1-Buy or gather ingredients and props. Stock up on the ice cream flavors listed above: Vanilla, Strawberry, Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Moose Tracks. Pick up cotton candy, gummy candies, syrups, and fruit.

2-Paint the red plastic cups. Using acrylic white paint, paint two horizontal white stripes on each red plastic cup to mimic the Cat in the Hat hat. Apply 2 coats if needed and let dry fully between coats. This can be done 48 hours ahead so they’re dry in time.

3-Blow up balloons and hang streamers. Inflate red and white balloons (note: inflating many balloons can be tiring, so recruit a helper) and drape red-and-white streamers around the party space for immediate Seuss vibes.

4-Hollow watermelon halves. Cut watermelons in half and hollow them out to create a colorful serving base and stable stand for skewered items.

5-Assemble Cat in the Hat hat skewers. Cut large marshmallows in half. Thread a marshmallow half, then a short length of red candy rope, and finish with another small marshmallow on a wooden sandwich pick. Stick these assembled hats upright into the hollowed watermelon, spacing them for easy grabbing.

6-Make layered fruit hats. Slice strawberries and bananas. Stack alternating slices on sandwich picks to make mini layered Cat in the Hat hats, and insert them into the watermelon alongside marshmallow hats.

7-Tip: To make sandwich picks easier to remove after guests grab them, insert and remove each pick in the watermelon once before final placement so you’ll have a small pilot hole.

8-Set up the table. Arrange tubs or pint containers of Vanilla, Strawberry, Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Moose Tracks on a kitchen table. Put ice or an insulated cooler under tubs if it’s warm.

9-Place clear plastic tumblers and ice cream cup cones in easy reach so kids can choose cups or cones. Offer vanilla ice cream cups pre-filled with wooden spoons for the youngest guests.

10-Arrange toppings. Put syrups (chocolate, strawberry), caramel and strawberry sauces, light whipped cream, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, maraschino cherries, gummy worms and gummy bears, and gummy fish candies in labeled bowls for easy customization.

11-Idea: Use small scoops and a cup of warm water nearby so scoops glide smoothly from one flavor to the next without sticking.

12-Create Truffula Tree Straws. Trim lengths of red candy rope and thread a short bit onto each straw. Fluff small pieces of cotton candy and lightly wrap them around the top of the straw so it resembles a Truffula Tree. These look great in root beer floats or milkshakes.

13-Prepare root beer float station. Chill root beer and have ice cream scoops ready for guests to add to their floats. Place Truffula Tree Straws near the root beer for an extra whimsical touch.

14-Red fish surprise. Tuck a few gummy fish candies into several vanilla ice cream cups so kids discover a little red fish treat as they dig in.

15-Thing 1 and Thing 2 decor. Tie red and blue Thing 1/Thing 2 streamers to chairs and use printed name tags for a playful seat arrangement.

16-Games and flow. Keep guests engaged with quick games before dessert, like a Freeze Dance or a Thing 1/Thing 2 relay that pairs well with an ice cream break.

17-Serve with easy handling in mind. Cups and cones make portions portable and less messy. For toddlers, offer the pre-filled vanilla ice cream cups with wooden spoons.

18-Cleanup tips. Keep a trash bin near the table for quick disposal of disposable cups and used picks, and have extra napkins on hand.