Farm Party SuppliesChickens and horses and cows—oh my! Farm or barnyard birthday parties are super fun because you get to plan a mini ho-down for your child. From the invitations to the party favors, your options are endless when it comes to knee-slappin' party ideas. The best part is you can create an activity where each child makes his own favors! That equals out to less work for you and more fun for the partiers! Your farm party supplies are numerous and usually fairly cheap, requiring very little of your wallet. With all the great ideas out there just waiting to be discovered, get crackin’! Activity 1 Barn Friends What You Will Need • Pre-cut cardstock in the shape of barns • Pre-cut paper plates in the shapes of farm animals (cows, sheep, horses, etc.) • Glue and/or tape • Markers and Crayons What You Will Do Have each child create and color his own farm family, complete with farm animals and a barn. When the children have finished, their completed products can “play” together and visit each other’s farms. This is especially fun if you have a larger area where each child can have his own space to set up his farm. Encourage the children to decide on names and stories for each of their characters. Activity 2 Creating Magnets What You Will Need • Medium-sized, white, ceramic farm animal magnets • Watercolor paints • Paper towels or newspaper What You Will Do After setting up a large, flat surface with either paper towel or newspaper covering every inch, place a set of watercolors, paintbrush, and magnet at each place setting. Each child will be able to decorate his own magnet to bring home! Creative and fun, this activity will also keep the kids busy if you need to perform finishing touches on any other activities or prepare any snacks. Tell the children to leave their masterpieces where they are while they dry, so you can package them up later to send home with them. Activity 3 Puzzle Mania What You Will Need • Poster board or large pieces of cardstock • Markers and crayons • Watercolor paints • Scissors • Plastic zip-lock bags What You Will Do Making a personalized puzzle can be great fun for the kids as well as be something they will enjoy long after the party ends. Have the children gather around a large table on which you’ve distributed some water color pallets, markers, crayons, and plastic bags and begin designing their puzzle picture. Once they have completely finished drawing and have waited for their water color paints to dry, you can cut up the paper into puzzle pieces for them. They don’t have to be perfect or super professional. Next, once you have cut up all the puzzles, have the children put all of their puzzle pieces into their appointed plastic bags. Have them pass their puzzles one person to their left or right, and try to figure out how the pieces go together. You can do this a couple times if they like it. When they are finished (or bored), have them bundle their puzzle pieces up into their bags, and voila! Your guests have party favors! Activity 4 Chicken’s Sweet Tweets What You Will Need • Pre-made cupcakes, unfrosted • Different flavors of frosting • Different colors of frosting • A variety of sprinkle toppings What You Will Do Let the children create their own dessert treat by decorating their very own cupcake! They can decorate their cake however they want, with a variety of topping choices available, including different colored frostings and various sprinkles. After they are finished decorating their individual cupcakes, the children can gobble them up just like chickens! Activity 5 Barn Building What You Will Need • Lots of graham crackers • Vanilla frosting • Vanilla frosting dyed red with food coloring • Paper towels to set up each child’s place What You Will Do The children must try to create the best barn they can out of the graham crackers and frosting. They can use the red frosting to paint the sides of their barn while using the white frosting to make the edges stick as well as to paint doors and windows on the barn, and for any extra details needed to complete the project. Encourage the children not to just eat the supplies, but use them to build a great barn, perhaps a barn with a second-story! You can send these home with them when the party is over. Activity 6 Barn Story What You Will Need • Regular paper—computer paper will do • Something to draw with, such as markers, colored pencils, crayons, etc. • Story starters, i.e. “One day, the farmer when out to check on his plants when suddenly…” or “Billy was a nice farmer boy who grew up on a corn field. He had a dog named…” What You Will Do Have each child write a short farm story based off of one of the openings you provide. The books can be short, 6-page books, or longer, depending in the age range of the children attending the party. This is a fun and creative activity you can have the children do. It also provides them with something they can bring home from the party as a party favor. As you plan out your farm party list of things to do, it may seem daunting to have to prepare activities and packages of favors for each child. But when you use the activities as favors, too, then your tasks get cut in half. Sometimes, when you double up on that duty, it will end up more enjoyable for the guests, as well as make it easier on you. No matter what activities you choose to do or what tasks you choose to have the children complete, remember that the most important idea is for you to have fun and be creative. And when you are all done planning, go ahead and give yourself a great big “Yee-haw!” for making the most out of your farm party supplies! |





















