Mom, planning your Little Mermaid party will be fun. Really! Relax, take a deep breath and enjoy this special time with your little one! Â

LITTLE MERMAIDÂ BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS
Of Course the sea… is the theme that’s gotta be!!! There is an ocean of ideas listed below in this creative party planning guide. You don’t have to do EVERYTHING listed to have a swimmingly great time, O.K.?Â

LITTLE MERMAID PARTY SUPPLIES
Birthday Direct has an AWESOME selection of Little Mermaid party supplies and favors. This is one of their patterns that they have more than the usual stuff for.

They pay for advertising here, sooo that’s why they are mentioned alot….
This party planning guide is full of ideas, games, decorations and activities. Where should you start?

WHO IS LITTLE MERMAID?
The film follows the story of a beautiful, headstrong sixteen-year-old mermaid named Ariel, who is dissatisfied with life under the sea.

Ignoring the warnings of her father,King Triton, and the court musician,Sebastian the hermit crab, Ariel and her best friend, a fish named Flounder, often sneak up to the surface of the ocean.

 There, they collect human artifacts with the help of a goofy seagull named Scuttle, whose supposed expert knowledge of human culture is far from accurate;

 He identifies a fork as a hairstyling device called a “Dinglehopper”, and a smoker’s pipe as a “Snarfblat”, a musical instrument.

Ariel knows that contact between the humans and merpeople is forbidden, but she longs to be part of the human world.

BIRTHDAY PARTY PLANNING TIPS
Picking Little Mermaid as your party theme idea is perfect because there are more party supplies to pick from in this particular pattern…(Lots of Ps in that sentence.) Wheew!

Mom, the key to less on your plate… is to DELEGATE!! Party planning is fun.

Delegate jobs to friends, and family who you know will be happy to help. Ask them before the party so they won’t be surprised.

* Someone to take a few great shots:The classic; child blowing out the candles. Have Mom and Dad bend over next to the birthday star while singing for a perfect picture. Take some of the parents, and make sure you get a group shot of all the kids.

* Someone to help with the cake and food

* Someone to help with the games and activities (maybe your babysitter or a family member)

* Your child will love to help put up decorations. Don’t stress if things aren’t perfect. This is a birthday party, not a wedding. (that comes later…)

* Singing the Birthday Song, eating the first few bites of cake, and a shot of all the guests will be a fine photo memory.

* If you feel comfortable, and the kids are old enough, let them take a few shots of the party from their perspective. If you get a few blurry shots, it’s no big deal to delete.

DECORATIONS-
Wow! The Little Mermaid balloon selection at Birthdaydirect.com is AWESOME! Really….

 Use lots of balloons in primary blue, island blue, pastel blue and white.Tape these on poles, or hang curling ribbon from the ceiling and attach balloons, throughout the party area. Blow some up larger than others, and use lots of curling ribbon.

 Decorate the entrance with balloons. Add green streamers and curling ribbon to give it an under the sea look.Â

 A great birthday party idea is to use the Little Mermaid mylar balloons to decorate the party area, and as the kids leave, let this also be a take home party favor!

 Another kid’s birthday party idea is using Scene Setters that look like the ocean.They are so cool and are on sale too.

These murals are made of the plastic tablecover material and cost less than 20 bucks. In about 10 minutes you can have a whole party room looking like an ocean reef scene. Check out all their room decorations for a fantastic fun birthday party area!

WHERE SHOULD WE PARTY?
Why not rent the nearest Aquarium for the day for another great theme party idea? Just kidding, Mom! Renting a local recreation center is inexpensive and you won’t have to worry about your house at all. Consider renting an indoor pool. Check with the YMCA or a fitness club in your area.

 If you choose your home, pick a room that doesn’t have white carpets… and clear it out. Having an outdoor, or pool party is a great idea… But unless you live somewhere that you can count on the weather, stay inside. Remember, birthdays are fun!

IMPORTANT!
YOU should have a great time at your child’s party too. Have a time table and check list that you can follow. This is the highlight of the year for most kids. See if you can get a best friend, grandma, or even dad to commit to helping with decorating, wiping up spills, photos, and cleanup. Birthdays should be fun.

ACTIVITIES
Little Mermaid encourages music and imagination and so should you. For little kids here are a couple tried and true party ideas:

BUBBLES:
Blow lots of bubbles with some fun music. You can get Little Mermaid songs from Birthdaydirect.Remember, you and your child should have FUN at the party! Don’t get stressed!

