Last year we had a Family game night. We had competition between the kids and their parents, teachers and eachother. We also did some events where the child and their parents went up against the other kids and their parents. It turned out to be a huge success! We are going to make this an annual event. We also have bingo night, fall festival, and more. We try to do soemthing at least once a month, at night, for the parents to attend. f you want more info, let me know.
Yes - I suggest you move to Austin, join our PTO, and chair OUR family night <grin>. We've had no luck finding a volunteer for that position yet!
We've done really easy stuff like family nights at skating or miniature golf centers where the night is focused on our school. Those are a lot of fun, and almost zero effort (a flyer). And they can be a small fundraiser if your PTO gets a percentage of the admissions.
Our big Spring Family Fling has included a carnival in the past. However the past couple years, we've moved to a night event and had silent auction, bingo (properly licensed), a sock hop, and concessions. This takes a fair amount of planing, but we've also considered just doing the bingo/sock hop as a more simple version for Fall. It would be a pretty low investment both in terms of time and money. Plus - everyone has a blast.
I would like to chair a family night in the future. I would like an event that interacts parents and students. This could be fun and/or educational. It would not neccessarily be a fund raising event. Any good suggestions?