Help w/Hoedown Party

[CuckooMamma]

My girls, turning 9 and 5 love contra dancing (any dancing, really), and so we decided to throw a hoedown for our little one who is turning 5 next week. Many of the guests are younger than 5, so the dance steps will be very basic - just lots of good music and dancing fun.

My problem is that I usually have a craft activity for the kids for when they arrive or when I need a break. In the past I had colored bags that they decorated when they arrived for their goody bag. Then, I'd have another craft so that I could relax a little from leading parachute and obstacle course type activities.

This year I bought printed bags figuring it would be easier to just have the goody bags ready to go. So, no bag coloring. And, I can't think of a hoedown-themed activity that isn't just junk. I really don't want them making wanted posters or sheriff's badges. I'd prefer something a little more innocent. Any ideas?

My girls have lots of food allergies, so I'd like to avoid anything that involves food.

TIA!

[eepster]

This maybe too involved/complicated, but what about making hobby horses.

• Get 1 inch or 3/4 inch round dowels (1 per kid.)
• Cut horse head shaped out of felt (2 per kid.) *
• Cut slightly smaller horse head out of card board or foam core board. With a notch in the neck are wide enough to accommodate dowel, and bout 3 inches long(1 per kid.) *
• Glue felt halves to the board and dowel (basically a sandwich with the felt acting as the bread.)**
• Kids decorate the horse heads with fabric paint.
• Kids glue on mane (yarn) and reins (ribbon) with fabric glue.
• Use clothes pins to hold it together while the glue dries

* I would do cutting ahead of time.
** The kids will need parental help for this part, or you could have it done ahead of time. If you decide to do it ahead of time you can use a hot glue gun instead of slower drying fabric glue.

[madskye]

How about barnyard animals?

Pig Snout
Need: Toilet paper roll. pink paint, pink paper, yarn or elastic, and glue

Directions: Make pig snouts from toilet paper rolls cut in half and paint pink or glue pink construction paper around it. Punch holes in sides and tie on yarn or elastic.

These are cute TP roll barnyard animals:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf75787140.tip.html

Also, not particularly hoe downy, but paper bag puppets are always fun, with yarn hair and button eyes? Maybe you could have little bandana scraps so they could be cowgirl puppets?


Are you going to play pin the tail on the donkey? We just had my DD's 5th birthday (a pizza party) and pin the topping on the pizza was the big hit.