Plan a Pool Party

 Appetizers

Main Dishes

Salads

Desserts

Beverages

• Send invitations with bold tropical images. Hint: remind guests to bring swimsuits, towels, and dry clothing.
• Drape tables with oilcloth--thin vinyl backed with cotton--printed with hibiscus flowers or palm trees. (Check your fabric store or search online.) Beach towels, inexpensive sarongs, or tropical print bed sheets work as table coverings, too.
• Can you splurge? Order a big bouquet of tropical blooms such as anthuriums, birds-of-paradise, proteas, tuberoses, red ginger, and orchids for your centerpiece. To keep costs down, heap a large platter with bananas, papayas, mangos, and coconuts.
• Greet each guest at the door with a big "aloha," a kiss, and a flower lei (fresh or paper). Or have a basket of loose flowers for guests to tuck behind their ears (left for married and right for single).
• Party stores have lots of island-themed accessories. Buy table skirts in raffia or plastic grass. Cut them into lengths for individual grass skirts fastened with ties or Velcro.
• Light up the tiki torches when night falls and battle the biters with citronella candles.

• Kick boards, foam noodles, and inflatable rings are fun float toys, but they're not meant to be water safety devices. Strap the little swimmers into US Coast Guard-approved life vests, and get right in the pool with them.
• Reapply sunblock frequently, following manufacturers' guidelines.
• You might not notice but swimming is sweaty business, so be sure to keep the kids properly hydrated.
• Anytime you plunge people into water, safety is a major consideration. We recommend you hire a qualified lifeguard to watch the kids. The American Red Cross has a great site with practical advice for pool parties: everything from where to find lifeguards for hire to how long you should wait after eating before diving in.