Shockingly enough, it’s that time of year again. Shorts are replacing pants, weeds are replacing snow and the school year is coming to a close. I’m personally shocked we’re getting ready to head into summer break. It may have something to do with the foot and a half of snow we got last week. Either way, it’s coming.
My kids love to give their teachers presents at the end of the year. I agree that it’s a fun way to say, “Thank you.” But I didn’t want to give them something like a mug with a picture of my kid’s face on it. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love a mug with a picture of my child, but someone else’s? Not so much. I also wanted my kids to be involved in the gift-giving. Maybe it’s just my kids, but they get so excited to pick out and give presents. They would not be satisfied with a gift card. So wanting to please both my kids and their teachers, these are the two end-of-year presents we came up with.
Summer Survival Kit
My daughter gave this to her teachers last year. She had a lot of fun picking everything out and her teachers got a lot of use out of the things in the bag. Items included:
- A large beach bag that served as the wrapping and part of the present.
- A big beach towel my daughter got to pick out.
- A re-usable cup with a lid and straw. These were fun to pick out as Target has a lot of cute prints this time of year.
- Sunscreen
- Trail Mix for hikes
- A Barnes and Noble gift card for beach reading (this was a great way to sneak in a gift card while still satisfying my daughter.)
Decorated Flower Pot
This was my favorite because my son really felt like he was giving his teachers a gift just from him. When we saw his teacher from last year a few weeks ago, she told him how much she loves seeing the pot in her kitchen every day. We just purchased some inexpensive terra cotta pots and painted them with basic acrylic paint.
After the pots were painted, we wrote “Thank you for helping me grow,” in permanent marker.
Then we went to the local nursery and picked out some flowers to plant in the pots. This gift was great for a tight budget but was still thoughtful and something teachers like.
I was searching last weekend for ways to express appreciation to my kids’ teachers. I wanted a gift that was more thoughtful than a mug and required more action (and love) than a pack of gum with a pun on a card. These are absolutely fabulous.