Celebration Centers!
A guide to successful classroom learning centers
When preparing for a classroom or a home Celebration Center the following things should be taken into consideration:
• Age level of children
• Number of children in group
• Boy, girl or mixed category
• Inside or outside party (space)
• Food
• Time limit
• Will other adults be present
• Money limitation
• Is there a theme involved – Is it age-appropriate
• Purpose of party (birthday, holiday, summer fun)
• Games – Prizes
WORKSHEET & Sample PDF Activity
Sample PDF Activity
When planning a Celebration Center, it is also important to check out the resources available. Are you near a park? Is the all-purpose room available? Is there a parent, grandparent, older brother or sister that is talented in a specific area? Is there a factory or business that discards items that can be used in making a craft? Have you asked the local supermarket to save you the displays that usually end up in the trash? Don’t be afraid to ask others for their help. Parents are usually more than willing to help out or to provide supplies for snacks and crafts. At the end of the book you will find some helpful handouts that can be used to encourage volunteerism. You will also find a “wish list” that can be sent home at the beginning of the year in order to stockpile for future parties.
Plan your parties well ahead of time. Some craft or food items require a day’s drying time. Ask for adult volunteers and delegate responsibilities, which in turn frees you up to rotate and oversee the entire party. For elementary age children, a party should last about 1 1⁄2 hours. Much more than that can result in disruptive behavior. Plan to snack at the end of the party, so that there is a quiet time and a cooling off period before going home. Any prizes or favors should be passed out at the very end of the party to avoid items being lost. (Lunch bags make good containers in which to carry home the loot.)
Halloween Highjinks & Activities
Ghost Tales
• black light (sold in novelty stores or available at Halloween time)
• any good “Spooky” story. Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (Harper & Row, 1963) or the old folk tale The Squeaky Door by Laura Sims (Crown Publications, Inc. 1991) are good choices.
• fluorescent markers
• fluorescent crayons
With fluorescent markers, go through the book and color or outline specific parts of the story.
Take up to six children at a time into a closet or small darkened area and read the book with only the black light shining. Children love the effect and listen to the story over and over.
When complete, let the children color a picture with fluorescent crayons and take it into the “black light” room to view.
Pumpkin Smells
• five or six little plastic pumpkins or real pumpkins, with lids
• cotton balls
• five or six different types of scents (cinnamon, peppermint, vanilla, perfume, burnt piece of paper or charcoal, pine, banana, vinegar)
Put several drops of scent on a cotton ball. Put cotton ball inside pumpkin. Let children “sniff and tell” what they think the scent is.
The Eyes Have It
Duplicate the following pages and let the children discover optical illusions.
You might also find copies of “Eye Spy” books or hidden pictures for the children to use their sense of sight.
More Activities
Is this picture, by W.E. Hill, a pretty girl looking away from you or an old woman looking down?
Is this picture, by Zeke Berman, a vase or two people looking at each other?
Table of Contents ISBN 0-86530-414-9
Celebration Centers! – vi
Getting Started – 7
Halloween Highjinks – 9
Activities – 10
Crafts – 14
Food – 15
Fun – 17
Thanksgiving Festivities – 21
Activities – 22
Crafts – 23
Food – 24
Fun – 27
Christmas Cheer – 31
Activities – 32
Crafts – 33
Food – 35
Fun – 37
Hanukkah Happenings – 39
Activities – 40
Crafts – 41
Food – 42
Fun – 43
Chinese New Year Sparkle – 45
Activities – 46
Crafts – 49
Food – 50
Fun – 51
Valentine’s Day Delights – 53
Activities – 54
Crafts – 55
Food – 56
Fun – 57
St Patrick’s Day Shenanigans – 59
Activities – 60
Crafts – 61
Food – 62
Fun – 63
Spring and Easter Spree – 65
Activities – 66
Crafts – 67
Food – 68
Fun – 70
Hodgepodge Jubilee (A host of ideas that can be used during the year) – 73
Activities – 74
Crafts – 76
Food – 77
Fun – 80
Bingo Boards and Pictures – 83
Notes to Send Home – 89
