Snowman School Party

Today was Handley's "Holiday" party at school.  Because it's public school and we can't do anything overly Christmas the other room mom and I decided we would play it safe with a snowman theme.  Having a theme helped tie together the party and made it easier for us to come up with all sorts of really cute activities for the kids.

I went straight to Pinterest and came up with some things that I thought the kids would love.  We gave a few a try at home first, and decided on the final 6 stations for her party.  We collected money at the beginning of the year for things like teacher gifts, party supplies, etc. so I offered to take care of buying and preparing all of the party fun centers.

1. Footprint Snowman Craft.  What parent doesn't love cute things made out of their kids hand and foot prints?!? We went in earlier before the party to go ahead and do the kids' footprints so it would have time to dry before they decorated them at this station.

2. Coffee Filter Snowflakes. I maned this center and taught the kids how to fold the coffee filters and cut to make snowflakes.  Using coffee filters instead of paper is easier because they are much thinner, making it easier for the kids to cut through all of the layers, and also because they area already in a circle.  The kids all really got into this and loved unfolding to see what their snowflakes looked like.  They each made a few and it was neat to compare how different everyone's looked.

3.  Donut Snowman Snack.  The kids got to use powdered donuts and candies to create a yummy snowman treat.  This was a big hit!

4.  Snowball Toss Game. I made this snowman board and got styrofoam balls to use as snowballs.  It was tricky for some of the kids to get the balls through the holes of the snowman, but they had fun trying.  Some of the boys really got into this game!

5.  Play with Pretend Snow.  Handley's teacher suggested this and I found the recipe online.  I mixed one can of shaving cream with two boxes of baking soda and it makes this really neat consistency that looks and can be molded like snow.  I put it in the fridge overnight so that it would feel cold to touch like snow, too.  We had the pretend snow in dollar store dish pans to try to contain the mess and it worked out pretty well.  The kids (and adults) had fun making snowballs, snowmen, and each child got to take a little baggie of "snow" home with them after the party.

6.  Iceskating.  Our sixth activity was kind of an "extra" for those kids that finished up at the other stations early.  Another suggestion from Handley's teacher was ice-skating on wax paper.  I taped together a lot of wax paper to make the rink and we set it up in a little room that is connected to Handley's classroom.  We put fluffy batting around the edges to look like a real outdoor rink. The kids could take their shoes off to pretend to skate on the ice.  Their socks weren't quite slippery enough to really slide around and the wax paper began to tear and then it was just a big mess.  The funny thing is though, they didn't seem to mind because then they were just throwing the batting around like snow and having a ball.

The party was a total success and the kids all had so much fun!  As the parents were cleaning up Handley's teachers gave each of the students a gift they had made for them...personalized white boards. These were a hit and the kids got to work right away drawing, making lists, and loving their boards.  Handley has used hers all afternoon and she and Harper played school with it for the longest time when we got home.

Her teachers also surprised the room moms with the sweetest gift.  One of her teachers makes these wrapped beaded utensils and she gave one to each of us along with a whole gift bowl (including a Christmas dish towel and cute Christmas shaped pasta).  I was not expecting anything and am always happy to help out in her classroom, but the thoughtful gift and sweet card signed by all of the kids was so nice.

On our way home Handley kept going on and on about how much she wanted to do something special just she and I and I agreed that it had been a while since we had some real quality one-on-one time.  SO, we did what we do when we celebrate just about any occasion...we stopped for frozen yogurt at RT!  (This was Handley's choice of things to do).  I'm so glad we got that time together.

Hudson had his class party today also.  It was at the same time as Handley's so I wasn't able to make it to both. However, only the party mom's can attend his so it's not like he was the only one without a parent there.  Gigi was sweet enough to pick up Haprer and Hudson for me since I was still at Handley's school. When Handley and I got home he was so happy to tell me about his party and show me all of the crafts and goodies he brought home.

Harper's party day is tomorrow and then we are on Christmas break and will all officially be sleeping in until 2014!

One last little tidbit to share. The kids and I were over at the new house yesterday meeting with a few people (CLICK HERE to read all about that update on the house blog) and when we got back up to my car I saw a gift bag sitting on top of it.  I was surprised to open it up and find a Christmas card from our new across-the-street neighbors and this inside:

A UGA stocking signed to our family by Vince Dooley!  I couldn't believe it!  I had to explain to the kids that not only did he used to be the head coach of the Bulldogs, but he also was the Athletic Director after that.  Basically, for those that don't know, he is a very big deal at UGA.  I have no idea what the connection is and haven't seen our neighbors since then to talk to them and THANK them, but we were SO excited and grateful for this awesome gift!