End of school year party ideas plus free teacher appreciation guide, and more!

1. End-of-Year
PARTY &
GIFT IDEAS

2. End-of-Year
Must-Haves from
magazine
Our exclusive guide for class parents
has all you need to help your students
celebrate the last days of school. Read
on to find silly (and smart!) party
activities, class-friendly nibbles, and
heartfelt gift ideas for the teachers who
made this an unforgettable school year.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SABRINA HELAS
Launch a rocket—without losing it!
To do: Thread two lengths of string
through a decorated toilet paper
tube. Have the students stand a few
feet apart, then take turns quickly
spreading the ribbons apart to propel
the tube toward their partner.

3. ■ Ask the teacher for the class party
start and end times.
■ Create a VolunteerSpot
class party sign-up for parents to help with:
• Decorating and setup
• Snacks and beverages
• Crafts, games, and activities
■ Alert snack parents about food allergies.
■ Keep decorations simple—think paper
tablecloths and balloons.
■ Don't forget cleanup supplies
(trash bags, paper towels, etc.).
■ Use a kid's wagon to carry supplies
through campus.
■ Remind parents to set phones to silent.
■ Ask a parent to take pictures.
■ Have FUN! The kids will have a special
day no matter what happens!
Room-Parent
Party Checklist ✔

4. Save Time With FREE Class Party Sign-Ups!
• More parents pitching in means
more FUN for everyone!
• Quick, easy setup for room
parents and teachers. Parents
choose what to bring and how to
help from anywhere, on any device.
• No passwords needed!
• Plus, automated reminders keep
everyone on track!
Try it now:
VolunteerSpot.com

5. Fun Class Activities
Paper Airplane Race
Put kids' engineering
skills to the test with an
energetic game!
Start with a stack of paper (any
kind will do). Have the students
fold an airplane, encouraging them
to experiment with their design to
get one that'll really fly (click here
for our basic template). Then, in
an open area, mark start and finish
lines with plastic cones or other
bright objects. At “Go,” the players
launch their planes toward the
finish. When the aircraft land,
players race to toss them toward
the line again, continuing until both
planes and players reach their final
destination. Repeat until a lemonade
refueling stop is needed.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT HOLLAND

6. Keep the kids happy at your holiday party
with a no-mess project. Using our template,
cut face pieces and hooves from dark and
light brown felt. Adhere each hoof with dou-
ble-sided tape to a packaged candy cane.
Letters on the Lawn
Practice teamwork and vocab with
a super-sized spelling activity.
Cut out 72 eight-inch squares from
cardboard or heavy card stock (for a more
permanent set, you could have the squares
cut from Masonite at a home-improvement
store). Paint a letter on each square, using a
stencil if desired. Make five of each letter,
excluding Q and X (you only need one each
of those). To play, stack the tiles facedown
in a few piles. Give each team a bin and
have them pick ten squares. The first team
places letters on the ground to form a word,
then draws a corresponding number of new
tiles. (If they're stumped, they can skip their
turn and swap up to five tiles for new ones.)
The next team lays out a word that
connects with the first, crossword style.
When the tiles run out and no more words
can be formed, the game ends. The team
left with the fewest tiles wins.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE POLILIO

7. Have a Ball
Let the kids make a splash—and
soak up number skills!
Make five to ten flags by sandwiching
skewers within folded lengths of duct
tape; write numbers on them with a
permanent marker (these will be
solutions to the problems; choose them
based on the kids’ math-skill level). Lay
hula hoops on the ground and insert the
flags as shown. Fill the balloons with
water (at least two balloons per
student), then write equations with
answers that match the numbered flags.
To play, each student picks a balloon,
then, standing a few feet back, tosses
it at the target marked with the correct
solution. A hit scores a point. The player
with the most points wins.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SABRINA HELAS

8. End-of-Year Party Snacks
Chocolate Chalkboards
Mark the end of the school year
with edible slates for
every student.
Use a toothpick to etch a message into
the smooth side of a chocolate bar.
Sprinkle the bar with confectioners’
sugar, then gently rub it into the
etched letters. Wipe away the excess
sugar with a damp paper towel. Roll
caramel chew candies into thin strips
and trim them to fit the edges. Moisten
the strips with a damp paper towel and
press them into place. Add white
sprinkles for chalk.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AARON DYER

9. School Bus Sandwich
This easy snack is guaranteed to
bring miles of smiles!
For each sandwich, cut a slice of bread
(we used pumpernickel) into a rectangle,
reserving a strip of crust. Trim a slice of
yellow cheese to fit the bread as shown.
Cut another slice of cheese for the hood.
Use the reserved crust for a fender. Cut
headlights and grill strips from white
cheese and set them in place. Use the
pointy end of a grape tomato for each
red light. Slice more tomato into a stop
sign and smile (feel free to skip this step
if you've got a large class!). Finish
with black olive tires, trimmed to
lie flat, and pupils (we punched ours
out with a straw).
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE POLILIO

