Tropical Fish

Rainbow Fish Theme Party Games and Recipes

Fish for a Name Tag

Before the party, make a fish-shaped name tag for each guest using heavy, colorful paper. Decorate with markers and attach a paper clip to the mouth of each fish. Place all the fish in an empty kiddie pool or decorated box.

As each guest arrives, hand him or her a fishing pole (sturdy stick with a yarn “line” and a magnet “hook”). When a fish is “caught,” write the child’s name on it to wear during the party.

Deep Sea Fishing

For this activity, you will need a helper.

Drape a sheet over two tall chairs, or string fishing line tightly between two objects across the room. Decorate the sheet with paper fish or stickers to symbolize that it is the sea. Use an old fishing pole or make your own by tying string to a pole. Attach a clothespin to the end of the string. Give each guest a chance to "cast" his or her line over the sheet. Make sure your helper stays out of sight while attaching small gifts, favors, or treats to the clothespin. To indicate that a fish has "bitten", the helper yanks gently on the line.

Watch your guests giggle in delight as they reel in their lines and see what they’ve caught!

Squirting Gallery

Party guests will have lots of fun testing their accuracy with this fun outdoors game!

Set up a number of empty plastic pop bottles at a distance 8-10 ft from the place where players will stand. Lay a jump rope down for the line shooters must stand behind. Give each guest a squirt bottle or squirt gun, and see which player can knock down the most bottles!

For younger children, decrease the distance between the bottles and the shooting line.

Water Brigade

This game is a fun test of speed and accuracy!

Divide your guests into two teams and line them up next to each other. Give the first person in each line a large cup full of water. Place an empty bucket for each team about 30 ft away from the starting line. When you say "GO!" the first person in each line runs to the team’s empty bucket, pours their water in it, and runs back to the team. The second player takes the empty cup, runs to the bucket, fills the cup with water again, and carefully hurries back to the next player, etc.

The game continues until each team member has participated. The fastest team may not necessarily have the most water in the end. Award teams for both speed and accuracy (spilling the least water)!

Sea Shell Treasure Hunt

Everyone loves to find treasures!

Use your child’s sandbox or fill a plastic swimming pool with sand. Add a bunch of different sea shells and cover them with sand. Let the kids search for the shells and take them home as party favors.

If you wish, add unusual rocks or other treasures that can be found under the sea.Assorted shells and stones are available at your local craft store.

Making Waves

You will need the following for this activity: cooking oil, glitter, confetti, a small plastic bottle for each guest, blue or green food coloring, rubber cement glue, & water.

Using a funnel, fill each bottle half full of water. Add blue or green food coloring, and gently shake to mix. Next, use the funnel to fill the bottle almost to the top with oil. Point out how the oil floats above the water! Add confetti and glitter to decorate the liquid inside the bottle.

When finished decorating, seal the lid on the bottle tightly with rubber cement. Allow the glue to dry. When the glue is dry, let the kids turn the bottles on their sides and gently tip them back and forth.

Your guests will love playing with the waves they’ve created!

Mitten Fish

Make mittens or old socks into tropical fish with felt scraps, glitter, sequins, googly eyes (2 per guest), ribbons, buttons, and permanent markers. Let guests create their own species, and be sure to write each child’ s name on their special fish.

Continue the fun with a puppet show afterwards!

Fish, Fish, Shark!!

This game, inspired by SpongeBob's underwater world of fishy friends, is based on the traditional "Duck, Duck, Goose" game.

Instead of a goose chasing a duck, a shark chases a fish. Gather all your little fishies and seat them in a circle. To start, designate a "Fish" to walk around the circle, tapping each guest on the head and calling each a fish. After several guests have been tapped, the "Fish" chooses one guest and yells out "Shark" when tapping him or her on the head. The Shark chases the Fish and tries to tag her as she races around the circle and back to the Shark’s spot.

Repeat the game until each guest has had a chance to be the Shark.

