Monday, October 24, 2011

Taking Pictures at the Party

 

Don't forget to take pictures of your class Halloween Party!  

Parents that are unable to attend really appreciate being able to see what happened at the party.  As a room mom, you have a really good opportunity to capture some fun moments during the event.

·         To make sure you get some really good ones, take a lot of pictures. The more you have, the better your odds of getting that really memorable shot.
·         Zoom in on the kid’s faces and take action shots while they’re playing games or doing a craft. Nothing captures the energy of the party like the joy on a child’s face.  This is also a big win with the kids - and their parents.
·         Look for the creative shots.  Try snapping a picture from above a student’s head, pointing the lens straight down at the desk to capture them cutting paper or coloring a pumpkin.  Or consider getting on the ground and shooting from an upward angle.  These kinds of pictures aren’t hard to take, but their uncommon qualities result in a WOW factor.

What To Do With Your Pictures

Once the party is over, you will have a bunch of pictures to look through. Hopefully you have some really great shots that are worth sharing.  There’s a few things you can do with these pictures once you’ve sorted out the best ones.
·         Consider creating an online picture account at Flickr , Snapfish, Kodak, or Picasa.  You can control who sees them and it’s an easy way to share pictures online.
·         Keep the pictures organized by year and celebration.  It will be fun for you and your child to look at these pictures over the years and recount the memories.  They will see old classmates and they can laugh at how “goofy” they used to look.
Share the pictures with the school’s yearbook staff and newsletter editor.  They are usually looking for good pictures of classroom activities and will appreciate having some quality photos.

Another Easy Halloween Treat - Rice Crispies

Make rice crispies and add 2 cups of candy corn or Halloween M&Ms for an easy party snack.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Cute Witch Hat Cookies-No Baking!!!


All you need for these cute cookies is a bag of fudge stripe cookies, a bag of Hershey kisses, and some orange icing from a tube.  You could probably use slightly melty orange chocolate melt discs from Michaels. Cute AND easy!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Easy Halloween Party Game for Any Age!



Halloween Pictionary

Supplies:  Large paper, chalkboard or whiteboard and a list of Halloween items.  Visit the link below for some suggestions. 

http://www.hauntedbay.com/entertaining/party/halloweenpictionary.shtml

Build a Scarecrow

Supplies: Old clothing, straw, newspaper, tall sticks.

Teams race each other using items provided to create the best scarecrow

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of Halloween items that teams race to find in the party area or around the schoolgrounds.  Start each team at a different clue.

Mummy Wrap Relay

Supplies: lots of toilet paper

Divide the kids into teams.  One person from each team is the mummy and the teams race each other to wrap their mummy.  The completely wrapped mummies must be able to make it to the finish line and back without unwrapping.  The team with the first completely wrapped mummy back at the starting line wins.

What am I - Halloween version?

Place the names of Halloween icons on name labels (sticky back).  When each child enters the party they get a label on their back.  They can ask only yes or no questions to people in the room.  They can only ask each person one thing to try to figure out what they are.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Witch Cupcakes, So Cute!


These witch cupakes are as easy as they are cute.  What a great addition to your treat table!  More treat table inspiration at one of my favorite blogs,  http://www.thewhitelibrary.com/category/design-by-holiday/halloween/  Enjoy!  More cupcake ideas at Delish, http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Martha+Stewart+Witch+Cupcakes&view=detail&id=268FB7177961D99217C032942BCC5B3DE4583B56&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

Halloween at Hogwarts

During potions class we also had kids make a fizzy potion in small cauldrons that were purchased at Target.  House scarf material was purchased at JoAnn fabrics with a 40% off coupon and the robes were cut from black trash bags.  House assignments were cardstock printouts of the 4 houses placed on necklaces. Don't forget to play the Harry Potter theme music as the kids come in.  The kids really loved this party!

Mad Science is Mad Fun!


Monday, October 3, 2011

Supercute Treats!

Oreos, Reese's Pieces, and frosted cupcakes.  Hoo could resist these spooky owl cupcakes?

You Can "Count" on this party to be fun!


Here is a great theme for kindergarten, who doesn't love the Sesame Street Count? Please post your ideas in the comment section, and feel free to contact me with any questions or copies of party plans! 

It's Halloween Party Planning Time!

Halloween party planning is so much fun!  I will have lots of posts this month, ranging from full party plans to simple games.  Please post any ideas that you have in the comments section. 

You should already be thinking about where you are having your party.  Is there room in the classroom? Are both rooms having their party together? Think about how you are dividing the kids into activity groups and how many kids will be in each group.  All of these things should help you plan for how many parents you need at the party to make sure it runs smoothly.  Don't forget about setup/cleanup time when you are asking for help!  I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to use volunteerspot.com to coordinate your volunteers and supply parents.  I am using it and I think it's great!  It cuts back on duplication and eliminates the need for you to send out multiple e-mails updating parents on party needs.