Preparing for Graduation Day

https://funbytheyard.net/

Jennifer Nyikos • February 11, 2025

Graduation season is an exciting yet emotional time for parents and students alike. As your high school senior prepares for the next chapter of life, here are some tips from a mom that has been through this transition THREE times. Do I have all the answers? NOPE. Do I want to help you navigate tricky waters? YEP! Here's what worked and what I wished I did differently.

A group of graduates are sitting under a bunch of balloons

Set up a financial plan

Teach Budgeting Basics – Show your student how to track expenses and create a budget. Put it into practice. Have them do their own or the family budget for a month so they get the hang of it. If they are thinking about opportunity costs, they will be calling you less often asking for more money.

Set Up a Bank Account – Help them open a checking and savings account if they don’t have one already. Encourage them to sign up for round up savings. It adds up quickly and can become either “fun money” or the start of savings/investing for after they get their degree.
Discuss Credit and Debt – Educate them on responsible credit card use and how to avoid debt pitfalls. I like the idea of paying CC first THEN spending the credit. Use it ONLY for specific things (we did it for gas) No late fees and they’re building credit.

Preparing for Life on Their Own

Teach Basic Life Skills – I know you’ve had them doing chores for years now but this is a good time to add any tips or tricks that you may have forgotten to share over the years. Make sure your student knows how to do laundry, cook simple meals, and manage basic home maintenance.
Encourage Independence – Allow them to take charge of responsibilities like scheduling appointments and managing their own schedule. They will be asked to meet with professors, administrators and counselors without you there. Have them practice by setting dental appointments and keeping a calendar of events and DO NOT REMIND them, I know it hard, but you have to let them fall if they’re going to get back up. Easier now on little things than later on with big things.
Discuss Safety and Emergency Preparedness – Go over basic personal safety, handling emergencies, and who to call in different situations. Hammer home how important it is to be aware of your surroundings. Remind them that there is safety in numbers.
Set Expectations for Communication – Establish how often you’ll check in and the best ways to stay in touch. You want to stay “in the know” without being a helicopter parent. Assure them that you are always just a call away and TRY not to bug them. They will be busy with class, making new friends and trying to navigate a new life on their OWN.
Talk about Mental Health - Normalize conversations about stress, anxiety, and where to seek help if needed. Most schools have entire departments dedicated to mental health. Be sure your student knows they can just drop in and chat or pick up resources if they need them. “All the cool kids are doing it”

Spending Quality Time Before Graduation

Plan Special Activities – Take a family trip, have a movie night, or cook their favorite meal together.
Have One-on-One Conversations – Spend intentional time talking about their hopes and concerns for the future. Most importantly LISTEN – don’t project your hopes on them, they are young adults and are discovering their own passions – give them room to explore, make mistakes, and find their way. (Easier said than done, I KNOW)
Write a Letter to Your Graduate – A heartfelt letter with your hopes, advice, and love will be a cherished keepsake. I like the idea of sending it 2 or 3 weeks into the first semester. They’ve settled in and are likely missing home and could use some encouragement.

Balancing Work and School

Encourage a Part-Time Job – Help them find work that won’t interfere with their studies but provides financial stability. Have them ask the school about work study. Often times you can get jobs that are super flexible for studies
Discuss Time Management – Help them create a schedule that balances classes, work, and social life. Lots of calendars and apps that can help with this.
Set Realistic Work Hours – Encourage a part-time job that doesn’t interfere with academics. Remember to plan 2 hours of study for every credit hour. 15 credit hours + 30 study hours = 45 academic hours, it’s a LOT.
Prioritize Academics – Remind them that school is the primary focus, and work should be secondary.

Planning the Open House

Choose a Theme – Whether it’s school colors or a personalized vibe, a theme adds fun and cohesion.
Set a Budget – Decide how much you want to spend on food, decor, and entertainment.
Plan a Menu – Finger foods, a taco bar, or BBQ are great crowd-pleasers. It’s also becoming more popular for the parent(s) to provide the main course and drinks and have family and friends bring a dish to share.
Create a Memory Table – Display photos, achievements, and mementos from your student’s school years. – Start boxing up (or crafting) these items NOW. You’re going to have enough on your plate in June to worry about mounting pictures and finding their 2^nd grade report card.
Hire Fun By The Yard for Decorations – (See what I did there) Celebrate in style with yard cards and balloon arrangements that make a statement. You already know how our services decorate your memories, or you wouldn’t be reading this. But I mention it because grad season is our busiest time of year. If you wait until June, you will be hard pressed to get on our calendar. We bring in season help in preparation of helping as many families as we can, but we start booking in February.
Send Invitations Early – Give guests enough notice to plan. – Likely your friends and the students’ friends are in the same season of life and will have several parties to go to this summer. Also, venues book up earlier and earlier every year. If you are hosting in your back yard – rent your tent, tables and chairs NOW – you won’t be able to find them in May/June. Also, lock your bathroom door and rent a port a potty if you don’t want septic issues.
Have a Guest Book or Advice Cards – Let guests share their wisdom and well-wishes. Here’s a fun way to do that – Have the guests bring a photo of the graduate and themselves from when they were younger and write advice on the back. Then they can be put into an album and be pulled out when they need words of encouragement.
Prepare for Weather – If hosting outdoors, have a backup plan in case of rain. And if you want balloons – know that mother nature and balloons are not friends – we highly encourage you to display them under a tent, inside the garage, or better yet, INSIDE.

