Second Birthday Barnyard Party
Invitations
Barnyard invitations feature charming baby farm animals in bright primary colors to get the birthday party excitement going right from the start.
Decorations
Three-dimensional barns and stand-up baby animal cutouts create an instant party centerpiece, and a cute and chunky cow pinata is impressive dangling from the center of a starburst made of streamers. Make your own weights for Mylar animal balloons by tying large washers to the ends of the ribbons and gluing barnyard animal cutouts to the front of the washers. Write each guests name on the cutout, then glue heavy paper cutouts to the back of the washers and you have balloon weights that can double as place cards.
Dress Code
By their second birthday, children are beginning to understand about costumes and make-believe. This is a great age to have guests dress as their favorite farm animals.
Activities and Music
Two-year-olds love face painting. Use non-toxic face paint and barnyard animal templates to transform your guests into cows, pigs, goats and chickens. Two-year-olds prefer cooperative play to competitive play, so have a costume parade rather than a costume contest. Pinatas are fun, but proceed with caution; some children this age may be upset at the idea of hitting a cute animal with a stick. For this 2nd birthday, just upend the pinata and scatter the goodies. Alternately, allow each child to reach in and take a handful.
Food
A barnyard-themed lunch is fun and appropriate for a 2nd birthday. Make pigs-in-a blanket by slicing hot dogs lengthwise and wrapping crescent roll dough around them before baking. Dont serve whole hot dogs to small children because of the danger of choking. Sunflower seed kernels make perfect chicken feed. Round the meal off with ants on a log, made by arranging raisins in a line on celery sticks filled with peanut butter.
Birthday Cake
Barnyard animal cake decorations and transfers bring the cake into line with the overall party theme. Alternately, cupcakes decorated to look like cow, pig chicken and farm dog faces will delight your small guests.
Party Favors
The most popular party favor at this birthday party may turn out to be the disposable cameras you give the mothers as they arrive. For the children, soft rubber animal masks that cover only the nose area add to the fun, and farm animal banks, figures and balloons make perfect age-appropriate favors.
