Dog Party (9 year)
For my daughter's 9th birthday, she requested a dog party. Nine third grade friends (a mix of boys and girls) attended. We had a 4 hour party (this included 90 minutes of watching a movie), and everyone was still having fun when it was time to go. Invitations: My daughter decorated plain cards with an origami dog. Inside, she wrote Come, Sit, Stay. ---- is 63 in dog years, that is.¯ Decorations: Decorations were simple. A large sign by our front door proclaimed our house to be the Puppy Palace. The party rooms were decorated with my daughter's dog stuffed animals and figurines. Streamers and dog pictures cut from old calendars decorated the walls. Food: We had themed snacks available throughout the part sticks (pretzel rods), puppy chow (a chex mix made with melted peanut butter, chocolate and covered in powdered sugar - tastes great but looks like puppy food), chew toys (sugar cookies), and garden sticks (baby carrots). My daughter made table tents to label each food. For cake and ice cream, we served a round cake decorated to look like a dog head with cupcake paws (see the Family Fun website) and dalmation ice cream (chocolate chip). Crafts: Our first craft was shrinky plastic (a craft from my youth). The kids were given sheets that they could decorate with the dog theme (using the pictures I had printed for inspiration or to trace) or with any theme they choose. Before everyone left, I put them in the oven to shrink them. Our second craft was knotting fleece puppy pillows. This craft was done during the movie, so kids could craft while they watched a few choose to take to make at home. Before the party, I cut 16 x 16 square inch pieces of fleece, and made fringes three inches long and one inch wide. During the party the kids knotted the front and backs together, and stuffed them. Games: Our first game was a dog bone hunt. Each child had a dog bone labeled with their name, and the kids hid a friend's around the yard and then searched for their own. Our second game was an obstacle course (dog bone on a spoon; push a ball through a play tunnel; jump through a hula hoop; race back with a newspaper tucked under their chin). Next, we played Red Rover. The final game was dancing to the song Who let the dogs out? my daughter led the conga line. These games were great to get the kids running around outside to burn off some excess energy, and kept everyone involved without much waiting. My favorite was the conga line dancing. Movie: We ended the party by watching Hotel for Dogs¯. I was pleasantly surprised that the kids quieted down, ate more snacks, and were calm enough to watch the movie. More activities: We ran out of time, but had also wanted to make balloon dogs, play Dog Trainer Says¯ (similar to Simon Says), and play Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Goody bags: The goody bags contained bouncy balls; dog pencil, eraser, and sticker sets; dog figurines; extra puppy chow; a large dog bone shaped sugar cookie. They also took home both their crafts the shrinky plastic and the fleece pillows. Thanks to all the previous parties on this site, which gave me many of these ideas.
