School Party Planning Made Easy as ABC

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Back to School Brand Ambassador Program with Sphero, Lyve and Rich Products. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

When my oldest child started Kindergarten, I signed up to plan the class parties. School parties can be a lot of fun for the kids, and there is no need for parents to stress about party plans. In my experience, class party time is limited to a brief period, so it is best to keep it as simple as possible. Focus on the parts of the party the children are going to enjoy the most, they are easy as ABC:

A) Activities
B) Beverages & Food
C) Capturing the Moment

Activities are the most important part of a party. Kids love to play games and make crafts. A good rule of thumb is to have at least one parent in charge of leading a class activity. Two or three activities is usually enough for one party. Each activity should last about ten minutes or less. If you have enough parent helpers, break kids up into smaller groups and rotate through the activities. This can help keep things under control. An easy, universally-loved kids party game is Musical Chairs.

An educational tech toy that loves to party is the Sphero. Sphero is a programmable robot ball that goes along with the with the SPRK (Schools. Parents. Robot. Kids) program. For class parties, download the Sphero Disco App so Sphero can entertain the kids with lights and music.  Free, downloadable SPRK lessons will teach kids the concepts of programming, robotics, and math.

We have had a great time playing with Sphero at our house. My fifth grader is learning how to control it all by himself. Sphero can be controlled by tablets and other mobile devices including smartphones. Learn more at www.gosphero.com

Beverages and Food can be a tricky thing at school parties these days. Many children have nut allergies, and it can be hard to come up with party food that everyone in the class can enjoy. It’s important to ask parents ahead of time about their child’s special dietary needs so you can plan the party food accordingly. In fact, a Rich’s Products survey found that more than 50 percent of moms have received warnings or guidelines from their child’s school regarding nut allergies.

Delicious Rich Product’s Our Specialty Nut-Free Frosted Cookies takes away the worry. Rich Products committed to becoming a leading provider of peanut-and tree-nut free cookies with its line of classic and frosted nut-free cookies. My family loves these cookies – and their bright frosting and colorful sprinkles makes them perfect for parties. Rich’s “Our Specialty” Nut-Free Cookies are available in many varieties. Visit www.richs.com or www.ourspecialty.com to learn more and find out where to purchase. *I found out these cookies freeze very well.*

Capture the moment! Don’t forget to bring your camera and take party photos. You may even want to set up a simple photo booth area with silly props like oversized sunglasses, fake mustaches, feathery boas and cowboy hats. Let the kids dress up for fun photos. A photo booth could even be one of your party activities! Be sure to share your photos with your school’s yearbook committee.

The LyveHome is an easy way to keep your memories alive, organized and accessible! LyveHome stores photos and videos from all your different devices. We have had our LyveHome less than two weeks and I love it already. It is so much more than I thought it would be. It’s not just a photo storage device. For us, it has become a part of our home’s decor. I have our LyveHome on display in the living room, where it is set to play a constant stream of photos. My kids love to watch the pictures – we all do.

It is simple to set up the LyveHome. I plugged it into a power outlet, and followed the on screen directions (the LyveHome has a touch screen) to connect it with my home’s WiFi. Then I downloaded the Lyve app to my phone and transferred my photos. The best part is that my family can connect all of our devices to the LyveHome, so we can store and share photos from everyone. Photos are automatically organized, which makes them easy to find and access from any device. Learn more and purchase a LyveHome ($299) at www.mylyve.com

Have you had the chance to plan a class party yet? Do you have any class party planning tips to share? Do tell! I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.