Date: June 4, 2011
Location: Mississauga, ON
Guests: 17 children (age range 1-8) plus about 30 adults
Budget: $40 (not including food)
*To protect privacy, no photos of guests are included in this post.
This party was intended to be held outdoors in Erindale Park. Major thunderstorms forced a last minute change of plans-party was held at the client's house. While not ideal, I did manage to salvage most of the party plans. It cleared up in the afternoon, I was able to take the kids outside for a few games.
Concept: Woody's Round-Up.
Four stations with various activities, at each station the children received a prize.
Upon arrival, each guest received a cowboy party hat and a sheriff badge.
I put out crayons and colouring sheets for the kids to do while we waited for all the guests to arrive.
Free download from the Disney website, you can find it
here
Station #1: Mr. Potato Head
For this station, I cut out a potato shape from brown cardstock for each child and provided them with a variety of features to choose from, including shoes, hat, arms, noses, mouths etc to glue onto the background shape with a gluestick. Obviously, younger children might need help with this activity. Each guest can take home their creation at the end of the party.
Variation: Print out the shapes onto sticker paper.
I didn't do this since the adhesive paper is quite expensive.
The link to download the features can be found
here
Template for the body can be found
here I found the body to be too large for the features so I reduced it on the photocopier to 70% before cutting out the template.
It could have been a bit smaller.
Image source: http://twilightsummer.deviantart.com/art/ToyStory-Woody-110822912
Station #2: Woody's Shoot-out
Knock down a pyramid of plastic cups with a water pistol. This activity should be done outside, we played this game on the front lawn. It was little too difficult for the younger children. The older boys had a great time, they asked to do it again and again.I was so involved with running the games, I forgot to take pictures.
You'll have to use your imagination.
Image source: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Toy-Story-Buzz-Lightyear-Posters_i5239758_.htm
Station #3: Space Ranger's Training
The hunt for moon rocks.
Sort of looks like a rock, you get the idea. The moon rocks were hidden throughout the front and side yards for the children to hunt down. Sort of a space themed easter egg hunt, if you will.
Prizes inside were small toys like parachute army men, bouncy balls, toy story note pads and silly bands.
Image source: http://www.thetoyshop.com
Station #4: Jesse's Lasso Challenge
This game involved "lassoing" a toy cow. I thought using rope might be a tad dangerous with small children around (think choking) so we used frisbees with holes in them, sort of like ring toss.
Decorations:
In addition to the usual streamers and balloons, I made this centrepiece from a box, paper and templates from the Disney
website. Lots of free templates, crafts, etc can be found there, with all sorts of characters.
The aliens are easy to put together, Woody and Buzz are more challenging. Prepare yourself for lots of cutting and gluing. Since this is paper, it's not exactly the most kid friendly thing. All the kids wanted to play with it. Looks cool though. And since it's just paper and glue, it's practically free. Woody is technically a marionette, but I cheated by mounting him on a skewer instead of hanging him. I covered the box with blue paper and cut out white clouds that sort of look like the wallpaper in Andy's room. Each little character has toothpicks taped to the inside. I drilled holes in the box with my cordless drill and inserted the toothpicks. As I said before-toothpicks are not appropriate for young children. This was meant purely for decoration-but of course all the kids wanted to play with it. I had to explain over and over that it was only made of paper!
This party was not without it's challenges-rain, last minute change of venue, wet grass and mud, and a small space. I must admit-I was exhausted after this party!
