The short and skinny on how this happened
I serendipitously became the class parent for my child’s class late last semi-school year. Long story short, when I came back from my military deployment I felt bad that none of the parents from my child’s class volunteered to bring some joy into their class. Meanwhile, my younger one had fun parties and stories to share, while my older one came home with a frown. Sad, right? I felt guilty because I wasn’t even home! #momguilt
so what’s a mom to do?
Buckle up and become the Class Parent! (Let me hear a “what, what!!” along with a raising the roof movement – I’m probably the only one laughing) Moving right along, just so you’re aware, I love challenges and taking it to the next level has always been my thing! I’m super excited that I get to share this process with you!
Currently, my older one is in 4th grade and I wanted to make sure that whatever project we did weren’t cheesy or a waste of time. Moreover, with the pandemic going on, many of these class parties were canceled and fully given up on (personally, I never liked the tchotchkes – so not heartache there.) Naturally, I love a good challenge, so this was perfect!
Overall, I was able to host virtual parties and package really fun party kits for all 25 students and 1 teacher = 26 kits total! To date, I’ve hosted 3 virtual parties and all have been a HUGE success. It’s my way of giving back and let me just say that it’s so nice to see the students smile and be the reason why they are laughing and having fun. I think in my past life I might’ve been a teacher or had like 10 kids because it’s just so fun to be in an environment like that! Even if it’s virtual! #nothingisimpossible
THE prep
- Brainstorming – Developing these kits took some brainstorming and also, gave me accountability. Knowing that I had a deadline and being able to showcase it really pushed me to get it done. (Side bar: I’m really good at starting a thousand projects at the same time – prime example, this blog!) More on that later…
- Planning – After the first party, I got smart and made a timeline that I worked backwards from aka “Date of Party”. I will make a separate post to clearly define how to get all the administrative stuff done. It includes information like when to coordinate with the teacher and how to get information from parents (since my school is very strict on PII – as they should be). I have figured out an organized method that will help anyone who is interested in helping their teacher out to host awesome parties and make it looked like a piece of cake! Also, less work for you! whooop whooop!
- Supplies – I would develop the budget and figure out the best method for execution. I was very grateful for the parents who donated funds for this to be possible! I explored Amazon, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Oriental Trading, Dollar Tree to find my supplies. I’m sure I spent a touch over the budget, but what my husband doesn’t know won’t hurt him 😉
- Trial Run – I took the opportunity to form play dates for my kids. Yes, even during a pandemic I braved a few playdates. It was a win-win because I would get to observe if the craft was a hit or not. Fortunately, so far all have been a hit and my younger child also gets in on the fun too!
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