Auction Ideas for 4th Grade Art Projects
Auctions are an engaging way to get parents and other adults involved in the fund-raising process and to allow parents to reap the benefits of their child's hard work and creativity. Although auctions are generally pretty straightforward, you can make them a little more interesting by incorporating themes and incentives for both the kids and the bidders.
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Auction Themes
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Turn your library or classroom into an old-world museum for the evening and go back in time for a silent auction. Instruct attendees to come in costume if they can. Display artwork on easels, in glass cases or on the wall. Serve "red wine" (punch) in "crystal" goblets. Or pretend to be high-flying sophisticates and hold your auction at "Sotheby's." Send out elegant invitations and tell everyone that it's a black-tie affair. Serve "champagne" (apple or grape juice) and pass out hand fans for bidding. If students attend, they'll get a kick out of seeing their parents dressed up and being silly.
Incentives
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Give something back to the buyers at your auction. Before beginning, explain that for every $10 (or other amount of your choosing) an individual spends, she will receive one free ticket (up to five tickets) to a school event of her choice. Or add a small gift to every item won--for example, a school T-shirt, a framed picture of the class of her choice or a small box of chocolates. You could also solicit coupons (genuinely valuable ones, not the ones that anyone can find in a Sunday paper) from local businesses and give one away to each successful bidder.
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Project Themes
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If attendees know there will be a constant theme or set of themes, you may attract more serious bidders. If there are four fourth-grade classes, for example, each class could create artwork inspired by a season. For just one or two classes, you could pick themes that focus on upcoming holidays (Christmas home decor, for example) or values (such as faith, hope or love). A theme of "Around the World" can be a big hit as well. Have each student pick a major world city and create artwork inspired by it.
Who Gets the Proceeds?
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Keep the auction interesting by making a competition out of it for non-bidders--the students! Before the auction, have each fourth-grade class pick an activity they would like to do as a class--for example, go to a water park for the day. After researching costs, you can set a dollar amount that must be met at the auction in order for the class to go. At the auction, post each class's goal and dollar amount and explain why the classes are competing. Say that every successful bidder must choose a class to benefit, and the dollar amount of his bid will be applied to the chosen class's balance. The first class to reach their dollar amount wins. You can do this with only one fourth-grade class as well; just eliminate the competition element and make the dollar amount higher.
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References
- Photo Credit gavel image by Cora Reed from Fotolia.com
