in a palm tree-shaped cake pan.

Whether or not you want to serve ice cream, our Banana-Strawberry Smoothie makes a cool, tasty treat on a hot summer day. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 bananas
• 2 cups of strawberries
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of frozen yogurt

Note: If you're using two cups of frozen strawberries instead of fresh, reduce the milk to one-half cup.

Once you have your ingredients gathered up, slice the bananas and strawberries, and then put them in a blender with the milk and yogurt. Blend on high until smooth.

If you're looking for other refreshing summer beverages that will take less time to whip up, consider Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris and Virgin Pina Coladas made from store-bought mixes.