Class PartyIdeas

for THE HOLIDAYS

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI

HolidayMust-Haves From

Magazine

Our exclusive guide for class parents has all you need to make the season joyful for every student. Enjoy sweet

(and savory!) make-ahead treats, DIY gifts the teacher will love, and creative winter crafts and decorations for the

merriest class party yet. Happy celebrating!

To make these, cut a pan of brownies into

dreidel and tree shapes. Spread colored frosting

on top of each piece, then use hard-drying white icing to add the

details. Finish them off with a pretzel stick or piece of candy cane.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LAURA JOHANSEN

■ Ask the teacher for the class party start and end times

■ Check guidelines on theme: “Holiday” vs. “Winter”

■ Create a SignUp.com class party SignUp for parents to help with:

• Decorating and setup • Snacks and beverages

• Crafts, games, and activities■ Alert snack parents about food allergies■ Keep decorations simple—think paper

tablecloths and balloons■ Don’t forget cleanup supplies (trash bags, paper towels, etc.)

■ Use a kid’s wagon to carry supplies through campus

■ Remind parents to set phones to silent■ Ask a parent to take pictures

■ Have FUN! The kids will have a special day no matter what happens!

Room Parent Party Checklist ✔

To make these fancy cupcake toppers, pipe

melted white chocolate onto a snowflake

template (find it at familyfunmag.com/

printables) and press on silver sprinkles.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TARA DONNE

Save Time With FREE Class Party SignUps!

• More parents pitching in means more FUN for everyone!

• Quick, easy setup for room parents and teachers. Parents

choose what to bring and how to help from anywhere on any device.

• No passwords needed!

• Plus, automated reminders keep everyone on track!

Try it now:

SignUp.com

Holiday Party Crafts

Mini Snow Globes

Set the scene with a tiny winter wonderland!

Trace the opening of a clear plastic shot glass (we got ours at a dollar store) on cardstock. Use pinking shears to cut a circle slightly larger

than the traced line for a base (cut these out before the party). Kids can then use a glue dot to adhere a small plastic

figure to the center. Add 1 Tbs. Epsom salts to the plastic cup, then

line the rim of the cup with tacky glue and adhere the cardstock base. When the seam is dry, glue a metallic pipe

cleaner around the bottom of the globe. Thread string through two buttons for

a hanger, then glue it in place.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN VOTE

Keep the kids happy at your holiday party with a no-mess project. Using our template, cut face

pieces and hooves from dark and light brown felt. Adhere each hoof with double-sided

tape to a packaged candy cane.

Candy Cane ReindeerKeep the kids happy at the holiday party with a no-mess project that

turns into a sweet takeaway!

Using our template (download it from familyfunmag.com/printables), cut face

pieces and hooves from dark and light brown felt; make a set for each student

before the party. Have the kids adhere each hoof with double-sided tape to a

packaged candy cane. Wrap a dark brown head piece around both candy

canes, as shown, and secure it with tape. Use more tape to attach the light brown

snout. Attach a pair of googly eyes and a pom-pom nose with glue dots.

PHOTOGRAPH BY AARON DYER

Colorful Candy Circles

These pretty ornaments are cleverly woven from

twine and cardboard.

Before the party, use pinking shears to cut circles from thin white cardboard (ours are 2½ inches across). Have each child

wrap a length of baker’s twine around the circle and knot it in back. Continue wrapping the twine around the cardboard, using the notches to hold it in place, then tie the end in back.

Add a self-adhesive gem to the center. Make a hanger

by threading a length of twine through a loop on the disk.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN VOTE

Holiday Party Snacks

GingerkidsPlump pals made with sugar,

spice, and everything nice!

Combine ½ cup sugar with 2 tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. ginger in a medium bowl and set it aside. Fill

another bowl with water. Melt 1 cup white-chocolate chips according

to the package directions, then transfer it to a zip-top bag and snip off a corner. To form each pop, slide

two marshmallows onto a lollipop stick. Use the melted chocolate to adhere mini marshmallow arms

and legs as shown. Let the chocolate set. Dip the pop in the water, then roll it in the sugar mixture until coated. Pipe on a chocolate face, then use chocolate

to attach heart and confetti sprinkle details. Makes four.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUGLAS MERRIAM

Pretzel SnowmenThese jaunty guys give a sweet and salty kick!Melt 1 (12-oz.) bag of white-chocolate melting wafers. Dip 18 pretzel rods in chocolate and spread it over each one with a spoon. Let dry on parchment paper, about 20 minutes. Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe eyes, buttons, and twig arms as shown. Let chocolate set, about 10 minutes.To make top hats, use leftover white chocolate to “glue” together licorice coins and licorice gumdrops. Cut strips of red fruit leather for the scarves and use orange Nerd candies for the noses. Attach all to snowmen with white chocolate. Makes 18.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TARA DONNE

Click here to find the snowflake template!

