We're getting into holiday party time. Halloween is the first big party time.
My main problem with Halloween parties is that they seem to involve garbage food, and lots of it. I don't understand why. There's so much candy with trick-or-treating, and I wish it would be limited to that.
But also, at my kids' schools, it always seems like there are a fair number of kids who don't celebrate Halloween, and sometimes other holidays as well, and it doesn't seem like a holiday party is such a big deal that those kids should have to sit out in the office while everyone else has a party.
Maybe I'm feeling a bit bah humbug about the whole thing. Just a bad mood? I don't know. Has anyone ever been annoyed by school holiday parties for any reason?
Maybe at a certain age it should stop. Like maybe pre k to 3-4 grade? It's nice for kids learn about different rituals. The whole trick or treat this is odd. You tell your kid don't talk or talk candy from strangers except on this day. We only go to visit the grandmothers. Plus candy is pricey!!! I was impressed by what my dd scored last year truck or treating, she got apples, a Nutrigain bar, a few dollars and bag of crackers.
We have 3 holiday parties a year here - Halloween/fall party, winter party on the last day before Christmas break, and valentine's day and I'm absolutely fine with them. There always seems to be a nice balance of treats including sweets, popcorn, fruits, once there was even a mom who would send in homemade egg rolls (I loved those parties!). It's only a total of 3 hours out of the entire school year - not over the top in any way.
Our district is really strict on anything food related and so parties are a rarity. Both the kids went to elementary schools that had costume days and a big evening Halloween festival but no class party. Around Christmas and mother's/father's day they'd have a "craft day" which of course, was meant for the kids to make something for any gift giving they might have. No parties. Parties were really saved for the end of the year when the food restrictions were relaxed a bit.
I could go either way, honestly. Our preschool was very multicultural, so they simply had a policy of not celebrating specific holidays. The school had a few of its own that we celebrated each year instead - a harvest festival, a spring party/fundraiser, and International Family Day.
At our elementary, they celebrate holidays, but it varies. Parents can come in and talk about their family's holidays and do an activity with the kids. Halloween is always a sticky one due to the issues outlined above. I liked the year they had career day on Halloween - dressing up without scary stuff and too much candy. Our Spanish program celebrates some Mexican holidays that the other programs within the school don't (Dia de los Muertos, sometimes Dia de los Ninos, and Mother's Day is a big deal with a special performance by the kids), and one program generally doesn't participate in the group Thanksgiving celebration for the younger grades. They always include Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa in the winter holiday show.
At our middle school, they don't generally celebrate holidays as a school.
No, they should not stop having parties or special days or special crafts or anything that breaks up the monotony of going to school. Those seasonal things keep the year moving and give kids something to look forward to. For a kid who doesn't like school or is struggling in some way, parties and Field Day and the like kind of make it slightly less awful.
I don't know about these "garbage" parties because we have room parents who organize things so we don't have loads of junk. They wouldn't eat it anyway, they are always ALWAYS more interested in playing games or doing crafts.
My small little backwater suburb and neighborhood school have pretty tight policies on things like being inclusive and dealing with food allergies and not having too much junk. It's hard to imagine an area more conservative or resistant to change and even we have figure out a way to do parties without offending anyone. I think it's wrong to take away things kids enjoy because from an adult perspective they're "no big deal."
Our school cracked down on snacks, but parties are still fair games, just w/o food. As long as they're not having an exclusionary Christmas party or other religious party or something, but a more inclusive seasonal party (fall fest) then I think it's fun.
Same district as beanma, different school. At ours, it really varies by classroom. Last year, my DS's second grade class did nothing while the other second grade classes had non-religious, non-food parties. My DD's kindergarten class had several seasonal parties which had lots of crafts and games, so nobody missed the junk. Heck, the fall party even had a fire drill in the middle of it.
Holiday parties are things that bring children together in the classroom and help build a sense of community, they are often times when parents are invited to be involved too so I am all for them. There are so many events around Halloween and Kwanzaa/Christmas/Hanukkah that it makes sense to have them around these times.
