As the school year nears, our days of summer are numbered. But, before we say goodbye to the lazy days of summer, there is still time for one last hoorah. What better way to pay tribute to the summer than an end-of-the-summer luau?
LET’S EAT!
No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen on a sunny day. Make simple meals like ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls or kebabs made with cubed ham, pineapples and cherry tomatoes. Side dishes include pasta salad made with shell shaped pasta or ambrosia salad with pineapples and coconut. For dessert, make pineapple upside down cupcakes or a fresh fruit pizza on sugar cookies.
GAMES
Slay the Pig
Insert a funnel to fill large pink balloons with a small prize and confetti. Fill the rest of the balloon with air and tie it off. Draw a pig face on the balloons and attach them to a piece of scrap drywall (available at local hardware stores) by their tails. To slay the pigs, players can use darts or bean bags to pop the balloons and claim their prizes.
Hot Pineapple
Fill yellow water balloons with water. Like Hot Potato, the players will sit in a circle, passing the filled balloon around as music is playing. If the player is holding a balloon when the music stops, he has to pop the balloon in his lap or has the option to remove himself from the game. Play continues until there is one very lucky or one very wet player left.
Flip Flop Toss
For this game, you will need pool noodles and several pairs of flip-flops from the dollar store. Make circles with pool noodles to create a ring and place rings in a row on the ground. Players take turns trying to toss a flip-flop in each ring. You can make it more challenging by requiring the players to get a matched pair of shoes in the same ring.
Hula Hoop Contest
See how long your guests can keep that hoop spinning. Variations include spinning the hoop on your arm or spinning the hoop in the opposite direction. An advanced version of this game may give your guests more of a challenge—play Simon Says while hooping. Players can stand on one leg, clap their hands and follow other simple commands while spinning their hoops.
Find the Tiki
Like Easter eggs, hide tikis around your yard or party space. Tiki paper cups, like those found on Amazon, work well. Write a number on the bottom of each Tiki and offer the kids a small prize for each number. Instead of a prize, you can also use this game as a way to break the group into teams for the limbo. Their teammates will have the same numbers on their cups.
The Classic Limbo
Simply wrap an old broomstick with ribbon or crepe paper from the dollar store to use as a limbo stick. Select two people to hold either end of the stick, allowing players to pass under it. After everyone has been through, lower the stick and watch them go under the limbo stick again. If a player brushes the stick with any part of their body, they are out. For an added challenge, wrap a paper lei around two players' wrists and have them limbo together.
CRAFTS
Pineapple Succulent
Paint a small terra cotta pot yellow to look like a pineapple. Add a succulent inside the pot to look like the pineapple crown.
DIY Surfboards
Select either a blank paper version (Oriental Trading) or a wooden version (Amazon) for your guests to decorate with paint, stickers, glitter or other bling to make their own surfboard to display. They also have mini-sized wooden surfboards that can be made into keychains or bookmarks.
Framed Beach
Paint a piece of cardboard to look like the ocean with a variety of blue. When dried, add a layer of glue to half the cardboard and sprinkle sand over it to resemble a beach. Finish off by gluing mini shells and starfish to the sand to give the appearance of shells washed up on the shore.
PHOTO BOOTH
No party is complete without a photo booth. Set up a background with party lights and cardboard cutouts. Offer guests a variety of items to wear in their photos—leis, sunglasses, grass skirts, beachcomber hats, flowers, tattoos, tribal masks or sarongs. Choose a hashtag for your party and share it on social media!
Pam Molnar is an avid party planner and mother of three. She believes every party has good food, fun games and a theme.