Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial

It’s the start of a new school year and to show our teachers some back to school love, we’ve created this simple back to school teacher appreciation gift! 

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial

Ahhhh! The most wonderful week of the year. Back to school week. Where the kids head back into the loving arms of their teachers and mama gets some time to work uninterrupted (well… with the baby). While they enjoy learning and playing and being taught by someone other than me, I can get things done and FINALLY get back to a semi-normal schedule working from home.

And because of that, I felt the need to thank the teachers. Thank them for being there for my kids, taking them under their wings, and actually getting them to listen when you teach them fun things like sight words, money, reading, subtraction, getting along with peers and everything else they’ll be learning this year.

What better way to thank them than by giving them a small token of appreciation. Or a large token. So as part of the school’s PTG, I proposed a gift idea for the teachers. A simple thank you in the form of some candy, popcorn, and a Redbox gift code. Plus some extra school supplies for them to take as needed and some gorgeous flowers for the Teacher’s Lounge.

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts - flowersBack to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts - school supplies and flowers

I don’t know about you but receiving a flower delivery just brings a huge smile to my face. It makes me feel good. And always brightens up the house or office. So one of my favorite things to give when it comes to a gift giving occasion for a birthday, celebration, anniversary, etc is flowers. And most of the time I’m sending them to my mom out of state. But this time around I decided to send them to my son’s school as a thank you to his teachers before the beginning of the school year.

With them I paired some extra school supplies I purchased throughout the summer when back-to-school sales were going on and supplies were dirt cheap. Why not stock up and spread the love with extra supplies when you know at least one teacher will need the extras? Then I figured it’d be nice to create an individual gift for each teacher from the PTG. So I threw together this cute little package and purchased some Redbox codes for each teacher. These came together in a few short minutes and were so easy to make!

Here’s how:

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial for a Redbox Gift

Teacher’s Rock Back to School Gift

What you’ll need:

  • Redbox codes OR small denomination gift cards
  •  individually wrapped microwavable popcorn
  • Full-size candy
  • ribbon
  • clear packaging tape
  • scissors
  • pen or fine point permanent marker
  • Teachers Rock PTG printable

Download the PTO printable here | Download the PTA printable here

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial - supplies neededBack to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial - materialsBack to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial - Redbox codes

What you do:

1. Print out this printable. Cut to size and write in the teacher’s name and Redbox code. Remember that each code is unique so keep track of which codes you’ve already used. 

2. Grab a popcorn package and a candy along with your ribbon and scissors. Measure out how much ribbon you’ll need to wrap around the candy and popcorn and cut the ribbon to size. 

3. Grab a large piece of mailing tape (a little smaller than the size of the square printable) and place in the middle of the candy sticky side up. Bring the ribbon edges over to adhere to the center of the tape so each side of the ribbon sticks to the tape. 

4. Place the printable on the tape and ribbon and press down gently to make sure that the tape adhere’s to the back of the printable. 

5. Pass out to the teachers! 

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial from PTG

What is your ‘go-to’ gift for others?

This post was originally published on August 30th, 2015

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End of Year Teacher Gifts: Summer Book of Gift Cards

End of Year Teacher Gifts Summer Book of Gift Cards

Tomorrow marks the last day of my son’s first official school year. He will officially be a 1st grader after tomorrow. And I’m not sure I’m ready for that. But you know what? He is. And most of that is because he had an amazing teacher this year.

As a way to show thanks for all she’s done we wanted to gift our son’s kindergarten teacher with a fun book filled with all of the things she’ll do this summer complete with gift  cards to do them.

Now this can be something the whole class pitches in for where each child writes/illustrates a page and includes their own gift card or it can be something everyone pitches in funds for. There are so many ways to make a fun Teacher’s Summer book.

end of year teacher gifts - gift cards for the book

End of Year Teacher Gifts: Summer Book of Gift Cards

What You’ll Need:

  • Gift Cards (see below for ideas)
  • Blank Book OR Cardstock to make a book
  • Pencil
  • Markers
  • Crayons
  • Glue Dots

What You Do: 

1. Have your child write on each page what their teacher will do this summer. Have it correspond with one of the gift cards you’ve purchased.

end of year teacher gifts - book of summer ideas

2. On the opposite side, let your child illustrate what their teacher will do.

end of year teacher gifts - drawing summer fun

3. Add the gift cards to the book with the glue dots. Let your child sign the end of the book and include a note if you’d like at the end on the last page.

end of year teacher gifts - summer ideas

 

4. Let your child give the book to their teacher on the last day of school to give them an awesome start to summer.

What Our Book Included:

Title page: Mrs. X’s Summer
First page: “This summer Mrs. X will sleep in”
Second page: “Then she’ll go to Starbucks to grab some coffee” – with Starbucks gift card
Third page: “She’ll stop by the book store to read a book” with Barnes and Noble gift card
Fourth page: “She’ll go to the movies with her family” with AMC gift card
Fifth page: “And spend lots of time shopping” with Macys gift card
Sixth page: “Then she’ll get ready for the new school year” with Target gift card
Seventh page: “We hope Mrs. X has a great summer!”
Eighth page: Note to teacher and signature

Gift Card Ideas

  • Favorite department store for shopping
  • Local discount store for school/classroom supplies
  • Movie theater
  • Book Store
  • Favorite restaurant
  • Local coffee house
  • Local attractions

Have any other ideas on gift cards to include?

Creating a Comfortable Learning Environment + 10 Classroom Hacks for Teachers

This post featuring classroom hacks for teachers is made possible thanks to Mohawk, who has graciously donated a bound Mohawk carpet to my son’s kindergarten teacher so she could create a comfortable learning environment for the kids. 