I try to keep my parties healthy and secular, so I'm much more likely to throw a "Star Wars party!" or an "Astronomy party!" and I think they should do that at school. Halloween parties are cool because of the fun dress-up factor, but you don't actually need candy.
Our school does 1 treat only for parties (Halloween, "holiday", valentines day, end of the year) and water. I'd be fine with that if it weren't for each of 25 kids bringing in birthday treats covered in frosting. Summer birthday? Bring it in on your half birthday.
I don't object to the parties per say. I do object to the food. There is a huge focus on food at celebrations and for my food allergic kids this represents something that singles them out, a part of the party they can't partake in. I also think that there should be less focus on a specific holidays and more general celebration for success, milestones etc. I'm all for games and fun but I don't like the holiday parties that half the class do not/are not allowed to celebrate.
This the first year we've had a family in my daughter's class openly object to actual an Halloween-themed party, which is fine because again, it's Storybook Character Day and a Fall party. We accommodate for food allergies and parents whose children are allergic are welcome to send treats to share. The amount of junk food is kept in check and balanced against better options like fruit. In talking to my friends at various schools, this seems pretty typical. I can't imagine a party where "half the kids" aren't allowed or can't celebrate. We aren't the most diverse school in the world but we manage to make celebrations vague enough for everyone but not so off topic as to be pointless.
It make take some advocating on the part of a particular child's parent or you may need to get a room parent or teacher's attention, but the options aren't all or nothing.
Personally I think the PARTIES are a great way to let the kids have some fun - dressing up in costume and playing games is fun no matter what! As long as it's not something scary (I can't stand the gory, freaky costumes like dead cheerleaders or zombies), I see no harm in even a non-secular kid dressing up like a bunny or something.
I solved the FOOD problem by taking charge of these things myself! My kiddos have celiac and a ton of intolerances, so I take the lead on the food selection for Halloween and other class parties. I do a happy medium of healthy snacks with sweet-treat toppings like GF pumpkin-flax muffins that the kids can decorate with orange frosting & sprinkles, or this year it'll be Spooky Apple Nachos with apple slices, caramel sauce, chocolate chips, & Halloween sprinkles. Sure, it's a pain in the butt sometimes, and I usually wind up being the "party coordinator", but I've gotten quite good at it over the last few years, and it's worth it to be in control of what my kids are eating.
For party favors & prizes, small toys are a good alternative to candy - and they last a lot longer. This year we're doing musical chairs and one of the moms is getting little toys from Oriental Trading Company to give out, doing pumpkin cut-out puzzles, beaded bracelets and stuff like that.
I guess you can look at it either way, but I think as long as you keep it relatively tame and fall-themed, there's no harm done even for kids who don't celebrate Halloween (you can always call it a "Fall Party" if there are several who don't celebrate). Anyway there's my two cents!
This the first year we've had a family in my daughter's class openly object to actual an Halloween-themed party, which is fine because again, it's Storybook Character Day and a Fall party. We accommodate for food allergies and parents whose children are allergic are welcome to send treats to share. The amount of junk food is kept in check and balanced against better options like fruit. In talking to my friends at various schools, this seems pretty typical. I can't imagine a party where "half the kids" aren't allowed or can't celebrate. We aren't the most diverse school in the world but we manage to make celebrations vague enough for everyone but not so off topic as to be pointless.
It make take some advocating on the part of a particular child's parent or you may need to get a room parent or teacher's attention, but the options aren't all or nothing.
I didn't say half the kids - I said "a fair number", and out of my daughter's class of 22 one year, 5 had parents who wouldn't let them participate in a Halloween party. I was living in a very religious area at that time, but still maybe at that point the party at least needs to be revamped.
For me, it's the garbage food, but it sounds like that isn't a necessary part of a school party. I've lived in a couple of school districts since my older one became school aged and it was the norm in both though.
