How to organise a school colour run
How to Host a Colour Run
Fundraising for schools & clubs is what we do! We have literally thousands of examples of successful fundraising events based on school colour fun runs. Our version is called Crazy Colour Day and as far as fundraising ideas for kids go; it is 100% a winner. In the article below, we answer some FAQ’s and share our best tips with you on how to run this event. Enjoy!
What’s the colour powder made of?
That’s an important question when you’re fundraising for kids. You definitely need to have this answered before you get started. After all, if you don’t like what’s in the colour powder, planning the rest of this school fundraising idea would be a waste of your time!
Our colour powder is 98% Corn Starch and 2% Vegetable Food Dye. IT’s non-toxic, gluten-free and non-flammable.
Being all-natural it has no negative effects on the environment. In the past, we’ve even received council permission to use the colour powder on iconic Gold Coast Beaches!
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH COLOUR DAY ASSIST VIDEO:
How long should a School Colour Fun Run course be?
We suggest creating a small loop course. The more laps the students run, the more colour they get on them and the more fun they will have. We suggest making your course no more than 200m in total length. A short course also ensures the kids remain ‘bunched’ which is important. You want to create a ‘herd’ effect so that school spirit is lifted, and everyone feels like they are ‘in it together. Having big gaps between runners can feel like a marathon – not a School Fun Run!
How long should the kids do laps for in the School’s Colour Fun Run?
We strongly suggest a 15-minute running period for each group and never ever more than 30-mins. If it goes for too long, they become exhausted, and the excitement dies down which is the last thing you would want to have happened. You want to leave the kids wanting more. So, a packed course with lots of colour powder, music blasting and limited running time is the way to go.
How do I apply the colour powder in my School’s Colour Fun Run?
After providing around 2,000 Colour Fun Runs to schools we have found the most successful crazy colour days are the ones that create colour stations instead of throwing colour powder randomly around the course. So, set up designated stations for volunteers to throw colour powder. This is also great for safety and will provide an easy way for students to skip the colour powder if they don't want to have any on them. Plus, colour stations are also a great management tool to help you. That is because you can set up the colour powder at each station to ensure even distribution for each group.
For example: if you have three groups running you can split your colour powder bottles into three different piles. If the volunteers use one pile per race it ensures that the last group or runner has the same experience as the first group.
How can I jazz up my School’s Colour Fun Run?
Once you have set up your colour powder stations it's great to consider including obstacles between them. That way the colour powder becomes a reward for finishing each obstacle. It also gives the kids more fun things to do when they are not being hit with explosions of colour powder from there.
If you want to create a highly successful School Fundraising Idea that is really vibrant and fun, it’s a VERY GOOD idea to add water to your School Colour Fun Run. The colour powder becomes a lot brighter when it’s wet. Plus, it sticks to clothes better. You can ask the kids to bring water pistols to school, or you can set up a sprinkler or hose for them to run through. Another awesome idea is to ask the Fire Bridge to send a fire truck. They normally love coming out to soak the students!
How do I hold a safe Colour Fun Run at my school?
Great question, first you need to bring everything down early to set up, so you have plenty of time to get it right. You never want to feel rushed. Once you have your course figured out it is time to talk safety. Sun safety is important so make sure your students slip, slop, slap, seek and slide also while our colour powder is non-toxic it's not very nice to breathe in. We suggest wearing scarves, masks, or bandanas around noses and mouths. You should communicate this to the parents before the day, so the kids come prepared.
For students that have allergies and do not want the colour on them, we recommend setting up bypass points so they can run around the outside of colour stations and not through them. We also suggest getting these students to wear a different coloured t-shirt, that way they’ll stand out from the other students. This way your colour throwers and classmates will know that these students are not to be touched with the colour powder.
We only recommend letting adults throw the colour, we know how excited the kids will be and it is very easy for them to get carried away and accidentally do something wrong. You should also let the adults know to throw the powder below shoulder height which is not only safer but will make clothes more colourful!
Finally, you should walk the course before the first run to remove any sticks or other obstacles clearly.
What should the kids wear at our School’s Colour Fun Run?
Ask your students to wear an old white t-shirt. It is important to let parents know the powder is coloured with vegetable food dye so it can stain clothes. It normally washes out, but that is not guaranteed, so it’s best to use clothing that you are not overly attached too!
PRO TIP: Students should also bring a towel to sit on when they go home from school in the family car or school bus.
How to save stains in your shirt as a souvenir?
Don't shake off the excess colour powder
Lay your shirt flat and soak it in white vinegar
Keep your shirt flat to dry
Iron the shirt to set the colour
Toss the shirt in the dryer
How to remove colour run stains from clothes with home remedies?
Most of the time our Colour Powder will simply wash out without any effort. If you are concerned however dust off or blow off as much powder as possible before washing. Wash your coloured clothes separately in cold water. If it doesn't wash out the first time, don't put it in the dryer. Try some stain remover or bleach (white clothes only) and wash for a second time.
How do I remove colour powder from my hair?
For students with very light-coloured hair, it is possible that the colour powder will stain their hair for a few days following your Colour Fun Run.
We found that if they rub coconut oil through their hair before they run it will help to wash the colour powder out later under cold water. Of course, wearing something to cover all their hair is another tool if students do not want to walk around with rainbow hair post-event.
