Our elementary school has an annual Christmas Make It Take It day! The PTO is in charge of everything. We hold ours on a Saturday in November from 9-1. We have 15-20 different crafts with a price range of 25 cents to $2 each craft. Our PTO has a commitee for this event. We select crafts and ask for volunteers to partially prepare the crafts so kids can finish them at the event. It's always a great turn out and the kids really enjoy it, too! Hope this helps you!
Our kindergarten principal decided last year that the Santa Shop was to commercialized... Which the PTO agreed with. So we decided to have a holiday workshop. The kids (200 Kindergartners) had the opportunity to choose from 6 different crafting tables and choose who the present was going to be given to. They could make as many crafts as they wanted in the allotted time (each class had different times during the week to craft). We had kids that made a few and some that made a dozen. This is nice because they can make crafts for people other than mom and dad (ie, grandma, brother, step-mom). It was a little hard to organize and make sure we had plenty of volunteers, but all in all it was a great success. The kids really took ownership in what they created and the parents really treasured their gifts more so than if it was a cheap pair of earrings.
We made the following:
Craft stick picture frames (decorate with beads, gems, glitter, marker, etc.) We used the fat craft sticks so there was more room to decorate.
Cocoa in a Jar - all the ingredients needed to make a cup of hot cocoa (except water) layered in a baby food jar. Deocared with Christmas material over the lid and a nice ribbon.
Door Hanger - used fun foam to make a door hanger with bells on it. Got this idea out of a Christmas craft book.
Chip Clips - decorated clothes pins to be used as chip clips or attach a magnetic strip to hang on fridge.
Tri-Bead Ornament - I know you have seen this one. The candy cane or wreath made out of tri-beads (Beads shaped like a triangle).
Lamenated Calendar - Designed a calendar on legal sized paper with the middle empty. The kids did artwork in the middle and then the calendar was lamenated with lamenating machine.
Hope this helps. It was alot of work, but great fun and well worth it.
One of our elementary schools did a Saturday with Santa. Parents could drop in with their kids and have a picture taken with Santa and there were about 8-10 different crafty things they could make. It was nice and casual, people coming and going. More than enough time to see santa!
Last year our Kindergarten center (around 200 students)decided to do a Holiday Workshop instead of the original Santa Shop. We set up tables and at each table, there was a different craft. The children crafted for one hour for two days. We did not charge the students and they got to make at least 7 "gifts" for their families. It was a huge success and lots of fun. Easy to get volunteers too! Some of the crafts were: cocoa in a jar, craft stick picture frames, fun foam door hangers, bead ornaments.
Our school had a holiday bazaar for the first time last year. It was a great success. So much so that we expect quite a few new crafters this year.
We did it for two days during the school day and also in the evening for parents who would like to come back with their children after dinner. We found that the first night was busy and the second night was a bust. In fact, most of the crafters were out of merchandise by the second afternoon and by the time the evening group came through there wasn't much to choose from.
Crafters were told to keep their merchandise for the most part under $5, and things seemed to be priced between 25 cents and 4.50. There were some items for a bit more (I think the most expensive was $15 for hand painted slates, but they were targetted for the parents and teachers).
One of the school's brownie troops made seed bead jewlery/friendship pins and the girls helped the troop leaders in selling the merchandise. I think they were also thinking of selling the girl scout cookies, but didn't have the details worked out in time).
There was also a booth where for 50 cents the kids could have their packages wrapped in holiday paper.
We also had a bake sale as part of the bazaar and the PTO sold T-shirts, school pocket folders and sweatshirts. When all was said and done, I think we brought in about $800 for a minimum of work. Not bad for the first year. With each crafter paying $20 for their table, that was where most of our money came from.
I am already looking forward to this year's sale. If anyone is interested in more information, feel free to contact me off list.
momof5-The shop is during the school day. The teachers bring their classes down two at a time. The first few years were tough just because it was new but now there are plenty of crafters and the different schools (10 of them) have asked that we help schedule them all on different days because many of the crafters want to make it to more than 1 schools shop. There is still some junk on occassion that the kids flock to but I happen to love the plastic crystal earrings my son gave me 6 years ago and they hang on our tree still, every year!
