Students, Music is Good for Your Soul and Grades!

Learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas. It’s important for high school students to develop interest and involvement in the marching band, symphony, orchestra or other concerts because music learning supports all learning. Making music involves more than the voice or fingers playing an instrument – a child learning about music must tap into multiple skill sets simultaneously.

Teachers and educators can help prepare their students to be future artists, audiences and patrons of the arts by putting on their very own concert. We offer tickets you can design yourself, tickets for reserved seating, and even tickets with security foil. If you plan to incorporate your concert performance into a fun fall or holiday carnival, you can use our concert wristbands. You can announce your concert to the entire school and community by using our beautiful design it yourself posters too.

It’s been proven that children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in some form of musical activity. Furthermore, research shows that music is to the brain as physical exercise is to the body. Music tones the brain for auditory fitness!

Participating in the high school symphony, band or orchestra could increase your child’s chance of graduating, as well as increase their scores in English and Math. Learning and mastering a musical instrument improves the way the brain breaks down and understands human language, making music students more apt to pick up a second language.

However, it’s important not to oversell how smart participating in music can make your child. The real goal should be to help your child become more musical, which will in turn make them more interesting, happy and the smarts will follow. By learning to appreciate all aspects of music, and to respect the process of learning new things such as how to sing or to play an instrument, your child will without a doubt become a better student.

October 15, 2014October 21, 2014 by Jennie Lyon Categories: Fundraising, SchoolTags: band, children, Fundraising, highschool, kids, music programs, posters, school, school music, students, Tickets, wristbands Leave a comment

You’re Cordially Invited to The Nutcracker!

There are many reasons people get excited this time of year but one universal source of joy for people all over the globe is found by attending The Nutcracker ballet. This event is a long standing spectacular tradition – good for the young or the young at heart! The first performance of the ballet was held around the Christmas holiday season in 1892, at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. The popularity grew outside of Russia into England by 1934 and by 1944 the San Francisco Ballet held the first United States performance. For the last 70 years, The Nutcracker has evolved into a cherished favorite. See our Top Ten Must-See list below for more details on performances in your area. If you’ve never been before or if you haven’t had a chance to take your children yet consider this your formal invitation to make 2014 the year to experience the wonders of The Nutcracker! Read on to find where the nutcracker in playing in your state!

The Nutcracker: The Holiday Must-See Event:

1. Houston Ballet
   “Nutcracker shows tradition can still thrill.”- Houston Chronicle
   
2. Boston Ballet
   “A holiday season without The Nutcracker would be like New Year’s Eve without champagne.” –The Improper Bostonian
3. San Francisco Ballet
   Get out your iPad and interact with SF Ballet’s magical production through the new iPad application!
4. New York City Ballet
   George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ is one of the most complex theatrical, staged ballets in the Company’s active repertory.–NYCB
5. Atlanta Ballet
   “For Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, the beauty of the dance makes the gift.” –ArtsATL
6. Pacific Northwest Ballet
   Pacific Northwest Ballet can proudly lay claim to the world’s most recognized and celebrated production of Nutcracker.
7. Miami City Ballet
   This lavish performance – one of the ONLY productions of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ™ in the nation – features magnificent scenery, elaborate costumes, and the magical music of Tchaikovsky.
8. Ballet Chicago2014 marks the 18^th year of Ballet Chicago’s performances of The Nutcracker!
9. Saint Louis Ballet
   “Lovely ‘Nutcracker’ spins holiday magic at Touhill.” –The Current
10. Moscow Ballet
    Moscow Ballet performs Russian ballets in over 70 cities across North America annually. Get tickets in Your City!

In addition to attending one of these amazing events above you could always put on a Nutcracker production of your own at your school or local theater company. Check out all of the awesome Nutcracker ballet products we offer to make your production one to remember! Journey with Clara as she dances on the arm of the Nutcracker Prince through sparkling snowflakes in a kingdom of sweets. Come one, come all and experience the magic of The Nutcracker!

