How to Host A Drive-in Movie Night

Pinterest to Program!

Alrighty then...we're back!  Just that like that!  

We've wanted to do this program, in the library, for more than two years and alas, we made it happen.  SO. MUCH. FUN.  I mean it.  You need to do this for the cute factor alone.

I pinned this idea to my pinterest page ages ago.  Promoted the idea in a department meeting in January and by July our kids were zooming around the program room. O.M.Goodness!

My plan began with boxes, supplies and a movie.  

Paper plate tires from Target

Volunteers cut out yellow construction paper headlights/taillights before the program

Assortment of stickers

Blue paper and white chalk for you license plate (obviously I have a Vanity Plate! JANE12 )

Mounting squares to stick on tires and lights

Big red paper for front of car and sticky spray to make it stay (this was done before program)

I decided on a movie ahead of time.  Corduroy.  20 minutes.  Perfection.  A wonderfully retro movie that I adore with just the right amount of suspense for all ages..  Kids were ages 3-5 with siblings on both sides of that.  Parents were assorted ages!  

Boxes came from everywhere.  You know, it takes a village!  Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, our local Family Resource Center and our branch manager. We had plenty of boxes.

Twenty minutes of car building...parents really enjoyed helping with this.  One table featured tire installation!

Headlights and detailing on two other tables.  

License plates were of your own design on the backside of the car.  White chalk on blue rectangles.  

Eventually we all pulled into parking places.  Some even backed in!  The sun set in the story time room and the movie began. (please take a note here: my colleague, Joe, saved the day on the movie with tech set up while I ran off for refreshments.  I owe him big.  My advice - set up the tech FIRST to be sure all systems are go.  Remember this and thank me later!)  

  

We had a great time and sent our beautiful families home with sporty new cars...oh, and one MONSTER car!  Indeed!  

FYI: This is an easy program.  There are a few things I would change or tweak when I do it again.

Show two movies: one 20 minutes and one 10 minutes with refreshments in between.  Our kids ate in their cars - easy clean up. 

Have teen volunteers prep the boxes with the color paper and license plate.  I also fortified the back of each car with book tape.  Teens could do that too.  Car prep was time consuming.

Warm up aka settle down the crowd with a song once they're in their cars...tell it as a story..."okay, here we are at the drive-in...I think there's a cool song on the radio...quick, quick...turn on your radios!  Can you hear it???"...Steve's Songs - Drivin' In My Car would be excellent here!  

I offered chalk in many colors if anyone wanted to draw on their cars, some did.

I asked parents to sign photo release forms - they all did!

Let your director know you did a really amazing program. (hopefully she's reading this)

Eat ice cream after clean up! You deserve it.  

Oh, I also handed over all of my leftover supplies to Miss Dee.  She's hosting the program at our Main Library and no doubt she will tweak it before it makes it to Bailey!  Have fun my friends.  (original idea credit was Christina Ho on Pinterest)

Piper says hello.  We hope to return to weekly blog posts soon. We miss our Flannel Friday friends.   #librariestransform #summerreadingisExhausting.  

Thanks for stopping by.  

peace ~ piper and jane