DIY Farm Birthday Party

Have a little farmer with a birthday? A farm birthday party lends itself to DIY, with decorations and food being cheap and easy. With common materials and simple foods, you can pull off a great birthday party on even a small budget. Here are some tips for a DIY farm birthday party for a preschool or young elementary-aged child.

Invitations: The ideas for invitations are endless. Create them in the shape of a barn, farm animal, or tractor. Use terms that go along with the theme, like "Farmer (your child's name) would like to invite y'all to a hoedown with his critters." Invite the guests to dress in their best farm clothes (overalls, etc.).

Decorations: Decorations can be very simple for a farm birthday. Use picnic-type decor (think red and white checks). Put farm animals on the table, either plastic or stuffed. If your child is a girl (girls are farmers, too!), be sure to add some sunflowers. Instead of chairs, use bales of straw for seating. Give each guest a straw hat when they arrive. If you really do live on a farm and actually own a tractor, park it in the yard. Let the guests sit on it and take their picture with a Polaroid camera to send home with them.

Cake: Bake a sheet cake, then cut it in the shape of a barn. Decorate with icing, then use fondant or molding chocolate to make farm animals to place on the cake. If a cake doesn't suit you, bake cupcakes and top them with candy corn or marshmallow peeps.

Food: Serve finger foods like pigs in a blanket (make sure you consider the age of your farmer here...hotdogs are a choking hazard for very young children) or chicken scratch (a trail mix of anything you like, such as granola with raisins, m&ms, and miniature marshmallows). Serve up old fashioned lemonade to drink.

Games: For fun, play classic games like duck duck goose and pin the tail on the donkey. Young guests can fish rubber ducks from a plastic wading pool. Have a chicken egg hunt using plastic Easter eggs filled with goodies.

Music: This is a great addition to a young child's party. Play traditional children's' songs that have a farm theme, like Old McDonald and The Old Gray Mare. If you feel up to it, teach the guests to do the chicken dance!

Party Favors: Treat bags are easy for a farm birthday theme. There's no need for fancy bags...decorate brown lunch bags or small burlap bags instead. Add small (or larger if you want) plastic farm animals. If the time of year is right, tuck in a seed packet for the kids to begin their own flower or vegetable garden. Things such as sunflowers or pumpkins are both easy and fun for kids to grow.

These are just a few of the many ideas for a DIY farm birthday party. Use your imagination with what you have on hand and you can easily make it a shin-dig your farmer will enjoy!