September 30, 2014October 2, 2014 by Jennie Lyon Categories: FundraisingTags: children, christmas, event, events, family, Fundraising, holiday, holiday event, nutcracker, school, winter holidays 1 Comment

Season’s Greetings: How to Raise Funds for Your School This Holiday Season

The holidays are the perfect time of year to raise funds for your child’s school. Since it is already September, now is the perfect time to start planning your holiday fundraiser. Be creative and don’t feel compelled to put up the same old card table to sell homemade treats for 50 cents apiece. There are more lucrative ways to raise money these days besides bake sales! With a little planning and preparation,  you school can end the holiday season in the black – with funds for that school library makeover or new computers for the tech lab!

Go the traditional route with a twist!

It’s up to you and your school to decide what product is best for your students to sell. Perhaps you want to focus on calendars, greeting cards, gift wrap or gift tags, since these are items many parents will be picking up for the holidays anyways. It can be tricky deciding what to sell but remember that seemingly small items can add up to a lot of money! School groups raise more than a billion dollars every year selling items such as cookie dough, calendars or coupon books. Don’t miss your opportunity to get in on the action and raise funds for your school.

Once you decide on the best product to sell be sure to advertise your fundraiser. You can put up customized posters throughout the school and in your local libraries, churches, grocery stores and shops. You could also create customized postcards with your fundraisers information – these could be sent home with the children and even mailed to local businesses or given out at community events.

Take your fundraiser online! Most people these days will appreciate the opportunity to shop online in the comfort of their own home. Not to mention this type of fundraiser works great for family or friends at a distance that still want to support your school. Your school most likely already has a website, so just dedicate a page to use to collect funds via PayPal, so grandparents and family that don’t live locally can still donate to your child’s school. Don’t forget – this holiday season is the perfect time to remind people that all donations made to the school are tax deductible.

 

 

 

September 23, 2014December 9, 2015 by Jennie Lyon Categories: Fundraising, SchoolTags: children, christmas, events, fundraiser, Fundraising, gift tags, gift wrap, hanukkah, holiday event, holidays, postcards, raise funds, school, schools, seasons greetings, special event, winter holidays Leave a comment

Wristbands You’ll Love + We Have a New Website!

Can you believe that summer officially starts in just a few weeks? If your organization has a busy summer planned, have we got a fantastic product for you! Our Tyvek™ wristbands are a must for those upcoming summer events. Whether it’s a summer camp, pool party, business fundraiser, water-park opening, or concert – our 24 hour wristbands are your admission solution. Our wristbands are perfect for tracking admissions to your event. They come in sheets of ten that are sequentially numbered and each wristband peels off, making them easy to hand to customers as they pay to enter the event. Since they are waterproof and very durable, they are perfect for any event – even ones where your customers are going to get wet! And while all of that sounds great, I haven’t even gotten to the best part – our wristbands are super affordable at $5 for 100, $13 for 500 or $25 for 1000, making them an excellent idea for any organization.

A great way to utilize the wristbands is by choosing and designating a color for different categories. For example, if you own a water-park, it would make sense to choose one color for children, another for adults and a last for seniors. The reason using colored wristbands is so important is to control access to the event by giving venue workers a visual (only those with a wristband should be at the event) and for tracking admissions. Also, many people like to keep wristbands as a keepsake to remember the occasion and if your is branded, then it is like free advertising too!

Our wristbands come in  a variety of colors and be adjusted to fit any size, child through adult.  They are simple to use, and can be customized with your unique branding. If you order solid colored wristbands, they can be shipped the same-day as long as your order is submitted by 2 p.m. BONUS: If you spend $50, you get free shipping.

You Asked and We Listened!

We have a new and improved website that makes finding and ordering your favorite event products a breeze! Simply click on the product you are interested in at the top of the page, click “Add to Cart” after choosing the quantity and color and then proceed to our 1-page checkout. You can even order from your smart phone, since our website is mobile-friendly.

If you have an event that is quickly approaching, we highly recommend our wristbands, you will love them!

P.S. We are now on Twitter, where we will be sharing great event tips, products, and more! Please follow along @EventD8

 

photo credit David Castillo via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April 24, 2014December 9, 2015 by jennielyon Categories: UncategorizedTags: amusement parks, children, custom wristbands, festivals, special events, summer camp Leave a comment

5 Fun Ways to Celebrate Mom this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is May 11th and it’s the one day a year set aside to celebrate Mom. We all know at least one hard-working mom who deserves way more appreciation than can fit into a single day. Here are some ideas to help the mom in your life have the best Mother’s Day yet. If you really want to knock it out of the park, do them all!

