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Barnyard Birthday Bash Brainstorm

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Michelle wrote me for some ideas for her baby’s upcoming barnyard-themed first birthday party. Here’s some of what she said…

“I have some ideas…like using hay bales as seating, and the favors will be bandanas tied on sticks w/ these little barns I got in the $1 section of Target (gotta love Target)…I do have the paper products from 1st wishes, they are sooo cute!!”

Sounds like she’s got a good start. Of course, there is always more insanity to put into a party. Here are some of my ideas:
Invitations:
If I were throwing the party I would design some invitations that look an awful lot like these, I just found here. I love the barn shape and the opening doors. I would probably include a poem kind of like this one:
Little Miss Tessa’s (insert child’s name here) turning one
e-i-e-i-o
Won’t you please join in our fun
e-i-e-i-o

You could put little speech bubble coming out of the animals’ mouths with their appropriate sound (i.e. “moo, quack, oink, etc.) You could play up the e-i-e-i-o at the party like Not Just a Mommy did.
Table Decorations:
My local Fry’s grocery store (Kroger chain) has a gorgeous bandana print tablecloth in stores now. It would be perfect for this, only it costs something like $30, which is more than I can bring myself to spend, so I would probably do something like this table cloth idea from BHG (They sewed the bandana border on and hot glued on the pockets from old jeans).
Or this DIY bandana runner from Country Living, except all in red (or a mixture of primary colors).
Of course, cow print makes for a great graphic design. You could always cut out black random shapes and attach them to a white cloth to get that effect.
Remember how I made nests using chow mein noodles with a rice krispie treat recipe? Well, you can make hay bales using the same concept, only use Shredded Wheat as the hay. I have done this many times for Thanksgiving (wish I had a picture at the moment). You can tie the bales up with twine for a fun natural look, then make signs out of labels and toothpicks with each guest’s name. Then stick them in the bales of hay for an easy and cute placecard.
Food:
There is always pigs in a blanket, and chicken nuggets. I’m not sure the kids will get the connection, but the adults might get a snicker out of these kid-friendly-food options. Animals do like carrots and veggies, so you might sneak some of those in.
This chicken feed from BHG is a fun idea. How about serving whatever the kids eat out of mini-troughs or pails. They will love getting to be animals for a day!
Cake:
I like this barn cake (I found directions for a similar one here),
but I think the kids will be most excited about the animal cupcakes, like these cows. If you are having a big party, you might do both. The cow cupcakes would be cute next to these pig cupcakes.
Or these lamb cupcakes found on flickr.
Add in some of these chicken cupcakes from the cutest chicken party I’ve ever seen (not just because it’s the only chicken party I’ve ever seen) and you’ve got a full barn!
Games and Activities:
Why not break out the old songs/games like “The Farmer in Dell.” Little kids would love singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” and “Mary had a Little Lamb” and let’s not forget “Old MacDonald” himself. Older children (3-4yrs.) might enjoy animal charades. But I think if each child gets a cool party hat like this (from BHG), they’ll be most entertained by acting like their animal.
It doesn’t look like it would be all that difficult to make, and would be really cute with the real hay bales Michelle mentioned. If you are going to have a lot of adults or older children, it would be really funny to have some props for an “American Gothic” picture!
So does that help, Michelle? Let us know how the party goes! And happy birthday to your little farmer!
Some good resources:
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9 Comments

  1. Sounds like it will be a barn-raising good time!! Michelle I would suggest making a big barnyard felt board for the children to play with at the party, it's appealing if you have a wide range of ages there. I wrote a post last week about my farm felt board. Have fun!!

  2. Sounds like it will be a barn-raising good time!! Michelle I would suggest making a big barnyard felt board for the children to play with at the party, it's appealing if you have a wide range of ages there. I wrote a post last week about my farm felt board. Have fun!!

  3. Sounds like it will be a barn-raising good time!! Michelle I would suggest making a big barnyard felt board for the children to play with at the party, it's appealing if you have a wide range of ages there. I wrote a post last week about my farm felt board. Have fun!!

  4. This is a great party idea. I love every part of it: from the cupcakes to the invites.

    I'd suggest to gather some barnyard-themed stuffed animals for the kids to play with. Even playing a soundtrack of farm noises could be fun.

  5. We always have a family gathering for the 4th of July, that runner with jean pockets is a perfect contribution. I will be making that this year. I'm collecting jean pockets now. Thanks. By the way, I read, I just don't always comment. Love your creative ideas.

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