10 Non-Vendor Health Fair Ideas

My husband Gary is helping plan his high school’s health fair this year so we’ve been brainstorming lately.  Local health-related vendors tend to be the direction most schools go for their fairs, but unsurprisingly kids really aren’t interested in most vendors unless they are giving out unhealthy treats.  Parents are not always fans of vendors either…we’ve all had those awkward experiences of walking by a chiropractor at a fair trying not to make eye contact or having to act like you’re listening to vendor’s schpeel because you are too polite to just walk by.  Or is that just me?!

The following ideas can be used in conjunction with vendors or instead of vendors.  I like the idea of rotating activities and doing different things each year so that family participation stays high.

1. A Taste of Fitness:  Getting exercise added to your fair is highly recommended.  Try having 3-4 different 20-minute samples of different fitness activities in the gym or community center such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Nia, InterPlay, Zumba, Just Dance Wii, Square Dancing, Swing Dancing, Hip Hop, Line Dancing…mix it up and try different things each year!

 2. Funny Family Fitness Challenges: Three related people make up a ‘family’ and they pick one or more categories to compete in with other families for top honors. Prizes could be silly trophies or gift cards to a local sporting good store.

• Grooviest Family- use stopwatch and time hula hooping lengths (add challenges after 1 minute for those awesome hula hoopers), add up times, highest wins
• Stretchiest Family-pike and reach score, add up inches, highest wins
• Quickest Family-cup stacking times, add up times, lowest wins
• Bounciest Family-jump roping (add challenges after 20 jumps for those unstoppable jumpers), add up times, highest wins

Other ideas: balloon bop, relays, big jump rope, or minute-to-win-it type things

3. The Less Stress Room: Have 20-minute samples of stress management techniques such as family yoga/partner yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, irest relaxation, trigger point massage, EFT, or hand reflexology.

4. DIY Room: Make homemade lip balm, bathtub scrub, counter cleaner, toothpaste, deodorant, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, or window spray.  Most can be made with simple ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, coconut oil, and essential oils. DIY Natural has lots of great recipes.  Recycled Gatorade or water bottles work great as containers to hold the science experiments.

5. Eco Art Room: Help decorate compost bins and rain barrels (perhaps every family paints on a bug or flower) and then auction them off at an upcoming Bingo or Raffle Night.

6. Food Education Room: Have 20-minute presentations by local alternative health care practicioners or play health-related TED talks.  Presentation title ideas could include Ask the Nutritionist, How’s It Made (with puffed cereal, canola oil, etc), Whoa Foods and Go Foods, All About Gluten, or The Bugs in Your Gut.  There is a really great youtube video of a nine-year old boy cooking one of Jaime Oliver’s burger recipes that I think would be really inspiring for families.

7. Displays made by Families:  Similar to a science fair, but this time the parents can claim some credit for their efforts!  Families can choose any healthy/green topic they are interested in…Earth health, organic gardening, solar power, rain forest, recycling…ideas are infinite.  They could even share a healthy recipe or snack idea.  Have voting and prizes for the winners, of course!

8. Cold and Flu Prevention 101: Fairs tend to be held in October through March which is also cold and flu season.  Have a local naturopath, chiropractor, or health food store owner teach some simple prevention strategies and ways to fight them once they strike.  You might find yourself trying a wet sock treatment for your next cold!

9. Super Salad Room:  Kids make and then everyone eats!  Try the recipe from Jaime Oliver’s Food Foundation, its simple: spinach, apples, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon, yogurt, salt and pepper…yum!  Learn about the super foods in it as you prepare.

10. The Pollination Game:  Learn why pollination by bees is so important and why bees are in danger, then learn how to play the pollination game and let the fun begin! It involves walking around the fair sneaking clothes pins (the wood kind with metal springs) on an adult’s clothing without them knowing…at the end of the night, the clothes pins can be brought home and used for chip bag clips.

11. Health Bazaar: This is a vendor idea so I didn’t count it in my top 10, but since it’s a unique kind of vendor, I still wanted to share the idea. Invite local farmer’s market vendors to sell their bread, eggs, beef sticks, olive oil, honey, soaps, body care products, produce, etc.  Support local artisans and help families connect with nearby farmers.

Forward this list onto your school’s Wellness Committee to help get their creative juices flowing and never hesitate to ask your PTO to help finance your creative ideas.  Local businesses love sponsoring health events also!