by Eric McKinley-Brewer and Judy McKinley-Brewer
Summertime
is family time. As your family spreads its wings and settles all
over the globe, a family reunion becomes something to cherish.
And from the party's initial planning stages right through to
when the last guests pick up their keepsakes, your family
computer can play a key role in the event. What's more, your
family will have hours of fun at the computer before the party
even starts.
For our family reunion we used our computer to create a logo,
make invitations, organize the guest list, manage an online
reunion, make a family tree, decorate, play party games, and make
prizes. The 13 activities and projects that follow cover
everything from advanced planning to reunion activities to ways
to keep your family in touch well after the reunion is over. Of
course, you may want to add your own touches to our reunion plan.
No matter what approach you take, make sure you include your
family computer on your reunion committee.
CREATE THE FAMILY LOGO
WHEN: One month before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: A paint program
A fun logo for your family reunion lends pizzazz and a common
theme to everything from invitations to party decorations. Ask
your kids to use their favorite paint program to draw a few (we
did six) full-page caricatures or drawings of some of your family
members (you'll also use these for party decorations later).
Encourage your kids to include identifying details like
hairstyle, glasses, and typical attire. Provide old photos or
brief suggestions for people your children don't remember. Pets
are OK subjects, too. Let the kids have fun, and don't worry
about the particulars -- if lanky Uncle John turns out
short-legged, that's part of the fun. Don't forget to save each
caricature.
Next, sketch a well-branched tree for the logo, and then shrink
down all the elements and arrange the caricatures around it. If
you prefer, you can skip the tree and place the characters in a
cozy circle. If you are using a paint program like Paint for
Windows95, import the caricatures by selecting Paste from File on
the Edit menu. In ClarisWorks, use File, Insert.... If your
program has no menu choice for inserting pictures, you can always
open the character file and copy it to the Clipboard, open the
tree file and select Paste, and then scale the image. Repeat this
process until all the characters are in place.
Make sure the logo is something you and the kids both like.
You'll use it again and again throughout the party, so you and
your guests will be seeing a lot of it.
MAKE AN INVITATION
WHEN TO DO IT: One month before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: Old family photos, family reunion logo, paint
program
Use a paint program to import your family logo to a blank
document, opened in landscape mode. Center the logo near the
bottom margin, which will be the inside of your card, and use the
scaling tools to adjust the logo's size to approximately three
inches in diameter. The blank spaces to the left and right of the
logo will carry your party details.
Select an old-fashioned font (such as Americana) or a casual
handwritten font (Signature). In the space to the left, type in
party particulars: "Come to the gathering for fun and
chatter; Sunday, July 21..." On the right side of the page,
indicate RSVP and request that guests bring along a traditional
or favorite recipe, an anecdote to share, or a photo. Of course,
include your email address and phone number for RSVPs.
Divide the upper half of a horizontal or landscape page into
quarters lengthwise. When you assemble your invitation, you'll
fold the top half of the page backward, and then the two ends
will fold forward to create the front flaps of the card. These
two flaps will create a barn door-style opening that will be the
cover of the invitation. An old family photo is perfect for the
cover.
Import the family photo to the top half of the card. Scale it to
fit in the center two quarters, and save. Add your party slogan,
"We've Been Apart Too Long, Get Back to Your Roots," or
"We've Branched Out a Lot." Use the same font you chose
for the inside message, in a larger size, and place the slogan
under your photo. Make a duplicate of both the photo and the text
by using the copy feature of your paint software. Now rotate one
copy of the photo and text 180 degrees and move it to the left,
so half the photo and text hang off the left edge of the sheet.
Repeat the process with the other copy, moving the photo and text
to the right. When the card is folded, the left and right halves
of the photo will come together to make a complete picture. In a
drawing or paint program, the edges of the photo will not print,
even though you'll see them on the screen.
Print a sample, trim, fold, and make adjustments to your template
accordingly. Print the invitation on heavy paper (about 60
pounds; make sure you check your printer's manual, because some
printers require a manual feed for this weight). If you are
having a large gathering (say, over 40 invitations), take the
original to a copy service -- your old photos will look great in
black and white, and it's a lot cheaper than printing in color.
