Home Shows - Theme Parties

Home Shows are the bread and butter of our business.  Sometimes we feel like we need a fresh feel to the home shows or maybe your hostess would like a fun pizzazz for the show.  How about a theme party?  You'll still share the books, book shows, offer the business opportunity, just with a fun theme. 

Here's what you do: 

1. take your books

2. mention some tidbits about the theme during the presentation

3. play a few simple games or have some themed trivia

4. have the hostess serve snacks related to the theme.

Remember the main point is that you're selling books as always, but include the theme enough to make the guests and hostess excited to be there.  Some hostesses will love this idea so much that they will have a show because it's themed when they may not have hosted a show otherwise!

Do you see how this could add pizzazz to your calendar???
Take your calendar with you to your home shows, multi-vendor events, craft fairs, etc... and date your shows now!  When possible, it is best to schedule the date right then, so you don't have to call or email later to set it up.

Some Theme Party Ideas (remember FUN and EASY are the keys here):

• Chocolate Party

• Fiesta Night

• Splash Into Summer Reading (Beach/Ocean theme)

• Bedtime Stories with Usborne Books

• Around the World

• Toss chocolates out to the guests when they ask a question
  
• Bingo with chocolates for markers
• Read tidbits from The Story of Chocolate 
  
• Ask trivia questions and toss chocolate to first guest with right answer
• Have a little gift bag full of chocolates and each time the Consultant says the word "Usborne" the person with the bag passes it to the left (last one holding bag gets to keep it)
• See who can turn to the Story of Chocolate page in the catalog first
  
• Wrap up a few chocolate mints in cellophane and attach a card to it that says "You were "mint" to be a hostess!"
• Chocolate fondue for snack
• Serve snacks made from our Chocolates and Candies book or any of our other cookbooks
• Open a bag of M&M's and make some quick brownies - no need to be fancy - easy is better

• Have everybody say "Olé!" each time someone says "Usborne" "Internet-linked" or "duck"
• Give a maraca to a guest -- when the Consultant says a specific word, guest shakes the maraca and passes it to next guest
• Play a game by showing a Spanish flashcard and have the guests guess the English translation 
• Serve tortilla chips and salsa or a zesty dip 
• Have everyone give themselves a Spanish name
• Hostess might want to serve margaritas
• You could offer a Spanish book as a door prize
• Check out the new Aztec book and the internet links in the back

You might want to encourage summer 'writing' by asking children to write book reviews of the Usborne books.  There's nothing like being a published writer.  You could highlight a child's review in a customer email or newsletter.

I said earlier something about a mini pool with play sand to "dig" out bathtub books
How about MYSTERY HOSTESS SHOWS AT OUR POOL BEFORE DURING SWIM LESSONS!

<Nicole H, Indy> have a mini pool filled with water with floating rubber ducks and have any customer draw out a duck with the book title on the bottom

YOU COULD USE "SPLASH INTO SUMMER READING" AS A HOME SHOW THEME - FEATURE SOME OCEAN AND UNDER THE SEA BOOKS IN SHOWING FEATURES/BENEFITS OF USBORNE

LET'S ALL SHARE GREAT SUMMER READING TIPS...
HAVE GREAT BOOKS IN YOUR VAN FOR THE KIDS TO PICK UP - ROTATE THE BOOKS EVERY WEEK.
Take a book to the pool for down time
Encourage summer reading by using the hands on books - science experiments, drawing books, cook books, etc (reading directions)
SET GREAT BOOKS OUT ON THE COFFEE TABLE OR KITCHEN TABLE - ROTATE THESE BOOKS EVERY WEEK OR EVERY FEW DAYS
For beginning or struggling readers - Read a page to them and then let them read a page to you.
my reluctant reader always reads more when he thinks he is getting away with something, put them to bed earlier but they can "stay up later reading", I gave my guys Headlamps

Chapter books as read alouds with the family
take books along to your kids' summer events -- and share them freely!

Try to spot the fish from the book at the zoo...or aquarium
HELP PARENTS KNOW THAT ACTIVITY BOOKS ARE BOOKS TOO - NOT JUST CHAPTER BOOKS - GOOD TIME TO HELP TRAIN PARENTS TO USE FUN BOOKS TO GET KIDS INVOLVED
read aloud even to the older kids, even my 14 y.o. loves it
use cd packs for beginning readers, or to keep in the car
I love the activity books - the directions are so simple that my kids don't NEED me. If
1001 things to spot and great searches are GREAT for vacations and car trips
read up on a subject that relates to your vacation, before you go, makes the the trip more enjoyable
travel puzzle sticker book for vacation drives

Animal books for zoo trips, Fish books for aquarium trips, etc. etc.

 

This show will be parent and a child and both will be encouraged to attend in Pajamas.  As they arrive, parent and child will be directed to a table with a theme related craft (princess/ fairy, pirate, dinosaur, science experiment, and artists all come to mind).  The craft will, of course, be taken from one of our wonderful books.

When its time to begin, share the books in what ever manner you prefer.  Try to incorporate some kind of game to encourage the kids to participate and listen to your presentation.  You could have two "games." The first, they will have to (with the help of their parent) figure out the acronym you use to talk about the books (DUCKS).  Second, if they are all old enough, you could race with the Learning Wrap Ups.

At the end of the presentation, you might ask one of the older children or the hostess to bring the children to another room or another area of the room and read a book to them, then let them look at and read select books while you help the guests shop.  The hostess will be encouraged to return to the party as soon as the kids are settled and looking at books on their own.  With a young group, you could show "Your Baby Can Read" during the shopping time to help keep the children occupied and to hopefully sell several

Here are more ideas:

• We're going to have a contest for wackiest/ oldest/ prettiest slippers.  Everyone votes and the winner gets a bookmark.

• Each child will need to be accompanied by an adult.  My invitation reads: "If you are bringing more than one child, please invite Grandma, Auntie or another adult to accompany him or her so that your child can better enjoy the fun!".  Not only will this help keep things from getting crazy with kids running everywhere, but it will help to get more grandma's at the shows, and thus more high tickets.

• I'm going to provide a container for the craft (most often it will be chocolate bugs) that the guests can take home with them.  It will have my contact info on it.  What I will probably do is use small cellophane bags and provide ribbon and my card with a hole punched in the corner that they can tie to their bag and use to put their name on it :o)

• I'm thinking that the show will be me doing the ducks presentation, but reading a book from each letter while I slip in tidbits about the books.  I think that might work better than trying to do the whole show then take the kids out of the room for reading.  I mean, after the kids hear the books, they'll fall in love with them, and what better place for that to happen than on their mom's lap, right :o)  What I'm going to do during shopping to keep the kids busy is have duck coloring sheets and other fun coloring activities or YBCR playing off to the side.
  The kids will be able to help talk their mom's into booking if they are still in the room during the survey - another reason to keep the kids there.

• The evening can end with cookies and milk.  What fun!
  

• If you have the guests do intros you could have them include their family's country of origin

• Everybody help to see how many languages we can say "Hello" in

• Let everybody say a word they know in another language

• Serve simple snacks from Children's World Cookbook

• Have everyone bring an item from a different part of the world

• Learn a phrase in several languages

• Have hats from different parts of the world and let the guests guess which country

• Have some geography trivia questions that you find in our books

• listen to pronunciations from our quicklinks with our language books (requires internet connection and computer nearby - set up prior to party

geography game -- who can find countries on a map the fastest?

Stories From Around the World
Great Search books, especially Great World Search
First Atlas Kid Kit
showcase foreign language books & recipes from Children's World Cookbook
showcase animal habitats - we have so many books that promote this