Middle School Hobby Day Activities
Hobby Day is a time to not only show off each student's hobby but to celebrate individuality and the special things that make each child different. Celebrate Hobby Day with activities that inspire the students, engage the community and promote social cohesion.
Other People Are Reading
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Shows
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A communitywide event that showcases each student's hobby is always a safe bet. However, raise interest by making it interactive: the paint-loving student, for example, can have blank canvases and paint at the ready so that passers-by can try a hand, while the class gamer can supply a console, TV and extra controls for spectators to get their gaming feet wet. Or, split the hobbies into categories. Every night for one week, hold a specialized show for each category to focus attendees' interest. Give away door prizes and sell refreshments to make your shows especially attractive.
Charity
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Focus students' hobbies and efforts on helping others. Tell each student to brainstorm ways their hobby could benefit another person or group. For example, a budding photographer could donate decorative prints to a nursing home, while an avid reader could pledge an hour per week helping younger children learn to read. Or, have a "Hobby Day Home Makeover" to help beautify the home of a less-fortunate family or elderly person. Solicit donated materials from local businesses and let your young interior decorators, painters, gardeners, planners and designers go to work. Even automotive enthusiasts could lend a hand at fixing unreliable cars.
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Fundraising
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Use your students' enthusiasm for their hobbies to raise money for your school or class. Tell each student to classify their hobby as a product or service, then brainstorm ways to sell them. Budding artists could sell a portrait of the buyer's family, while a fashion lover could market herself as a shopping assistant. On Hobby Day, hold a silent auction for school parents. You could also compile a list of student hobbies, then let students brainstorm a coupon for each hobby. Create coupon books, then distribute and sell them at local businesses and events.
Lessons/Lectures
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Let students experience the joy of teaching too. Ask each student to put together a 20 to 30 minute lesson on their hobby. Create a lesson schedule and post it throughout the school. The week before Hobby Day, assign 10 student slots for each lesson and let students sign up to attend. Set up 10 desks in your classroom and let the "teachers" take over. Or, get parents involved: Get a list of room parent careers, then split them into categories (for example, art, science or automotive) and ask parents to give a short talk on which hobbies can grow into their present career. This will engage parents as well as give middle-schoolers a head start on choosing a career.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit my favorite hobby image by Alexey Stiop from Fotolia.com