Celebrating Commencement Day

Hire Fun By The Yard (Again!) – Greet guests with a yard card or balloons that make your graduate feel extra special. They make great photos when they have their cap and gown on.
Plan for Traffic and Parking – Arrive early to get good seats. – The best place for photos is where your student will be exiting the stage after receiving the diploma. Typically, that is stage right.!
Charge Your Phone & Bring Tissues – You’ll want plenty of photos and may shed a tear or two!
Don’t be “THAT” person. – We know you’re proud of your student (we all are) but PLEASE do not cat call or shout when your student’s name is called. You wouldn’t want someone else spoiling your moment, so don’t do it to someone else. There will be plenty of time for praise, hugs, kisses, and photos afterwards.

Packing for the Dorm Room

Create a Packing Checklist – Cover essentials like bedding, toiletries, and kitchen supplies. Be sure they cross check with their roommate – no need for two of everything.
Pack Smart – Encourage multi-use items and space-saving storage solutions.
Don’t Overpack – Dorm rooms are small; prioritize must-haves over wants.
Include a First-Aid Kit – Basic medicines and bandages can be lifesavers.
Drive Down the day before move in - Don't buy items and transport them across the state to campus, instead drive down early and find a Target, Cosco, or Walmart near school and buy essentials there. Take time to explore the area outside of campus, and be well rested the next day for move in. The student will learn about their new area, you'll feel better knowing the ins and outs, and BONUS....more time with the kiddo.
Send a Few Comfort Items – A favorite blanket or photos from home can make the transition easier.
Ask if your student wants you to hang out and help unpack and set up their room or not. Some students appreciate it and others look forward to doing it on their own. It seems like a little thing – but to them it’s a BIG deal to set up their own “first place”

Handling Empty Nest Syndrome

Acknowledge Your Emotions – It’s okay to feel sad, excited, or even a little lost. Remember what we said about mental health? – it applies to YOU too!
Plan for Self-Care – Pick up a new hobby, join a club, or schedule some weekend getaways. On a personal note – I recommend Pickle Ball!
Stay Connected But Give Space – Let your student enjoy their independence while still offering support.
They WILL call - gone are the days when we were young adults when calling home meant long distance phone calls once a week. Your student is just a call, text, or facetime away. I'll be you hear from them more now than when they were living under your roof.

This season is full of change, but with careful planning and meaningful moments, you can make it a smooth and memorable transition for both you and your student. Congratulations parents, your hard work has paid off!

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Summer Decorating Tips, why these balloon tips matter.

