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Kids Ideas are Winners

One of the best ideas for making a fun school program is to listen to the kids. Children have very active imaginations and they are not shy about expressing their ideas. If you are open to their ideas you can give your programs zip and humor. It also gives the children ownership to the program. Here are a few ideas that the students have come up with in some of my programs.

INSERT A COMMERCIAL. Our children are bombarded with commercials and they can sing most of the jingles from memory. One year I had 3 boys that felt our program needed some spicing up and they suggested the old Wendy's commercial *Where's the Beef*. They dressed up as three little old ladies and brought the house down with laughter.

SHY STUDENTS*One shy student wanted to be front and center on stage and speak, but he didn*t want anyone to see him. He came as the unknown comic with a sack over his head with holes cut for his eyes.

STROB LIGHTS*The students came up with many ideas to use a strob light. A baseball game, a wrestling match, a cop chasing the bad guy.

BLACK LIGHTS*Some girls suggested the use of black lights for a rock and roll song. They wore white shirts, white socks, and white hair ribbons. The black lights became so popular that they would make up other dances . Once they were used with white gloves and sign language.

TUMBLING*A group of students suggested putting mats across the front of the stage and doing tumbling routines to modern music. Cheerleading became popular and they were used for that.

SINGING---When two girls had to sing a sad song about having no friends they suggested sitting on the piano like the professional singers do.

SONGS---For Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer the students suggested having one prop that they could use and do the silly part of the song such as *Dumbo* *Monopoly*.

You know the part that irritates music directors and teachers. So they made something in the shape of a giant 1 foot light bulb, with a small knob on the handle, that was yellow on one side and gray on one side. They used it for the light bulb, for an elephants trunk for Dumbo, a monopoly piece, and the knob was glittered red for Rudolph nose.

COSTUMES---Students ideas for costumes can save a lot of time. They were always to keep them to only things that they had at home and not ask mom for anything else. They used mops for hair, Styrofoam balls for noses, cowboy hats for a western, tinsel for belts, glitter to make them sparkle under the lights.