A School Store for a 5th Grade Fundraiser

Out of all the grades in my son's elementary school, the 5th grade class always seems to have the most activity as far as fundraising goes. They frequently host evening events at the school where they offer organized activities, but also offer baked goods and raffles. One of the smartest fundraising ideas they have, however, is the school store.

When you think about custom printing services, such as Printrunner, you may tend to have business cards and brochures printing come to mind. A service like this is where the school store gets most of the goods they sell, including items like school logo pens, magnets, and more. All the items are priced at anywhere from fifty cents to two dollars. Each of the classrooms in the school has assigned days throughout the month where they are allowed to visit the school store, so the parents can send their child to school with a little spending money. This is not only a great way for the 5th graders to learn to run a business, but also a fun way for students from the younger grades, like my 1st grader, to practice the responsibility of carrying, spending, and counting money.

When I was in school, I remember not being able to work in the school store until I was in 8th grade. I think the 5th graders in this school have proven that they are more than capable of handling money and making change. What a great educational fundraising idea!

2010 Musical Kindergarten Show

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the end-of-the-year Kindergarten Show at my son's school. I still cannot believe that he is going to be a kindergarten graduate as of next week and will be an official first grader. This year flew by so quickly.

We were happy to be able to bring along the twins, as well as my father and my sister. There are multiple kindergarten classes in this school, so there were tons of people in the cafetorium.

This is how the stage was set when we walked in . . .

I brought my SLR camera, but it does not have a good zoom lens. Maybe Santa will bring me one this year. Since I was playing photographer, my husband was dubbed the official videographer.

The twins were very excited to see the show, especially after they saw the colorful set.

We had to wait quite awhile for our son's kindergarten class to take the stage. The other classes all did wonderfully.

Our son even had a solo speaking role. He did so well and we could not have been more proud of him.

Here is a video summary of the performance . . .

By the time our son's class hit the stage, the excitement the twins were feeling had worn off.

Luckily after the show, we were all able to go back to our son's classroom to visit and have cookies. The twins forgot all about being bored and made themselves at home.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about this proud mommy moment of mine.

Shop 'n' Share: Shopping My Favorite Stores Through the Box Tops Marketplace

I have been shopping through the Box Tops Marketplace for almost 3 years. I started when my son began preschool when I learned that my online purchases from participating retailers could financially benefit his school without my spending an extra penny. The only thing I had to do was remember to enter the retailer's website through the portal on the Box Tops website. That's all I have to do to have a predetermined percentage of my purchase be donated to my son's school.

The donation percentage of my purchase made through Barnes & Noble is one of the more generous ones offered at 6%. My purchase came to $30.33 before sales tax (plus shipping was free because my Barnes & Noble purchase came to more than $25), so $1.82 was donated to my son's elementary school. That may not seem like much, but that $1.82 put together with my online purchases throughout the year along with those of other parents will add up quickly.

By the way, did you know that BarnesAndNoble.com carries toys and games and even bargain books? I was very surprised and pleased that I placed my order on December 22nd and received it two days later. I bought the newer version of this Leapfrog Fridge Phonics toy because the twins managed to lose three of the letters from Jake's old set.

I also found this large board book for just $5.38. I'm going to save this for one of the twins' Easter baskets.

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While we are on the subject of Box Tops for Education, I found something very cool that is new to the site. It is something called my class essentials, where school teachers can register for specific things they need for their classrooms above and beyond the disinfecting wipes and the paper towels they normally ask parents to donate. This is more for things like reading books, workbooks, flash cards, and other learning tools. I really think all parents should make sure their children's teachers know that this registry is available. I was surprised to find that only one classroom had registered for items out of all the classes in my son's K-5 elementary school.

Thank you to Box Tops for Education and to Barnes & Noble for providing me with a $25 gift card to shop in order to benefit my son's school through the Box Tops Marketplace.

Thank You BSM Media For Supporting Local Schools

Not too long ago, I had the chance to review Zhu Zhu Pets . . . one of this season's hottest toys. This opportunity was presented by MomSelect, one of the properties of BSM Media.

Soon after, another wonderful opportunity presented itself. Maria Bailey and her team at BSM Media were working on coordinating a limited number of toy donations for fall fundraisers at schools across the country. All I had to do was provide general information about my son's school to be considered. When I found out I had made it onto the list, I was so excited, as was the school's PTO.

After that, we had to be patient. I did not know which toy companies BSM Media had been working with on this worthy project. Then one day a package arrived and I discovered that we had been given a Zhu Zhu Pets Starter Kit, which includes one hamster, a ramp, and a spiral slide. I think the president of the PTO nearly fainted when I told her. Unfortunately the fall fundraiser for green and fair trade products had fallen short of the fundraising goal. We are certain that a raffle for this starter kit will more than make up for the difference.

Thank you to the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets and BSM Media for giving my son's school this wonderful opportunity to raise some much-needed funds. I am happy to report that a flyer promoting this raffle will go home with each of the 475 students. If I am privy to the information, I will gladly post an update after the raffle has ended as to how much funds the PTO was able to raise with this one toy donation.