#1: A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words

Simple but powerful: what mom doesn’t love photos of her kids and family? A great, framed snapshot or two is a quick easy gift for the kids to put together and is sure to melt Mom’s heart. If you like to get creative, there are many online photo services that offer dozens of options for personalized gifts from photo mugs with Mom or Grandma’s name to iPhone cases to calendars. If you’re really savvy and have some time on your hands, put together a photo montage for mom set to some of her favorite music. For art-loving moms, commission one of the many Etsy artists who paint custom portraits from photographs.

#2: Shower Her with Flowers

With all its new life, sunshine, and warmth, spring is the perfect time of year to celebrate mothers. A freshly planted flower bed will brighten the yard and show Mom you appreciate the warmth and beauty she brings every day. If she’s a gardener herself, make planting flowers an afternoon activity that the whole family can participate in. If you don’t have a yard or garden, pick up some loose stems at your local grocery store and bring spring inside! Place arrangements around the house so Mom can wake up to a fragrant and colorful indoor garden.

#3: Art Collection

While the fridge is a great first stop for your little ones’ creations, there’s only so much room for masterpieces amidst school papers, to-do lists, and pizza joint magnets. Immortalizing your kids’ art will let Mom treasure it forever and save it from the hazards of kitchen messes and faulty magnets. Especially prized pieces can be framed and hung gallery style in a hallway, or upload entire collections to a photo-sharing site to create a coffee table book that Mom can proudly show off to guests. Your kids will appreciate that you saved their masterpieces later on, too!

#4: Pamper Her

All moms want it, though few will designate the time and money to make it happen. I have yet to meet a mom who wouldn’t benefit from a relaxing day at the spa to rejuvenate and feel pampered. Many spas offer a variety full-day packages to choose from as well as shorter, a la carte services. If a spa day doesn’t fit your family’s budget, a gift basket with some relaxing tunes, homemade lavender bath salts, a soothing eye mask, and an afternoon off will give Mom a mini getaway at home.

#5: Maid to Order

Every exhausted mom, whether she’s new to the game or a seasoned vet, dreams of coming home to a scrubbed, spotless house and fantasizes about a deep cleaned, food-and trash-free car. Even if you can’t accomplish a full spring clean for mom, a one-room deep clean or reorganization will surprise and delight her. If you want to give her the full package, hire a cleaning service to come in or send her car to a detailer while you send Mom to the spa! She’ll return relaxed and overjoyed and I promise she won’t soon forget the Mother’s Day when she got to kick back knowing there was one less chore on her very long to-do list.

 YOUR TURN: How do you plan on celebrating your Mom this Mother’s Day?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 by jennielyon Categories: UncategorizedTags: celebrations, children, families, family, holidays, moms, mother's day, special days Leave a comment

7 Ways to Fundraise for Your Summer Camp Program + Advertising Tips

If you are an organization that offers summer camp programs for children, now is the optimal time to start thinking of advertising and fundraising options. The kiddos will be out of school for summer break in a few short weeks – which means parents are already making their list of summer camp options. It doesn’t matter what type of summer camp program your organization offers, the goal is always the same, to give children a fun place to enjoy the summer while being supervised, giving parents the peace of mind they need to go to work. The second part of that goal of course, is to bring money in for your organization. April is the perfect time to start looking at your fundraising and advertising options, this way you can ensure that you have enough children attending your program to keep it in business for the upcoming summers. Read on for my 7 favorite ways to fund-raise and advertise for your summer camp program and get started today.

#1: Bookmark Bonanza

It doesn’t matter what kind of summer camp program you have – if it is fun and people know about it, you will get children enrolled. I recommend ordering personalized bookmarks with the activities that your summer camp has to offer, along with your organization’s contact information. You can give these bookmarks to all of the local schools and children’s libraries in your area – it’s a great way to get your program in front of parents and children alike.

