WANTED Your Presence Friday, January 27, 2004 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Jackson Wilson is having his Birthday Party at (address information)

Don't forget to offer a REWARD and burn around the edges for authenticity.

Or for a simpler invite, try our farm coloring page and cards (look for the lamb picture) or pre-printed or personalized barnyard invitations from our sister site, Birthdayinabox.com.

If you have access to a barn you also have instant genuine decorations. If you don't, you'll have to be a bit more creative. Put a sign that reads " Wilson 's Dude Ranch" at the beginning of your straw strewn walk. Add a few bales of hay outside your door and hang a horseshoe, for luck, above it. If you don't have a real horse shoe make an over-sized one out of cardstock or cardboard. Paint it grey and draw black dashes along the outside and inside edges. Make sure you hang it in a U-shape so your luck doesn't run out ;)

Inside use a black vinyl table cloth and red plates , cups, napkins, and plasticware, or use farm-themed partyware. Decorate cups with farm animal stickers (your local craft store should have them) or cut animals from magazines and adhere onto cups. Toss a little straw on the table for an outdoor feel and add an old-fashioned lantern or a barn centerpiece as decor.

Hang home made farm animals or farm animal cutouts or stickers off the back of chairs. Collar each animal and write in the guests name so they know which seat is theirs. Let each child take their new pet home with them. Float some farm-themed balloons, turn on some old time cowboy music and you're ready to go.

No party favor bags this time. Instead purchase each guest an inexpensive Cowboy/Cowgirl hat and fill with a bandanna, package of lemonade, plastic horse or farm animals, SNAPS, jump rope, small squirt gun, or sheriff's badge. A T-shirt "Ranch Hand" or some other cute saying would be lots of fun too.

Are y'all ready for some fun and games? Before getting down and dirty let the children take turns getting their faces painted in caricature of their favorite farm animal. Then let 'em loose to try their hand at Hay Bale Calf Roping? Take a bale of hay, poke a broom handle into one end and decorate bristles or mop to look like the head of a calf. Tie a lasso, mark a starting point and let the kids try their hand at a l'il roping.

Carrot Roundup will keep 'em busy too. Hide a certain number of carrots around the barn, in the yard, or in your home . Give each child a bucket. On your mark they race to find as many carrots as they can before you say, "STOP". You may choose to take individual turns and play the classic "Hot and Cold" with the carrots also.

Who Am I? When the children come through the door tape a farm animal or item/object to their backs. Through the course of the party they may ask each other yes and no questions about what they are. Explain that the first question they may want to ask is "Am I an animal or an object?" At the end of the party each child takes a turn saying what they think they are. Suggestions: cow, pig, sheep...pitchfork, saddle, horseshoe, hay, milk, barn, tractor, etc..

Farm Buddies is similar to Who Am I?, but this time you whisper in each childs ear a name of a farm animal. Tell them that there is at least one other person that is the same animal as they are. Throughout the party they may ask each other yes and no questions to try to figure out who their "Farm Buddy" is. At the end of the party tell everyone to go sit by who they think their buddy is. Go over the clues with the kids until they figure it out and everyone is sitting next to the correct buddy.

If you have access to a pony, and parents give their consent, take each child on a little Pony Ride and get a snapshot at the end. Include the picture with their thank you card.

Hay Rides are fun for young and old. If you can't pull it off have fun doing a Wheelbarrow Hay Ride. Add some hay to the wheelbarrow to cushion the ride and give each child a ride around the yard. If you're up to it, and have a couple of adults, race the kids from one end to the other. They'll have "barrows" of fun and you'll get your exercise in for the day :D

If you have older children, divide them up in teams and create a relay race. Each team appoints one person (usually the lightest) to stay in the wheelbarrow. First team done wins.

No farm party would be complete without a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey! Let older children take a stab without being blindfolded, and award every child a small animal figure or other prize. For older children, blindfold them and spin them a few times before letting them try to pin the tail on the donkey.

If you're planning for middle-school or high-school kids have a BBQ and a Hoe-down. Bring in someone to teach a country line dance or two, and have lots of lemonade on hand to quench their thirst.

Make sure you check out our Down on the Farm Cake before calling your local bakery. Rated very easy to make it's sure to feed. Alternatively, you can make a tractor cake using a tractor-shaped cake pan and your favorite cake recipe.

Submitted by Alecia Dixon

Printables and Instructions

Please note that some of the links below lead to sites that are NOT part of Kids Domain. Please let us know if any of the links appear inappropriate for children. We did check them when we linked, but site content can change at any time.

Farm Cake
Print and make a cow and barn paper decorations

Printables:

Farm coloring picture and printable cards
Down on the Farm Coloring Book (North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture)
Old McDonald's Farm Coloring Book
Farm Animals Around the World Coloring Pages (Enchanted Learning)
Farm Animal Spelling Game (Alphabet Soup)
Farm Animal Coloring (Alphabet Soup)
Farm Animal Match Game (Alphabet Soup)
Horse on Farm (Kinderart)
Cowboy (ABCTeach)