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Details for Children's Party

The party has grown to over 200 children. In 2001 extend from 3 hours to 4. In 2007 children attending were 253. As of 2006 held in the CG1 auditorium from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on a December Saturday generally the Saturday before the Adults Holiday party.

This event usually falls the Saturday before the Awards Ceremony/Adults Holiday party. Do not schedule this event the Saturday after the Friday night Adults Holiday Party. This makes planning and execution extremely difficult for EAC co-chairs, Event Services, Logistics folks, Multi-media, and Allison Smith.

Schedule the date based on

• availability of Bob Roesch (santa)
• availability of Carlye Calvin - Communications photographer (santa pictures)
• check for clear date on the UCAR/NCAR calendar
• avoiding major conferences (AGU, etc.)
• check with Event Services (Mari Bradley) and Allison Smith

Notice of Party

• Make sure EAC Events web page is revised with party info before Today announcements appear
• Events page on website should link to the flyer and to the "registration site" (Registration site done in 2006 and 2007 by Michelle Flores working with Aneka Finley)
• Notice is put in Today announcements about the party starting as early as one month before the party requesting parents to "register" their children so a headcount can be gotten to order gifts
• Distribute Flyer announcements via the AdminNet and EACmembers email alias requesting recipient to print and post the flyer everywhere in their area AND to forward the AdminNet email to their entire department to make them aware of this upcoming event. Make sure the email has the registration link and wording for parents/grandparents to go there and register as well as the attached flyer. Sample Flyer 1/2 sheet flyer sample Take One signage sample
• Set a deadline for registration ~ 1 week before the party works. Make sure when you order the gifts that you get at least 5-7 gifts extra for each age group.

Kids meet with Santa

• Need a Santa - Bob Roesch or Kerry Slaven are great
• Need a Santa suit - 2006 used The Ritz - santa not happy with suit. In 2007 used Theatrical Costumes Inc, 2850 Iris Avenue #L (inside DMV mall), Boulder 303-440-8515.
  • Worked with owner Debra Ordway. Order the large velour suite with extra large gloves. Remember to request belly padding. Pay deposit with check approximately $65.00. Pay when pick up costume. Deposit is returned after the event when suit is returned in good order.
  • Also work with Bob Roesch as to when you can get the suit to him. Pick up the day before event - return day of event before 6 p.m. or the following Tuesday when the shop reopens.
• Need a Santa seating area - Use the couch in the CG1 lobby for santa to sit on. Request through Allison Smith when specifying the layout of the auditorium. Cover this red couch with two large white COTTON tablecloths from Event Services. Do not use slippery material such as crinkle cloth tablecloths. It keeps slipping off the sofa.
• Create a"santa area" with backdrop, Christmas tree, and misc toys, stuffed animals, and even empty gift wrapped boxes (many large wrapped presents are in CG3 storage already).
• Backdrop used for 2006 and 2007 was 5-6 black partitions covered with snowflakes (2006) and little Christmas stockings (2007).
  • Request partitions through Allison Smith to be assembled at the right height (top) and positioned behind santa sofa in crescent shape framing in the "santa area".
  • Decorate these black partitions as you like. In 2006 & 7 we put a narrow folding table behind the sofa and stacked some of the smalled wrapped boxes on it to "fill in" a gap between sofa and partition.
  • 2006 had the Christmas tree up beside the sofa and an old fashioned sled laying down next to it with large stuffed animals on it.
  • 2007 had the Christmas tree on one side of the sofa; 4 ft nutcracker on small round table on the other side both surrounded by wrapped packages and stuffed animals
  • 2008 replaced wrapped boxes behind sofa with 6 pre-lite artificial xmas trees (standing at correct height on boxes)

Kids get picture taken with Santa

• Carlye Calvin usually does the photography (carlye@carlyecalvin.com), she's great with kids. Carlye has the entire camera set up. Provide a stool for her to sit on.
• We provide the backdrop for the santa photos. See above
• There is numbering system that is done when getting in line to have their picture taken with Santa. Parents take a number in the Lobby before starting all the activities. When their number range is shown on the projected slide show they should go to the santa station to have their picture taken. See the GUIDELINES to make this go smoothly. This activity takes 3 people to staff - one working directly with the photographer; one greeting and assisting parents as they come to the Santa Station; and one at adjacent Gift Station helping child select gift!
• Santa and Carlye volunteer their time for the whole period of the event - now at 4 hrs (10-2pm).
• Sample Santa Take A Numbers Label

Kids get a gift, and a candy cane (purchase individually wrapped candy canes or other candy!)