Having worked in schools that do NOT celebrate Halloween I will say that I love that my own children's schools celebrate it. Most kids do celebrate Halloween, so having school-as-usual on the 31st is pretty much impossible (and on Nov. 1 for that matter). I think that it is problematic if there are kids who do not celebrate it. . . they way my kids' school gets around this is in a class-by-class manner. If a particular class has students who don't celebrate then they make the holiday more neutral (my son had a "Penguin Party" last year in December since there were several Muslim students in his class). I think ignoring holidays is to also ignore a huge part of American culture. Halloween especially which, lets be honest, has little to no religious connotation whatsoever.
I don't mind parties, or a few days out of the year where there's junk. We strive to lead a healthy lifestyle, but everyone deserves some treats every now and again.
Here they use vague terms like autumn festivals and winter break parties vs. Halloween and Christmas. Some of the elementary schools have after school Halloween specific carnivals as an alternative to door to door ToTing.
We celebrate the main holidays and think the parties are in good fun. I think it would be fun, especially around Christmas, for the kids to learn of all sorts of winter holiday traditions
I certainly don't like tons of junk every day but my daughter who has a great diet will sample treats and when she is full she has had enough. Making junkfood verboten doesnt teach kids self discipline in my opinion. I dont have a problem with parties I think it breaks up the routine. As for children who dont celebrate holidays or are some how in the minority... Not every child will get to participate in every activity that is part of life and offers a valuable teaching moment for parents. The world will not make sure our children are NEVER excluded. Sometimes health (allergies or some other concern) will not allow sometimes belief differences wont allow. However there are children in my daughter's school whose religion precludes them from celebrating ANYTHING! I wont go in to my beliefs on that but I really don't think my kids should be punished for the outlier group. I have a ridiculously sensitive latex allergy and there were just some things I couldnt and still cant participate in however that is just life its not being left out its just the way it is.
As a former 1st grade teacher... I love the parties and I say keep them... where it is community appropriate.
By that I mean many communities really are into all the traditional holidays. Perhaps not everyone, but a vast majority; I do hate the "try not to offend" mentality.
But there are communities that are a little different, where a more significant portion of the population does not celebrate such holiday to the extent that it makes sense, by whatever standards, to leave the celebrations to be handled by individuals.
As for junk food... if you're involved with the party and don't want it, speak up. I certainly see that as something that can have options.
because of Common Core, our school isn't allowed to do parties anymore. As a healthy initiative school the children are not allowed to sell or have candy or sweets even on special occassions so no cupcakes or anything like that on birthdays and they aren't allowed to sell cookie dough or anything else. I am really sad about the parties (we did them last year in Kindergarten and the parents put together trinket gift bags and brought in fun healthy snacks like fruit cups with pumpkin faces on them or spooky cheese shapes. I think it's fine to have fun in school. it also impacted field trips and they are really lame this year
As for children who dont celebrate holidays or are some how in the minority... Not every child will get to participate in every activity that is part of life and offers a valuable teaching moment for parents. The world will not make sure our children are NEVER excluded.
I agree that it is important that children learn that the world will not always cater to their individual needs/tastes/beliefs but I think it is inappropriate to exclude a child in a public school from a party based on religious beliefs (or non-beliefs). A private school, sure, if they are teaching within a certain faith then cool, do whatever you want. But in a public school designed to teach children from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds it is inappropriate to host a party based on religious themes that not everyone subscribes to. It's pretty lame to say "sorry five kids who don't believe the same things we do, go sit in the office for the party and then go home and have your parents teach you about tolerance and differences since it's their fault you're being excluded" Save the religious themed parties for places of worship or home and allow ALL children to celebrate by hosting parties based on something that EVERYONE experiences (the seasons, the weather, etc.)
Shouldn't we be teaching our kids to be inclusive rather than excluding other kids based on their religion (or lack thereof) or other cultural factors?
A couple of years ago in 2nd grade dd2's class learned about all the winter holidays -- Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Ramadan, etc.
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