Pool Party Theme Ideas

From BioGuard’s Backyard Essentials Magazine - May/June 2008

1. HOST OPENING-DAY CEREMONIES - Unless you’re lucky enough to have your pool open year-round, the day of your first swim is a memorable family event.  Everyone’s tapping their flippers poolside in anticipation. So get going!  Open the pool (see our pool opening page) and make it memorable:
• Get everyone involved in a ribbon-cutting ceremony before your first dips.
• Swim a first lap with a plastic flag held high.
• Snap a photo with your family in the same location by the pool every year. It’s a great way to document changes (My, how those kids grow!) as well as provide a keepsake of this important day.
2. SCUBA SOIREE - Here’s an idea that will leave everyone breathless. Hire a local certified SCUBA instructor to give lessons in your pool.  Guests come for dinner and leave with a new skill set: breathing underwater.
3. PIRATE PARTY - Everyone loves a pirate -- thanks to Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. Visit your local party store and stock up on all the usual decorations such as skull-and-crossbones flags, hook hands and big black hats.  Make sure there’s lots of finger food. (Pirates don’t use forks!) Of course, you’ll want to give everyone an eye patch and make them walk the plank!

From BioGuard’s Backyard Essentials Magazine - July/August 2008

1. BE AN EARLY BIRD - Host a Saturday morning pool bash!  Invite friends over for a dip in the pool with a make-your-own-smoothie bar.  Simply set up a blender (safely away from the pool using a GFCI plug).  Add fresh fruit, yogurt, and nuts and let everyone take a whirl at creating their own concoctions. What a great way to launch a weekend.
2. SYNC OR SWIM PARTY - Once called underwater ballet, synchronized swimming is now an Olympic sport. You too can learn how to bust some moves with a few lessons. Contact your local club for a demonstration. Then, throw a party to swim your stuff.  Go to usasynchro.org to learn more.
3. SWIM FOR A CAUSE - Every lap can make a difference when you throw a fund-raising party in your backyard pool.

Pool Party Prep Checklist

From BioGuard’s Backyard Essentials Magazine - July/August 2008

READY, SET, PARTY! Planning a pool event, even a fete with lots of people, isn’t a big deal when you spread out prep activities over several days. Plus, with your pool, the entertainment is ready-made. Just add plenty of cool drinks, plates of food and a mix of tunes. Here’s what else you need to do:

• 2 WEEKS AHEAD
• Pool:  Take a scoop of pool water to your BioGuard dealer for testing; tell the dealer your party date.  NOTE:  If the pool is green you may need to start even earlier to insure that it is clear in time for the party.
• Yard & Garden: Give your lawn a deep watering twice weekly to keep grass green and lush.
• 2 to 3 DAYS AHEAD
• Pool:  Brush your pool, then shock with Smart Shock (SoftSwim users add SoftSwim C). Check your filter and add BioGuard Polysheen Blue.  Clean your water line with Off The Wall.  If you have not added preventive algicide for the week, add it now.
• Yard & Garden: Buy annual flowers to plant in garden spaces that need extra color.  Mow lawn and bag the clippings (or use a mulching mower) so guests don’t track clippings into the pool.
• 1 DAY AHEAD
• Pool:  Test your water for free available chlorine and pH levels (SoftSwim users need to test C & B as well as pH).  Vacuum your pool and clean out the skimmer baskets.
• Yard & Garden: Remove spent blooms from flowers and shrubs. Clip off low-hanging tree branches.
• PARTY DAY
• Pool:  Skim and sanitize the pool. Locate your water watcher tag if children will be present. Post your pool rules.
• Yard & Garden: Water lawn early in the morning. Before guests arrive, spray sidewalks, paths and patio with a hose to freshen them (and cool them down).