Speaking of Bean Bag Toss ...

The party was a great success. Whew! All the kids had a good time and Son No. 1 really enjoyed the time with his friends.

Just what do you do with a group of eleven- and twelve-year olds? They are at that awkward age where kiddie games are too 'babyish' , yet you need to fill the time with something. The gang played soccer for quite awhile. Then we took a break and hit the cooler. Bottled water and lemonade were the two popular choices.

Then it was on to the bean bag toss. Nothing special, but the wife and I felt that it would be a good game to wind down before the pizza arrived. And...it gave the kids a chance to work in teams.

All it takes is a bucket and eight bean bags. I made them up the day of the party and they worked out really well. Here's a picture:

[Bean bag game toss equipment]

The bean bags were made from some 'flame' fabric from the stash. I cut eight pieces 10" x 5-1'2". I folded them in half and sewed up the three open sides (but left an opening for the beans). I used a 1/4" seam. Each bag has approximately 3/4's of a cup of dry Northern beans. After they are filled, I sewed the opening shut using the sewing machine (no need for hand-sewing -- there's plenty of room for the presser foot.) We already had the galvanized bucket, so the total cost of the game was the cost of the beans -- about $3.50. Not bad!