I believe in the power of me. Pretty inspiring, right?
This past summer, Disney Junior announced they would be celebrating a Pirate and Princess summer with Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First. Being the mother of a one year old daughter that has and obsession for both of these shows, you couldn’t have found a happier kid. At the start of this promotion, I noticed that they had also written an original song to accompany the theme of the summer that had a pretty catchy tune, but an even catchier phrase, “I believe in the power of me”. Upon looking more into this, I discovered that they were also encouraging kids to discover the power of doing good and helping others, by showing episodes of both respective shows with story lines of the characters helping others and, of course, doing good.
We all want our children to learn and adapt these traits and qualities at an early stage in life, so along those lines, a Pirate and Princess party with a theme of doing good, believing in yourself, and helping others is something fun to do to really drive those lessons home. I started thinking about how I would plan and execute a party that would do all these amazing things our kids have been learning over the summer, and decided to share!
First off, you need these Pirates and Princesses to look the part! Upon entering the party, greet them with a sash for the Princesses and a belt for the Pirates. This can be achieved by a simple wide ribbon, cut to size when they enter. Offer them a way to personalize their sash with stickers, jewels, markers for original designs, ect. If time permits, you can also have a paper crown and paper pirate hat ready for them to make their own, too. Encourage them to be unique, to be themselves.
What’s a party without games? First off, make some homemade paddles with some cardboard and a paint stirring stick. Paint your new paddles fun, vibrant colors that will grab attention. Blow up a few balloons and pair the kids up, giving each child a paddle. Explain that this game requires a great amount of teamwork and that as a partnership, you need to try to hit the balloon back and forth as many times as you can without it dropping to the floor. Have them keep track of how many hits they have before the balloon drops. Another great game that encourages teamwork is passing the hand squeeze. Have the children stand in a circle, holding hands, eyes closed. Explain that you will tap someone’s head, and they will squeeze their neighbors hand. As soon as their neighbor feels the squeeze, they’ll pass it on to their neighbor and so one and so on. See how fast they can pass the squeeze through the entire circle, then see if they can work together to beat that time. And last, what’s a party without a “pin the tail” game? However, instead of putting the same thing on the poster over and over again, keep adding things on. Have a pirate and princess poster ready. Have accessories to pin on each one, ie- bracelet, tiara, purse, sash, shoes for the princess, and a hook, hat, boot, parrot for the pirate. The kids will embrace the silliness of the game and it will for sure be a crowd pleaser!
Food is a must at any gathering, and it’s important that we teach that we can make food that tastes great and is healthy, too! A great and easy thing to make that is a crowd pleaser, is fruit nachos. Start with sliced apple or pear and have yogurt, honey, or both if you’re feeling fancy, to drizzle over the fruit. From here, you can add all kinds of toppings like nuts, chopped strawberries, shredded coconut, granola, raisins, the options are endless! Be sure that you ask about food allergies and prepare as needed. Another fun idea to go with the theme is to do a marshmallow treat treasure chest. Make a normal batch of rice marshmallow treats and when cool, flatten with a sheet of parchment paper. Please note, it needs to be parchment paper. Using tin foil or wax paper will bond with the marshmallow and make it a sticky mess! Cut into equal rectangles and place one on top of the other to give it a box looking effect. You can mold it to look more like a treasure chest, or you can leave it as is. To make sure that the two marshmallow treats stay together, put a dab of melted chocolate in between the treats and stick together. From there, take melted milk chocolate and pipe details like a leather strap on the top and a lock to make it more fun. Be creative and give the kids the option of decorating the blank chests if you have the time. Using sprinkles as jewels, the kids are bound to have a blast!
This has been a great summer in my house! I’m so glad to support programming that helps drive the values that I try to teach and instill in my child every day. I hope you have as much fun celebrating your Pirate or Princess this summer as I did and hope that each child remembers, that most importantly, to believe in themselves.