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.
4. Volunteers- Parent participation is a bit low at my campus, so I called on a few friends that had some time to volunteer. I also had a few students helpers to unpack, set up, and take down. Any and all help was and is greatly appreciated!
5. I went to Costco and purchased some snacks for my family event. I advertised the food and had quite a few parents and students come to the family events. I will try more events next year. One of my volunteers also volunteered at her daughter's school and suggested some of the events they hold for families. Here are some of the ideas: Feed Your Mind, Books and Breakfast, Muffins for Moms, Doughnuts for Dads, Grand Event (for Grandparents), and Afternoon Book Time (a play on Afternoon Tea Time).
6. Each day on announcements, which are televised, my Principal and APs would choose books from the fair to talk about and encourage students to buy. It was great to hear students say, "I'm looking for the book Mrs...... talked about on announcements."
Things to update for next year...
- 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.