The invitations will fit in a standard card envelope, no. 5H,
available in a variety of colors in large office-supply stores.
SHORTCUT
You can buy programs that specialize in making invitations -- for
example, Hallmark Connections Card Studio (Windows CD-ROM, $50
street; Micrografx, 800-676-3110) and CardShop Plus Deluxe (Mac
and Windows CD-ROM, $59.95 street; Mindscape, 800-234-3088 or
415-897-9900).
ORGANIZE YOUR GUEST LIST
WHEN TO DO IT: One month before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: A spreadsheet from a works program
If your reunion invitation list includes far-flung family
members, consider setting up a spreadsheet to help you stay
organized. ClarisWorks 4.0 and Microsoft Works both offer good,
simple spreadsheets. Start with columns for name, address, phone,
email address, and check-offs for photo, RSVP, recipe title, and
anecdotal information.
SET UP AN ONLINE CHAT
WHEN TO DO IT: One month before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: An online account and email
A unique way to prepare for your reunion is to invite your
relatives (or those who can participate) to join in an online
family chat. It's easy to set up a private chat room on America
Online just by going to People Connection and selecting Private
Room. Tell everyone the name of your room and when you plan on
"talking." Use the chat to plan the event and the
details of travel. Roundtable chats are also an excellent way to
keep in touch after everyone returns home.
While not everyone you're inviting will have an AOL account, they
still may have some type of email account -- either at home or at
work. You can go the simple route of emailing each other with
messages and news.
CREATE A FAMILY HEIRLOOM TABLECLOTH
WHEN: One week before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: Iron-on transfer printer paper, ink-jet printer,
cloth or bedsheet
The new iron-on transfer papers that work with ink-jet printers
make it a breeze to add computer-generated artwork to items that
don't fit into a printer, so you can create all sorts of unique
items. To make a tablecloth, for example, use iron-on transfer
sheets and an ink-jet printer to place the caricatures that you
created for your family logo around the edges of your cloth or
bedsheet. If you own a Canon printer, you can use TR-101 T-shirt
transfers (a special paper available from Canon for Canon
printers only). If you own a printer from another manufacturer,
you can use the new Awesome Iron-On Kit from PrintPaks, which
contains everything that you need to create iron-on images and
will work with any ink-jet printer.
Size the images that you and your kids created for the logo,
arranging them in pairs, touching hands, to fit sideways
(landscape mode) on the transfers. Print several copies of each
pair, and space them around the edges of the cloth. You can use
these iron-ons for future reunions -- they are washable and made
to last.
SHORTCUT
For a less permanent tablecloth than the one we describe in the
main text, print your characters onto full-sheet label paper and
apply the designs to a disposable paper tablecloth.
TABLETOP DECORATIONS
WHEN: One week before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: Foam board, 8 1/2- by 11-inch Avery #5156 label
paper, digitized photo (optional), caricatures (from logo
project), dowels for standing the dolls up
Print each of your favorite caricatures as large as will fit on a
sheet of 8H- by 11-inch label paper. If you can, make your
caricatures even more realistic by first substituting photographs
for the hand-drawn faces you created for your logo.
Now use Flip (or Reflect, depending on your program) to make a
mirror image of your character. Stick one of the images to foam
board and cut it out with a craft knife. Cut and position the
mirror image, and touch up the edges as necessary. Use colored
tape or permanent markers to fill in the white cut-foam edges.
Carefully make a hole in each foot for a pencil or five-inch
section of dowel.
To substitute a face from a photo into your drawing, use a
photo-retouching utility. Circle the photo face with the
Selection tool and copy it to the Clipboard. Switch to your
drawing program and click on Paste. Resize the photo face, and
position it over the cartoon figure.
FAMILYPC TIP
An outdoor party is likely to have water and beverages flying
about, so it's a good idea to seal all your paper projects that
involve inks. We recommend Design Master Super Surface Sealer
#656, available at craft stores. Make sure an adult does the
spraying, in a well-ventilated area.
