Fishing Party (July 2003)  We hosted a birthday party for 6-8 year old boys...girls participated as well. The goal was to have a party which let the children enjoy the outdoors, learn something new and provide a fun experience....all of which was accomplished with this party! The invitation was a simple fish shape cut out of bright colored foam sheets, an eye was glued on and a small piece of string was attached at the mouth which had a note attached telling the children to 'get hooked on some fun for a birthday party!' and provided details. Each foam fish had a small piece of magnet cut from a magnet strip glued to the back so it could stay on the refrigerator until the party.    The party was held at a local pond which had been stocked with fish for a local fishing derby a couple months earlier.  For this party any good fishing hole will do.  We had all of the boys and girls(10-12 total) come prepared to have fun and wearing clothes that could get dirty and, possibly, wet.  To start the party we had a local Boy Scout Troop leader and his son, who was working toward a community service badge, come in full dress and talk to the children and parents about various types of fish and what they eat. The Boy Scout passed around small plastic dishes of corn, worms, mele bugs etc. and had pictures of fish that are common to the area where we live.  After a brief fishing lesson, as not all of the kids had ever fished before, the kids made their own fishing rods.    We provided bamboo stalks cut from our backyard which my husband had already drilled with one hole near the top of each stalk. We brought inexpensive fishing line and a box of red/white bobbers and hooks (all inexpensive from a local KMart or Target).  All of the kids put their rods together with the guidance of the Boy Scouts and parents, selected the bait of their choice and found a spot along the edge of the pond and began fishing. The kids were very excited to catch the fish, touch them and return them to the pond.  The Dads and Moms who came were so curious they also stayed and participated in the fun! We brought pizza, had a cooler filled with water and juice boxes and provided snacks.  The snacks included dishes of crumbled Oreo cookies with gummi worms protruding; swedish fish and goldfish crackers.  After 2 hours of fishing fun and eating....the birthday boy gave out his goodie bags which were filled with fun fishing items from US Toys or Oriental Trading Company...the goodies included fishing lure keychains; notepads and pencils with fishes on them; erasers etc....no candy.  And of course, after all their hard work, they got to keep the fishing rods. The Boy Scout leader and his son stayed for the entire event, answered questions, helped the children get set up with their rods and bait and celebrated their successes with them. They also made a special presentation to the Birthday Boy at the conclusion of the party and provided him with a special certificate. We took pictures of the group as well as of each child with their rod and fish and included the photos in the thank you notes. All around it was a great time and all of the kids caught a fish and had a very educational and fun experience!