Turn middle school art projects into great fundraising activities.
In many school districts across the country, 8th grade marks the end of the middle school experience. This is a very sentimental time for children and parents alike, so there are some unique fundraising opportunities based on the artwork that students have done.
Art teachers can engage in fundraising efforts using the collected works of their students over the past few years. By offering the art projects in ways that let parents keep them as mementos of the middle school years, these crafty art teachers can easily raise funds for their class or school.
District Calendar
School districts often release their calendars early enough in the year that an art teacher can have a competition amongst all of his classes. Students can vote on the 12 best pieces of art they have collected over their three years and make them into a district calendar.
Not only can you sell this calendar to the parents of the 8th graders, but you can also sell to parents throughout the district and to local businesses. Print the calendar in house if the school has good color printers or at a local printer. With some effort, the teachers may even find a local business to sponsor the costs or do the work for free.
Poster Reprints
Students can select their favorite works to be reprinted as poster prints. Hold an art show for the public, where students can be on site to share their work with the potential buyers. They can even offer autographed prints for added fun and funds. Print posters and sell them at a profit. Many companies specialize in work like this and suggest that parents will pay up to $50 for a poster that prints for less than $20. If a graduating class consists of 300 students, that would be about a $9,000 profit if every parent bought one at the suggested price.
Mugs, Keychains and Coasters
There are a variety of printers that can work with materials like mugs and coasters, or simple prints inserted in keychains. Make a basic print catalog of students work to sell these items. Ideally, if this were offered before Christmas holidays, then families could give their loved ones original art work as holiday gifts. Many grandparents would be delighted to have a custom set of coasters made by their grand child. This is common enough amongst families, but the school can organize the effort and as a result take the profits that are due to a middleman.
Fleece Scarves
In cold weather climes, a good fleece scarf is an annual necessity. Students can easily craft no-sew scarves. The project only requires 1/4 of a yard of fleece, which, when bought on sale, makes each scarf affordable to make. Cut the ends of the scarf into 1/2" that are 4" deep into the scarf. Add plastic beads to the end of the scarf in a decorative pattern. Knot the fleece below the beads to keep them on. Sell the scarves at a community fair. Choosing patterns, like favorite sports teams or colleges, will increase the interest of buyers in the scarves that are for sale. You can even take custom orders.
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