Underwater Swim

Seat your guests in a circle, facing inward. Choose the names of three underwater creatures and walk around the circle naming the children in sequence - whale, shark, dolphin, whale, shark, dolphin, etc., so you have several of each underwater animal sitting at intervals.

Explain that when their name is called, they must get up and go for a “swim.” This entails walking around the outside of the circle and listening to your instructions. If you say the sea is rough, they must jog around the circle. When you say it’ s getting rougher they run faster and if you say the tide turns, they turn and run in the other direction. When you say “STORM,” they must run back to their original places on the floor. The last to arrive is out and sits in the circle facing outward.

Continue the game until there is only one player left swimming.

Octopus Tag

For this game, the birthday child begins as the Octopus in the middle of a large playing area. All other players are Fish, who must try to run past the Octopus to the other side of the playing area. If a Fish is tagged, he or she holds hands with the Octopus and become a tentacle to help tag more fish. The last Fish alive becomes the next Octopus.

Delectable Treats

Worms in a Blanket

1. Purchase your favorite brand of hot dogs, cheese, and refrigerator croissants.
2. Slice hot dogs lengthwise and cut cheese into strips.
3. Unroll croissants and stuff them with hot dogs and cheese.
4. Roll croissants back up and bake as directed, or until golden brown.

Rainbow Fish Cake

1. Purchase your child’s favorite flavor Pillsbury® cake mix.
2. Follow package instructions for preparation and bake in two round cake pans.
3. When cool, place one layer on a large piece of cardboard covered with foil.
4. Cut the second layer into fins, a tail, etc.
5. Trim the curved edges of the fins and tail, so that they fit snugly against the round edge of the body piece.
6. Frost with bright blue icing.
7. Decorate with Neccos® or other colorful candies to make scales, an eye, mouth, etc.

For extra fun, spread a lighter shade of blue frosting on the cardboard, or serving tray to make it look like the Rainbow Fish is swimming in the water!

Fish Bait Apples

Every good fisherman knows that you need plenty of bait in order to catch some fish. Your little fishes will surely "bite" when they see these apples!

For this recipe, you will need:
peanut butter
jelly or jam
a package of gummy worms
one apple for each guest.

1. Remove the core from each apple, while leaving the bottom of each apple intact. If you accidentally puncture an apple all the way through and do not have extras, carefully plug the hole with a small piece of core.
2. Combine 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 cup of jam in a bowl.
3. Fill the center of each apple with the mixture.
4. Place apples in a cupcake or muffin tin, and set the tin in a pan half full of water.
5. Bake the apples at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until apples are tender.
6. When cool, insert a gummy worm halfway into the hole, leaving half to dangle over the edge.
7. Serve on individual plates.

Beach Lemonade

This homemade favorite makes a refreshing treat anytime!

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lemon juice, and 5 cups water. Stir until sugar dissolves and add ice to chill.
Makes six (8-ounce) servings.

Fish Bowl

For this fun snack, you will need a large, clear bowl, one package of blue or green Jell-O®, gummy fish, and a cup of low-fat whipped topping.

1. Make Jell-O® according to package instructions.
2. Pour into the bowl and set in the refrigerator.
3. As Jell-O® thickens, (check after about an hour) insert the gummy fish into the "sea."
4. When it is time to serve, spread whipped topping over the top to create the illusion of surf.
5. Serve in cups or small bowls.

Starfish Cake

1. Purchase your child's favorite flavor Pillsbury® cake mix.
2. Follow package instructions for preparation and bake in two round cake pans.
3. When cool, leave one layer whole and cut the second layer into five equal sections. These five pieces will become the legs of the starfish.
4. Place the first layer in the center of a large, flat serving tray or platter.
5. Trim the curved edges of the starfish legs, so that they fit snugly against the round edge of the body piece.
6. Arrange the legs neatly around the body of the starfish and attach with icing.
7. Frost with bright yellow, orange, purple, or red icing.
8. Decorate with colored sprinkles while the icing is still damp to give the starfish a spiny texture.

For extra fun, spread blue frosting on the serving tray to make it look like the starfish is in water!