Submitted by Rhonda Schilling, Wisconsin
Idea posted October 19, 2006
I have given lots of non-food rewards. My students' favorites were:
- Bouncy balls - Warn them if they have a baby sibling at home to keep it out of their reach! I bought them in bulk on eBay, 500 or so for $30.
- Spinning tops that draw - the tips are pencils (with replaceable leads) - (Oriental Trading Co.)
- Rubber bracelets with various messages - Oriental Trading Co, 100 for $20
- Pencils or anything with money or dollar symbols
- I also wrote to local businesses and asked them to donate coupons or gift certificates. I explained that I have over 420 students, and that it is very expensive to purchase even cheap prizes. (So far, I've received 50 tickets to a dress rehearsal for "Beauty and the Beast," and I'm waiting to hear back from McDonald's, KFC, a local ice cream place, etc.)
I'm also going to do a drawing can. If students complete something or do something great, they get to put their name in the jar. Then, I'll draw names for goodies each week.