Tag Archives: school parties

Options for School Christmas Gift Exchange

In my article yesterday I discussed having Christmas parties at school. I also talked about the complications that can come with exchanging Christmas gifts among the students in your classroom. There are other options for teachers who wish to continue to carry out the tradition of student gifts but feel that a variation is needed from drawing names or bringing boy or girl gifts for exchange. One such variation is asking parents to send a small item for each child in the class. For example if your classroom has 18 students, each child will bring 18 of the same items. … Continue reading →

Happy Halloween (or Harvest!)

Whichever you celebrate, if you celebrate this date, I hope you have a happy one! My younger kids were excited as they rushed off to school, treats in hand, to share during their fall parties today. Many schools don’t have Halloween parties any more, and some no longer allow kids to dress up in costumes for Halloween either. Our school has a fall party but no costumes. I have even heard of several small towns in this area that would like to ban trick-or-treating altogether as well. It wouldn’t really bother me, but I know some would miss it. I’m … Continue reading →

Halloween School Parties – Room Mom Tips

Helping with a school Halloween party can be lots of fun. My favorite part is getting to see all the children dressed up. I like to bring either a Polaroid or a digital camera to capture the kids in their costumes. Ideally, I like to download and print their pictures before the day is over, but that rarely happens. Even if they don’t get the pictures back until the next day, it still makes a nice souvenir. For food I’ve found that vegetable and cheese trays balance out the sugar and overexcited children, too. I usually make spider crackers. I … Continue reading →

Halloween Relays for Parties

Here are two fun relay races for Halloween parties. I’ve played both of these with many classes of elementary school children. They’d be fun for a family, too. Slime Relay is definitely an outdoor game. The slime is made of cornstarch, water, and a few drops of food green color. I would love to tint the slime a dark nasty green, but I don’t want to stain anyone’s clothes, either. To make the slime combine one cup of cornstarch to one half cup of water, and add a few drops of food color. The cornstarch slime should feel solid when … Continue reading →

End of the School Year Party

My last job as room mom this year is to plan an end of the year party. The end of year party is actually one of the easiest to plan. We can almost for sure count on good weather. We plan on having the kids do some outside games like bubbles and the egg and spoon race. Relay races are easy to organize. Hopefully all the kids will remember to wear sunscreen that day. Just in case they don’t, we have a mother bringing some extra. The only other important supply is a few blankets for the kids to sit … Continue reading →

Room Mom Fun

I’m a room mom for a lot of reasons. It gives me a chance to be in my children’s classrooms, to get to know their teachers and classmates. It’s a way of sharing my children’s school day that’s fun. I also enjoy the chance to meet and work with the other parents. Planning a party for a class is always a challenge for me. I want the kids to have a great time but without getting over excited and loud. I want to give them a chance to do something creative without making a huge mess in the classroom. I … Continue reading →

Party Crafts: Make Your Own Cat Favor

As we head into the holiday season both at home and at school, it’s time for putting our collective heads together to come up with crafts and the like that can be done at school or at home. If you’re like me, you enjoy doing things with your kids – even when you aren’t art oriented. The following idea is good for making a party favor or a bookmark or just a decoration, it really is only limited by the imagination. So whether you are looking for some fun to be had with your little one at home or you … Continue reading →

Party Activity for School Age Kids: Pass The Book

Are you involved in the planning for play and party activities for your school age children? Here are some ideas to help you make your party interesting and fun, without having to worry about how much it is going to cost. It’s also a great learning activity for young children. Send a note home to parents asking them to send to school a new or gently used book to school with their children. Have them wrap the book in holiday paper and then gather the children up into a circle. You might want to bring a few extra wrapped books … Continue reading →

Planning School Parties

We talked about becoming a room mom on Friday. When it comes to planning your school holiday parties, there is no time like the present. For instance, we’ve already started brainstorming ideas for the Winter Holiday party, which won’t take place until mid-December. Among the ideas we have include a Winter Wonderland theme. While it may seem cliché, remember, we are planning for a kindergarten classroom. Among the ideas we have in mind are an ice machine that makes fruity snow cones for a treat and ordering foam pieces that allow the kids to build their own snow men as … Continue reading →