Choosing the Right “Thon” for Your School

Are your students sick and tired of going door-to-door with the same old fundraiser every year?

Where is the fun in that? School-A-Thon wants to give your school a different option to that boring annual fundraiser. We know that fundraising is key to any school, but the old methods usually don’t have enough time and manpower and can come up short on funds.

Color-A-Thon

School-A-Thon offers many different “thons” for your school. Our most popular thon is a Color-A-Thon Fun Walk/Run. This is something that the entire school will remember for years to come. Our goal with a Color-A-Thon is to build school spirit and have fun with color camaraderie. Students then earn T-shirts and cool rewards. In addition, your school will make money and everyone will know they got the job done in the process.

The kids will get to pick from red, yellow, blue and pink for the colors they want to wear for the fun walk/run. The biggest goal is to end up with one color; green, as in plenty of funds for your school!

Additional Thons

Schools can also choose whether they have a spelling, reading, cleaning or service work thon. Schools can also come up with their own ideas for a thon including a dance-a-thon, game-a-thon, or dribble-a-thon.

There are plenty of ideas to be had. Choosing to dance-a-thon is a good way to get your school together and get some exercise in the process. Who doesn’t love to dance anyway? Choosing a game-a-thon by playing board games is a great way to use some brainpower outside of the classroom. And a dribble-a-thon can get all of those athletes on the floor at once playing some basketball.

School-A-Thon wants to fit your school’s goals and values. Whether you’re interested in keeping your students healthy with exercise, trying to help your school bond or just provide some fun, there are many different options to choose from.

Executing a Successful Thon

Your Color-A-Thon can be a fee-based event or donation-based. For a donation-based event, the school must have a custom pledge site for each student. School-A-Thon will provide donation envelopes and a prize program to get as many kids to participate as possible. A donation-based event is ideal for an elementary or middle school. Minimizing the student’s work will get more results.

An entrance fee-based event is good for a community event, high school or nonprofit. You choose your entry fee (minimum $30), which includes a color pack and T-Shirt. You get a custom registration website, money-management software and much more to make this event pop and be fun and profitable at the same time.

Make sure to visit schoolathon.org to find out which type of event is right for your school.

Introducing Healthy Foods to Your Family

When it comes to picky eaters, we get how difficult it can be to introduce them to new foods. For some kids (and adults) pickiness can come from a texture, a smell, or color. While introducing your kids to new foods or getting them to eat their vegetables can be hard, keep in mind that the goal is to introduce your picky eater to new and healthy options. Here some tips for getting even your pickiest eater to try new foods:

Be patient. Getting your picky eater to eat the foods you want them to eat can be frustrating. Keep offering a wide variety of flavors, textures, and items to your picky eater. Our tastes and preferences will change with time, exposure, and experience.

Model good habits. Simply put, if you want your child to eat healthier foods, then you will need to eat healthier, too. Make choosing healthier options a habit for all your meals. Depending on how old your kids are, now may be a good time to talk about why we eat healthy food for healthier bodies.

Let them help. When you are choosing recipes, grocery shopping, and making meals, let your kids help. Being a part of the process can help them to understand why certain options are healthier. Having a hand in cooking dinner or packing lunchboxes can help them become more excited about eating it since they had a hand in making it.

Make it fun. Experiment with dinner for a fun family adventure. Make it an exploration of difference cultures by having a monthly dinner that focuses on a country and food. Have an Italian night with spaghetti and prosciutto, or a Japanese sushi night. Trying new food experiences and learning about new places can be exciting for youngsters.

Make substitutes. Sometimes, something as simple as substituting one vegetable for another can help ease them into trying new foods. Think tomatoes for red bell peppers, iceberg lettuce for Swiss chard or other healthier greens (which pack more in nutrients and essential vitamins than lighter greens), or green beans for sugar snap peas.

Make it an adventure.  Sometimes it’s the presentation that makes all the difference in getting your child to try new foods. Try cutting different foods with a cookie cutter or present it in a cute way like with these bento boxes. This new appearance can be enough to make your child brave enough to try something new.

Pack your pantry. Pack your pantry with healthier options to limit the temptation of unhealthy and processed foods. You and your kids will be more successful if there isn’t an extra bag of chips or stash of soda in the corner.

Sneak in healthy foods. Sneaking veggies into your meals can be an excellent way to give your kids essential vitamins and nutrients. For example, adding avocado or spinach into a smoothie can add plenty of healthy essentials without impacting the flavor or appearance. For other recipes that sneak in vegetables, visit kidsactivitesblog.com for 45 recipes that sneak in veggies.