You may need to hitch a ride with Rocket to get to a real beach, but who says the beach can't come to you? With the right clothes, a little music, and some ambiance, you can turn any room or yard into a day at the beach! Here are some ideas to get you started.

• The ocean is as much a part of the beach as the sand beneath your toes. Create an underwater mural by covering a wall in your party room or outside the house with a long piece of craft paper. Paint the craft paper light blue and paint in things like seaweed, coral, and sea anemones along the bottom. Then, either paint sea creatures yourself or have the children decorate the mural by painting them as part of an art activity during the party.
• Create a festive beach party ambiance through music. Select "beachy" or surf music or opt for a Caribbean flair with steel drum melodies.
• If you have a water and/or sand table, be sure to have them clean, set up, and ready to go. There's nothing preschoolers love more than playing with water, especially on a warm, summer day!
• Buy or borrow a plastic or inflatable toddler pool for your beach partiers to cool off in. To make sure the water is comfortable, place the swimming pool in a sunny spot outside and fill it up several hours before the party begins. By the time your swimmers are ready to start splashing, the water will be the perfect temperature. Safety tip: always have at least one grown-up dedicated to watching the kids in the pool.

Part of a great day at the beach is bringing the right accessories. Stock your party space with beach blankets, plenty of colorful beach towels, beach umbrellas (for outdoor party spaces), inflated beach balls and arm floaties, and before the party begins you can make each guest a Little Einsteins' accordion fan to keep themselves cool.

Help your preschoolers keep the sun out of their eyes by giving each attendee a Little Einsteins sun visor. These fun visors can be worn throughout the party, and then taken home as a way to remember the special day!