For the record, I truly don't like putting together family nights. They are a lot of work and stress and we don't usually get a huge turn out. This year, I have a lead tutor that helps to plan these types of things. For our first AVID Family Night, we came up an idea for a theme:
Make a Few Extra Bucks
It was a brillant theme. It made the planning fun. If you are familiar with AVID, you know that it is about making college obtainable. And once you get to college, having a few extra dollars in your pocket is key.
We started with a light dinner of pizza and salad. Then I did a short introduction. After that we allowed the parents and students to attend two different sessions. We had 6 different sessions happening.
Home Interior Painting
Bead Making and Jewelry
Reffing and Coaching in the Parks
Pizza Crust Mixing
Web Design and Blogging
Photography Basics
We had dinner at 5:30. Session 1 was at 6:00. Session 2 was at 6:30. Everyone was gone by 7:10. It was perfect timing.
We had about 15 students and about 20 moms, dads, grandmas, and older siblings.
So what were the highlights?
A grandma creating an email account and setting up a website.
A student teaching her mom about web design.
Every family taking home at least one pizza dough to cook.
A student tossing pizza dough in the air.
Students looking at a camera that we taken apart to see how it worked.
An older brother rolling paper beads and making a bracelet.
3 students learning to prep, tape and paint a wall.
I'd do it again. Have you done any family nights? I need ideas for our next one in the spring.