Creating a Comfortable Learning Environment + 10 Classroom Hacks for Teachers

One of the keys to a great learning environment for kids is creating an inviting and comfortable setting. My son’s kindergarten teacher has done just that with her classroom and it allows the kids to feel at home when they’re away at school. From the warm colorful walls to the cozy nooks found in the different centers she has scattered through the classroom, the kids never have to worry about being uncomfortable.

Two of the learning centers she has set up next to one another is the listening center and the literacy center. A cozy section of the classroom dedicated to books and reading. The carpet she had in this area of the classroom was looking a little sad and wasn’t as comfortable as it once was for the kids. With the help of Mohawk we’ve spruced up this area and now the kids are greeted with a plush, comfortable area to read and learn.

Creating a Comfortable Learning Environment with Mohawk bound carpet

Mohawk’s new SmartStrand Forever Clean is the toughest, easiest to clean carpet on the planet! How, you ask? It has Nanoloc spill protection for quick and easy spill cleanup (a new nanotechnology to protect the fiber) and is the ONLY carpet with built-in stain and soil resistance that NEVER wears or washes off. 

Since classrooms are filled with kids for a majority of the day, being able to clean the classroom easily is important. Most stains on the Mohawk SmartStrand Forever Clean carpet comes clean with water or a little mild detergent. No harsh cleaners needed – which is perfect for a classroom or playroom setting! And an added bonus is that it’s environmentally friendly because it’s made in part from renewable resources. 
  
Creating a Comfortable Learning Environment - literacy center
Another awesome thing about Mohawk is that any SmartStrand carpet can be cut and bound in the size you want! Visit your local Mohawk retailer to shop styles and colors and choose a carpet that’s perfect for your classroom.
Now for some great classroom hacks for the end of the school year!

10 Classroom Hacks for Teachers

10 End ­of­ Year Classroom Hacks for Teachers

1. Create a ”Closing the Classroom” checklist. As you finish up the school year, check off each item to ensure you’re on track. Scholastic has a great list, but you’ll want to personalize it for your unique situation.

2. Before you pack up your classroom materials at the end of the year (especially if you’re moving to a new room, school, etc.), purge your belongings. If it pains you to throw things away, set up giveaway stations for other teachers to peruse before you break out the trashbags. This will allow you to begin the new year without clutter from the previous years.

3. Let the students clean their desks and work stations with sanitizing wipes. It’ll help them work off some nervous energy during those last few days.

4. Create a summer reading log to encourage your students to read during the summer. Love the book worm treat bag with gummy worms, too!

5. By the end of the year, your canisters for pencils, crayons and markers have seen better days. Revamp your canisters with some pretty scrapbook paper, ribbons or other embellishments.

6. Get a jump start on your organizational bins. You’ll need weekly, monthly and themed unit bins prepped and ready to go for next year.

7. Be prepared when you have parent volunteers to help. We love these volunteer bins with papers to copy, books to be leveled, etc.

8. Organize the markers, pens, pencils and other office supplies in your desk drawer using revamped cereal boxes. Cut them off, and use contact paper or scrapbook paper to make them pretty.

9. Do you feel irritated whenever you have to look for another parent communication form because someone lost theirs? You won’t have that problem next year! Create a parent communication station with clearly labeled forms. The students can grab what they need whenever they need it.

10. Parents and teachers alike can use this command center idea for papers that need to go home or back to the school, library books, communication and more.

How are you preparing your classroom for summer?

Find more great ideas and reasons to use Mohawk Flooring on FacebookTwitterPinterest and Google+.

10 Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

With Teacher Apprecation Week coming up next week I wanted to put together the perfect gift for my son’s Kindergarten teacher. But I also wanted something that he could help me make. So we decided to set out to find the perfect teacher gift to give. Want to see what we came up with? Check it out here!

Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gifts + a Tutorial for a Redbox Gift

After finding what we wanted to create for her, we figured we’d share what else we found with everyone else!

Here’s a list of great Teacher Appreciation gifts perfect for the teacher in your life!

10 Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Homemade Bath Salts from DIY Inspired

Cookie Mason Jar from DIY Inspired

DIY Pencil Holder from Mama of 3 Munchkins

Teacher Appreciation Plant and Printable from 30 Minute Crafts

Love Notes for Preschool or Kindergarten Teachers from Simply Kelly Designs

Bloom And Grow Sunflower Bouquet from Simply Kelly Designs

Thank You For A Picture Perfect Year Printable from Simply Kelly Designs

Custom Sharpie Mugs from Pounds for Pennies

Thank You For Helping Us Bloom DIY Class Teacher Gift from The Suburban Mom

DIY Upcycled Cup Sleeve from Organized 31

Will you be doing something special for your teacher?

DIY Pencil Holder

DIY Pencil Holder

Summer is right around the corner! And what does that mean? School is coming to an end for another year. Why not do something special for your child’s teacher this year and let your child create an awesome gift to give to them on the last day of school?

This pencil holder is not only easy to make but versatile as well. You can easily exchange the craft sticks for pencils, crayons, etc. Whatever you have extras of at home. And the holder doesn’t have to just be for pencils! You can even include a little treat or a gift card for your child’s special teacher.

While we were making this craft together my son worked on his colors, letters, and sorting! So not only was it fun to make, it was educational too! What teacher wouldn’t love to hear that? [Read more…]

5 Teacher Gift Ideas for Back-To-School

teacher gift ideas for back to school

School is almost back in session and everyone is preparing to head back to school. With the rush to get all of the essentials needed for our kids sometimes we lose sight of the one who’ll be taking care of our kids once they arrive at school.

Here are a few great teacher gift ideas for back to school. Some practical, some cute, but all are great ways to thank your child’s teacher before the beginning of the school year. [Read more…]



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