Teacher Gifts??

I get my daughter's teacher a gift card every year with a little box of chocolats. This year it's a Target gift card.

I've done Arbonne mini's in the past but find that the best response came from a gift cert from AC Moore to the classroom.
Good luck.
P.

last year when my son was in kindergarten, he had 2 teacher & a teachers aide. I bought them each a pretty christmas/ winter mug from the dollar store & then put a packet of hot chocolate with marshmallows in the mug along w/some hershey kisses. wrapped it up in pretty seethrough plastic wrap stuff & tied on a festive bow. Had my son sign his name to a card he made & viola! It was perfect & the teachers LOVED it! Good luck!

Hi S.,

I did this gift as an end of year gift when my son graduated preschool. I got great responses from the teacher, assistant teacher and extended day teacher...they all loved it. All you need to buy is some mason jars (i bought mine at walmart 12 for $10 I think) then some large bags of M&Ms. Type up the following poem, print it out and tie it around jar top with ribbon. I used the corresponding font color for each line...... My husband and I took the time to separate by color and place in the jar accordingly; however, I could definitely see them being all mixed and looking just as good.

Green is for the inspiration you gave to me each day,


Blue is for your patience in showing me the way,


Orange is for your warmth and your caring style,


Yellow is for the way you could always make me smile,


Red is for my life that you touched this year,

You’re a very special teacher, like this jar…that’s clear!

Hi S., I do a $5.00 dunkin Donuts and some lindt choclates in a small bag. They love it !

Hi S.,
It is hard to know exactly what teachers would like, but I think they get a fair amount of mugs...I would suggest a gift card somewhere nearby so they can get lunch out...or to a coffee place that they can use. I have also made something homemade, like cookies and brought that in for them, along with some chocolates and that is a nice treat just for them. It's hard to bake sometimes with little ones, but I think that was an easy thing to do for them. Another idea is a gift of a book for the classroom, or a giftcard to a bookstore for one book from your family. This makes a nice addition to what they already have and they will use it and other children will enjoy it. Hope these ideas help.....

This year I am making hand/boot warmers from fleece. You cut out two 3' by 5' pieces of fabric. Sew them together leaving a space to turn right side out. Then fill with rice and sew up the hole. You can add a few drops of peppermint oil (or other scent) to the rice before you sew it up if you want it scented. They end up looking like little bean bags. Attach a tag with the instructions which are to microwave the warmers 30 seconds at a time to desired heat. Do not excede 2 minutes total time. Then put them in you mittens or pockets to warm your hands. You can also put them in your boots to warm them up before putting them on. I plan to make a bunch of these for my kids too. I may even embroider a snowflake on the warmers before sewing together. My fleece is all a solid color but you could use a pattern too, or flannel if you have that.

Good luck!

The gift card idea is great - and if you can only afford $2 (and believe me, at this point, my teacher count is up to 16, so even @ $5 it adds up to too much money!) - they can still get a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts! If you want your child to be a part of it, have him make the gift card holder - draw a picture or a card or something.

Hi S.:

I own an at-home business called "Make It Personal." I personalize Hershey bars. A great teacher idea is a personalized bar with a message from your child and then attach a gift card. Dunkin' Donuts is always good.
My web site is www.MakeItPersonal55.com
If you log on, you can see all of the wrapper choices. Feel free to call me with any questions or to place your order directly with me rather than on the web site. The bars are $2 each. If you live near Walpole, I will them deliver them at no cost. Otherwise, shipping will be added to the total.

I hope to hear from you,
J.
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Have your child make a handmade card, and put a giftcard inside. Even if it's just a few bucks. I've been a teacher and know so many who get a few dozen really crappy gifts. Don't give throw away gifts. Give something useful.
If you want, volunteer. Most teachers appreciate someone who will help them prep for daily events and big events. If you have a talent (photography, scrapbooking, crafts) help create an end of the year book with each kids photo and name. Or ask the teacher if they can write out a top 10 list of items needed for the classroom. If you can't buy one, organize a bake sale or something to come up with the money. It creates involvement, community, and betters the classroom.
Good luck.

My brother is a teacher and he LOVES it when his students give him things that they make. Like make a christmas card or something arts and crafty (draw a picture, finger paints, anything), w. Then the teacher could hang it up in the classroom or even take it home. I can tell you that my brother has a special scrap book of things like that, that he has kept over the years.

I hope that helps.
E.

crafts! construction paper, glue, markers, crayons, pencils, paint, glitter, cotton balls, popsicle sticks ect. all the things we use all the time with the kids and our bulliten boards and run out of so often! most of us preschool teachers go out and buy our own things cause the facility takes too long to get us what we need it gets frustrating! so things we can use to teach the kids are the best gifts! :) hope this helps you!

Arbonne makes a great gift. a small aromatherapy sea salt scrubs and lotion for 5$ free shipping and wrapping. check out my website my business is registered on mamascource or email me at ____@____.com. mother of 4 K. d

My sense is that teachers get overwhelmed with cutesie gifts over the years - the stores of full of "apple-themed" items and "world's greatest teacher" knick-knacks and ornaments. After a few years of teaching 10 or 15 kids, teachers get a little overloaded with these items.

