School fete novice - what should I volunteer to do?

[MrsFogi]

I'm going to help at dd's school fete in summer. What should I volunteer to do that doesn't require any skill on my part and also won't cost me (as cash is somewhat tight since I've been made redundant)?
Also what should I avoid volunteering to do?
It's a small pre-school fete btw.

IME I'd volunteer to run as fast as i could in the opposite direction

Failing that i'd offer to be on the cake and candy stall. Get first choice and it always sells fast so shouldn't be there for long.

Man the cake stall.
Man any of the stalls.They are all pretty easy really.
I used to like doing the tombola.
Shouldn't cost you anything really other than what you personally want to buy.

You could organise a tombola - leaflet/cajole/bully the parents into donating unwanted presents, bottles etc. My PTA tends to have 2 - one for children where the prizes are quite small - a pencil, a small bag of sweets etc, and then an adults' one with bottles of wine etc. Only outlay is the raffle tickets and the sellotape to attach the 0s and 5s to the prizes.

how about volunteering to run a nail varnishing/ tattooing stall? Buy tattoos from baker ross (tgake cost from proceeds) and ask for donations of bottle of nail varnish - poke in reduced bins at sale time for cheap odd colours. can charge say 20p for nails or a tattoo, and is easy money.

don't volunteer to do facepainting - is back-breaking!

cakes and tombolas get very very busy and things are different prices and you need to have to faff about with tickets or pricing.

You need to go on a Guess... stall. Like Guess how many sweets in teh jar, guess the name of the baby, guesswhat's in teh Easter egg.

20p a shot, always the same. You need to make up an attractive 100 square grid or whatever. You will need a prize for the winner.

Easy peasy pudding and pie

or get photos of teachers as babies. Match teh picture with the memeber of staff. Make up answer sheets. Charge 20p. Prize for most correct.

Fun. Easy. No hassle for you.

if you get an easy stall, it's quite fun. Honest

We have a universal price for our cake stall, if it's on one table it's 50p etc no faffing.

Guess the... stalls are good

Icing biscuits - incredibly popular but the messiest thing ever. Buy digestives, make glace icing with assorted food colouring (to make the kids extra hyper), sprinkles, silver balls etc. They get to do what they want with their biscuit for 10 or 20p a pop.

None of this should cost you anything - whatever your outlay, deduct it from the proceeds of the stall. ALl you're donating is your time.

Riven - I regularly do the facepainting - but generally end up stooping over a child sitting on a stool - hence the backbreaking after 2.5 hours without a break. I do enjoy it though!

so whaddya think, fogi?

NEVER, EVER volunteer to 'man' the bouncy castle...(speaks from experience, shudder).

bags is right. The stress would turn you white

DON'T DO THE BOUNCY CASTLE

People will sue you and everything

I know bags has said it but I felt I had to shout and reiterate

or the candy floss

do second hand books

vvv easy

don't do 'decorate a .....'. Such a gitter. So messy. You try to clear up a bit for each new customer but soon find yourself facing a losing battle

I actually felt a surge of anxiety thinking of the bouncy castle. It is dire. I suggested they hire a bunch of 6 foot plus menacing bouncers for that for next year.

Also, I once had to find space for about 200 new;ly decorated baubles to dry until tehend of the fair. Had them hanging up every wall bar in teh room.

yes and you have to be polite while Laura eats all your icing and Matthew pours it all over the table

The thing with books and selling things is that you will almost certainly have a lot left over at the end and then you feel obliged to help tidy the remainder away.

With Guess the... you have a list or a large grid to chukc in the bin. And off you walk.