I've got this down!

I can safely say that in my first full year of teaching, I've got the holiday parties under control. I even had them under control in my first two weeks of teaching, which was when I had to throw my first party. Unlike most teachers, I didn't ask students to bring anything. My kiddos asked me to bake an igloo cake (see previous blog) and I had already planned on ordering pizza. That was the extent of our treats. They ate pizza and then cake. They didn't beg for more, they ate everything that was on their plates (except the crust), and even parents enjoyed the pizza.

After eating, we had a book exchange. I read a Night Before Christmas story that told the kids when to pass their wrapped book to the right and left. They listened very well and most kids were pleased with their new book, which wasn't really new at all. It was just a book that someone else had read enough time that they wanted to share it with someone else. There were a few mismatched people to books, but they all fixed it themselves and there was no arguing or crying. In fact, most people were super excited at their new read.

The book exchange was the last part of our party and then the kids cleaned up their spaces and went out to play. Because I only had pizza and cake at the party, they only cleanup I had was putting the pizza boxes in the trash bag. This is where my professional party planning comes in. I saw other kids taking up full plates of food they had brought for their parties. They had so many cupcakes and cookies and cakes that they couldn't even touch some of their food. They didn't need all that stuff and they all seemed very happy with what they did have. No need being wasteful.

Next up...Valentine's Party with easy breezy sundaes.