Need to shake up your summer with a little fun? Have a mini party that celebrates the chaos of childhood! This post is sponsored by I Love Ice Cream Cakes. All opinions are my own.
Life with kids can be incredibly messy, especially during the warmer months. My family spends a ton of time outdoors between April and September, so I recently went all in for a “Fun in the Sun” day to celebrate it all. It was basically a mini party, and it turned out great!
Okay so first things first. I know setting up parties can be a lot of work, but these ideas are a total breeze! I worked smarter by choosing snacks and activities that didn’t have a lot of prep work, and with the theme being summer fun, the outdoor nature of it lends itself to the unstructured. And, since the whole thing was about embracing the mess and being free to have fun, I really didn’t want to do the whole immaculate tablescape shebang. There is definitely a place for those types of setups, but not for us. This day is about the fun. And the frivolity. And everything in between.
DIY Fish Pond: I crafted the rods and fishes myself, but it was super simple – all I did was tie string to some plastic poles, then on the end of the string I hung 3 paper clips each. For the fishes, I cut fish shapes out of foam and then superglued a magnet on each as the eye. I filled a small plastic pool halfway full of water, dropped the fish in, and let the kids try to lift them out with their rods. They loved seeing who got the most!
Ice Cream Cake: You can’t have a celebration without cake, and what better way to say goodbye to summer than an amazing Carvel cookie cake from I Love Ice Cream Cakes that I picked up at Walmart.
I Love Ice Cream Cakes has several varieties to choose from, including original Carvel®, Jon Donaire® and OREO® varieties, and are perfect for all occasions. They are available in grocery stores in the bakery or freezer section nationwide, and you can find your own here.
I love all of their varieties, but seriously, who wouldn’t choose this cookie cake? YUM! I love that I can easily customize it if I want, and the kids love being able to have a special treat to celebrate the end of the season.
Dip Dye T-Shirts: These were absolutely adorable! For this, I set up a station at the end of the craft table that included all the supplies required, and then let the kids do the painting and dipping, with a little help from my husband. *This craft takes a few hours. It is perfect for a sleepover type party, since you have to wash/dry before they can be worn.
Here is what you need:
- 4-5 white t-shirts (prewashed)
- 1 packet dark pink fabric dye
- 1 packet lime green fabric dye
- black fabric paint
- small paint brush
- rubber bands
- pinch of salt
- gloves
- a place to let shirts sit overnight.
To make these dip-dye watermelon shirts, here is what you do:
- Lay each shirt flat and paint black “seeds” throughout the top 3/4 of your shirt. This doesn’t have to be perfect, especially when kids are doing it. Let sit in the sun for at least 15 minutes to dry.
- Bunch or roll up each shirt longways and secure 2 rubber bands a few inches above the bottom hem. This will be your boundary between colors.
- Get some gloves on and mix your fabric dye according to instructions.
- Carefully dip the small end of your shirt roll into the green dye and work it through the fabric with a gloved hand.
- Take it out of the dye, squeeze tightly so there are no drips, and dip the other end into the pink dye.
- Repeat the same thing with the pink side – slowly raise it out of the liquid, then squeeze out excess.
- After that, set your wet shirt on a clean surface for at least 4 hours. Rinse thoroughly with with cold water.
- Once dry, paint on watermelon seeds with black fabric paint.
The results are a super cute watermelon t-shit that is perfect for those end of summer days!
Art station: I also included a little art station with markers, stickers, stencils, and glue-ons for making silly faces. It wasn’t as big a hit as the t-shirts, but it was something!
