Decorate a School Locker for a Birthday

Decorating a friend's locker for their birthday has been a tradition throughout US high schools for years - it's a fun and creative way to share memories with them and show them you care! And once you help decorate someone's locker, you can expect them to do the same for you!

Steps

  1. Ask your school about rules for locker decorating. You wouldn't want to start decorating just to find out that it's forbidden. Are you only allowed to decorate the outside of your friend's locker? Only the inside? Find out about all rules so that you can't get into trouble.
  2. Make sure you've got the right locker number and the right day. These would be big mistakes if these were not correct.
  3. Discuss the plan with some other friends. You could do this by yourself, but the more the merrier! Plan out when you will decorate the locker,(before school, between classes, etc.) and what supplies you will need.
  4. Meet at the allotted time, and start your decorating. This would probably after or before school.
  5. Cover the locker with wrapping paper! Add ribbons, pictures and other things you know your friend likes! Be sure to use bright happy wrapping paper because remember, it's their special day! Also don't forget tape.
  6. Decide if you want to be at the locker when your friend arrives. Just remember that if you aren't there, it will keep the friend in suspense as to who decorated the locker. If you are at the locker, the surprise might be ruined, because your friend will see the crowd.
  7. Make signs on your computer and print them out.
  8. Tape candy to their locker (or leave it on the floor next to their locker).
  9. Make a lot so that your friends locker is almost completely covered. You might also want to just put colorful sticky notes on it for brightness.
  10. When your friend comes by, act natural. You could also hide from your friend, and jump out and yell, "Surprise!" when they open up the locker.

Tips

  • Putting up streamers, etc is probably fine, but make sure you know your school's rules about more showy decorations like Arrange-Flowers and Blow-Up-a-Balloon This won't be fun for anyone if you get in trouble for it. Also some schools don't let you have decorations up for a long period of time, so make sure there's nothing that you wouldn't want to be thrown away.
  • If you want, make the decorations sweeter by attaching candy; everyone loves getting candy on their birthday! Just make sure it doesn't get stolen by someone other than the intended recipient.
  • Hang streamers from the top of the locker, so that they hang down and blow around when people walk by.
  • If your friend likes candy, tape a couple pieces on the outside (or inside if you think people at your school would help themselves!)
  • Put a note through the locker vents that says "Happy Birthday from (names here)" or something along those lines.
  • Only use this if you know the friend VERY well: If his/her locker has a lock, you can wait for them when they come to get their stuff. You can put tape or something so it will stay open, then you can decorate the inside. Make sure they will only be happy, not scared that you stole stuff, and do not try to steal their combination!
  • You might also be able to get away with tying the ribbon of a balloon around the shackle (upside-down U shaped part) of the lock. That way it can be easily slipped off. Just make sure to have a weight available for the balloon after that, or tie it around the birthday girl/boy's wrist or something.
  • Use masking tape stuck to the door of the locker to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Or, you could write a message on a blank paper and tape that to the locker.
  • Make a large Make-a-Birthday-Card and get all their friends to sign it. It's a great idea!! Then she/he can feel the love.
  • If a birthdays around Christmas wrap it like a present with signs with their name.
  • Come to school a few minutes early to decorate, then wait by your locker if it is near theirs.

Warnings

  • Be sure to take notice of what your friend says in the few days before their birthday. If they drop hints that they'd rather not have their locker decorated, then back off. But if they let slip that a decorated locker would be a great surprise, go for it!
  • Double-check that you have the right locker! The worst case scenario is to decorate Molly's locker with Happy Birthday Samantha!! Not good!
  • Make sure to decorate the locker quickly! You don't want your friend to show up while you are still decorating the locker! That'll pop the fun!
  • Make sure you can have things on the outside of the locker because your teachers may get mad (and possibly send you and/or your buddy to the principal). If you can't, do something on the inside like slip a note through the little vent.
  • Don't write on your friend's locker with markers or tools. School custodians may not appreciate this.
  • When you tape things to your friend's locker, be sure to not get anything on other people's nearby lockers. They might not be so appreciative of the decorating.
  • Make sure the items aren't blowing or going into somebody else's locker space. If it does they could rip all your hard work down.
  • If you decide to decorate the locker during a spare class, do it quietly. There are other classes in session, and you don't want to get in trouble for being noisy.
  • Sometimes people may rip things off of the locker, so don't be surprised to see the locker messed up! Your friend will still love it that someone (you) decorated it.
  • Some people might get angry if they have summer birthdays, they might feel left out.
  • Make sure that your school allows this! Some schools have very strict rules, and breaking them could get you into serious trouble. If your not sure, ask a teacher, not an older student, rules can be changed. If your not sure, don't do it, no matter how much you want to. Your friend will understand. Better safe than sorry.

Things You'll Need

  • Balloons
  • Crepe paper streamers,
  • Scotch tape
  • Masking tape
  • Paper
  • markers
  • candy
  • ribbons and bows (for girls)
  • Things the person likes
  • Friends to discuss ideas with

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