Olde Tyme Association · Prep Checklist

Fourth Grade Open Day

September 17, 2026 · 9 AM – 1 PM · Heritage Sites at Fairgrounds · 600+ children expected

Quick budget reference

Take-home souvenirs	$900–$1,200
Port-a-johns (5 units)	$400–$600
Water bottles + snacks	$300–$500
Volunteer lunch	$200–$300
Printed materials/maps	$150–$250
Forge supplies, straw, corn, candles	$200–$400
Total	~$2,150–$3,250

Phase 1 — Coordination & Schools (Now – Aug 28)

School district liaison

Confirm participating schools and grade (4th); get contact name + cell for each teacher/lead
Get final attendance number confirmed in writing from each school (target: 600+ headcount incl. teachers/chaperones)
Confirm each school’s arrival and departure window (stagger groups of ~100–150 across the morning)
Distribute a one-page teacher packet to every classroom: map, schedule, parking/drop-off, what-to-bring, rain plan
Get a signed permission/field-trip form template from each school if required
Confirm transportation: bus drop-off loop, bus parking area, rain contingency for buses

Insurance & liability

Confirm the association’s liability policy covers student field-trip events; request a certificate if the school board asks
Confirm background-check requirements for volunteers (many districts require this — check with the schools)

Phase 2 — Program & Stations (by Sept 5)

Rotation schedule

Build a rotation of 6–8 stations (~8–10 min each) so ~75–100 kids cycle through in ~75 min
With 600 kids, plan ~6 waves across the morning; ~110 min per group incl. transit/bathroom

Recommended hands-on stations

One-Room Schoolhouse — slate boards, ink pens, recite a 1900 lesson, ring the bell
Log Cabin — cooking on a wood stove, dip candles, churn butter
Round Barn tour — implements, loft, the silo, "what is a round barn?" talk
Blacksmith forge demo — kid-safe distance, small souvenir (hook or nail) to take home
Wheat threshing / winnowing — kids help bundle and thresh
Crosscut saw & log cutting — two-man saw, kids assist with a scaled-down version
Corn shelling & hand-grinder — kids shell an ear of corn
Antique tractor display & "turn-the-crank" station — tractor parade at end of each wave

Materials to prepare per station

Station script/cheat sheet (what to say in 5 min)
A station lead + 2–3 volunteers each (8 stations × 3 = ~24 volunteers minimum; aim for 30)
All props prepped and staged (slate boards, chalk, ink pens, candles, churns, corn, straw, kid-safe saw)
Take-home items for every child (~$1.50–2/kid → ~$1,200 budget)

Phase 3 — Logistics & Facilities (by Sept 12)

Site preparation

Walk the grounds for safety: trip hazards, low branches, loose boards, wasp nests, standing water
Mowing — grounds cut two days before
Restrooms — confirm fairgrounds restrooms work; rent 4–6 port-a-johns + 1 ADA unit
Hand-washing/sanitizer stations at every station and near food
Electricity for forge blower, any demo, and the schoolhouse PA
Drinking water — fill station or hand out water bottles; kids dehydrate fast in September heat

Parking & traffic

Bus loop mapped and coned; greeter at the entrance to direct buses
Bus parking area (off the visitor loop, not the kid grounds)
Handicapped/teacher parking near the meeting point
Signs out on Hwy 336: "School Day Event — Buses Enter Here"

Stations infrastructure

Canopies or umbrellas for shade at each outdoor station
Rain plan — identify what moves indoors (print shop, schoolhouse, round barn) and what cancels
Trash cans at every station + dumpster staged
First-aid station — central, staffed, with a licensed nurse/EMT if possible

Phase 4 — People & Communications (by Sept 3–10)

Volunteers

Recruit 30+ volunteers — station leads, greeters, bus marshals, bathroom monitors, first aid, floaters
Volunteer briefing meeting 1–2 weeks before — hand out scripts, schedules, maps, contact list
Background checks completed for every volunteer (if district requires)
Volunteer thank-you plan — lunch on-site, thank-you note after

