Reflections Assembly Ideas
I have been in charge of our elementary school’s Reflections program for many years. We always kick off the event with an assembly to encourage the kids to participate. It’s basically the same assembly from year to year, but I disguise it with different costumes. I use older students as the costumed actors and I am the main narrator. You’ll notice that I have a slide show at the end of the assembly. The slide show is always based on the theme for the year. I take photos and write in text to give them ideas of how they might use the theme to create art. Here are two of my scripts.
Reflections Award Ribbons
I don’t have much of a budget for Reflections, so I am always looking for ways to save money. I decided to make my own ribbons instead of buying them. I’ve made these the last four years and the kids love them.
Here’s a photo of my templates. I use scrapbook paper for the ruffled circle and card stock for the rest. I find free clip art for each category. I paste them all together, laminate them, and they’re ready to go!
Prize Ideas
I’ve awarded all kinds of prizes over the years for Reflections. Here are a few examples that might fit your budget.
Book Fair Stuff: My favorite prize is using our Scholastic book fair money. We have a lot of Scholastic Bucks from years of book fairs, so our PTA decided to use some of it for Reflections prizes. All the kids get a Klutz or Lego activity kit/book for entering Reflections. Winners receive a medal or small trophy.
Art Supplies: I go to the back-to-school sales in the fall to stock up on cheap notebooks and washable markers. I put these in a clear plastic bag with freebie coupons the PTA has collected from local businesses. The kids also get a medal or small trophy if they win and a certificate of participation.
Let them choose: Not as many kids enter Reflections in Junior High and High School so I usually have about $10 per entrant. I like to let the kids choose their own prize. I’ll give them a list of places they can choose from for a gift card, or a list of random prizes from Amazon like paints, stomp rockets, and kites. Then I’ll wrap them up and deliver them to the school.