Party plans: Pencil Exchange!

I have always loved back-to-school time.It's such a fun time of year! I think buying school supplies ranked in the top 3 of things-to-look-forward-to as a kid.
Today I want to share an idea for a party I've been mulling over for a while now: a pencil exchange.
(It's not as nerdy as it sounds)
This would be a great party to celebrate an early fall birthday or just as a fun back-to-school celebration!
The inspiration behind this is everything that makes you think of going back to school: apples, pencils, notebook paper.

To throw this party, you would want an even dozen party guests, including your own children. On the invitation, ask each guest to bring 12 pencils of their choice to share. The dollar spot at Target is a great place to find packs of cute pencils--glitter, rainbow, all kinds of patterns. Jason thinks I'm a nerd because I always want to buy them.
Once all the guests have arrived, have everyone exchange their pencils. At the end of the exchange, everyone should have a dozen different cute pencils to use at school!
Here are some other fun back-to-school activities you could do at this party.

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I hope I've gotten some ideas rolling for some fun back-to-school celebration! I'm gonna give my girls a few more years before I really start pushing the pencil exchange :)
How do you celebrate a new school year?