Oh another basket that is alwasy popular, a gardening basket! Seeds, plants, wheelbarrow, shovel, gloves, etc are included in this nice and different basket.
Car care basket- car wax, wash, windex, armor all, gift cards to car washes and oil changes
Vet services for grooming a pet or vaccinations (huge here!)
One more (I promise!) someone was able to get a storage shed donated! You know the little ones people put in their backyard for storage of lawn equipment etc. That was a $1,500-$2,000 donation and bidding started at $500.
Did anyone mention a family birthday party basket? We did one with everything you need for a family party and got donations for three different resturants and family fun places. The value of the basket was over $500 and went for over $1000!
We also had huge sucess with a night out for two. Reservations to a hotel downtown Denver, dinner, dessert, horse and carriage, parking, and spa reservations! ALL DONATED!!! That year we were lucky to have a parent that worked for a property management firm with several conections. The basket went for $1000 and was voted favorite basket!
I like to think outside the box, but I have been accused of being too creative! my favorite idea yet to be realized, a set of dishes hand made by the kids (ceramic dishes the kids paint) and dinner gift card from a personal chef or a cooking school. Table linens, glassware, homemade wine(?) and a special centerpiece. Something a family would really enjoy and have to remember this special moment.
One of the best bet on baskets we do is a lottery basket filled with scratch off lottery tickets. Some businesses who do not have a gifts to give you will donate money and we always use that money towards doing a basket filled with $100 worth of scratch off lottery tickets. You can certainly do them for any dollar amount $25, $50, $75 etc., depending on the money you have to work with, but it is a basket that just about everyone will try to win as everyone loves the chance to win money!
recipes from the kids (teacher and moms), plus lots of cute kitchen accessories all in a big steamer pot
a big cooler packed with camping gear. Tuck in some silk greenery and a big rubber snake or lizard for effect!
Beach chair with umbrella: stuff the seat with summer fun items...really cute! (hit the summer clearance aisle for great deals!)
a basket tray filled with candles
cartoon themed basket...one was a Shrek basket with a big blow up bopper sticking out of it.
Game night basket
Classic Movie Night (the large plastic popcorn tubs or bowls are a great container)
a great note from this year: let parents know that if they are doing a gift card basket, they can display the gift cards separately in CD jewel cases...it makes it look like a lot more!
Also, have parents wrap their baskets if at all possible to prevent items from disappearing, and have a volunteer at any entrance/exits. One parent walked out with a basket full of gift cards last year (she brought it back when the principal called her).
Always provide a sheet showing what's in the basket, as they tend to get jumbled up.
If a room parent is overwhelmed or not getting much support, we offer a pick from our list of great community sponsors, and they can work from community donations. (just don't give the whole list out to everyone, or you'll have 20 moms hitting up the same business)
We offered a prize for the classroom who brought in the most money at the auction (multiple entries counted!) The winning class got a $100 gift card for an end of the year luau! That really stoked the fires!
We did a silent auction in leiu of the traditional basket auction this year and had great results with all manner of products from baskets to horseback riding lessons to a hand made quilt!
Along the student artwork theme, several entries that did really well were:
-park bench painted on by the kids
-book shelf that the kids put their hand-prints on and each child brought in a book from home to fill it
-Acrylic drink set with tray, pitcher and glasses, all decorated by the students.
-flower pots with plants painted by the kids
a great idea from another school is for each class to pick a theme with one large project (picnic set) and several smaller student made accessories such as the ones above. Auction each item separately, so more parents can get in on the fun, but display the items together for more impact! You could even work the theme in from the curriculum to garner more teacher interest (rain forrest unit, frogs, etc.)
At my son's kindergarten school, the art teacher held a great auction.
Her art students all got the same kind of unfinished wooden chair. Using a particular art style (I can't remember the name of it) they all painted their chairs. Each was unique, as individual as the students themselves, and absolutely beautiful.
The night of the music program, she displayed the chairs in the main lobby. The chairs were numbered. Bidders filled out a slip with Name, Address, Phone # and Bid amount and placed them in the corresponding coffee can. The highest bidder for each chair won the auction.
As for JennyJune's basket question, I think themes are endless. You could make a basket for nearly any idea. It's especially fun if the 'basket' matches the theme, such as a terra cotta pot for gardening, a bucket for car washing, and so on....
This past year for Teacher Appreciation, the chairman solicited over 60 baskets. Some were:
Coffee Drinker
Book Lover
A Night on the Town
Gardening
Golfing
Scrapbooking
Margaritaville (ok, we got in trouble for this one because the mixer was alchoholic...)
A Day at the Beach
Car Wash
Handyman
Office Supplies
School Supplies
We had an above average number of teachers who were pregnant so some of the baskets were tailor made for them.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