By Fun By The Yard • June 22, 2026

How to Get Balloon Decor Right for Summer Parties (And What Goes Wrong When You Don’t) Summer is peak party season in northern Indiana. Graduation weekends, backyard weddings, corporate picnics, birthday celebrations that spill onto patios and lawns. Balloon decor elevates every one of those events when it’s done right. When it’s done wrong, it pops, sags, fades, or flies away before the first guest arrives. We’ve handled installations across South Bend, Notre Dame, Granger, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and into Southwest Michigan for over 15 years. What follows is the honest, experience-backed guidance we give every client whether they’re planning a DIY setup or calling us in for a full professional installation. DIY Balloon Decor: What Actually Works If you’re decorating a small indoor gathering and want to handle it yourself, here’s what you need to know. Order more than you think you need. A simple organic balloon garland covering six feet of wall space takes 80 to 120 balloons depending on the size of the clusters you’re building. Most first-time DIYers order for the visual length they want and forget to account for movement and volume. Budget at least 30 percent overage so you’re not scrambling the day before the party. Be intentional with color. Two to four colors work better than six. A tight palette, say a deep navy, white, and a pop of gold, reads as designed. Too many colors read as an afterthought. If you’re going for an organic, asymmetrical style (the look that’s dominated event decor for the past several years), let one color dominate at roughly 50 percent of the mix and use the others as accents. Understand the difference between organic and traditional. Traditional garlands use a frame with evenly spaced, evenly sized balloons. They look structured and formal. Organic garlands use a range of balloon sizes from small 5-inch balloons to large 24-inch balloons clustered in an asymmetrical pattern. Organic reads as modern, whimsical, and custom. It’s also harder to execute consistently without practice, because the design eye required to balance clusters across a full installation takes time to develop. Air-fill everything you can. Air-filled balloons last significantly longer than helium-filled ones and hold their shape better. For a DIY backdrop, column, or garland, you almost never need helium. Reserve it for floating bouquets where lift is the point and even then, keep them indoors. Where DIY consistently falls short: scale, structural integrity, and anything going outdoors. A garland that looks polished at four feet becomes inconsistent at twenty. A structure that holds in your living room may not survive a tent or a rooftop without proper anchoring. And outdoor installations have a set of problems that require specific materials and strategy to solve. What a Professional Installation Delivers When clients ask us what they’re paying for beyond the balloons themselves, the answer is design precision, structural planning, material knowledge, and experience with every venue type in the region. Design eye is not decorating instinct. Knowing which cluster to adjust, where visual weight needs to shift, and how an installation will read from 40 feet away versus 4 feet away comes from doing this at scale, repeatedly. As a Certified Balloon Artist (CBA) and 2022 Designer of the Year contributor, Jenn Nyikos brings a trained eye to every installation, one that accounts for ceiling height, ambient lighting, backdrop texture, and the overall event aesthetic before the first balloon is inflated. Color matching is a specialty. We stock over 48 balloon colors and keep Notre Dame’s full color palette of navy, royal, white, gold, chrome gold, spring green, and hunter green on hand year-round. Custom color matching for corporate brand colors, school colors, or specific event palettes is standard practice for us, not a special request. Structural integrity matters at every scale. A 20-foot organic balloon garland needs a properly engineered anchor system. A balloon arch spanning a venue entrance needs to account for foot traffic, air movement, and the weight distribution of the balloons themselves. We calculate load, plan anchoring points, and build installations that stay intact from setup through the end of the event not just for the first hour. We know the venues. From Embassy Suites at Notre Dame to Century Center, Four Winds Field, Four Winds Casino and private estates across Granger and Southwest Michigan, we understand the access requirements, load-in logistics, and site-specific restrictions before we arrive. That local knowledge saves time and prevents surprises. Outdoor Balloon Installations: The Pitfalls You Need to Know Outdoor balloon decor requires a fundamentally different approach than indoor work. Heat, humidity, wind, and UV exposure each introduce variables that will destroy a standard installation. Here’s what we see go wrong and how we address it. Heat and Sun Exposure Latex balloons are sensitive to temperature. On a hot summer day in northern Indiana, direct sun exposure can raise surface temperature enough to cause balloons to pop within hours of inflation — sometimes within minutes in intense afternoon sun. UV exposure also accelerates oxidation, which dulls the latex surface and drains color vibrancy before the event is halfway through. For outdoor installations, we use professional grade balloons specifically because of their superior latex quality and UV resistance. Humidity High humidity causes latex balloons to oxidize faster, which manifests as a chalky, matte surface that makes colors look washed out. The effect is accelerating under direct sun. Timing an outdoor installation is critical. We do not inflate outdoor balloons far in advance. Strategic timing keeps the installation looking sharp through the event window. Wind Wind is the primary structural threat to any large outdoor balloon installation. A balloon arch or column that looks stable in still air can become a projectile hazard in a 15-mph gust. Large surface areas catch wind like a sail. For outdoor work, we use weighted bases, ground stakes, and frame systems designed to resist lateral force. Anchoring strategy is determined based on the specific venue and the day’s forecast. This is not a one-size solution. Helium vs. Air-Filled Outdoors We do not recommend helium balloons for outdoor use. Full stop. Helium-filled balloons are subject to all the above. Heat causes them to expand and pop, sun fades them faster, and the wind moves them unpredictably. Beyond longevity issues, outdoor helium balloons are an environmental concern; they drift and end up where they don’t belong. For outdoor balloon decor South Bend events and throughout our service area, we default to air-filled designs. Air-filled organic balloon garlands, columns, and arches maintain their shape, hold up to wind better when properly framed, and look better longer. The design possibilities are fully comparable to helium-dependent work. The execution is simply smarter. How We Manage Outdoor Installations Our outdoor approach for clients across northern Indiana combines: · Professional grade latex for all outdoor balloon work — the brand is our first choice because the material performs. This is not the time for knock off brands or overseas discounted balloons. · Air-filled construction as the default, with helium only where it is structurally necessary and the environment is controlled · Strategic timing We schedule outdoor balloon installations as close to event start as the venue and logistics allow · Proper anchoring and framing Weighted bases, stakes, and frame systems sized for the installation’s surface area and the day’s conditions · Weather assessment If conditions are severe enough to compromise the installation’s integrity, we advise clients in advance with alternatives. A plan B should always be in place We have done this long enough to know when a site and day are right for outdoor balloon decor and when they are not. That judgment is part of what you are hiring. Planning Your Summer Event: Where to Start Whether you are planning a graduation party in Granger, a corporate event on Notre Dame’s campus, a wedding in Southwest Michigan, or a backyard birthday in Mishawaka, the process starts with knowing what the installation needs to do and what environment it will live in. For outdoor balloon installations or any installation at scale, lead time matters. Rush fees apply for orders placed within a week, and availability during graduation season fills quickly. We recommend reaching out at least two to three weeks in advance and even earlier for large or complex installations. To discuss your event and get a quote, visit funbytheyard.net and use the contact form. We respond to all inquiries by email or through the contact form. No texts or DMs, and we will work through the details with you from email.