• We buy gifts for children of all years of age from the Science Store with a 20% discount. Order early, August if possible if you want to use fiscal end of year money leftover, and get all the toys on time.
  • One year the 12 yr olds got a movie ticket. Need to buy a box of ~20 Xmas cards to put 12 yr old movie tickets in.
• Spend at least $5 per child. Keep a spreadsheet of the ages when parents register so you know the number of children per age group for gift purchasing
• Children are given a candy cane after seeing Santa and then move to the Gift Station to pick out a wrapped gift.

Refreshments

• EAC provides refreshments. Parents bring refreshments, too. Combining these is enough for the entire event of 250 plus children and their parents.
  • Work with Event Services to order some trays of food. EAC provides a holiday punch and iced water for the drinks.
    • In 2006 EAC provided trays of cheese & crackers and veggies along with some sweets.
    • In 2007 EAC provided chicken strips with dipping sauce, taquitos with salsa, Chex Mix, Gold Fish Crackers, and holiday sugar cookies. EAC also had a Popcorn Wagon staffed by a volunteer. Approximate cost $1,700
    • In 2008 EAC provided small pizza squares along with chicken nuggets and dipping sauce along with Chex Mix with M & M's. The Popcorn Wagon as again use and very successful.
    • Parents were asked in the flyer to bring a dish to share of fruit or cheese/crackers.
• Volunteer Drinks - have available in a "back room" chilled soft drinks and juices for the volunteers. Make sure volunteer coordinator tells volunteers about these refreshments.
  • Also a small pizza party is held for volunteers
  • Check on and provide santa and photographer with bottled water or soft drink and/or munchies throughout the event
• Pizza Party - Event Services food contract includes (3 large pizzas) paid by EAC for the volunteers that
  • work the whole event and/or
  • work the last shift

Setup

• Allison Smith has a picture of how the setup was done for 2008 in the CG1 auditorium as well as for layout of the lobby area. After determining what activities/stations you will have at the event meet face to face with Allison in the auditorium to discuss the set-up. Get from her before hand a blank layout sheet and work from there to create the way you want the auditorium set up for each activity/station. Discuss skirting and tablecloths for the Santa and Gift Stations as well as requesting two very large COTTON white tablecloths to cover Santa's sofa.
• DO - signage asking parents to hang their coats and put strollers in the coat closet by the Security Desk to reduce the crowded lobby area.
• Sample Set-up TO DO list

Decorations

• Work with Event Services, Cathy Halvorson, to be sure the Christmas decorations will be set up in time for this event. Event Services has a new 4 ft. nutcracker that you can use in the santa display area. Event Services is in charge of storing and putting up all the Christmas decorations for all the buildings. This does not mean the specific decorations for the Children's party other than the christmas tree and large nutcracker provided by EE.
• Be sure the smaller Christmas tree is set up inside the auditorium beside the santa sofa.
• Be sure the EAC Events banner is requested and put up hanging in the lobby from the second story railings.

Signage

• DO - 8 x 10 signs for lobby area asking parents to put coats, strollers, etc in the coat closet to reduce clutter in and around the tables.
• Large 11 x 14 signs for floor standing sign holders (3): Santa, Gifts, Take A Number (in lobby)
• Do computer generated banners for other activities: Bean Bag Station, Dreidel Station, Ornament Painting Station, Frame Craft Station, Movie Station, etc. Put these up decorating with garland, bows, etc.
• Contact Christy Fletcher to put a one slide ppt on Welcome screen in CG1 lobby area (near reception station). Provide her with the ppt
• Two large floor standing sign holders were borrowed from Ginger Emery at Unidata (UOP).

