Hi Jo Beth,
I'm too tired right now to think of any great ideas (just got home from work). But I can tell you that there are lots of postings already in this forum dealing with this very subject. I think I'd start with this category. Be sure to switch the "toggle" to "all" wo you'll get all the postings. If you have time though, don't limit yourself to this category alone. I've recently seen some very detailed postings directly related to organizing fairs.
Good luck!
Jo
Oriental Trading has a brochure that will help with planning, games, prizes and supplies. Call them at 800-246-8400 and ask for Carnival brochure #N231. You can also call them at 800-526-7400 and ask for a Special Event Coordinator.
My advice would be to start on a small scale. We've done our carnival for years, but it's a lot of work, so we only do it every other year. We have 24 game booths, as well as a bounce house, auction, silent auction and raffle. After this year's carnival, we decided that we're no longer sending home raffle tickets with students, since only about 1,000 out of 4,000 printed were sold, and most parents didn't bother to send back unsold tickets. A local pizza restaurant pays for the printing of our raffle tickets and attaches a coupon to them. This kind of event requires a lot of work on the part of parents, but it's worth it because the students love it. Good luck!
This is my second year as our Elementary Campus PTO Director. Our first year was a good building year and I have learned a lot. I feel confident to proceed with a Carnival. However, I have NEVER organized one before. Does anyone have any ideas to make our first carnival run smoother? Is there any planning guides out there? I appreciate your input.
