WESTERN PARTY

INVITATION IDEAS:

• Make a WANTED poster by either using a picture of the birthday boy/girl OR by using pictures of each guest that you are inviting to the party - WANTED – all cowboys and cowgirls to mosey on over to Sheriff Katelynn’s birthday party at the Smith Corral!”

• Burn the edges of the paper to make it look old (but BE CAREFUL)

• Cut 8.5 x 5.5 sheets of white cardstock and draw with big black marker cow spots all over, lay over the cow cardstock a sheet of vellum paper cut ½” shorter all the way around with the party info printed on it – punch holes through the top of both sheets and tie them together with red raffia and tie a small cowbell through it

DECORATION IDEAS:

• Put out tubs of trail mix on all the tables for guests to snack on

• Hire petting zoo company to bring small ponies for pony rides

• Use bales of hay as seats for guests

• Use a child’s pair of boots as a centerpiece and tie a bunch of balloons to it

• Put your drinks in galvanized tin tubs filled with ice

• Use old wagon wheels as decoration in your main party area

• Put signs around your party area like Grub, Waterin’ Hole, Pony Corral, & Outhouse

• Use red and white checked tablecloths

GAME IDEAS:

• Have a lasso area by pinning a stick horse between 2 bales of hay and provide a rope for the kids to lasso the stick horse

• Have a stick horse race

• Play a game of “Cowboy, Cowboy, Indian” like you would “Duck, Duck, Goose”

• Fill a baby pool full of sand and hide pennies or rocks spray painted gold and see who can find the most gold

• Play a game of horseshoes

• Break up a bale of hay and hide small prizes in they hay

• Fill stuffed toy farm animals into a wheelbarrow and have a relay race with teams, if you drop animals along the way, you have to go back and pick them up

• Set up 2 teams – one team has a bunch of pink balloons, with a nose drawn on the front and a short piece of pink curling ribbon as the tail – and one team that has a bunch of white balloons with cow face drawn on the front and a tail with black curling ribbon – each team has to take their balloons from one side of a party area to the other side without letting any ‘strays’ get away

FAVOR IDEAS:

• Cowboy hats, bandannas & sheriff badges

• As a treat bag, take a bandanna and put candies in the center and tie up with all 4 sides – stick a dowel rod through the knot for kids to put over their shoulders

• Put favors in a giant metal tub and label it LOOT

• Harmonicas

• Water gun

• Take some group or individual shots with black and white film and send with a thank you card back to guest