NAME THAT THING:
Have an assortment of every day objects and let the kids rename them as they did in the movie. This will be a fun activity everyone can enjoy!

OLD SCHOOL BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES…. TRIED AND TRUE…

LITTLE MERMAIDÂ PARTY GAME
It’s like pin the tail on the donkey, but you use a large copy of a mermaid. Make copies of a paper gift box and have kids try to stick the box on her hands.Use a blindfold. Give stickers, or blow outs to everyone who tries.

HOT POTATO- (OR BEACH BALL)
Always a birthday party favorite game. Use the Under the Sea CD for this game, and also for background music.

MUSICAL CHAIRS (MODIFIED)-This is a birthday party classic (If you have access to enough chairs). If chairs are scarce, draw a large circle and put birthday party hats in the center.

Have one less hat than the kids. The kids walk around the circle. When the music stops they must run and place a hat on their head. The child without a hat is out, or the first to win a party favor.

LIMBO
Everyone has fun with this game. If you don’t want to buy an official Limbo set, you can have just as much fun holding a long stick and lowering it. Again, Birthdaydirect has the “Under the Sea” music CD and Disney music that will be so much fun to listen to.

PINATA
These have become very popular over the past few years. You can order ones that have certain shapes, or collapsable ones from Birthdaydirect.com. Fill with small candies and toys. Save this for the grand finale of the party.

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOOD IDEA

YOUR FOOD TABLE WILL BE THE EYE-CANDY OF THE PARTY!

There are so many fun things you will want to put on the table.This part of birthday party planning is fun!

 Check out the fun colorful plastic LITTLE MERMAID plates. Little kids will love to eat out of these plates! They are dishwasher safe and the kids can take them home Set these on the table that the kids will be eating on.

Also there are sippy cups and cups with straws, stadium cups all with the Little Mermaid theme. Use them at the birthday party, or fill them with favors, slip in a treat bag and send home with the kids.

CAKE- Have you checked out the awesome Little Mermaid cake kit Birthdaydirect.com has?There are a couple of types you can pick from. It would be a good idea to  practice making a cake long before the party so you can see what you will be getting into.

This is a great birthday party idea. The easiest way to cut a cake is with dental floss or even fishing line. Knives cutting through icing and cake can get very messy.

If you want to forget a cake, go with easy cupcakes with fun little rings or picks that match Little Mermaid. Birthdaydirect has a really neat cupcake holder too. You need to check it out!

OCEANÂ JIGGLERS
are always fun and kids love them! For extra fun, slip a gummy fish in blue colored Jello Jigglers before it sets.

REMEMBER- When kids are excited they don’t eat much. Have simple fun foods. Also, we all know that sugar will get kids MORE hyper. Unless your birthday party is in a gymnasium, or a playground, think about the foods you will be serving!

 Also, this party should be FUN! Don’t make a huge ordeal over the menue. You are not putting on a wedding, it’s your kids birthday party. FUN is the key word here!

FUN SANDWICHES-Use a fish shaped cookie cutter to make cute little finger sandwiches. Kids are so excited at birthday parties. Don’t expect them to eat a 3 course meal.

GOLDFISH CRACKERS are always a hit with kids.

PIZZA- Do you know any kid that doesn’t like pizza? It’s a perfect party food. Have them deliver to your party. EASY! Or…. you can make an activity and have the kids top their own personal bagels or premade pizza dough.

FRUIT- Cut in slices and put in a pretty pattern. Serve with a sweet yogurt dip.

SWEET PRETZELS- Dip pretzels in warm white chocolate and sprinkle with colored sprinkels. Yummm.

BIRTHDAY PARTY PLANNING IDEAS
You could hire a birthday party planner to put together all your kid’s parties… But it really is not that hard to do yourself.
FUN is the key word. You know your child, and what he/she likes. Let them be the major planner. It is THEIR party. Of course setting ground rules is important. But let them choose the pattern.

Let your child pick their favorite friends to come to the party.Let them help choose what kind of food should be served. They will remember the planning, spending quality time with MOM, as much as they remember the party.

TREAT BAG FAVORS:
Birthdaydirect.com has a ton of party favors you can put in each treat bag. Stickers, zipper pulls, twisty turn toys, are all great favors for little ones, or teens! Everbody loves Little Mermaid!

BIRTHDAY DIRECT would love to hear how your party went. Go to Penny the Party Planner Blog and tell everything! If you’d like,send a photo of your great party.