#2: Magnetic Personality

Much like bookmarks, personalized magnets are always a great form of advertising and fundraising. Almost everyone will put a good looking magnet on their refrigerator – and when yours has information about your popular summer camp program, parents will hold on to it, knowing they are going to need a summer camp come June. You can give these magnets to schools, day care centers and local children’s gyms and music classes to stick to the entryway of their office or any other magnetic surface. Parents can pick one up as they drop their child off to class, taking it home to stick it on their refrigerator.

#3: A Year’s Worth of Memories

Once you have children enrolled in your program, a great way to raise funds for your organization is by selling goodies that the parents can’t turn down. I love the idea of having someone snap photos of the children having an amazing time at your summer camp, then using those photos to create personalized calendars that can be sold to the parents at the end of the summer. Not only is it a great way to raise funds for your organization – it’s a fun way for the children to have a memento of their summer camp experience. Parents can hang the calendar in their home and hopefully it will remind them all year long to sign up for your summer camp again next year!

#4: Loud and Clear

If your organization hosts a sports themed summer camp, a great way to fund-raise is by hosting a big game at the end of the summer. For example, if your organization hosts a soccer camp, bring all of the children back for a big tournament at the end of the summer. Invite your students’ friends and family members to attend the game and offer personalized megaphones to cheer on their favorite players. You can of course also include raffles and sell food and drink to further your fundraising efforts.

#5: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

If there is one thing that every parent loves – it’s a great photo of their child. During your summer camp have someone snap a few pictures of each child having a wonderful time. Then, at the end of the camp, ask the children to put together a personalized photo frame to give to their parents. You can add your organizations name and contact information to the photo frame and as it is displayed in their child’s bedroom all year, your organization will stay fresh in the minds’ of the parents all year long.

#6: Roll with It

To get the word about your summer camp out to even more people, consider wrapping your car with a giant vinyl sticker. The sticker of course will provide all of the information about your summer camp, including activities and contact information. Depending on how much driving you do each day, you can get your organization in front of thousands of people. You could even hire individuals to place a giant sticker on their car, furthering your efforts.

#7: Memory Lane

One of my favorite ways for children to remember all of the fun they had all summer is through journaling. Your organization could order personalized notepads to be given to each child at the beginning of summer camp. Then, give the children a few minutes at the end of camp each day to write about all of the fun that they had. Parents will always keep a journal that their child wrote in, it is a personal keepsake that will be cherished forever – and lucky for you, this one will be branded with your organizations information.

YOUR TURN: How does your organization fund-raise and advertise your summer camp programs? Please share your tips below!

photo via artur84 via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April 1, 2014December 9, 2015 by jennielyon Categories: Fundraising, SchoolTags: Advertising, camp, children, fund raising, Fundraising, kids, school, special events, summer, summer camp Leave a comment

6 Fantastic Tips for a School Book Fair Fundraiser

A book fair is an excellent way to raise funds for your school while building community at the same time. Kids always enjoy a book fair, it’s a great way to see new books up close and personal. And while you will get a lot of children that come in and out of the book fair, possibly picking up a book or two with funds that their parents sent with them – the key to making your school’s book fair a fundraising success is to get the students’ entire families and individuals from the community to attend the book fair as well. The more people that attend the book fair, the more books that will be sold, equally a bigger fundraiser return for your school. Read on to learn my 6 tips for making your school’s book fair fundraiser a success!

#1: Get Organized

First and foremost, it is super important to get the book fair organized. Start by gathering a book fair committee made up of parent volunteers. The book fair committee can work with the school’s librarian and teachers to decide on a good part of the year to host the book fair as well as possible themes (read more about themes below). Your committee will also need to work with the librarian and teachers to pick out the best books to offer during the book fair and they will be responsible for assisting in publicizing, setting up and running the book fair too.

#2: Pick a Theme

Instead of simply setting the book fair up in a corner of the media center or school library, give it more personality by completely customizing it with a theme. For example, if your school has an auditorium or gym with a lot of room to spare, consider choosing a Mad Hatter theme. You could set the space up with round tables complete with funky tablecloths, colorful centerpieces and tea for guests to sip as they browse the books. The idea is to make the book fair an event that students will want to bring their friends, family and members of the community to. The more people that attend the book fair, the higher the dollar amount for the school at the end of the fundraiser.

