Classroom auctions item ideas?

[torinsmom]

Each class at our school creates a donates an item or items to auction off at our spring carnival in May. I have a few ideas, but wanted to get feedback as to whether you would bid on these things if your child were in my class. This is a Montessori school, just for reference.

1. A collection of black and white photos of children's hands holding Montessori materials in the classroom, matted and framed with the Maria Montessori quote, “The human hand allows the minds to reveal itself.”

2. A collection of pictures of the kids making funny faces matted and framed. Maybe titled the Faces(I'm not sure about the name)


3. A collection of self portraits of our kids (5"x5") matted and framed.


4. A set of handmade handprint snowman ornaments--one made by each child in the class.


Any other ideas would be appreciated. We are looking for something CHEAP,as the money will come out of our pockets to do this.

Marsha

 

[ahutton]

What about making a class patio stone from a craft kit? They aren't too expensive but I have seen items like that fetch a nice price at a silent auction - parents all outbid each other trying to win!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I like the first idea best.

I'm not sure how parents would react to you selling pictures of their kids' faces. I think you'd have a better chance of parents agreeing to photos of their hands.

 

[Melissa R]

I like the one where you take self portraits of the kids and frame them. I'd like to buy a small framed self portrait that my child made. (Of course, I'm guessing that each parent would only want to bit upon their own child's picture. So I guess there's no out-bidding there.)

Do you sew, or know someone who does? What about making a quilt where each child in the class decorates their square and then they're all put together into a quilt?

 

[swald91]

My son attends a catholic school & we do the same thing...one year a class painted an adirondack chair, a cedar chest with photos on the lid, another class made a quilt with the students photos, another class did an American flag with their hand prints....although they are all nice ideas only the parents from the classes would want them-not sure what they plan for this year-

 

[Sinderelli]

My son's class did a cute auction item once- not sure of the cost but if someone can build a simple one it would be cheap. They painted a small bookcase white and decorated it with their fingerprints to look (somewhat) like worms- I guess it looked more like caterpillars. Anyway, each worm was decorated with eyes and had each child's name next to it. On the top, one of the Moms wrote Mrs. ___________'s Bookworms. It was really cute and sold at their auction for $500!!! I would never pay that, but they were sure happy someone did!

 

[clh2]

What about a big beach towel, and every student in the class putting a painted handprint on it?

It wouldn't cost too much for that...although, I must admit - I LOVE the painted bookcase idea from a PP.

 

[torinsmom]

I like the first idea best.

I'm not sure how parents would react to you selling pictures of their kids' faces. I think you'd have a better chance of parents agreeing to photos of their hands.

I would get permission slips signed and only students whose parents were okay with it would be included. Only parents from the school would see the collection or be able to bid.

I like the one where you take self portraits of the kids and frame them. I'd like to buy a small framed self portrait that my child made. (Of course, I'm guessing that each parent would only want to bit upon their own child's picture. So I guess there's no out-bidding there.)

Do you sew, or know someone who does? What about making a quilt where each child in the class decorates their square and then they're all put together into a quilt?

Actually, all the self portraits will be made into a collection in a large frame(made to look kind of like a paper quilt), so in order to get one, you have to get them all.

I thought about a quilt, but I don't know anyone who could make our squares into one.

My son's class did a cute auction item once- not sure of the cost but if someone can build a simple one it would be cheap. They painted a small bookcase white and decorated it with their fingerprints to look (somewhat) like worms- I guess it looked more like caterpillars. Anyway, each worm was decorated with eyes and had each child's name next to it. On the top, one of the Moms wrote Mrs. ___________'s Bookworms. It was really cute and sold at their auction for $500!!! I would never pay that, but they were sure happy someone did!

Sounds cute, but I don't know where we'd get a bookcase inexpensively. I guess I could look at the thrift shop for a used one is good shape.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am liking the way the hands pictures are looking so far. My principal said I shouldn't even need permission to use pictures of hands. Here's one we did for the middle.....

 

[Rora]

Love the hand idea! The picture looks grea too!

 

[mom2travel]

I'm not sure I would be interested in any of these items for use in my home. I would perhaps consider bidding and then gifting to the class teacher. Same for the bookcase (unless my child was particularly close with his/her class - then maybe put that in a bedroom).

I have done the bookcase idea for a baby shower before. You can get one of the "assemble it" types from Target or a craft store fairly inexpensively; you just need to be careful of what kind of paint you use so it doesn't smudge on the "shiny" surface. An unfinished one from Michaels, AC Moore, etc would be cheap too (and already assembled) - do the handprints first, then finish with a coat of clear/stain.

What about calendars? Each child could make one - do the month on one half of the page and a drawing, poem, etc on other half. You would only need paper and access to a printer - could print off xx pages (one for each child) of each month, and then staple or tie with ribbon. I would be much more likely to use something like that, and so more likely to bid.

Or since it is spring - flowers (or bulbs or seeds. Maybe parents could donate from their supplies. The kids could make garden signs, flower pots, stepping stones like a PP said, etc

I don't think I've ever been to an auction where the items are all handmade. Usually it is donated items from the parents or local businesses.

Good luck!

 

[laughinplace199]

When my DS was 4, I helped with the auction project for his class. We got 2 big terra cotta flower pots. On one pot, we had each child dip his/her thumb in red paint and make a thumbprint on the pot. We then had them use a black paint pen to make dots on the thumbprint and legs on each side so that each thumbprint looked like a ladybug. Also, each child used the paint pen to write his/her name below his/her thumbprint.

We did the same to the other pot, but we used yellow paint and the black paint pen to make bumble bees. They looked so cute! We packaged the pots up with some seed packets and gardening gloves. It was super cheap and everyone loved it.

I don't recall exactly what it sold for, but I think it was around $300, with a request by two other families to make additional sets after the auction (and they paid the same price!).

 

[PollyannaMom]

I like the hands photos idea.

Also cute is an apron (or better yet a Mom & child set of aprons) with colorful handprints by the kids. You can get plain, canvas-style ones pretty inexpensively at a craft store.