Teacher/school communication

Send final logistics packet to each school 10 days out: arrival/dismissal, bus map, station map, rotation, rain plan, lunch plan, what to wear, emergency contacts
Confirm each school’s lunch plan — 600 kids eating in 1 hour needs a big grassy area or staggered rotation

Phase 5 — Food & Drink (by Sept 10)

For the kids

Decide: sack lunches from home (simplest), catered box lunches, or a hot lunch station
Set up a water/Gatorade station — budget ~600 bottles + extras for volunteers
Snack station — apples or trail mix for kids who didn’t bring lunch
Allergy coordination — ask schools to flag nut/gluten allergies; have labeled alternatives

For volunteers & teachers

Volunteer lunch — simple sandwich/hot dog line, drinks, coffee for the early crew
Teacher hospitality — coffee and a snack station for teachers/chaperones

Phase 6 — Curriculum & Take-Home (by Sept 10)

Materials

Teacher pre-visit packet — vocabulary, history of the round barn, what life was like in 1900
Post-visit packet — worksheet or writing prompt for back in class
Take-home souvenir ordered and counted (1 per child + 50 extras)
Passport / stamp card — every station stamps a card; full card earns a small prize or certificate
Printed map for every group leader — stations, bathrooms, first aid, assembly point

Phase 7 — Final Week (Sept 10 – Sept 16)

Final prep

Final headcount from every school; confirm bus count
Final volunteer roster locked; every station has a lead + backup
Weather watch — confirm rain plan, decide cutoff time
Site walkthrough 2 days before — all stations staged, props in place, signs up
Forge lit and tested the morning of Sept 16
Restrooms/port-a-johns delivered (1–2 days before)
All stations labeled with big numbers (1, 2, …) so teachers can follow the map
First-aid kit stocked; emergency contact list printed
Group text thread for all volunteers the night before; final huddle time confirmed
Volunteer briefing the evening before or 7 AM the morning of — all leads walk their stations

Phase 8 — Day-of, Thursday Sept 17

Setup (6:30 – 8:30 AM)

All station leads arrive by 6:30
Stations staged, props set, canopies up
Forge lit and banked by 7:30
Restrooms stocked, water stations filled
First-aid station open by 7:30
Greeters and bus marshals at the entrance by 8:15
Volunteer huddle 8:15 — prayer/welcome, schedule, safety reminders
Final radio/phone check for all leads

Operation (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM)

First bus wave greeted at 9:00; assign a greeter guide to each bus group
Groups rotate on the 8–10 min schedule; a floater watches the clock and signals moves
Tractor parade at end of each wave (small antique tractor loop)
Bathroom monitor replenishes tp/sanitizer hourly
Trash sweep every 45 min
Water station restocked mid-morning (10:30)
Lunch wave — rotate schools through lunch area to avoid crush
First-aid log kept; any incident documented and reported to the school
Photographer captures 2–3 stations per wave for newsletter and Facebook (with school permission)

Dismissal (12:30 – 1:00 PM)

Last wave wraps by 12:30
Buses loaded by 12:45; depart by 1:00
Each kid gets their take-home souvenir at the exit
Lost-and-found table at the exit; teachers check it before leaving
Board member greets each bus and thanks the teachers

Teardown (1:00 – 2:30 PM)

Stations broken down; props packed and labeled
Trash hauled
Forge banked and cooled
Port-a-johns scheduled for pickup the next day
Volunteer thank-you lunch/snacks served
Quick debrief — what worked, what to change for 2027

Phase 9 — After the Event

Follow-up

Thank-you letters to schools, teachers, bus drivers, and volunteers
Photos to schools for their newsletters/yearbooks
Newsletter feature in the October issue (thank-you to donors and grantors)
Debrief at the next monthly meeting; lock the 2027 School Days date
Inventory — remaining supplies counted, props stored for next year
Expenses reconciled against any school district or grant funding

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