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 want the teacher to be glad to see me, not dreading the mess and chaos I’m going to bring in to the school.
My children love me being room mom. Not just because I plan fun parties, but also because I include them in the planning stages. Do they think this is a fun game? Can they do this craft with minimum supervision?
Another challenge of being a room mom this time of year is planning a holiday party that won’t offend or exclude anyone. That can be a bit tricky. I’ve discovered that snowmen and snowflakes are safe. Think winter, think snow. I also like to use polar bears, seals, and penguins. Most children love these winter animals. Reindeer are a little iffy because they are so closely related to Santa Claus. Gingerbread people or animals or houses are usually okay.
One activity that we are doing this year we are throwing snow balls (Styrofoam balls) into circles made of fake pine. (Okay—so they’re wreaths). Each wreath has a different number on it for how many points it is worth. The kids throw five snowballs and then add (or multiply for older kids) how many points they got. Teachers love this activity because it sneaks in a little math with their fun, and it’s easy to adapt it to whatever number skills the children are working on. You can also use foam Christmas ornaments, if it’s not a problem at your school.
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