Bus-Stop Bagel Bash

If getting up early to catch the bus is part of going back to school at your home, you'll appreciate the Bus-Stop Bagel Bash, brainchild of FAMILYFUN reader Sharon Lawton of Martinsville, New Jersey. It's a fun, low-stress way to ease into your new schedule, since it takes place on the day before school starts.

Invitations can be as casual as a phone call and the party fare as simple as bagels, cream cheese (bring plastic knives for spreading), and some juice boxes. If you want to go all out, hand-deliver invitations (one idea: write them out on colored paper napkins), decorate a little red wagon with streamers, and bring a picnic blanket and a thermos of premium coffee for the adults.

Not only is breakfast at the bus stop a treat, but it's also a chance for first-time riders to see the other kids who will be waiting with them each morning. Plus, it's no big deal if you're running late!

TIP: Have your kids make a card for the bus driver that everyone signs at the Bus-Stop Bagel Bash. Hand it to him or her on the first day of school--along with a bagel in a brown paper bag and some juice or a chocolate drink to enjoy on a break.

Here is an example of an invitation:

COME TO OUR BUS-STOP BAGEL BASH

Why
To rehearse for the first day of school and kick off a super new school year!

Who
Everyone who waits at the bus stop on Elm Street to catch bus #33 to King Elementary School

When
The day before the first day of school, Tuesday, September 7th, 8:15 A.M. (our regular pickup time!)

Where
The Elm Street bus stop

Bring
Your school gear, a grin, and a good appetite--the Smith family will supply the rest

More Back-to-School Morning Routines & Breakfasts »