summer

Monday, February 4, 2013

What do You do for Your Valentine's Party?


Many of us are gearing up for the Valentine's Day party.

That got me to wondering how others do their parties. So here's your chance to share with me and others what you do. 

I hear many people get crabby about the parties and complain, so there has to be a better way.

You know how you get sick of hearing your kids asking "When is the party?" or "How much longer till the party?"

This is how our school has done it for years. 

We start the day with the party. . . . .

Yup, it's the very first thing we do. . . and it's over and done with and we can go on to other activities. 

We got real tired of all the sugar that was consumed on Valentine's and Halloween Parties. So that's why we start with the party in the morning.

And here's the best part. . . There is no sugar invited at all. . . No cupcakes,  No cookies,  No bags of candy, nada!

We have our food service prepare a breakfast for us. The kids get to practice the Core Democratic Values by voting on what they want. They are given a choice of 5 entrees, and 5 fruits. The majority rules and the winning choice is what we have.

They eat the breakfast in the room, which is a special thing because we usually eat in the gym. Then we clean up the room and are ready for the Valentines. We pass them out to our friends, then we open them, laugh, share, giggle, and really have a chance to enjoy ourselves. We can be done with the party and ready to move on to the rest of the day. We usually do other Valentine activities so that we can keep the theme alive. 

We love that our day starts with a healthy party and the kids have something good in their stomachs. 

Now remember that I said we don't invite any sugar to our parties? 

Well it still shows up! Parents will just send in cupcakes, cookies, bags of candy, and what ever else they feel our poor children have to have! :) Without us even asking!

It's ok. We try to space it out for the rest of the day. And again, they did start with a good solid meal first!

So that's it, that's what we do for both the Halloween and Valentine parties. Now if you want to have a breakfast and your food service won't prepare a meal for you, maybe you could get some parents to make some breakfast casseroles to serve.


Patty

7 comments:

  1. That is a great idea! Definitely better (and healthier) than waiting until the end of the day!

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  2. I have had my parties first thing, but not with a breakfast. I really like that idea. Thanks for sharing.
    Alyce

    Mrs. Bartel’s School Family

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  3. Congrats Mrs. Harris! You are my 350th follower! Go to my TPT store and pick something out! I want to give you any one thing from there that would fit the needs of your class. Then leave me your email address and I'll send it to you!
    Patty

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  4. We don't have them! At first I was a little bummed, but I'm actually really happy about it now! Instead, we'll pass out the cards in class but them they spend the afternoon with the PE teacher and parents, making Valentine crafts and the teachers get time to work! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. YAY!!!! I'm so excited. I've NEVER "won" anything in blogland before :) Super happy right now. I'll take your cause/effect card set. My e-mail is harristeacher09@gmail.com

    Again - thanks so much!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We have ours at the very end of the day and it is chaos. Usually I am stressed trying to get it all cleaned up and hear all the calls for dismissal as parents try to pin me in a corner and have a conference about their child... But, it is only 3 times per year and it is fun for the kids! I am your newest follower,
    Heather
    Kickin' It With Class

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  7. For the last several years we've been in the middle of our penguin unit. For the "party" I give them step-by-step directions on the Smart Board make a penguin with pony beads. We always have lots of parents come to help. This year we'll be doing a rainforest unit, so we'll make a bead frog. The party is the morning just before noon recess then lunch. Just before we leave for the day we'll have refreshments while they look at their valentines.

    Jill, a new follower
    a-little-red-wagon.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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