Gift Wrapping

• Get volunteers to help with gift wrapping.
• Put a notice in Today that volunteers are needed to help wrap the gifts
• If gifts are received early enough (2007) usually there are volunteers that want to take presents home and wrap them. This was done totally at volunteer homes in 2007 because gifts were ordered and received early enough.
• In 2006 held a Gift Wrapping Party in CG1 lobby area. EAC provided music and snacks for volunteers.
• Have purchased and ready a lot of Christmas wrapping paper, ribbon, and bows!
• Bring scissors, tape, and black permanent markers (for putting ages on under side of each package)
• 5-7 people takes 2-3 hours to wrap ~300 gifts
• In 2007 and 2008 three to four volunteers took the gifts home to wrap and returned completed prior to the party.

Activities

• Games
  • 2007 had Bean Bag station - small stockings stuffed with candy hung on black partition for child to take one after playing the game
    • Dreidel - See Dreidel game section below
  • 2008 had Bean Bag Toss game, xmas tree ring toss, and inflated snowman ball toss game. Inflated ball toss game won't make it for another year. The other two are stored in CG3 storage.
• Crafts
  • Ceramic Ornament Painting station- see Dee Johnson section below
  • Frame Craft station - Second craft - Consisted of gluing holiday designs to a cut out foam frame, backing with poster board, and gluing on magnet.
    • 2005 and 2006 had dog bone reindeer craft run by Patti Kidd-also had a Tattoo station; 2007 had Oriental Trading co. foam frame making craft kit
  • Color-Your-Own Snowman Gift Bag - 7 1/2" x 3 1/2' x 9 " white gift bag with black design purchased through Oriental Trading Company. These bags along with crayons were placed on tables in the lobby area for children to color and then have a bag to put their "treasures" in after doing the other activities.
• Also provided a movie viewing/quiet area station in the corner of the auditorium. Allison Smith will work with you to get the partitions to section off this area as well as nice lobby chairs. Work with Multi-media (Brian Morrato x 1140 or Eron Brennan) to get the tv/dvd set up.
• Balloon Twister - see below

Face Painting

• 2008 - Janine Goldstein, daughter, and friend volunteered to do the face painting. Janine turned in receipts for materials to be reimbursed from the EAC event budget prior to the event. One 8 ft table was covered with colorful cheap plastic tablecloth and taped down. Provided 4 small bowls, container for fresh water, paper towels, and bucket.

Balloon Twister

• 2007 - Balloon Twister hired - approximately $300 for 3-4 hrs. Used Bongo - arranged by Aneka Finley. He stood for 3-4 hours in one area twisting the most amazing balloon concoctions for each child. DO for next year: provide a TAKE-A-NUMBER system so parents and children do not have to stand in line for long periods of time waiting for this activity.
• 2008 provided a take-a-number system - this was set up in the Lobby in hopes that the balloon twisting would also provide entertainment while families were sitting at the tables enjoying beverages and snacks.
  • According to comments in 2008 the balloon man should take the numbers from the kids before they could get their balloon and that he should say one balloon per number child. This information should be conveyed to the volunteer in the lobby handing out the numbers so there is no confusion based on what was done in the previous year.
    • Each child should have a number to see the balloon man - not one number for the group.

Painting of Ornaments

• Dee Johnson is the contact person for the ceramic painted ornaments. Her husband Paul helps and is a retired NCAR employee. Their number is (303) 637-7466. Her address is: 104 87 WCR8, Fort Lupton, CO 80621.
  • Dee & Paul Johnson and family plan and do this entire "station" on their own. We arrange for the tables and chairs to be setup appropriately and the floor under tables covered (Allison Smith) but they bring everything they need including wastebaskets to run this station. We do help by providing 2 volunteers to help at each 2 hr shift.
• There is a $1.50/ornament charge paid by parents for each ornament the child paints
• We are not able to pay the Johnsons anything but invite them to stay and enjoy the Pizza Party afterwards.
  • A small gift was sent to Dee & Paul after the event in 2006 - that of a framed photo of their grandchild on Santa's lap.
  • In 2007 the entire Johnson family took a picture with Santa and an 8 x 10 family shot was framed and sent to the Johnson's as a token of our appreciation and thanks.
  • Also in 2006 and 2007 emailed to Dee Johnson all the photos of her grandchildren & family taken with santa.
  • Frames and postage for these gifts were charged to the EAC Children's holiday party account key.