#3: The Perfect Invitation

In the past, there have been many school book fair’s that I wasn’t even aware of. Mostly due to the book fair flyer getting smashed to the bottom of my son’s backpack or even worst lost in the abyss he calls a locker! A great way to ensure that the families of all of the schools students are aware of a book fair, is by formally inviting them. It would be fun to send personalized bookmarks with all of the book fair information on it and then giving them to parents at parent-teacher conferences or even mailing them to their homes. If you plan to send the invitations home with the students, you want the invitation to be something pretty and fun – maybe a personalized magnet for their kitchen refrigerator.

#4: Colorful Posters

If your school publicizes your book fair only through the morning announcements or by sending invitations home with the students – you are missing out on valuable customers. Make sure that you have several different marketing funnels set up for advertising the book fair. I am a huge fan of colorful personalized posters – they can be hung anywhere, come with fun graphics and look great hanging in the classrooms, halls, media center and cafeteria. They can even be given to local shops, grocery stores and medical offices. Just make sure they are hung at eye level for the kids to see and in high-traffic locations.

#5: Host a Special Event

While your Mad Hatter book fair will be much more fun than a traditional one – it is still important to host special events during the book fair week. For example, why not host your school’s ice-cream social or meet and greet during the book fair. If your school has a parent-teacher conference, theatrical play, or sporting event that will bring a lot of people to the school – host your book fair at the same time. For parents with younger children that need a break, you could set up a craft station near the book fair. It would also be fun to host a raffle during the special event – your prizes could be book gift packs or gift certificates to use at the book fair.

#6: Be Grateful

Make sure at the end of the book fair after the last book is sold, that you thank all of the people that helped to make your book fair a success. I am a fan of personalized gift tags attached to a small gift, it’s a great way to let your volunteers know how much you really appreciate all of their hard work. It’s also fun to invite the students and families back after the book fair to share with them the purchases that the school was able to make with the funds from the fundraiser. It gives them a visual as to where there money and volunteer time helped the school, and inspires people to be a part of the process next time.

YOUR TURN: What other tips have you seen used to make a school book fair a success?

photo credit stock images via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

March 4, 2014December 9, 2015 by jennielyon Categories: FundraisingTags: book fair, children, family, fundraiser, Fundraising, school, school events, school fundraising, special events Leave a comment

7 Ways to Turn Your School’s Spring Fling into a Fundraising Machine

Springtime is right around the corner and with it comes Spring Fling. Spring Fling is a fun social event celebrated by many colleges and universities. It consists of a series of events organized by different student groups or Greek Life members. The activities range from sporting events to carnivals and usually culminates with a big dance at the end of the day. If your school is planning to celebrate Spring Fling, it is the perfect opportunity to raise funds for your school or a local charity. Doing so is easier than you might think, read on for my 7 favorite ways to turn your school’s spring fling into a fundraising machine this year.

#1: Get Donations

To start, I recommend connecting with local businesses and school sponsors to collect donations. The organizations can either donate funds directly to your charity or they can provide items that will be essential to the success of your Spring Fling. For example, they could donate paper supplies, food, items to give away at raffles or even a space to host the Spring Fling.

#2: Sell Tickets

A great place to internally start to raise funds is by selling tickets to the Spring Fling. You can choose tickets with stubs to be used for a raffle later on in the day, plus they make fun keepsakes. Or, if your school is hosting a carnival as part of Spring Fling, you could sell roll tickets for not only admission but food, beverages or carnival rides or games.

#3: Marketing is Key

A great way to market your upcoming Spring Fling is through goal posters. You can customize each poster to include the name and date of the event, along with the day’s activities and the goal amount that you are trying to raise for your school. Posters can be hung all over the campus and in local shops, inviting students and the community to the big event!

#4: Announce Your Goal

A great way to show students, facility, staff, and the community the amount that your school is trying to raise during Spring Fling is with a giant thermometer. It could be displayed in the main entrance of the campus or outside where everyone passing by will see the progress. Just remember to update the dollar amount as your donations start to roll in.

