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Chloe had an obvious birthday party this year: Calgary dollar stores are more than ready to support a cowboy birthday party during Stampede week. I always choose a theme (in consultation with the birthday child) when I'm planning a birthday party. It helps me to decorate, plan games and crafts, and of course do the cake.
I generated the WANTED sign here , secured it on wooden skewers and stabbed it into a small bale of hay. I'm always looking for new uses for wooden skewers: Jane knows why (scroll down to March 19th to read about it). My brother-in-law, Craig, made the horseshoe cowboy. _____________________
We made western vests with paper grocery bags by cutting up the middle, creating a v-neck and then cutting a neck hole and arm holes. The kids fringed the bottoms of the vests with scissors and decorated the vests with glitter glue. Every party I do starts with a craft because it gives the kids who come early something to do while we wait for the kids who come late.
Now, during the Stampede, Calgarians dress cowboy style for work, but Ken left his boots home on Tuesday so that we could play 'boot toss' with hacky sacks.
Chloe's competitive nature could have been a party-killer during the stick horse races, but Carmen ran the last leg on her team for me and made sure the teams tied every time.
We lassoed our rocking horse with a hula hoop.
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Panning for gold (pennies) in the gravel on the side of the house was the best game ever because it gave me time to make the hot dogs. Local friends and family: the sprinkler ran all day on that side of the house to make sure this game was good clean fun.
Carmen eating her licorice lasso - the activity center to make these was a *bottomless* activity that the kids could wander over to and do any time they wanted during the party. A bottomless activity is essential to a birthday party as far as I'm concerned because there is always someone that doesn't want to do play some game, and this gives the kid who is temporarily opting out of the party something else to do.
The treat bags were bandanas filled with horses, a sheriff's badge, wagon wheel cookies, candy, and cowboy band aids.
Chloe wanted cupcakes rather than the horse cake I offered to make, so I decorated the cupcakes with flags I made myself from cowboy printed paper. I was trying to mirror the stampede flags that are on all the light poles here during Stampede.
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I always scribble all the games and the order I plan on playing them in down on an index card. I didn't write down 'take pictures' to remember to take pictures in general. I took a picture of each guest as they arrived so that I could send them home with their own WANTED poster.
I like a birthday party to end right after the presents are opened because I don't like the gifts to get played with by the guests - this seems to make the birthday kid cry - but just in case I've miscalculated I always have one last game to fill the time at the end of the party if I need it. We didn't have time for Sheriff & Outlaws (Hide & Seek) and Chloe was a little unhappy not to get to play the last game. I shouldn't have told her about that one; she never would have known we'd skipped something on the card. I forgot to hand out the party hats and noise makers when we sang happy birthday, so I'm going to bring them to the Stampede Pancake Breakfast we're hitting tomorrow morning.
8 comments:
So funny! My birthday stradegy is exactly the same. Start out with something that kids can do while we wait for everyone, then the games, then cake, finish with presents. I even write the order down and keep it with my to remember the order of games. You'd think we were raised by the same party-planner mom or something!
Great Party! Another funny thing is that I was planning a similar theme for Maxwell's first birthday. (Although I am calling it a lil' buckaroo party)I envision myself copying the lasoing of the rocking horse at Max's party. Something that my kids would love.
You did a fabulous job! I love the wanted posters! I bet Calgary does over flow with all things cowboy about now.
Great Picture of Chloe on the stick horse. She looks like 6 is going to be a good year.
Sounds so fun! Loved the WANTED photo! Great idea!
Barb, you never cease to amaze me with your ideas. That birthday party is so clever. I especially love the panning for gold idea and the bottomless activity. You're incredible and I'm glad we've "met". Thanks for the great ideas. Someday we hope to see the Stampede.
Holy Tamole, you went all out. This party looks amazing! Those cowboy bandaids are particularly appealing (perhaps it's the tin). I hope the kids know how lucky they were to attend such a party, and I feel sorry for the next kid who has a party because it will definitely pale in comparison!
Awesome party! I love a good themed party.
Around here it isn't kosher to open your gifts at the party. You open them when the guests go home then send Thank you notes. I thought it was the strangest thing I'd ever experienced the first time. Now I love it. The whole present mess and stress of other kids wanting to get into your stuff is eliminated. Plus, one more adorable paper craft to extend the theme to!
This was such a fun post! I felt like I was there. Nini would have loved, loved to be at her party with the whole cowgirl theme. I also liked how you made the gift bag match the theme - really creative, face it girl, your a genious :-) (I had to spell check genious before I posted this comment)
Amazing! Great ideas. That wanted poster was so great...esp the 2001. What are you going to do when she is 13 and there are no more fun parties to throw?
you forgot the handcuffs.
You and Marie kill me with the birthday parties. It's one of the times I'm glad I live in another country, so my kids don't realize what a lame mother they have when it comes to party time!
Glad she had so much fun!
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