Dreidel Game Station

• This station run by Marianne Weingroff x2658 since 1999. EAC purchased the plastic dreidels from Oriental Trading Company online.
• Supply a half sheet copy of the Dreidel rules for kids to take home if they want
• Provide a ROUND 8 person table and chairs.
• Marianne gets the poker chips each year from Wendy Abshire
• The dreidel leader volunteers her time and is invited to join the Pizza Party at the end of the event.

Gift Ordering - Science Store

Start working with Heidi Lewis in the Science Store earlier in the year - July/August is not too early. Use the previous years registration list broken down by age groups to help determine how many gifts will be needed. Discuss options/themes you might want to go with for the current years event. Often matinee movie passes are purchased for the older children.

Registration

Work with Dave Ahijevych or Michelle Flores to get the previous years EAC registration website changed a bit for the current year. Put the link to this registration page on fliers, on the EAC website, and in UCAR Today announcements to notify parents it's time to register their children for the party. This helps determine how many gifts need to be purchased for each age group. Be sure to have the email address changed so the correct co-chair for this event gets the registration notifications. Sample of 2008 registration site!

Volunteers

Put article in Today Announcement asking for volunteers to help work the event. Email Bulletinboard email alias also. List the shift schedule. Sample shift schedule to have at the event. If toys are received early enough volunteer gift wrappers can take the toys home to wrap. Be they the age is put on the bottom of the wrapped toy with a perm marker! Have volunteer name tags at the event for them to wear so you can tell your helpers from others.

Thank you letters are mailed interoffice to all volunteers including Event Services and Logistics folks involved. Sample 1 Sample 2 would be printed on nice Christmas border paper and put in an envelope. EAC has paper and envelopes for use. Contact Pat Steinkamp x2662 where the supply is kept.

Multi-media Services

Work with Eron Brennan or Brian Morrato x1140 for the following needs:

• Running a powerpoint from either a Multi-media laptop or co-chair laptop. This ppt shows the Number Santa is Seeing..... Volunteers manually from slide to slide based on what "number" santa is seeing
  • Playing christmas music cd's from this laptop with full speakers in entire auditorium
• Set-up of the dvd/tv arrangement in Movie Station/Quiet area (if have one)

Name tags for volunteers

• Make volunteer nametags for all helping with the event.
• Have nametags handy at Santa Take a Number table in CG1 lobby area. Parents need to stop at this spot to get a Santa Number for their kiddies.
• One volunteer mans this table handing out volunteer name tags, advising parents to get Santa Number, clearing up tables, asking parents to put coats/strollers in coat closet, etc.

Do's and Don'ts from 2006 - 2008

• DON'T - Make movie area too big - 3 nice lobby chairs big enough
• DO - Schedule volunteer in lobby to also help kitchen staff with clearing up tables after folks have munched and moved on.
• DO - 8 x 10 signs for lobby area asking parents to put coats, strollers, etc in the coat closet to reduce clutter in and around the tables.
• Ask lobby volunteer to request parents to hang their coats and put strollers and such in coat closet freeing up the walking area between tables. This got too congested in 2007
• DO - Make sure narrow tables (and chairs) are set up along lobby wall areas helping to seat more families for munching.
• Changing having Santa picture information from on an envelop to on an index card. Card should have a sticker on it with url for location of pictures. Card should have spot for putting picture "numbers" on it same as in past. Parents are to keep the card to help locate their pictures once all are uploaded by Carlye to the url.
• DON'T block entrance into auditorium with craft tables - For auditorium layout/set-up - leave the area closest to the doors open and clear of craft tables so parents/children can go straight into the auditorium without going around a craft table set up.
• CHANGE - Try putting the Santa photo area on the wall under the middle screen in "bay 2" of the full auditorium.
  • Then put the ornament painting craft on the south bay wall and the second craft table set up in the old santa area (under the main screen)
• DON'T cover Santa sofa with slippery material - crinkle cloth and such. Use cotton white tablecloths.

Storage - CG3

Work with Logistics, Kerry Slaven.

• Before moving everything to storage, take a quick inventory of gifts and supplies so you know what needs to be purchased for next year.
• At the end of the party all materials, supplies, signage, etc. not being returned to others are packed up in large plastic bins with lids and labeled to be moved to CG3 storage. Be sure all the wrapped (empty) package from the Santa area are stacked up with these bins and included in the pick up. Label this clearly with large signs. Be sure to email Kerry after the event to let him know to pick up and move these items to storage.