We have a table set up similar to prize counter at an arcade. We tape samples of each item on poster board grouped together for a said amount and indicating what that amount is on the poster board. The prizes are in containers behind the table so they can't walk off. Our prices range from 1 ticket to 15, depending on how good of an item it is. Like 1 would be a keychain, 3 tickets is a birthstone ring, 6 tickets is a small stuffed toy, and 15 is the big crayon inflatable. Of course there are other things in between. I think we had between 20 and 30 prizes last year. I hope this helps.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
All of your responses helped greatly. However, we are still at a crossroads on how the contestant will get a prize. With a redemption center, do you have prizes broken down into different denominations and you have to have so many points to get a prize? (ex. 1 prize = 10 points, 2 prize = 20 points).
We are just a little unclear on what would be the best way for the contestant to get a prize.
We have a prize booth that is set up for ticket redemption. We have about 25 games at our
Carnival. When a game is one, the child gets a ticket which they can either save to redeem a prize or they can put them in for a Raffle Prize. These are the items that are donated by local business, companies and from the parents. We get our prizes from the booth thru various sources. Oriental Trading This year we've also contracted local electronics companies to see if we can buy at wholesale. Every company that we contacted (including toy manufacturers) will sell wholesale as long as you have a tax id#. We ask specifically for closeout items.
We're sticking with our Prize Center. We'll be giving "Madison Money" (looks like Monopoly money)win they win a game. Then, they can redeem their money at the Prize center.
We've been collecting prizes for a year now... some have been donated, we've got some from this place called the Free Store, we've ordered some, and others we've bought on clearance. Many parents commented last year that they were happy their student didnt come home with the typical carnival junk, instead they came home with things like chess sets, footballs, etc. A prize center allows us to give higher quality prizes.
We did use one of those prize companies last year. They shipped us different levels of prizes and then only charged us for what we used. This year, we're doing it on our own.... wish us luck! Our carnival is only 41 days away!!!
Hi!! We never used a redemption center but we did have prizes at every game. Everyone was a winner. Each player got a prize, regardless. We ordered our prizes from G.T.A. (Good Time Attractions)call 1-800-325-1226 for a catalog I've used them for several yrs. for prizes for our FFN.
We use one color of ticket for purchase to play games and another color is handed out for prize redemption. We have one room dedicated to this. The children and families seem to like it because they can save up to get what they want and aren't stuck with a bunch of little stuff. Booth operators prefer it because they don't have to mess with prize levels or watching and waiting for children to pick a prize before the next child can play. We still have some games that offer prizes, like pick a pencil and lollipop tree, but those are simple and you know what you are getting. We have done it this way for 3 years and it's much better, as a parent and volunteer, than before when we handed out prizes, but every school is different.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
