We had so much fun preparing for this. The only disappointment was that the day turned out to be extremely hot. But all in all, it was hugely successful.
A little background: Handel wrote his Water Music at the request of King George I for a water party. There were two boats on the Thames River that day: one held the guests, the other held the musicians. Brass and woodwind instruments were primarily chosen because of how well those sounds can carry, though Handel often added stringed instruments in his later performances of the pieces.
The Menu:
We served “sailboat” sandwiches, a little bit of a take off your typical sub. Dad helped make these, and I love how the cheese made the sails.
Also, on the menu–blue jello with swimming gummy fish. This turned out much better in theory than in consumption. The gummies rather disintegrated in the jello, but the kids didn’t mind. Next time, though, I think I will add the fish after the jello is served.
And of course, goldfish crackers–what kid party would be complete without them?
The Craft:
We made our own trumpets to play along with Handel’s music. I ran across this idea as a craft for the Bible lesson of Jericho, and we just never got around to it. So, I pulled out my paper towel rolls, styrofoam bowls, and aluminum foil for our long anticipated trumpet craft. This was a huge hit.
The Game:
I wrote questions about Handel and his music on each fish, borrowed a magnet fishing rod from one of the kid’s puzzles, and brought along a couple of sand pails (one to fish from, one for the caught fish). It always amazes me how much information the kids can retain!
The Set-up:
It just so happened that the bridge that was our setting for the party had two short piers on other side. We adopted these as our two boats, placing the music in one “boat” and our picnic in the other.
All in all, it was a lot of fun, though very hot. And my daughter thanked me over and over again all the way home. I think she takes after Mommy just a little bit; the girl loves a party.
