| p>Summer is over. It's time to return to the days of | | | | blackboard? For the cake, consider a rectangular |
| learning, school lunches, and h-o-m-e-w-o-r-k, yuck! | | | | shape covered in black frosting with "Welcome Back |
| While parents are excited to get back to some sense | | | | Class! Teacher's Name" in white icing. |
| of routine, not all kids look forward to returning to | | | | Pizza would make a simple addition to your Back To |
| school, but they do welcome the idea of meeting up | | | | School Party, but if your kids aren't into pizza, consider |
| with long lost friends and sharing of what they did over | | | | alternatives like barbecue hot dogs, hamburgers, carne |
| the summer months. | | | | asada, and roasted corn on the cob. |
| So what better way to kick off the new school year | | | | As for drinks, think water and old fashioned punch. |
| then with an old fashioned BACK TO SCHOOL | | | | That way, you can avoid having half drunk cans |
| PARTY! | | | | thrown in the trash, or tossed on the ground. |
| There are actually two ways to go about this: have | | | | Party Favors: |
| the party at home or host the party in the child's new | | | | Host a Scavenger Hunt. It's a lot more fun than just |
| classroom. | | | | handing out party favor bags as the kids leave! |
| If you wait until school has started, you can meet with | | | | Give each child an empty party favor bag. Then divide |
| the new teacher to receive permission to plan and | | | | the kids up into groups, give them a treasure map, and |
| host the party in the classroom. But if you want to | | | | tell them to go treasure hunting. For older kids, give |
| save a few headaches, and really give the kids a | | | | them a sheet of paper with clues and tell them to |
| chance to get to know each other, and start to form | | | | figure out what the item is and where it is located. |
| bonds before the school year begins, you can host the | | | | Hide items the kids can actually use in school like, |
| party in your home. | | | | pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, pencil boxes, glue |
| When hosting a Back To School "At Home" Party, | | | | sticks, notebooks, back packs, and other school |
| invite last year's classmates as well as this year's | | | | supplies! |
| classmates. It will relieve the tension and awkwardness | | | | Games: |
| of being in a room with complete strangers. | | | | When it comes to games, think about games that |
| Invitations: | | | | would allow the kids to share what they did over the |
| On the invitation, go for something fun and | | | | summer, offer a way to build teamwork-thus giving |
| recognizable, like a yellow school bus or apples. And | | | | them a chance to get to know the other kids, and are, |
| include all the important details like: time, date, where to | | | | of course, fun. |
| meet, and what is expected. | | | | A nice game of tug o' war would build teamwork, as |
| For instance, if you are planning a swimming party, ask | | | | would a two-legged sack race. Charades or Pictionary |
| the kids to bring their swimsuits and towels. If you are | | | | would allow the kids to share about their summer |
| planning a barbecue at the lake, tell them how to find | | | | vacation. Just have each of the kids write down what |
| your group amongst the ground, i.e. a yellow streamers | | | | they did over the summer, then transform those ideas |
| or crepe paper borders. And if you're planning on | | | | into a game! You can place all the ideas in a bucket |
| having them talk about their summer, ask them to think | | | | and have each child pull an idea out or have the child |
| about what they did over the summer and come | | | | with the event perform, while the other children guess |
| prepared to share. | | | | what he or she did over the summer! |
| Decorations: | | | | You can even host a lip sync contest. First prize, a |
| You can purchase a Back to School Banner at your | | | | Free Homework Pass. Courtesy of the teacher, of |
| local party store or have your kids color one of their | | | | course! |
| own. Again, consider the school theme. Use red apples, | | | | In the end, a Back To School Party is only as much |
| a yellow school bus, a chalkboard, pencils, paper clips, | | | | fun as you allow it to be. Remember to relax and give |
| and notepads. | | | | the kids breathing room to be kids. Don't worry about |
| Food: | | | | everything being on a time table and definitely don't |
| Kids love simple things and they love junk food, so | | | | make events too structured. Let the kids use this |
| why not combine the two. | | | | opportunity to get together without all the pressure of |
| How about Jell-O snacks in the shape of school | | | | classroom rules or peer pressure. |
| supplies? Or a cake designed to look like a | | | | |