PTO Today

As an involved dad of two girls, I wanted to make sure that I knew all that was going on in my girls' school. I quickly joined the PTA Board (currently PTA Secretary at 2 schools) and looked for ways to involve other dads.

Face it, the norm for dad's in school is to: 1) Build it; 2) Grill it; or 3) Coach it. Mom's are a normal sight in school but if a dad shows up, red flags go up everywhere.

Two years ago I started Dad's Night Out. This was one night where dads (or father figures) could come and spend an hour just playing with their kids. Promotional flyers were sent out 3 wks prior to the event. The first flyer was aimed at the dads. The second was aimed at the moms by encouraging the dad's to attend and give them a much needed break at home. The third was aimed directly at the children to have them plead with their dads to bring them.

The event lasted 1 hour total. No snacks. No beverages. No raffles. Photos were taken of each dad/child(ren) to be placed on the Dad's Wall of Fame in the hallway. Some statistics were given stating the importance of dads in their children's lives and the rest was group game time. At the end of the event, dads were given a quiz asking information regarding their children. It was amazing to see how many dads didn't know the name of the Principal, teacher, bus #, etc... My goal is to get as many dads on board as possible.

The response was overwhelming. In a school of 560 students, we had over 125 dad's RSVP and show up. Last year we had even more.

I've been wanting to add a family night that could be promoted or used as a Father/child evening.

Pretty much you set teams, like two kids and two dads (could be three). Give each group a set of pieces, such as wooden blocks, tape, stapler/staples, popsicle sticks, paper, cardboard, etc. Then you explain to them the mission. Here's some examples:

- A catapult. Show a ball (like a tennis ball) that will be used as the ammo. Explain that each team will have three attempts to launch it as far as possible.

- A rocket. Usuing a soda bottle and plastic, cardboard, hot glue, etc.; a warter rocket can be fabircated. Using low pressure air and fixturing that can be found online, the rocket can be pressurized and propelled. Distance can be tested.

- A bridge. Provide each team a wooden piece that has a "river" and require each team to use their material to build a bridge over the "water". Then use weights to see which team's bridge can handle the most weight.

Rube Goldberg Contraption. A Rube Goldberg is a series of things that start from one action and continues troggering nre effects. Similar to what you might see in an old Tom and Jerry cartoon. Let the kids trigger it and thn sit back and watch whether it works or not. The marble drops down the shoot knocking the dominos, which hits the race car that rolls across the table, which falls off the edge hitting a trigger that does something else. Have certain requirements, like at least three different transfers of energy. Have a finish line and possibly require at least one marble to cross.

These types of activities ore great for the dads as it incorporates building, logic, competitive spirit, math, and so much more.

Maybe even take a video of the winning contraption and put it up on the PTO website.

Hope this helps,
PresidentJim