A booth doesn't have to actually be a BOOTH. Just a station basically. Two years ago we borrowed pre-made wooden booths from another school. They worked great and really looked nice. My husband even offered to build our own if we paid for the supplies. No one listened. So the next year I borrowed again and only 3 teachers actually wanted to use a booth. So this year I am not going to bother.
However, our cafeteria tables are not like the old ones that fold in half with the table and benches all attached. Our new tables are basically one fourth of the old cafeteria tables. So they are about 6 feet long with a table top of about a foot and a half wide with the bench attached. I use them for all of our events because they are so versatile. They can be a table with the bench, just a bench with a back or just the table with the bench folded up.
Plus some of the teachers didn't need a table at all. It just depends on the game they are playing. Use your imagination with what you have and you'll be suprised what you can come up with.
The booths we borrowed were just a 2 by 4 frame with plywood. They hinged the corners so they could be folded flat for storage. I have also seen a post here about making one out of PVC pipe.
We get most of our games for free because we do our catalog fundraiser with them. You can make games real cheap. Toilet seat toss would be easy, just get a toilet seat donated. Pop bottle toss, have parents bring them in, give them a predetermined number of tickets for doing so. Same with Cake walk. Make a fishing game out of a refigerator box, borrow a pool for the duck pond. Bingo is a good game.
Our Fall Festival this year is pretty simple, but fun for everyone.
We are having booths...nail painting, face painting, and rub on tatoos. We are selling tickets, just a quarter a booth. You get 5 tickets for a dollar or a quarter each. Its a better deal for the parents. We also have a scarecrow contest (each class makes their own) and that is judged by parents. We are also doing a Variety Show. The music dept. is hosting it, and running the whole thing. It should be fun. Our Book Fair is also that night, so that will bring in more money for our Media Center and Tech.
We don't do big blow ups or anything like that. Of course, we are still only at 415 students, which in our area is small.
HELP! We are trying to improve our carnival. This is my first year planning and and found that things aren't cheap to rent! Any ideas on how to make a carnival booth? What about prizes? Has anyone ever held a cook off? If so what were the prizes? Thanks for the Info!