Summer Backyard Flamingo Pool Party Ideas

The school year is almost over. I swear it feels like it just began. My twins have finished their first year of high school and I’m dumbfounded as to where the time has gone.  When people tell you that childhood goes by fast they are NOT kidding.

End of the Year Pool Party Ideas:

To celebrate the end of such a momentous year I thought I’d throw a little backyard pool party for my kids and a few of their friends. I wanted to keep the party simple but still cute. Even though they are now older, I still think they appreciate it when I put a little bit of “extra” into occasions every once in a while. When they were little we used to throw big, themed parties, and even though they were a lot of work, I kinda miss them.

Flamingo Party Details:

I thought a tropical themed flamingo party would be a cute idea.  Ever since a certain celebrity showed up on Instagram with a giant swan pool floatie, my kids have been begging me to get something similar for our pool. I am convinced that they don’t really want to swim with it just take pictures with it. I finally caved but went with a giant flamingo instead, just to be a bit different.

Party Idea 1: Create Disposable Silverware Pockets

Since the kids would be outside by the pool I kept the serving system pretty simple. A few days before the party I created silverware pockets using double-sided cardstock and a printable that I designed (you can download the printable for free just keep reading).

How to Make Silverware Pockets:

To make the pockets, just start with a 5″ x 10″ piece of cardstock. Then glue the cut out printable onto the bottom of the paper and fold up the cardstock to create a pocket.  

To secure the pocket, just use a couple of staples on the sides. (download the printable for free in the Printables Library).

Now just fill the pocket with utensils, straws and napkins.

Party Idea : Create a Central Serving Station

The kids then can just grab a plate and a silverware pocket, and fill up their plate with food. I chose to fill mine with 2 straws because they were just so dang cute and I couldn’t decide which one I liked better.

Party Food Details:

For the food, I wanted to keep it fresh and simple, I wasn’t planning to serve an entire meal, just provide some things for them to munch on poolside.  We went with fresh fruit and simple little sandwiches.  

Virgin Mango Pineapple Pina Colada Recipe:

No pool party is complete without some type of tropical iced beverage, so we decided to make some Tropical Virgin Piña Coladas.  Since they only have 3 ingredients they are easy to make and are quite tasty if I do say so myself. The trick to making them with only 3 ingredients is to start with a great juice drink as the base.

I used Simply Tropical™ Juice Drink because it has no added preservatives, colors or artificial flavors and its refreshing blend of mango AND pineapple gives the coladas a great (and unique) flavor.

We also served extra of the Simply Tropical Juice Drink cold and in glasses so the kids would have something to sip on during the party.

After I planned this event I realized that I’ve been doing this kind of thing on a far too limited basis.  I tend to wait for “big” holidays or events and I realized that some of life’s simple moments and milestones (like finishing your first year of high school) are perfect excuses to celebrate with friends and family.

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How are you going to celebrate by the pool this summer? Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

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