12961

Cowboy Party -3yr- Pony Rides

February 2006

Gina in Valparaiso IN USA

Honorable Mention

We've had lots of themed birthdays these last 5 years with both our boys.  For my cowboy and horse OBSESSED 3 year old, a cowboy party was the only way to go. 

I started by making mini wanted posters with burned edges stating that this lil buckaroo is hoping you'll come help him wrangle up some horses. The time and date and at Carson's City Ranch.  They were adorable since Carson had just had his cowboy pictures taken.  I also made wanted posters of all the kids attending since most were family and in my daycare and I had their photos.  They all had cute reasons for being WANTED and I added funny nicknames. I hung them all over the place we had our party. Like Corbin "Heartbreaker" Ames Wanted for being so 'darn' cute:)  They were a hit and the kids took them home. 

I gathered as many old refridgerater boxes from appliance stores, I could and built "CARSON CITY" featuring a saloon, jail, stable, blacksmith, and more for the kids to actually go into and play. 

For each child I purchased cowboy hats and guns from the dollar store. Then I got large brown paper grocery bags from the grocery store and cut them into cowboy vests with fringe and all, also made some chaps from them as well.  The kids were able to color and decorate them with neat cowboy themed crafts.  And of course gave each of them neat sheriffs badges and a bandana. I had given parents a heads up to come in denim and red shirts. Now everyone was in cowboy gear.

I had haybails everywere, and lucky for us we were able to get a friends old horse stable that he had turned into a country line dance hall so it was already themed western. In the "Saloon" we had cowboy food, beans, hot dogs, wings, chili, and rootbear bottles...all served in western pots and pie plates for eating.  I wrapped everyones silverware in red napkins and made holsters out of brown construction paper and put the silverware inside.  This was adorable and easier for everyone to carry. 

Tables were covered with checkered tableclothes and centerpieces of western material, toy horses, western statues, and balloons.  The kids played games such as lasso the horse where they took rope and tried to toss it over a saw horse.  We dug through hay bails for gold (pennies,pin the star on the sheriff,a pinata,cowboy buckets(bozo buckets)using coffee cans decorated with cowboy cutouts.

After all of that! We called the kids out to the front lawn where a cowboy showed up(friend of ours) and made balloon animals for the kids....BUT what's a cowboy without a horse?  So around the stable came a pony!  My son was sooo excited. And this really wasn't that expensive only $75.  The horse was there for an hour, the kids rode and I took pictures of each of them in their outfits with the horse.  I later used those pictures in the thank you cards. 

Afterwards we had cake, I made both cakes one was a cowboy (white) the other a horse (chocolate) both were wilton pans. 

The birthday boy then opened his presents and we said our farewells and thank yous.  The kids were exhausted but very happy.  On their way out I gave each child a bandana filled with toy horses, cowboys and indians(like mini army figures), harmonicas, mini snakes, stickers, a coloring page and a couple crayons, then gold chocolate coins. I got all of this from dollar stores and divided them up.  IT was less than $35 for all of them.  We had 24 kids:)

And I made sure not to leave the parents out...I bought a candy mold off ebay in the shape of a 3D cowboy hat. I made one for each parent one black and one white.  I tied small pictures of my son in his cowboy outfit to all the favors and wrote "Hats off to you!" Thank you for sharing my special day! Love Carson.

Most of the decorations were homemade from brown bags and some cheap 50 cent craft paints.  Hay bails were $3. most everything else we had lying around.  Just allow yourself some time to make these neat crafts and it will save you a lot of money and still look like it took a professional to make it all!

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