I just finished my first Scholastic Book Fair of the year. Here are some things that helped make it a great fair:
1. Pennies, pennies, and more pennies. I had about $15 dollars in pennies and still ran out of pennies! My belief is, "You can never have too many pennies during Book Fair Week."
2. To keep the poster boxes orderly and display them in a concentrated area, I purchased a garment rack and used pant/skirt hangers from a retail store to display the posters. I had one of my helpers number the posters with a sticky note. We also taped them down because the stickies would fall off. (learned that lesson last year) Students would ask for the poster number and a helper would get it from the poster box.
3. To keep purloining at a minimum, I displayed the pencils, erasers, and pen like items on a table covered with clear plastic. I used book jacket covers, but a friend suggested the rolls of overhead film that are no longer being used. What a great and less expensive idea! I taped each item down and placed the price next to it on a sticky note. Students would get in line to check out and tell me or a helper the item they wanted and we would get it for them. I had everything on a rolling cart behind the cash register area.
- Have more family events
- Advertise more
- Have more say in what books are sent to the fair (too many lower level books for my students)
- Use overhead roll instead of book jackets.
- More Pennies
- Promote All for Books more to get a better result.