Gingerbread House Class Party

For the past 3 years my daughter's teacher has allowed or requested us to host a gingerbread house party.  This is one of the easiest class activities to organize, it always gets great participation from the parents and the kids LOVE it.  Below I've listed the best process to have a successful party.

1. Edit and send the letter below home explaining what you are doing and ask each child to bring a SPECIFIC bag of candy AND 1 tub of frosting (their choice).  There is a sample letter below, just right click and select download to download this letter, edit and use yourself!  And make sure you send the letter home and/or by e-mail at least one week in advance (and then send a reminder:).  
2. As the items come in the teacher should write the child's name on the tub of frosting and keep track of what candy was sent in.  You can use the sheet below to track your items.  Again, just right click on the sheet, select download and you can download this document to edit and use yourself.  The reason you label the frosting is so each child can use their own tub of frosting.  And it is easy to see who has brought theirs in and who still needs to send theirs in.
3. Make the gingerbread houses.  It is so much easier to pre-make these at home and just bring them assembled.  It cuts the class time WAY down and allows the children to do what they love - decorate!  Here are instructions for how I make mine.  Please STOP hot gluing graham crackers to milk cartons!!  I always make a few extra just in case one breaks. 
4. The day of the party bring plastic table clothes to cover the desks (I buy them at the dollar store), white Styrofoam divided plates to place the candy in (they always sell these at Walmart during the holidays), Popsicle or craft sticks (I buy from the dollar store) the students use these to put the frosting on their house, plates for the students to make their houses on, and gallon size ziploc bags to send the houses home in.  You can also bring in sugar cones for the students to decorate a a tree or you can make this one of the items you ask parents to send in.  

Below I have pictures of how I set my room up and how the students got creative with their decorating.