I teach at a charter school, and each spring we hold an auction dinner, one of our biggest fundraisers. Each grade level is supposed to contribute an item, made by the students, to be bid upon. (Each class makes a basket as well.) Previous projects have been: silhouettes of the children, cut and framed; greeting cards made by the kids; quilts; bench autographed by the kids; etc. We wanted to make some sort of book this year, but we're stumped... so I'm seeking ideas. Anything a 1st grade child could make, and we can put it together where all 80 1st graders would be included. Thanks in advance!! :)
Think Green.
Make something from recycled paper. Like, card sets.
Make BIG modern art pieces from recycled items.
GOOD LUCK.
Sorry I don't have more. After coffee I'll check back.
I like your book idea. When my son was in Kinder, all the classes made a book called "what I want to be when I grow up." It was too cute. I don't know how much time you have, but they had the book "published." It was hard back and shiny paper, and was done by a publishing company. Each class did their own book, but I bet you could have all the classes in one? Hope that helped.
You could do a cook book with the help of a parent. A favotite snack, dessert, entree or appetizer. And drinks too- smoothies, hot chocolate or punch. Good Luck
At my daughter's preschool (which was part of a private school that went to 8th grade), our class bought a school desk and one of the moms painted it in a solid primary color. Then she had all the kids put their handprint on it, in different colors, with their names on their hands. It was really cute and really stood out. That may be too much like the autographed bench (I love that idea!), so this may not be helpful, but it's possible that the desk idea could be painted or decorated another way. I think it would be fun to have a real school desk at home...this was the kind with the writing table on the right, and book storage underneath. Good luck!
Check out Illustory and they have other products as well. I bought this for my daughter and she is in first grade.I ordered it online at Target.com but they have it in store. You get 20 pages and markers and you create your own book. It comes with a pre-paid envelope for you to send the book back to the company and when it comes back it a professional hard back.. I loved it so much I ordered more for my family..
The cost of this item is $20.00 at Target.
You can do like an Advice to 1st graders, the do's and don'ts the kids have learned. Each page can include advice to other kids..
Hope this helps!
I was a first grade teacher before I had my daughter. One of my favorite class books to make is a variation of "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown.
After reading the book students then write and illustrate their own "important thing" following the pattern of the book. You could also do the "Important thing about me" instead of the important thing. You could then have the pages bound into a book...depending on how much you want to spend I know Creative Memories has a program that you can scan in pages and have them bound into a hard back book. I'm sure there are other companies that do that too.
I taught 5th grade at a school that did something very similar every year. We made a cookbook one year and it was a big hit! Each kid asked their parent for help writing the recipe to their favorite dish or dessert and did the "artwork" for the page. To simplify it to first grade, they could each do their recipe on a different color construction paper sheet. You can help them "laminate" the pages when finished with contact paper. They can punch holes and help you assemble it by putting the pages in alphabetical order by recipe or by the student's name. To complete the basket, you could also get a plain white apron and have them all put their handprints on it in. Get a set of plain mugs - one for each class - and have the students sign their class' mug.
Another idea: have the children start an herb garden. Each class could do a one and put them in planters that the children can decorate. You can include with it the care instruction cards for each herb. This is also a mini-science lesson for the kids. To complete that basket, you can give the bidder "autographed" small garden tool items they will need to care for the herbs: a watering can, gloves, hoe, etc.
In 2nd grade, I was room mom, and we did a "popcorn bowl" with the entire classes fingerprints. We made "flowers" out of their fingerprints.
I went to an art shop where you do your pottery/design there and they fire it etc. I told them what I wanted to do, bought the bowl. They gave me paints to take to class and I had each kid come up and make a fingerprint flower on the bowl. Then I returned it and the paints to the shop, they fired it and we had our contribution!
I wasn't clever enough to put popcorn bags in the bowl but it still went for a good price at the auction.
What about a 'recipe' book? The kids could write how to make their favorite food. Of course they would not be real recipes but it would be humorous and endearing.
What about a paper/constructon paper flower with only petals for each member of the childs family on it. It would be priceless with a history of 80 children at this time and place. Or a quote from each child, kids say the darndest things type book.
Mypublisher.com has cute books that are bound, snapfish and shutterfly does as well.
I used to teacher kindergarten and my class made those precious paint your pottery plates with their thumbprints. You do their thumbprints and the people at the store make the plates. I have two, one that turned their thumbprints into what they wanted to be when they grew up, it is priceless and classy. They sold them at the school auction, went for over $200 and then gave it to me as a present. Cute, cute!
Kristin:
What bout a book called "Hand to Hand With Love". You could have each one of the children put their hands in safe paint and then place their print/s on a page and within the hand print or just under write, (Love is _________.
Let them complete it with one-three words.
Good luck with your project, Frankie M.
A little about me. I am the mom to one child, Ryan who lives in heaven. Ryan died with meningococcal meningitis at age 18. I have also taught K-6th grade in the past. I now direct a national organization I founded called Meningitis Angels in Ryan's memory.
How about a book about favorite things? Each child could take a picture of and write a little about their favorite whatever--place to go on summer vacation, family trip, food, leisure activity. You could either pick a theme or have each child decide what they wanted to do.
I saw someone else mentioned making a book through Creative Memories--I just attended a CM party and learned a bit about the program (I prefer digital scrapbooking, since all my pics are digital anyway!). You can get the free program at http://www.creativememories.com/MainMenu/Our-products-and-services/Digital/FREE-StoryBook-Creator-2.0-Software-Download; the pages available are fairly basic, but there are a lot free content downloads to give you different looks (including one that's school themed). Pricing for the Story Book depends on size, cover type, whether the cover is personalized, and if you add any extra pages. An 8.5x11 Story Book with non-personalized linen cover and the standard 20 pages is $39.95.
I saw the cutest cookbook that my nephews did. Each child brought in their favoite dessert recipe which was printed after the child's version on how to make the dessert.(Next to their picture as a chef hat, apron, whisk) As you can imagine their recipes were filled with wonderful ingredients and cooking times. IT was very cute!
A scrapbook would be great fun and easy on any level; like a page per child. You could do a basic 12 X 12 page, as those are easier when doing many pages. If you wanted a smaller one, then go 6 X 6 or 8 X 8 sizes. (the 8 12 x 11 pages are nice too, but hard to come by those without having to cut up 12X12 paper.) Walmart is fab for good prices on materials, and of course Michael's and Hobby Lobby. And there are SO many websites to google about layouts, AND the library is awesome for that too. (old magazines.) Hope this helps...M.
My school has done a cook book before....Each student could turn in a receipe and then maybe decorate the page that the receipe is on...
One year I made a poetry book with a poem by each child. I used haiku, but you could use any formula poem you'd like. The poems were wonderful! I also included a laminated bookmark designed by each child.
Kristin,
At my daughter's school, her class made a "bathroom set," that came out REALLY cute.
They took a wooden step stool, a trash can, and I think a toothbrush holder (all white), and added handprints, footprints, made "bluebonnets" out of fingerprints. . . I don't know if there would be enough room for 80 kids, but I thought I'd toss you the idea, anyway.
Good luck!
Melissa
Hi! I am not sure about a book, but wanted to share an idea that our school used last year. Each first grade class made a flower pot. One mom from each class volunteered to come up at recess and paint the pots. They prepainted the pots a solid color and then used the childrens fingerprints to decorate. For example, One pot was baby blue for sky and the little flowers and bugs were painted with fingerprints. The children wrote their names next to their flower or bug. For the auction they tied ribbons around the top and put flowers inside. They were precious and of course, the moms went crazy bidding for their child's class flowerpot!!