July 4th and fireworks signal the end of another great summer. Which means the school year is just around the corner. While your kids may not be ready for the new school year to start, some moms might be ready!
Everyone has been hit hard by the economy in the last few years. Teachers and schools have put some extra burdens on today’s families to provide not just for the student, but the whole class. Shopping lists for students are brand and item-specific. Students entering the 5th grade have a list so involved, it is estimated to cost around $50.00, plus extras throughout the year.
So I was thinking: let’s have a party, one last hooray before the kids start school again for the year. We can tailor the whole event around the kids having fun but also helping another child/family out. The criteria for the party would be to have fun, of course, but also to bring 5 new back-to-school items.
I have two ideas for a great party. You could host a backyard water fun play date or you could host a “Mom’s Night In.”
Kids love all things water. Especially when the sun is high in the sky and it’s blazing hot outside, the water fun play date could include such items like a slip n’ slides, a water balloon contest, and shaving cream pie fight. Getting them to burn off as much energy as possible is the idea, but also to put their energy into helping the community out. Piñatas are a great way to burn off extra energy. Fill the piñata with great goodies like erasers, pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, and glue sticks. All of these items will be donated to the community after the party.
Instead of hosting an afternoon water fun party, you could host a “Moms Night In” allowing the younger children to come along. Invite all your mom friends over to have a relaxing night of conversations and snacks. You could set the table with baskets for each type of school supply. Having the parents help the children place one package of crayons, pencils, erasers, and markers in a one Ziploc bag. You could have fun games for the little ones like “pin the apple on the teacher” or a coloring contest with printable pictures of all things school related.
I love to give back. It feels great to donate my time, talent, and treasure. Hosting a party with an extremely rewarding outcome for my family and others sounds like a great way to end the summer with a bang! Getting your kids involved in picking out items for other children who are in need helps broaden their ideas of what being part of a community is all about.