Take the stress away from open house night by setting up a quick and easy rainbow themed scavenger hunt. This idea allows families to move throughout your classroom effortlessly and will ensure that you have time to chat with all the families that have attended open house. Download the free scavenger hunt and station signs here to make set-up even easier. Your rainbow themed open house will radiate positivity!
Open house is a big deal in the elementary world! Students are so excited to show off their classroom, teacher, and hard work. This is a perfect time to add in a writing opportunity. Using the Rainbow Invitations, have students personally invite their guests! If possible, mail the invitations to make sure they're received. Students will be anxiously checking their mailboxes daily until the invitation comes!
Open house can be a bit stressful if families show up at the same time. Most families want to talk with teachers immediately, but that's not easy if others are in the room. To set yourself up for success, set up a quick classroom scavenger hunt. This allows families to work their way around the classroom and hopefully decreases the line waiting to greet you! Prior to open house evening, I like to go over each station so it isn't a surprise.
Print out the free scavenger printables here. You can also grab the editable version in my store to create your own station steps and scavenger hunt printable! I printed my station signs as a full sheet that will fit into a 8.5" x 11" clear frame. I have also provided 4" x 6" signs that would work perfectly in these Medium Clear Frames. You can use these frames every year, so it's a great investment!
Setup a table close to your door with Rainbow Clipboards, Scavenger Hunt Printables, and Personalized Scribble, Dots, and Stripes Pencils. Families will immediately know what to do! To add a little decoration, I placed Paint Chip Circles and a Rainbow Party Centerpiece on the table. This added a nice touch, but isn't over the top or costly. The Paint Chip Circles can be used for many activities throughout the year too.
Student desks were labeled using Rainbow Party Favor Boxes and an Avery Name Label. This is a great solution for a classroom that uses flexible seating. My students don't have an "assigned" seat but for open house it's nice to have a place to set out their work. I added more Paint Chip Circles on the tables. For a quick and simple centerpiece I used Mason Jars, Baker's Twine, Sixlets, Rainbow Character Lollipops and Mini Swirl Lollipops. Instead of creating a little gift for students to take, they took a Lollipop from the table centerpiece! Who wouldn't want to grab a little candy during a scavenger hunt?!
One rotation in our scavenger hunt was to explain the All About Me Posters to our guests. I love how large and easy these posters are to fill in. They're a great way to learn about each student at the beginning of the year!
One of my favorite stations is this rainbow goal setting activity. Students work with their guests to write personal goals for the upcoming year. You may want to brainstorm goal ideas prior to open house. Be sure to download the free printables here. The rainbow goals will be perfect for a bulletin board after open house too!
Of course open house has to include a photo booth! I normally dread creating photo booths because I always struggle taping up a background on my white board. This year I decided to work smarter, not harder! I created the photo booth on a bulletin board using Black Fadeless Paper, Polka Dot Borders, and a Striped Border. Using a stapler and tape, I attached the Jumbo Build a Rainbow to the board. Then I added the year, grade and names for an adorable back-to-school board PLUS photo booth. For even more fun, add in Emoji Photo Stick Props.
As a keepsake, students created a Rainbow Lacing Craft Kit. To personalize each rainbow, we added their name using a Black Sharpie and Magnets to the back. The goal is for students to hang up their work at home with this adorable rainbow magnet!
This open house theme and scavenger hunt is sure to be a hit with your families! Make sure you also check out the 10 Rainbow Themed Crafts, and Rainbow Party Favors for more colorful ideas.
