The Family Game Night can be as cheap as you want it to be. You simply choose games that require little or no equipment, and start having fun. You can order a free Family Game Night brochure and instruction booklet from this website. It's really great, and they mail it to you very quickly. Super game ideas and more. Also, check the posting under "Family Fun Nights" on these boards and you'll get some more great ideas. You should be able to get a local business to donate drinks and another to donate snack items. If not, make the event a snack "Pot luck" and ask people to bring their own. Those with last names A - M could bring cheap 2-liter drinks and N - Z could bring snacks like pretzels and chips. The Family game night is a great way to involve the whole family and it's great PR for the school and the PTO.
No Coffee, all we have is a little under $250. We have been TOLD to do something for the whole school. The president was teasing saying we couldn't even buy everyone something even if we went to the dollar store. For over 500 people I don't know if we could even do a school picnic unless parents donated some of the goods. Someone suggested we go to a grocer and see if they will donate some food items and this is only if the principal agrees with the idea.
So, you came up with a ton of ideas, and she said "no" to them all? No suggestions? What were her conditions? Something for the whole school and spend no more than $250...
Plant a White Mulberry Tree--silkworms like to eat the leaves of a white mulberry tree. Anyway, I think teachers can purchase silkworms and watch them turn into pupas and hatch. It's a good classroom science project. We purchased a white mulberry tree for our school about 5 years ago. A 15-gallon tree cost us $60. We got a discount from a local nursery and a landscaper planted it for free. You'll have to wait a few years to do the silkworm project--the mulberry trees are kind of slow growers. But they're pretty and they're a nice addition to any campus!
In the refreshments category:
If you have a local Pepsi or Coke distributor in your area, contact them and see if they can offer a discount or even some free product. If you use the fountain machines with cups, it can be really cheap. Our Pepsi guy has been just fantastic to us.