#5: Special Delivery

When I was in college, a sorority offered a paid gift delivery service to raise funds during Spring Fling. For a certain dollar amount, you could have either a rose, candy bar or balloon delivered to that special someone by a girl in the sorority. You could take this idea a step further and personalize each gift by allowing the person who is sending the delivery to customize a gift tag to go along with the treat.

#6: Silent Auctions and Raffles

Whether you choose to host a silent auction or a raffle is completely up to you. Silent auctions are great for big-ticket items that will be popular, causing a bidding war. Raffles are great because almost everyone can afford to purchase a raffle ticket or two. Both of these activities will equal big bucks for your charity at the end of the event. By using a stubbed ticket for your silent auctions and raffles, you can collect the individuals names, phone numbers and email addresses to add to your mailing list.

#7: Make a Loud Statement

If part of your Spring Fling is a sporting event, consider selling customized megaphones in the bleachers. Not only are they a lot of fun for everyone (kids and adults alike!) but they will yield a pretty penny when it comes to raising funds for your charity. Plus, it’s just a fun keepsake  from what is sure to be a memorial college activity!

How does your school celebrate Spring Fling?

photo image credit Nathan Greenwood via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

February 26, 2014March 6, 2014 by jennielyon Categories: Fundraising, SchoolTags: children, college, college activities, events, family, Fundraising, kids, school, school events, special events, spring, spring fling Leave a comment

6 Simple, Fun Ways Teachers Can Create a Motivating, Inspiring Classroom

Growing up, my favorite teachers were always those that inspired and motivated me to work hard by creating a classroom that was fun. One classroom in particular belonged to my 4th grade teacher, she was known for making learning fun – that is just who she was. So I was beyond excited when I found out that she would be my teacher that year. She made going to school every day an adventure, as you never knew exactly what she would have up her sleeve.

By taking pieces of a classroom that are typical and giving them a twist with simple, fun techniques, she was able to create a classroom that wasn’t just fun but motivating and inspiring too. Even now as an adult it is a fond memory that I hold dear and think of often when examining my own child’s school experience. Read on for these 6 simple, fun ways teachers can create a motivating, inspiring classroom for their students, I hope it inspires you too.

#1: What’s in a Name?

The first thing I distinctly remember about our classroom that year was the pretty, personalized placecards that were taped to the top corner of each desk. These weren’t your run of the mill name tags, but rather personalized ones that included fun information about each student including our birth-dates. It really made me feel like the desk was my own personal space and it was a great way for my classmates to find my desk easily to leave notes or to find out when my birthday was.

#2: Reading Rainbow

Our teacher was very passionate about reading and she would spend a few minutes every afternoon reading aloud to us. We each had a copy of the book that she was reading so we could follow along. She created bookmarks for each of us that were very much like the placecards on our desks. Again, it was just a little special added treat to have a personalized bookmark with our names that we could use each day.

#3: Make a Goal

Our teacher was very goal oriented and found fun ways to motivate us to reach daily goals. One wall in the classroom was covered in numbered posters, each one contained a different activity that she would switch out each day. Each morning, we would start at the first poster and work our way through the list. We each had a goal poster located at the front of the classroom where we would keep track of how far we made it through the list each day. It was a visual that worked really well for competitive kids like myself, I worked really hard each day to reach my goal.

#4: Kids are Visual

Along with the numbered posters of daily activities were also giant wall stickers that she had made for parts of the schedule that didn’t change from day to day. For example, one of the activities (believe it or not) was to quietly jump on a miniature trampoline for 5 minutes. I remember that being my favorite activity and I was so happy to have the opportunity to do it each day. These fun activities were sprinkled throughout the work posters, giving us a little motivation to work through the hard parts to get to a little fun.

#5: Journal It

Another activity that we completed daily was writing in our journals. Again, these were personalized journals with our name printed on the front. Each day we were to jot down a few memories and over the year we each filled one of these journals with our thoughts. It was a fun keepsake to take home at the end of the year, and my favorite part was our teacher would jot here own little notes into the margin of our entries. For example, when I wrote about how exciting it was to have a new little brother, she wrote how fun that must be for me as a big sister!

