Dr. Seuss Ice Cream Party!

Ice Cream parties are always a huge hit with our family and friends. I think they are so much fun to host and the possibilities are endless! I recently hosted an ice cream party for some of Reece’s classmates after school. Hooper Humperdink WAS invited but unfortunately was unable to attend 🙁

We had considered Wacky Wednesday for the party but settled for plain old Thursday instead. A couple of days before the party I headed over to Smart & Final to do some shopping. I took the boys so they could help me pick out which flavors of First Street Ice Cream to have at the party.

There was a nice selection and we ended up with Vanilla, Strawberry, Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip and Moose Tracks. We also picked up some Vanilla Ice Cream Cups – you know the ones with the little wooden spoons? So perfect for the kiddos! The ice cream was a great price too! Reece thought it would be a great idea to pick up one of these giant tubs of ice cream but I was able to talk him down to the standard half gallon size 😉  The ice cream was delicious and received rave reviews! My favorite was the Moose Tracks – soooo good!

You can check out my entire, fun-filled shopping trip at Smart & Final here on Google+. We picked up some red and white balloons and streamers to decorate the house. I had totally forgotten how tired your cheeks get when blowing up 50 balloons!! Reece really wanted to help with that but…well, let’s just say I didn’t want “wet” balloons 🙂  I put the balloons on top of the kitchen cabinets and all around the house. The red and white streamers really made this ice cream party a true party! I placed Dr. Seuss books all around the kitchen counters and on the table too. Yes, we do own this many Dr. Seuss books 🙂  More, actually.

We ended up with quite a haul that turned out to be perfect! I started prepping for the party a couple of days in advance. I blew up all the balloons and started on the first Dr. Seuss element which was the Cat In The Hat hats made out of red plastic cups. I painted on two white stripes using acrylic paints. It took a couple of coats but they turned out so cute! I had so many people say how creative those cups were and they were so easy to make. I love serving ice cream in cups for kids. It’s a lot easier and less messy!

The day of the party everything came together beautifully! I started with this gorgeous watermelon that I picked up at Smart & Final. I cut it in half and scooped out the insides creating a hollow shell. I placed it on a serving tray and got busy creating some hats.

I made Cat In The Hathats using red vines and marshmallows. I simply cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and then cut it in half. I also cut Red Vines into small pieces. Layer the marshmallows and Red Vines to create a Cat In The Hat hat. I used wooden sandwich picks to hold it all together (although the sticky marshmallow does a pretty good job by itself). Stick the picks into the watermelon leaving a small section exposed so little hands can grab them easily. (Note: When you put the picks in, pull them out once and then put them in again. This loosens them so people don’t have to tug so hard to remove the hats.) So cute – SOOOO yummy!

Think those are cute? Well since you can’t have too many Cat In The Hat references at a Dr. Seuss Ice Cream Party, I made up some more hats with strawberries and bananas. Simply slice and layer the strawberries and bananas and I again used the sandwich picks. A perfect Cat In The Hat hat! Those also got stuck right into the watermelon creating a really colorful and beautiful display. I think the watermelon may have been my favorite feature and I know the kids were impressed 🙂

One more Cat In The Hat hat – this is the last one I promise! I couldn’t resist because it was so easy! I used clear plastic tumblers that I picked up at Smart & Final and layered strawberry and vanilla ice creams. That’s it! These were a definite crowd pleaser. Easy for the kids to just pick up, grab a spoon, and go play in the yard.

Next up: Truffula Tree Straws! I just had to make some Truffula Trees for this Dr. Seuss party! I used cotton candy, red vines, and straws. These were perfect for our Root Beer Floats and would be great with milkshakes as well! Simply trim the ends off of the Red Vines so that there is an opening for the straw to slide through. You can cut the straw if you’d like to vary the height of your trees. Use the cotton candy to create the Truffula trees – the more the better! I set out some Root Beer and First Street Vanilla Ice Cream for easy-to-assemble Root Beer floats.

And here they are in all their fluffy, Truffula Tree glory!  Any excuse for cotton candy am I right???

I think toppings are incredibly important at any ice cream party. If kids are involved, make sure you have gummy worms and bears – kids love them! I found these giant gummy bears and it occurred to me that the Brown Bar-Ba-Loots from The Lorax may have just jumped through a rainbow to join in on our party…

I explained this to the kids and they were very impressed, as only kids can be 🙂 In addition to the Cat In The Hat cups, I also had some First Street Ice Cream Cup Cones out. I got the colored cones because let’s face it, color is more fun 🙂  There was First Street Chocolate and Strawberry syrups as well as caramel and strawberry sauces and First Street Light Whipped Cream to top off the delicious ice cream with. In a separate tray I had sliced strawberries and bananas so there were some healthy and yummy options available.

You would think I’d have stopped around here but no! Next up Ten Apples Up On Top! This is a more obscure Dr. Seuss book but one that both of my boys love. Considering that Maraschino Cherries are a must have at any ice cream party – they were simple to incorporate. And maybe you haven’t notice before, but they sure do look like little red apples! I used First Street Large Maraschino Cherries and wooden sandwich picks to spear 1-4 “apples” at a time. I couldn’t quite get Ten Apples Up On Top but if you wanted to break out some bamboo skewers – more power to ya! I LOVE this! And here’s another little secret, Maraschino Cherry juice is delish! Pour a little on top of your ice cream creation and take it to a whole other level 😉

I have to ask – did you see this one coming? Moose Tracks? Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose??? Oh yes! THIDWICK WAS HERE!

Got one more for you! One fish two fish red fishblue fish. Wondering what I did with my little First Street vanilla ice cream cups?? Swedish Fish became the “red fish” and were a fun little surprise when the kids opened up the cups.

Okay! So what did I miss? I WANTED to do a Green Eggs and Ham special (hold the ham) with vanilla and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Send me pics if you do this! Here are some pictures from the party:

Here are some tips for hosting a successful ice cream party:

Think of your guests. I chose to have everything set up on our kitchen table making the ice cream and toppings easily accessible for the kids.

Have a number of scoops available and a cup of warm water to rinse the scoops.

Offer a variety of toppings: fresh fruit, candies, syrups, maraschino cherries, etc.

Use cups if kids are coming – it’s easier for them to hold onto and are portable.
Offer some options other than ice cream such as floats or milkshakes.
Go overboard! It’s an ice cream party – have fun!

If you haven’t tried Smart & Final’s First Street Ice Cream – you’ll want to make a beeline over there right now! Really top-notch ice cream – super creamy and so delicious! You can visit Smart & Final on their website or follow along on Twitter or Facebook.
I’d love to know if you host ice cream parties during the summer and what you do to make it special. I’m looking forward to another ice cream party soon! If you didn’t get enough here, make sure to check out my Google+ Album for more party pics!

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

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