Great ideas for Fall Festival

One of the nicest things about being a grandparent is going to your grandkids' schools for special events. We love to take the kids to book fairs, see them in plays, encourage them to enter science and art fairs but best of all we like to take them to the Fall Festival. (click on title for more...)

For one thing is it cool enough to enjoy being outdoors. It is also a great atmosphere in which to meet their teachers and coaches for the first time. Everyone is more relaxed and in a good mood, ready to have fun, and not concentrating on the serious business of education. It opens the door gently to any concerns the teacher (or you) might have so you can follow up later.

This year's Fall Festival at Golfview Elementary in Brevard County was bursting with happy children and friendly adults. There was a bounce house, face-painting, cotton candy and sno-cones, a cake walk, bean-bag throw, Foos-Ball table, even a bowling table game and a basketball throw sized for little ones to succeed. A large troupe of  girls in darling green and gold uniforms came up on stage in formation and showed what they had learned as junior cheer-leaders. This was new to me seeing elementary school cheerleaders and they were terrific. You could see the pride they took in their school and their skills as they cheered and jumped.

I want to tell you about something that was unique to Golfview's Fall Festival.  At least, I had never seen it done before. In the middle of the room someone had set up a table and spread greeting cards all over it. A sign invited everyone to take a card and write a holiday message in it, to be delivered to a soldier overseas during the holidays. One of my grandsons has already decided he wants to be a soldier when he grows up so I explained the purpose of the cards. At first they were puzzled about the idea, but it was a good opportunity to get them thinking about our troops overseas and how lonely it must be for them during the holidays. Finally, we selected a Christmas card, signed it and wrote a little note inside.

The older of the two boys, who had been reluctant to go to the festival, won the most prizes and enjoyed the $1 meal of cheeseburger, chips and lemonade the most. Unless you count grandma and grandpa, who left feeling good about the world thanks to the many volunteers and employees who made this day event a huge success.