MAKE A
BANNER FOR YOUR MAILBOX OR STREET
WHEN: One week before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: Muslin or jersey fabric, family logo, fabric
transfer sheets, or label paper
Transfer your family reunion logo to an 18- by 30-inch piece of
jersey or muslin fabric, or a piece of bedsheet using iron-on
transfer sheets. You can add text, such as the family name, the
word Reunion, or simply a phrase like The Party's Here.
Again, fabric transfers will look best, but sticky label paper is
an acceptable substitute. An 8H- by 11-inch logo is fine, but for
maximum effect, use the tiling feature in your drawing or paint
program to print a larger image to several transfer sheets.
Tiling lets you create a large printed image by breaking it up
into tiles that you print on standard-size paper. You then line
up the tiles to create the oversize image. In our case, the
banner was tiled into six 8H- by 11-inch sheets. The trick to
making this look neat and professional is to trim and place all
the transfer sheets at once, before you iron. Then heat the iron
and transfer the sheets in sequence, being careful not to touch
the iron to places on the cloth that have already been
transferred. For a longer-lasting banner, use pinking shears or
turn the edges of the material.
If you live in a rural or suburban setting, consider draping the
flag over your mailbox. The fabric we used is 15 by 40 inches;
you may need to size yours proportionally for your box. Turn the
narrow ends back to form pockets three inches deep, to hold small
weights that will keep your flag in place. Apply a transfer to
each end of the fabric, which hangs like a saddlebag over your
mailbox.
CREATE A FAMILY TREE
WHEN: At the party, as the guests arrive
WHAT YOU NEED: Family photographs, scanner, family-tree software
(either Family Tree Maker from Broderbund or Family Gathering
from Palladium)
Remember those photos you asked all your guests to bring to the
reunion? As the guests arrive, help them scan in their photo and
fill in information in either Family Tree Maker or Family
Gathering. Guests will need to enter their birthdates and
indicate who their parents and children are. You can also get
them to add an anecdote or memory about the family if they've got
the patience (and a story worth telling). You can either print
the entire family tree at the party or "doctor it up"
after the party and send a copy to each guest as a memento. You
can add to the family tree during the course of the year.
CREATE TEAMS
WHEN: Before the party
WHAT YOU NEED: White or light-colored T-shirts and plain hats,
your family logo, iron-on transfer paper
Putting your family logo on T-shirts and hats is a great way to
create lasting party favors. If you get two colors of T-shirts or
hats, you'll also be able to use them as team markers for your
family reunion games. Instead of defining teams by family
membership, try to equalize the sizes, ages, and skill levels of
the teams -- teaming young kids with a parent or big brother or
sister will guarantee fun for all. Iron-on transfer papers make
it relatively easy to print your logo onto many kinds of fabric
objects. The idea is to print the logo on the iron-ons and then
iron them onto the T-shirts and hats.
Reunion games are a great way to shake off the effects of
all-too-good eating. Remember all the favorites? Capture the
Flag, Blind Man's Bluff, Red Rover, Simon Says, Red Light/Green
Light, Mother May I? Kids love the movement and activity of these
classic games.
If you want to add an official look to your games (from
wheelbarrow race to sack race to three-legged race), add a
special touch with those big pin-on numbers that marathoners and
bike racers wear. You can use any word processor. Just select an
easy-to-read font like Helvetica and the largest point size your
word processor can produce, up to 400 point. Type in a number,
and surround it with wingdings, mini-logos, or other decorations.
Save the file and print in black and white. Select the number,
replace with another, and print again. Use safety pins to attach
the numbers to the game participants' clothes.
FAMILYPC TIP
If you're tight on time or budget, just make badges or name tags
with your family logo and forgo the T-shirts and hats. Use your
logo and print the badges on two colors of card stock, one for
each team. Seal the card stock between sheets of Avery
self-adhesive laminate. Use a paper punch to make holes, and use
large brass safety pins or diaper pins to fasten the badges to
hats (the way you do fishing licenses) -- or pass the badges out
for people to pin where they choose.