I would stay away from classroom supplies too - make it a gift for the person. If your child can participate with baking, that's okay, but again, teachers can get overwhelmed with high calorie items. If they don't have a big family to share with, it becomes burdensome even though it does show that you put in a lot of effort.

Go ahead and get a gift card - could be for coffee or for a bookstore, places where everyone can find something they like. Another option is to join with other parents and get something really nice - although this requires plenty of organization, and not everyone will want to participate. However, a friend of mine is a kindergarten teacher, and she got a wonderful pocketbook she picked out herself with a large gift certificate she got from a bunch of parents. It was from a boutique she never would have been able to afford on her own.

Another option is a handmade assortment such as a basket containing samples of coffee, jams, etc. - we use a local coffee roaster, and local farms often have preserves they made with their own fruit - talk about shopping locally and helping the environment! You could always have your child put something personal in there - a picture he colored, a little decoration, or a note that he dictates and you write up.

Finally, if you go the route of ornaments and other Christmas items that other posters have suggested, MAKE SURE that your teacher actually celebrates Christmas! Jewish teachers (or those of other religions) don't really have much use for Christmas ornaments! And you can't always tell by looking at the person, the style of dress, or even the last name!

in my experience, teachers are sick of the hundreds of candles and cookies they get.. gift cards to teacher's stores or dunkin donuts is preferred.. something useful and won't be hanging around forever.. even just an american express gift card from the whole class is good.. that way she can shop catalogs or other places for supplies..

Hate to say it, but "Cash is king". Especially in today's environment.
Gift cards! Dunkin Donuts, the local grocery store, etc.
That way, she can choose! Just be sure there is no activation fee or a "maintenance" fee that depletes the gift card's balance if it goes unused for too long (Wal Mart did that).

Here are 2 I think I'll be using:

Winter Essence
(a simmering potpourri)
½ orange peel
½ lemon peel
1 Tbs. whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick

Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Cover with water. Simmer on stove for aroma. Add water as necessary.

Winter Warm-Up
(hot cocoa)
1. Put 2 cups of instant dry milk, ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa, and 1 cup of sugar in a bowl. Stir.
2. Put the mixture into a zippered plastic bag. (Any container would work.)
3. Write this recipe on a card:
Place 3 heaping tablespoons in a cup.
Add boiling water and stir.
4. Decorate a lunch bag. Put the drink mix and the recipe inside the bag.

Happy Holidays,
J.

Later:
Well, I just checked our school's policy on gift-giving at the holidays. They specifically state they do not want teacher gifts. A kind note or a classroom gift are acceptable. Sometimes a "room parent" will organize a larger classroom gift. Thought I'd mention it in case other schools have similar policies.
Best,
J.

help him to make something. One year I had my daughter make paper christmas trees with a bell inside. She colored and decorated the paper and I made it into a cone and attached the bell inside. good luck H.

Every year I bake an absurd amount of cookies for Christmas. We're talking like 20 different kinds of cookies. And that's what my kids teachers receive as gifts. Usually a nice big tin of an assortment of my cookies. I've had teachers tell me that they used them for their own family gatherings and it was wonderful. You don't have to go as over board as I do with the cookie baking though. You can even have your son help you bake the cookies for his teacher. That is assuming you like to bake.

If you hit 'requests and Responses' there was a discussion about this about a week ago that got a lot of responses. You could find some ideas there too.

Morning! For the past couple of years I have been baking for my son's teachers. I back cookies and muffins and also add a box of chocolates. They seem to love it! Hope this helps!

Hi,
I am a pre-school teacher and it is thoughtful of you to be thinking of giving a gift to your child's teacher. With that said, it is a gift for the teacher and not a gift for the classroom. I would strongly suggest that you consider something like a gift certificate (dunkin donuts/starbucks) or even an american express "gift" card that can be used anywhere like cash. While it may seem less personal, it will get used. While each child is special to the teacher they are still students and the teacher does not really want framed handprints (or other such gifts) of your child to remember them by. Again, this is a gift for the teacher to thank them for what they do each day.

I have my kids make them something. Either an ornament or some sort of decoration. Then I put in lip treatments which was a little pricey but boy were they a hit.
This year I am having my older son (kindergarten) make his teachers bracelets.
Have a great holiday.
Nicole

A preschool teacher would welcome great quality books in her/his classroom. Budgets for classroom books are very limited and usually the teacher buys them with her own money (I know b/c I am a teacher!).

I also sell Usborne books which parents, teachers and children love. They are not available in stores (sometimes 1 or 2 titles can be found).

Please browse my website for great gift ideas: ubah.com/G2038
Thanks! -N. (Mom of 3)

I second the gift cards. As an early childhood teacher, I would rather get a gift card, even if it's only $5, than ANOTHER Christmas tree ornament or plate of cookies.

It's a nice idea to give home baked goods, but you should remember some people have restricted diets. I have a gluten allergy, so I can't eat cookies. =( People may be diabetic, etc. So food gifts are not always a great idea.

A fun teacher's gift would be making a book bag with fabric paint that your son decorates. The book bags and fabric paint can be purchased cheaply from Michael's. It is cute to make flowers out of your son's hands.

Good Luck!!

yes, gift card, says the teacher. starbucks, etc.
also, a card dictating your child's words of appreciation.
no mugs, cookies, ornaments.
good luck