Making a scrapbook for graduation party need ideas

I really hate to bust your bubble but in my experience people just take a cursory look at pictures, albums and scrapbooks. I'd do one scrapbook with 12 layouts. One for each year of school.

I know when I go to grad parties I just glance, and if there is only one book I look even quicker because I don't want to hog it.  I have thought about this a lot since my DS is a senior now.  As of now I am going to do a time line on one wall where the party will be, the walls are long enough.  I will have LOs from each year highlighting what he did, along with any awards or other items of high interest.  Pictures will be above and below a line that says the year and grade.  I feel people can walk by and just glance at how he has changed from year to year, and we all have seen time lines in our school books, so it is kind of academic.  He does not have a lot of medals or trophy type awards, but I will have one small display table with those things on it, plus his Senior pics. 

I already have most of the LOs done since I am not too far behind, and I have plenty of time to figure out how I want to do the lettering and such.

Sorry, I don't think I answered your question.  I know some have done a Shutterfly book and had people sign that at grad parties. 

I did a slideshow for my dd's graduation and A LOT of people took time to watch the whole thing. I did one photo from (almost) each month of her life. I pulled the photos here and there and let me tell you what....when I pulled it into a slideshow and added music, that was a tearjerker!!!!!! I had a lot of teary eyed moments when I was sorting through to pic my favorite photos but watching your child grow up before your eyes in a 20 minute slide show really makes you think about how quickly life is passing by.

I'm glad I did it though and it was a joy to watch that day. After I got through it all by myself the first time, that is!

People don't spend much time looking at pictures at the parties. I paid attention because I was deciding what I'd do for my daughter's party. I pulled out some pages from the scrapbook that I made when she was in elementary school. Then I printed a bunch of pictures from her high school years - enlarging a few of them. Then I made 12x12 scrapbook layouts to display. After the party was over we put them in an album for her to take to school. I also did table decorations using some of senior photos in frames.

I saw some huge photo displays at parties that were really well done and had to have taken a lot of time. Few people gave them more than a minute or two of their time.

Yes!  Yes!  I cried the entire time I was putting together DS's slide show.  But I didn't cry one tear graduation day.  I think it was just overwhelming watching those years go by in minutes.  And I was looking at pictures I hadn't seen in 10 years or more.

I you want, do the book for your DS.  But I wouldn't do it for the party.

I'm a big scrapbooker, but did not put DS's books out for his party.  I had his senior portrait, a photo of him in his Eagle scout uniform, and a photo of the day he received his university acceptance, along with his medals, awards and football helmet on a table.  The rest was all in a slide show.  I think every guest at his open house watched the slide show.  Some told me that they watched it more than once.  I had my Mac set up in the formal living room and at least 20 people could all watch it at the same time.  I had a mix of music with the photos, which also served as background music.  I used some of DS's favorites, some sappy songs, and I even found the Pokemon theme music online.  And I took 15 minutes after graduation to upload the photos and add a few of DS to the slides show.  I know there was one of him getting his diploma and another with his best friend.

I spent 3 months putting the slide show together and I was still rushed at the end.  I took the 6 years of photos before we went digital, pulled the best ones, scanned them, dated them, labeled them...  it was a long process, but all those photos are now organized the same way I organized my digital photos.  It takes longer than you think.  Best of all, if there is a fire, I have them all saved online.  I vow to spend the next year doing the same with DD's photos.  I did the slide show in iPhoto, which literally takes 5 minutes, tops.  As I scanned pics, I added them to an album just for the slide show.  Then I culled photos down from that to fit into 20 minutes.  I think it was about 480 photos.

One thing I did do to get my paper crafting fix was a banner of his school pictures.  I had a banner of 14 flags hanging by his display table, starting with his graduation from Pre K and ending with his senior picture, labeled with each year.  I also made picks for the centerpieces with a bible verse from Jeremiah on them. (For I know the plans I have for you...)  And I made little 3-D graduation hats for the straws, but ended up using them in the centerpieces as well.  Another banner for the gazebo that was just flags, pom poms hanging in the middle of the gazebo, table decorations, little cards labeling foods, a wreath for the door...  Little things like that made me feel like I was doing "my thing" for the party, but I did it all ahead of time and made it meaningful.  If you like, I can post pictures.  I got a ton of ideas off of Pinterest and used about 10% of the pins!  LOL

I put out one scrapbook at graduation. It was of our Spring Break trip that March. I scrambled to get that book finished. Lots of people looked at the book. We had lots of family visit, so that was part of it, and quite a few of my kid's high school teachers are scrappers so they wanted to see it. But I can see that in a different situation it might not be seen. I also made a printer's tray of his school pictures K-12. It was just sitting out at graduation. Easy to see without looking through anything. My favorite picture taken that day was of my senior in his cap and gown holding a framed 8 x 10 of his kindergarten picture.

Great idea to start early! I agree with the others about doing a short one for the party and doing a more detailed one, if you want, for your son. My husband loves all of his childhood momentos and enjoys sharing them with the kids. He would love a detailed scrapbook of his childhood. I would love one of my childhood.

My daughter graduated in May, and at our school, senior year was crazy (for kids and parents). So I recommend getting all but senior year done when you can.