CREATE THE PRIZES
WHAT YOU NEED: A word processor, desktop publishing program,
glue, paper plates
Even those of us who want to encourage cooperation rather than
fierce competition love to win "prizes." Use the
computer to create some one-of-a-kind prizes.
One idea is to create silly awards, such as
"Giggliest," "Most Energetic," "Most
Relaxed," "Best Sport," "Best Party
Spirit" -- whichever are relevant to your family members. Be
sure to select some categories that kids or older partygoers are
likely to "win."
Again, use your family logo. Purchase paper plates in a solid
color, any size, to match your decor and logo. Use your paint or
drawing program to create a circular golden medallion outline
that will fit the base of the plate. If your program has a
symmetry tool, use it to make a multipointed star or pattern.
Size your logo to fit just inside the emblem's border, and save
it as a template.
Then, using a font like Calligraphic, type in "Presented to
the Most Graceful Jumper," draw a line for the winner's
name, and add your party particulars ("Sunday, July 21, in
the Year 1996"). Save the file, print it, and keep making
new awards by substituting the title for the new award each time
you print. Take each printout, cut out the award medallion, and
glue the medallion to the center of a plate. For extra flash,
take an 8-inch piece of ribbon that you've doubled and stick it
under the edge of the medallion as you glue it on.
FAMILYPC TIP
Create "funny money" for race and game winners. Draw a
rectangle and place the party logo in it, framed by decorations
or denominations. At the end of the party, use the money to
auction off leftovers or decorative elements you're willing to
part with -- the tablecloth, table decorations, puppets, and so
on.
SHORTCUTS
Purchase preprinted certificate paper and print ready-made
awards. You can use a desktop publishing program like Microsoft
Publisher CD Deluxe for Windows95 (Windows95 CD-ROM, $74.95
street; 800-426-9400 or 206-882-8080), or you can go with less
powerful but easier-to-use programs like Print Shop Deluxe
Ensemble II for Mac and Windows (CD-ROM, $80 each; Broderbund,
800-521-6263 or 415-382-4400).
If you just want to make a few quick certificates, look in the
Borders section of your clip-art collection. Print your selected
border as large as possible on a full sheet, type in the
presentation information, save as a template, and then re-enter
just the award title for each prize.
THE PUPPET SHOW
WHEN: At the reunion
WHAT YOU NEED: Dolls from table decoration, impromptu puppet
theater with sheets
It's time for the foam-board characters you made for table
decoration to do double duty as fantastic puppets. For an
impromptu theater, tip a table onto its side or stretch a
bedspread between trees. Suggest a familiar fairy-tale story line
to be acted out by your family puppets -- Grandma playing Red
Riding Hood and little cousin Will as the Big Bad Wolf.
THE FAMILY TRIVIA CONTEST
WHEN: Prepare questions one week before the event
WHAT YOU NEED: A word processor, printouts of documents, some
pencils
Think of some things that would really get the relatives talking
to each other and finding out things about each other's lives.
What piano piece is cousin Julie studying now? What colleges did
Harry apply to? Who's the youngest in the room? Who's the oldest?
Who's lived in the most places?
Type your questions on a page, leaving room for answers, and
print a copy for each guest. Give each person his own sheet and
send the guests off to find the answers. (Read the page aloud
once for young ones or pair them with a reader.) You can give
everyone a sheet at the beginning of the party and have guests
work on the answers throughout the party, or you can set aside a
specific chunk of time to complete the contest. Make sure to
review the questions aloud once the contest is over, as everyone
will be interested in the answers. This is a great icebreaker if
your relatives haven't seen each other in a while.
THE FAMILY REUNION RECIPE MEMORY BOOK
WHEN: After the party's over
WHAT YOU NEED: Desktop publishing software, binding tool, family
recipes
Remember those recipes you asked for in the invitations? Use them
to create a family cookbook, with photos and family anecdotes.
Decorate it with clip art, too, and take it to a print shop for
professional binding. Your family can add to it every year.