Every kid's calendar has a handful of extraordinarily special days, ones that prove to be not only highlights of the year, but lifelong memories as well. And children everywhere generally agree on the No. 1 day: My Birthday.

Parents know this. We agonize over how we can make our child's day extra-special and memorable, yet we also fret about limited time for planning and how we can provide a wonderful day at a reasonable cost.

Staging an elaborately themed party at the house can be complicated and expensive; it's much like planning a major public or corporate event, even if the guests are pint-sized. Taking everyone to the local amusement park or Chuck E Cheese might be less complicated, but it can be costly as well. So, what to do?

Look no farther than your pontoon boat. Think of it as your pontoon party barge. You can invite as many kids as the boat will comfortably and safely hold, along with two or three adults as chaperones, and you can take them out for an afternoon on the water free of charge. The kids will delight in the sheer adventure of it all — and let's face it, you won't really mind spending the day on your party barge either.

Here's our "Best Birthday Ever" pontoon boat party checklist, along with a few tips.

Pontoon Party Checklist:

Invitations: It might be fun to choose invitations with a boating, pirate or general water theme; if you can't find any, make your own on the computer. Just make sure that your child doesn't distribute the invitations in a classroom or another group setting if all the children aren't invited. Mailing the invitations to guests' homes is a better idea, and it eliminates playground politics. You also can save money and trees by using an online service such as Evite.

Party Decorations: You'll want to keep this somewhat simple, given the limited space. Focus on a banner, some streamers and balloons with strings. You'll quickly be able to transform your pontoon boat into party central.

Music: Regardless of their ages, children enjoy music. And good tunes sound even better on the water, so consider preparing a special playlist for your iPod or MP3 player. It might be fun to work with your child on that project in advance of the big
day; or, if your child is older, give him or her that job
to add to the building excitement.

Beverages: You'll need to have plenty of beverages on board. And while kids doubtlessly will clamor for soda, juices and Kool-Aid, make sure there's bottled water on hand. The summer sun can take a toll on anyone who inadvertently gets dehydrated.

Party Food: With a larger group on a pontoon boat, you won't want to be serving an onboard meal. Choose a variety of snacks, blending such favorites as popcorn, goldfish crackers, pretzels and chips and salsa with healthy, fresh snacks like grapes, melon and carrot sticks with ranch dip or hummus. Then, of course, you'll want a signature dessert. For a kid-centric pontoon party, we recommend cupcakes.

Birthday Candles: A birthday cake just isn't right without candles — a kid has to blow them out and make a wish. It's in the rules, somewhere. Since a flaming birthday cake might not be the best idea on a fully loaded pontoon boat, however, prepare cupcakes and place a special, decorative candle in the birthday child's cupcake. After a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday," he or she will get to blow it out and make a wish. Mission accomplished.

Games & Prizes: Depending on the age of the children, you may want to plan a few games and offer prizes for the winners. Goody bags are also a fun idea; the stuffers don't have to be big-ticket items, either. Kids love having something to open, and a festive bag filled with treats, stickers, yo-yos and the ever-popular rubber bracelets will be a pleasure. For older tweens or teens, if the crowd isn't too large, you can do $5 gift cards for iTunes or Starbucks.

The best part of a pontoon boat party is your flexibility to offer different activities throughout the day. The children can enjoy each other's company and all the delightful sights and sounds of being on the water. When you're ready for snacks, cake, presents and onboard games, drop the hook on your party barge in a sunny, calm anchorage or pull up to a dock.

Later, you can go ashore for more active games like Duck Duck Goose. The children can take turns swinging at a piñata, or you might want to plan a scavenger hunt. If your excursion is a longer one and you'd like to incorporate a meal, you can serve a party sub — or, if you're at a park that offers grills, you can prepare hot dogs and hamburgers with easy, cold sides like pasta salad, potato salad and fruit salad.

And, if your location allows, you can wrap things up with a swim or roasting marshmallows around a bonfire. The possibilities are as diverse as your child's interests.

Idea:

Themes can be a lot of fun, and it's not difficult to devise an inexpensive on-water themed party. Thanks to a recent blockbuster Disney trilogy, pirates remain a popular theme. You can design pirate-themed invitations, decorate your pontoon like a pirate ship, play the "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack on your boat's sound system and offer face-painting and rub-on temporary tattoos. And when you go ashore, set the group loose on a pirate scavenger hunt! The grand prize can indeed be buried treasure… it's up to you if "X" marks the spot.

Final Safety Tip:

We can't stress this enough.
Make sure you have enough safety gear for everyone on board. Have plenty of water available, as well as a First-Aid kit. Bring along extra sunscreen, hats and towels — a couple of kids will forget theirs, guaranteed.

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