Reindeer GamesThe kids won’t turn up their noses

at these adorable appetizers!Tiffany Yang, who runs the Cute Food

for Kids blog, created the critters from wedges of plain Laughing Cow cheese. Press on two mini-pretzel

antlers. Snip two small pieces from raisins, and roll them into balls for the

eyes. Use a round piping tip to cut a nose from a red pepper or a black

olive. Arrange all the face pieces on the cheese wedge.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TARA DONNE

Teacher Appreciation Checklist

✔ Keep it simple & meaningful

✔ Survey the teacher for likes

and dislikes

✔ Check school policies on gifts

✔ Get lots of parents involved with teacher-appreciation activities like:

• Holiday brunch or potluck

• Group class gift

• Holiday "latte a day"

• Class photo album or scrapbook

✔ Encourage students to write their teacher a thank-you card

✔ Use free, online class party SignUps

Planning & Gift Ideas

Credit

Constant Compliments

A collection of sweet sentiments—each wrapped around a chocolate candy—makes a delectable present for a teacher your child loves!

On the back of decorative paper (our strips are 2¾ x 1⅜ inches), write messages for the teacher, such as “I love your smile!” or “You make learning fun.” Wrap the strips around mini candy bars and secure them with tape. Put them inside a glass jar (a quart-size canning jar will hold about 52 mini chocolate bars) and close the lid. Embellish the lid with washi tape and decorative paper secured with glue, as shown. Use ribbon to attach a cardstock tag labeled “Complimentary Chocolates.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI

CandleholdersYour child’s creativity will

light up the room!Scan or take a high-resolution digital photograph of a horizontal artwork.

Print it on an 8½ x 11-inch sheet of plain vellum paper. Wrap the

paper around a cylindrical glass vase (measure and cut the paper to

fit) and adhere the overlapping edges with double-sided tape. Trim, then discard excess paper.

Place a battery-operated tea light inside the vase.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY SCHAEFFER

Iron-On PouchThis is the perfect, practical gift—and it’s easy to make a bunch!

Photograph your child’s artwork—you might experiment with using multiple images or cutting out selected images from different drawings. Reduce the size to fit a small canvas pouch (we ordered ours from inkodye.com) or tote bag, and print onto iron-on transfer paper. Peel off backing and iron the image in place.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY SCHAEFFER

So Many Ways to Celebrate!Learn about different holiday traditions with these kids' books.

• My First Kwanzaa Book, by Deborah Chocolate

• The Seven Days of Kwanzaa, by Ella Grier

• Kevin's Kwanzaa, by Lisa Bullard

• Hanukkah Lights, by David Martin

• Elmo's Little Dreidel, by Naomi Kleinberg

• The Night Before Hanukkah, by Natasha Wing

• The Legend of the Poinsettia, by Tomie dePaola

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF HARRIS

Make this rugelach in 30 minutes: Spread 3 Tbs. whipped cream cheese

on a refrigerated pie crust; sprinkle on ½ cup walnuts (finely chopped), 2 Tbs. sugar, and ½ tsp.

cinnamon. Slice into wedges, roll, and bake.

Save Time with SignUp.com’s FREE Online SignUps

• Class parties

• Field trips

• Weekly readers

• Potlucks

• Performances

• Service projects

• Fundraisers

• Team snacks

• Parent conferences

For Everything You Organize:

NOVEMBER 2016

FAMILYFUNMAG.COM

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GREAT MEMORIES START HERE

COOKIES

LIGHT UP

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CRAFTS

LET’S GO ON

HOLIDAY!FESTIVE

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FUN & FANCY

IDEAS FOR

NEW YEAR’S EVE

They’ll be decorating

by the dozen!

Ultimate Kids’ Guide to

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI