10 easy Lights On Afterschool event ideas

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10 easy Lights On Afterschool event ideas

By Sarah Simpson Posted: Oct 07, 2013

You already know why you should celebrate Lights On Afterschool, but are you still stuck on how should you celebrate?

Remember, Lights On Afterschool events don’t need to be expensive or elaborate. Simple celebrations that don’t take a lot of time or money to plan can be just as fun and just as effective to show your community how important your afterschool program is to the kids and families you serve!

So, no more excuses not to register today to celebrate Lights On Afterschool. Here are 10 easy event ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:

Light bulb art. Just print it out, grab some crayons and markers, and you have yourself a greatLights On Afterschool event! It’s seriously that easy.
Decorate wearable Color-ons. It’s light bulb art for the slightly more crafty—but still totally easy. Just color it (with any crayon), iron it onto fabric (we’re quite partial to t-shirts), and wear it to keep the Lights On Afterschool message going all year long!
Sign the afterschool petition. Get everyone in your community to take a stand in support of afterschool for all. Print out the petition to collect signatures, or send people to our website to register their support instantly.
Let your students be the event planners. The kids in your program know why they love afterschool, and their input can help add some authenticity and enthusiasm to your event. Tap into their energy and creativity by letting them be involved in planning and execution. Speeches, tours, talent shows, or even a rally—anything goes to let them show how much they love their afterschool program.
Go green! Keep the lights on while using less energy and reducing your carbon footprint. It’s a great way to incorporate some community service into your event.
Get active. Use Lights On Afterschool to highlight how your afterschool program encourages a healthy, active lifestyle for your students. Dance, jump, walk, run—whatever gets you up and moving! Build an obstacle course, host a field day, or keep the fun inside with a musical chairs tournament.
Host a reading party. Invite parents, principals, policy makers and other local “celebrities” (like firemen or policemen) to come read their favorite stories and celebrate how afterschool programs can help make reading fun. Our friends at First Book have plenty more easy ideas to help you incorporate literacy into your event. If your program reaches underserved communities, be sure tosign up with First Book for access to their Marketplace, where eligible programs can get brand new books at a deep discount.
Watch Brooklyn Castle. The hit documentary will help kick off the Lights On Afterschool season with its national broadcast debut this Monday, Oct. 7 on the award-winning PBS series POV. Join thePOV Community Network to get free resources on how to host a premiere party and other tips on incorporating the movie into your event to help spur community conversations about the value of afterschool programs.
Celebrate 4-H National Youth Science Day by participating in the 4-H national science experiment. Kids across the country will become scientists for a day with the Maps & Apps Experiment. This is the final week that we’ll be giving an experiment kit to a registered program, soregister by Oct. 9 to be eligible.
Win one of our STEMfinity giveaways. Use these cool registration prizes to have an awesomeLights On day! Our partners at STEMfinity are giving away project-based, hands-on activities to two registered programs this week to help spark student passion to pursue a career in STEM. So, technically this is 2 event ideas in 1, but who’s counting?

One program will win 50 Dynamo Torch kits. Your event guests will be able to hand-power a light bulb so you can all “keep the lights on” with no battery power, no pollution, just pure amazement.

One program will win five Snap Circuits LIGHT kits. Let your students DJ your event and take the term “Lights On” to a whole new level! Connect your MP3 player and watch the lights change with the beat.

What are you waiting for? Register your event now and let us know which of these great ideas you’ll be doing on Oct. 17!

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