#6: Color Their World

For me, the one thing that definitely makes a classroom is the use of color – the more the merrier. I love a classroom that is a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and images that gets the gears in a child’s head cranking! Something as simple as a little color can really boost the moods of the children and teacher alike. I have to admit I have picked schools for my son over the years based on my first impression of the classrooms. To me, a colorful, inspiring classroom is one that I feel will motivate my child to want to learn each day.

YOUR TURN: Are you a teacher or a parent who finds inspiring and fun classrooms motivate your students? How has this been true in your experience?

photo credit stock images via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

February 18, 2014December 9, 2015 by jennielyon Categories: SchoolTags: children, classroom, fun, learning, motivation, school, teachers 2 Comments

5 Creative Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, No Cooking Required!

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means now is the perfect time to start thinking of fun ways to celebrate. Whether you are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser at your child’s school, having friends over for a fun pot-LUCK, or simply celebrating quietly at home with your children – it’s all about shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns and that ever elusive pot of gold!

While St. Patrick’s Day is a lot of fun, it doesn’t mean that it has to be a lot of work. There are many fun ways to celebrate this day, from sharing lucky messages and hosting relay races to surprising friends with simple treats and sharing a rainbow with someone you care about. The best part, you don’t have to slave away in the kitchen because my 5 favorite creative ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day don’t include any cooking at all, read on to get started and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

#1: Send a Lucky Message:

Want to surprise your child’s classmates, soccer team or even your co-workers on St. Patrick’s Day? Purchase lucky messages customized with your favorite Irish graphic on the front and your personal message (maybe a sweet poem or fun limerick!) on the back. Then, tie each message to a bag of gold candy or rainbow skittles – leave these little surprises on their desks or tuck them inside their gym bags for a St. Patrick’s Day surprise they won’t forget. In fact, they will think they have been visited by a leprechaun!

#2: Host a Shamrock Relay Race Fundraiser:

St. Patrick’s Day is a great day to get outside to have a little fun under the rainbow. You could host a shamrock relay race at your child’s school to get the kids outside while raising funds to support your school. Before the big day, invite the children to decorate the fence surrounding the sports field with laminated shamrocks and metallic gold and green garland. During the relay event, you could sell green balloons for a dollar, inside each balloon is a surprise note and treat – (remember, to have a jar of push pins for everyone to pop their balloons.) Also, don’t forget to keep track of your fundraising efforts so everyone can see how this fun event is also supporting your school.

#3: Share a Rainbow:

If there is one symbol other than the shamrock that signifies St. Patrick’s Day, it a colorful rainbow. A fun activity to enjoy with your child’s classmates is to create a large colorful rainbow chain to hang from the ceiling of the classroom. Offer rainbow colored slips of paper to each child, let them write their name on along with their favorite poem or quote. Then, work together to create a loop chain by combining each piece of paper to the next. You could even connect all of the chains from all of the classes in the school for a larger than life rainbow chain. It would be fun to take a picture of all of the school children together holding the chain, then give the framed photo as a gift to the principal!

#4: Top of the Mornin’ to Ya:

It never fails, some children will find themselves at school on St. Patrick’s Day morning having forgotten to wear green! Oh no, let the pinching begin! To avoid those nasty pinches, fill a basket full of green ‘no pinching’ buttons or green wristbands and place them in the front office. You can sell them for a quarter to any of the child or staff member who forgets to wear green that day. You could even announce the sell of the buttons/wristbands during the morning announcements or set up a table at the front entrance of the school.

#5: Reading the Rainbow:

St. Patrick’s Day is another great holiday to inspire more reading in youngsters. Get with your child’s teacher or librarian to create a list of 6 books that are St. Patrick’s Day themed. Label each book with a color; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Encourage the children to read all of the books by offering them a pot of gold at the end of the reading rainbow. Every day a child finishes reading one of the books, they will receive a sheet of paper in that corresponding color. At the end of the week, the children get to engage in a St. Patrick’s Day craft using the colorful sheets of paper they have collected. Then, they can turn in their masterpiece for a bag of gold chocolate coins, candy or other small trinket!

What creative ways do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your children and their classmates?

February 11, 2014April 22, 2016 by jennielyon Categories: FundraisingTags: children, family, Fundraising, holidays, saint patrick's day, special events, st. patricks day Leave a comment