Cowgirl Birthday Party Theme

Cowgirl Western Dress up relay - Gather two sets of western themed clothes including overalls, cowboy boots, cowboy hat, sunglasses, flannel shirt, etc. and place them in two separate piles a good distance from where the teams will start.  Divide party guests into 2 teams and have them line up behind each other at the start line.  The object is for the first person in line from each team to run to the pile of clothes, put everything on, run back to their team and tag them ... then run back to the pile and take off the items.  They then run back to their line and tag the first person in line and that person continues the relay until everyone has had a turn. 

Hay Bale Obstacle Course - Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or the park using hay bales and other western themed items and make use of swing sets, trampolines, slides, hula hoops, etc.  Set up a course that goes over, under, around and through the area.  You can set up teams to compete against each other or use a stop watch and time each of the party guests.   When they have run through it a few times you can change it by having them run through it backwards, on their hands and knees or walking. 

Horseshoes - Horseshoes is a fun game and one that is easy for everyone to play.  How to play horseshoes.     

Water the Horses  - This is a fun relay and kids love it ... careful, they can get wet!   You will need Two large tubs filled with water and two smaller containers that are equal in size.  The idea is to get water from the larger containers, run across an area (more then 20 feet) and put the water into the smaller containers.  The team that fills their container first wins.  There are several ways to do this - you can transfer the water using spoons, sponges or, our personal favorite, plastic cups with a few holes punched in the bottom.  Divide the guests into two teams and have them line up behind one another.  One by one they take their "water carrier" and dip it into the big bucket - run across the play area and then put the water into the smaller container.  Then they run back and hand off to the next player on their team.  This continues until one team has filled their water container to the top - or to a pre-determined mark.

Cow Patty Toss - You will need brown Frisbees and several hula hoops or large baskets for this game.  Divide the party guests into 2 teams and have them line up behind one another at one side of the play area.  At the other side of the play area place hula hoops or large baskets in a pyramid shape - these are the targets that they will be throwing their "cow patty" into to score points.  Tag each target with a different point value.  Give each player three tries to make as many points as they can.  This game can be played individually too.  * You can use brown bean bags instead of the Frisbees.

Needle in a Haystack - You will need a large container full of hay, Styrofoam peanuts, raffia or shredded newspaper and something for the party guests to find - the "needle" - such as small toys, candies or John Deere stickers on yellow paper.  We do not recommend using a real needle or anything that is sharp and pointy.  Hide the items in the container and let the party guest search for them.  Give them a time limit and see how many they can find.

Activities
Western theme picture frames - Cut out western themed shapes out of sponges - stars, boots, hats, cactus. Have children dip one edge of the shape in paint and then sponge onto their frame.

Mop Horses - Gather several broomsticks or large dowel rods. Fill socks with batting (for the head) and attach to one end of the stick. Glue on google eyes, felt nose and ears. Make a main out of yarn and glue to the sock also. Use a long piece of yarn for the reins.

Food
Dress the food table like a chuck wagon.  Make large wheels out of poster board or cover hula hoops.  Attach an off white sheet to the wall behind the table to look like a covered wagon.  Hang ropes, lanterns and old pots and pans  from the table.  

Franks and beans
Lemonade
Apple Pie
Watermelon
Tortillas chips, salsa and queso dip
Quesadillas - 2 flour tortillas grilled in a little butter with cheese in the middle. Cut with a pizza cutter into triangles.
Cookout burgers
Sloppy Joe’s
Wagon wheel pasta
Chili
Coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad
Mix sprite and green food coloring for “cactus juice”
If possible to have a campfire - roast hot dogs and make smores’ over the fire.