10. Frosty Fruit Wands
Watch this healthy make-ahead
frozen treat magically disappear
on a sizzling hot day.
Use a star cookie cutter (ours was
1½ inches) to cut a shape from a thick
slice of kiwi, cantaloupe, or pineapple.
Thread several grapes onto a bamboo
skewer, then add the star to the top. Place
on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and
freeze until hardened, about two hours.
Keep refrigerated until serving.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM MACKAY

11. Fruit Cup Grads
Kids will love this simple,
allergy-free snack.
Cut 3¼-inch squares from colored
card stock and add a message with
paint pen. Punch a hole in one corner and
secure two short lengths of ribbon as
shown. With glue dots, attach the mortar-
boards to the top of fruit or applesauce cups,
and add a pair of self-adhesive googly eyes.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM MACKAY

12. Teacher-Appreciation Checklist
✔ Keep it simple and meaningful.
✔ Survey the teacher for likes
and dislikes.
✔ Check school policies on gifts.
✔ Get lots of parents involved with
teacher appreciation activities like:
• End of school brunch/potluck
• Class group gift
• Digital card from parents
• Class photo album/scrapbook
✔ Encourage students to write their
teacher a card.
✔ Use free, online class party sign-ups.
Planning & Gift Ideas
PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY SCHAEFFER

13. Teacher Gift Ideas
Art-Covered Journal
Jazz up a storebought
notebook with your
child's doodles.
Place an open notebook on the back
of a piece of artwork. Using a pencil,
trace around the book leaving a ½-inch
border. Cut out, using scissors. Coat
the outside of the notebook with a
glue stick. Holding the notebook open,
press the spine down on the back of the
artwork, then press down the covers.
Smooth wrinkles. Cut out a notch at the
top and bottom of the cover’s spine, and
cut a diagonal line at the four corners.
Glue down each corner, then fold over
and glue down each edge along the
inside of the book. Then repeat the
process with clear Con-Tact paper.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY SCHAEFFER

14. Garden of Gratitude
For a special surprise, have the class
fill a box with words of appreciation
for a beloved teacher.
Download our flower circle template from
(find it at familyfunmag.com/printables; scroll
down to May 2013). Make enough copies to have
one flower per student, then cut out the cir-
cles. In class (but—shh!—it's a surprise!), give
one to each student with a note asking them to
decorate their flower as they like and write a
thank-you message on the flip side. Once you've
collected all the personalized flowers, put them
inside a decorated 4-inch-round papier-mâché
box (found at many craft stores). Give it to the
teacher along with a gift card to an office supply
store or a coffee shop, if you like.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK MANTEGNA

15. Desktop Vases
These handmade vessels are just the
right size for a teacher's workspace.
Help your child use a large marker to roll
softened white polymer clay (such as Fimo or
Sculpey) into an ⅛-inch-thick slab. Then use a
second color to add designs: Press a block of
color onto one section for a dipped look, small
balls for polka dots, or snakes for stripes. Roll
the slab smooth again. Help your child use a
clay tool or plastic knife to cut a 2- by 2½-inch
rectangle from the slab. Loosely wrap the
rectangle around a finger and smooth the seam
closed to form a cylinder. To create a base,
place the cylinder on a 1/8-inch-thick remnant
of clay and cut around it. Smooth the edges of
the base to the cylinder, and seal up any holes.
Press and smooth the clay walls to shape the
vase as desired. Bake the vase according to
the clay package directions. Add flowers to the
vase before you child gives it to his teacher.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI

16. Marbleized Tissue Box
The silver lining to classroom achoos!
Note: Nail polish is permanent and can emit fumes.
Wear a smock and latex gloves. and make sure you
work in a well-ventilated area.
1. Cover your work surface with newspaper. Place
a strip of duct tape across the top inside opening
of an unfinished wooden tissue box. Press it
firmly to make it watertight.
2. Fill a bucket or plastic bin with water, leaving
a few inches at the top (the bin should be deep
enough to dip the entire box).
3. Choose two to three shades of nail polish.
Working very quickly (an adult helper comes in
handy), drip color onto the water’s surface (it’s
better to use the brush than to pour it). Add
enough nail polish to cover the entire surface,
varying the colors as you go.
4. Hold the box upside down from the inside, and
dip it into the water, right up to (but not over) the
bottom edge. Pull it out quickly, and gently place it
right side up on the newspaper to dry, touching the
outside as little as possible. Let dry completely.
P.S. If you’re making multiples, clean the water
between dips: Drag a piece of cardboard across
the surface to pick up leftover nail polish.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL PIAZZA

17. Save Time with VolunteerSpot's FREE Online Sign-Ups
• Class parties
• Field trips
• Weekly readers
• Potlucks
• Performances
• Service projects
• Fundraisers
• Team snacks
• Parent conferences
For Everything You Organize:

18. Check out
magazine for more craft
ideas, recipes, and activities
for kids!
PHOTOGRAPH BY SABRINA HELAS
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