A pirate's life for me

It's hard for me to believe, but my baby girl is going to be six on Sunday. To celebrate her birthday this year she became Dangerous Daisy for the day, and had an Adventure at Sea party. There was a fair bit of preparation required, as you can see in the pictures below.

With Daisy in charge of proceedings we:

• made and filled a treasure chest full of shells, toy sea creatures, necklaces, jewel-wrapped chocolates and sparkly gems.
• made a sea monster costume for Daddy (who had a starring role at the party).
• decorated the windows with sea creature cut-outs and a made a blue cellophane sea.
• tested our telescope 'make and take' activity.
• created our pirate ship 'The Sailing Beauty' on the garden decking.
• tea-stained and made paper treasure bags.
• prayed for a fair wind and no rain on the day of the voyage.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather - the party took place on the only bright day of the week - allowing us to make full use of our outside space, and to have the most glorious swashbuckling, treasure-seeking, sea monster-encountering, deep-sea-diving, mystery-solving and hearty pirate party. Ever.

• Three mermaids, six pirates, five princesses and a deep-sea diver arrived in the most fabulous costumes, and each signed their treasure bag with a quill and black squid-ink (actually ordinary poster paint).
• We had a training session for the new recruits where we tested their seafaring skills - such as climbing the rigging and scrubbing the deck - with games, and warmed up their voices with some lively sea shanties.
• They each made a telescope and then the ship set sail, the adventurers in search of sunken treasure.
• On deck there were games aplenty to pass the time as they sailed the seven seas - from beanbag tin can alley and Twister, to drawing sea creatures with chalks in the 'sea', or marking the ship's hull with piratical graffiti. 
• The scary sea monster soon surfaced, refusing to lead them to the sunken treasure until they proved themselves worthy. There followed games of Sea Monster Says and Sea Monster's Footsteps - and some parachute-style swimming games under a large piece of turquoise sea-like fabric.
• The monster eventually let them have the treasure, and they took the seaweed covered chest back to England, where they had to a find the key.
• Pizza and juice were served on deck on the return journey.
• Dangerous Daisy led a hunt around the house for clues to the location of the key.
• And at last the treasure chest was opened and everyone's treasure bags were filled with its bounty.

• Then the happy and loot-laden crew danced and ate birthday cake until it was home time.

What an adventure!