Western 'Ho-Down' Party Craft Ideas

Having a party for kids can be a lot of fun and when you have a set theme it makes it that much easier to prepare and get things set for the mood. This is a western party theme that I will lay out for you. I used this party theme because I used all things western to make the whole day fun for the children; I always used this party theme as a reward at the end of a long task that the children completed satisfactorily. To set the mood I start by reading 'A Wild Cowboy' by Dana Kessimakis Smith and Laura Freeman. Enjoy this imaginary tale of a wild little cowboy as he goes to stay with his grandma, very cute and beautifully illustrated.

Ho-Down Western Party

First you want to prepare some of the crafts and decorations ahead of time to set the mood for the party day. We started out by making our cowboy/cowgirl hats. I purchased several straw cowboy/cowgirl hats a dollar store that I was very pleased with.

Decorated Cowboy/Cowgirl hats

Hats

Decorations: gold paper stars, sequins, ribbon, glitter, silk flowers, feathers, leather, and beads.

(your imagination is limitless on decorations you can use.)

Hot glue-gun (an adult to manage, of course)

Lay out all the decorations and have each child pick out what they want on their own hat, and then proceed to attach all the decorations onto the hat with the hot glue. If you feel really creative use Elmer's glue to spell their name on the back or the front of their hats and cover with glitter. Each hat will be uniquely different. This craft can be done ahead of time or if you have time do it on the day of the party as a fun craft project.

Party day

Scarves and bandanas are always a western favorite and these can be tied onto their hats as well, or around their little necks loosely tied. Take a plain hat, turn it upside down and put a small potted plant, or small vase of daisies, or sunflowers in it to create a table top centerpiece. Find a red checkered table cloth or a big bandana for a simple table cloth. Pop some popcorn; get some beef jerky, corn chips and cheese nacho dip. For a yummy drink make root beer floats for a special treat. If you feel overly ambitious make homemade ice cream.

Have the children wear jeans and their boots if they have them and play some western music on the radio or a CD so they can square dance and have some fun. If time allows watch 'FievelGoes West, about a little mouse looking to go out west to find his fortune. A fun, cute movie rated G.

Reliable source: All my own ideas.