Help with a graduation party idea

[maslex]

I've been reading all about everyone's graduation party food ideas (stealing a few ideas myself)

But my oldest son will be graduating next June and I'm trying to think of a few different things to do or have at the party. I think I'm going to get a big poster board and adhere all of his school pictures from preschool up to senior year. I would also like to have a journal and have all guests write something about my son. Just don't know how I would go about doing this. Would I have the journal just sitting on a table with a sign saying to write something about him? (I'm not good with wording stuff) This is what I need help with.

What else could I have that isn't just the typical "Congratulations 2014" stuff. I'd like to make it as memorable as possible without totally going overboard.

 

[taitai]

Put together a video of all the photos from school and all the pics you took at all his different school activities (First day of Kindergarten, Second Grade Music Performance, 5th Grade Talent Show, etc.) and have that running on a continuous loop.

Have all his school tshirts (sports teams, plays he was in, etc.) hanging in the halls.

 

[clh2]

One thing that we did when DD graduated last year - we had picked up a pennant from the college she was going to.

While that purchase was really not planned...we picked it up when she went to a specific event for out of state incoming freshman.

It was a "great" thing to have out - in addition to the more standard items at her party.

For us - since DD's college is 4.5 hours away - this would no have been something we could have picked up at the last minute.

The other thing we did - we needed 1 full sheet cake, as well as a 1/2 sheet cake. The big cake was more congratulations themed. The smaller cake used the college colors as well as the college them that is on all their literature. So - that cake said "Go far...go Bradley...Go DD". We even gave the bakery a copy of how the font looked.

And - DD and I spent a lot of time scrapbooking her high school and memorable events - this was time that was priceless to me, and gave us some great things to have out for people to look at during our open house.

 

[Poohforyou]

If you're going to have a journal for people to write it I'd include something about it on your invitation. I wouldn't like to have something like that sprung on me and have to think of something on the fly.

 

[ashley0139]

Wow, my graduation party a few years ago didn't have anything like that, nor did any of the ones I went to. The only thing I did was get a piece of poster board so that everyone could write their name/email address/phone number so I had everyone's in one place. Very handy. Also, I had all the ideas for my graduation party and basically planned it myself, so I hope you get some input from your son as well. I know my parents would not have come up with the graduation party I had/wanted. I have the best memories of my graduation party.

 

["Got Disney"]

We had a graduation party with vegas games on a boat...with a DJ and lots of prizes and a buffet...it ROCKED! we used a company and they had their own people come and run the tables....the kids loved it....we did it through the school however not at my home....it went from 11pm till 5am....

I made a huge poster with poster paper....taped paper together to make it really big and had all the kids sign it with something special...I told them I would hold on to it and have my son bring it to their first reunion....so they can all sign it again

Also did that for their 5th grade graduation and brought that and they also signed that...we'll the ones that were from his Elementary school....they loved reading what they wrote for their first graduation

We are going to Hawaii for my sons graduation next year and he will most likely go to Disney for his school party with his Grad class...

 

[jdb in AZ]

For DD's high school graduation I gathered up the school/activity t-shirts she had collected over the years and made them into a quilt. Since she was in band, choir, and orchestra, I used fabric with musical notes between the shirts. The back of the quilt was a lighter fabric (again with musical notes) which she had friends sign with a fabric pen. She attended some muckity-muck music camps with world-renowned musicians as professors/directors, so the autographs are important to her, as well as the shirts.

 

[sbtrfly74]

My DD will graduate next year also and Ive already started thinking about her party too. Thanks to everyone so far for sharing your idea's.

I just went to a grad party (family) and was little disappointed and couldnt wait to leave. I'll use it as my "what not to do".

 

[SleepyMom]

We used all of DD's theatre t-shirts and hung them on the wall.

For her guest book I had a book made from Shutterfly using all her senior pictures, leaving plenty of room on each page for people to write.

The thing I did that got the most compliments from everybody was make memory books of all her years of school. I used large 3 ring binders with plastic sleeves and made 4 books, 2 from elementary school, one from middle school and one from high school. Every year since Kindergarten I saved all her papers, then I went through and picked out a small selection of each subject and some art work and slid them into the sleeves of plastic. I made sure especially to keep all the ones with references to the future... "when I grow up" type ones. I also kept any with hand prints or self drawings. I set these out on long tables at the front and had her trophies and other special things, stuff she collects, etc. placed on the tables. I did this instead of buying themed "Graduate" decorations that wouldn't be used again and made it more personal to DD. DD had several teachers come to her open house and they especially were amazed at seeing those memories again, her 1st grade teacher sat for an hour looking at it all.

Our neighbor's daughter graduated the year before and I loved what they did, but didn't want to copy the following year for our DD. They put out tablecloths on the tables and then placed pictures, play programs, school papers, etc over the entire table and then they covered it with a clear plastic table cover. It gave each table a unique display and was interesting to look at while eating, but also protected all the items from spills and such.

For older DD I did a slide show on the computer and for younger DD I just uploaded all the pics I wanted to use to a digital photo frame and put it on the table next to the guest book in a continuous loop.