teacher appreciation

Simple Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea

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Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week! Mark your calendars and shout out a thank you as you head through carpool line. If you want to do a little more to show some appreciation, you can borrow my idea. I always try to put together a small thank you gift for all of my children’s teachers, so they know that I do recognize the work they do each day. This year’s teacher appreciation sirsee is not too grand but remember that it does not have to be big or showy (or expensive) to be enjoyed. The purpose is to let educators know that their work is noticed.

My kids and I made mini clipboards for Post-it notes and added Papermate Flair Pens in fun colors. Teachers go nuts for the Flair felt tip pens and even if they don’t have a pen preference, all teachers use marking pens and Post-it notes, so I am fairly confident the gift won’t end up in the trash.

Materials

  • 3″ x 3″ Post-it notepads (colors that match your coasters)
  • 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ cardboard drink coasters (see notes below)
  • 1″ binder clips (or one size bigger)
  • Papermate Flair pens, assorted colors

Directions

  • Remove the back paper from a Post-it notepad. Center the Post-it to the top edge of the coaster. Press the Post-it and attach.
  • Add binder clip to the top of the coaster and Post-it notepad to secure. Leave the “handles” folded up.
  • Print a message for the top page. It is possible to print on Post-it notes and attach as the top sheet of your notepad gift. Use THIS TEMPLATE for a Post-it message. For complete directions for printing on Post-it notes, CLICK HERE.
  • Tie curly ribbon around the middle and slide a pen under the curly ribbon to complete the gift set.

Notes

  • You can use coasters with cork backing too. I had a really hard time finding coasters that were not made of stone and super thick. They can be ordered online, or you can visit your local watering hole and ask if they will donate to your teacher appreciation cause. The cardboard coasters are easy to cover with scrapbook paper, and then you can choose your color scheme.
  • While we were on the coaster hunt, Miss Priss found mini clipboards with attached notepads and a magnet back at Michael’s Crafts for $2 a piece. We bought every one they had and supplemented with the few pink cardboard coasters I did find.

For more teacher gift ideas I have used in the past, CLICK HERE.

10 Teacher Gift Ideas

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I love teacher gift ideas. I won’t lie. It consumes quite a bit of my time around back to school, holidays, Teacher Appreciation Day, and end of the school year. Since I am both a teacher and a parent, I am conscious of both sides of the gift giving process. My goal when choosing teacher gifts are to think of small items that are cost efficient, practical, thoughtful, simple, useful, and I like the gifts to be attractive.

Here is what works:

  • a thoughtful aspect– there is a personal touch to the gift like a handwritten note (and a handwritten note of thanks is always enough!)
  • a useful aspect– the gift can be used in the teacher’s daily life
  • generic– if you do not know the teacher personally, stick with items that most people like (do not get too specific like Red Hot candies because you think your child had a “red hot” year)

Here is what does NOT work:

  • cute for cute’s sake– a gift that has great packaging but has no purpose
  • teacher stereotypes– things that fall in the apple or school supply motif arena

Below are links to 10 ideas that have a range of cost and crafty levels. All have been tested and received well by teachers, coaches, school support staff, helpful neighbors, party hosts, friends… Click on the name or image to learn how to make the gift.

  1. Teacher Emergency Kit  (I have a few versions of the kit. Click HERE, HERE, or HERE to see different options.)Back to School Teacher Emergency Kit
  2. Teacher Lunch (You could also make a bento style lunch like THIS ONE.)Teacher Lunch Bag Gift
  3. Freezable Meal sausage artichoke soup
  4. Mason Jar Soup Mixes mason jar soup labels
  5. Flavored Sugar or Dip Mixes vanilla bean flavored sugar
  6. Manicure Kit teacher appreciation gift bag
  7. Lottery Tickets (To see a different type of scrapbook paper envelope, CLICK HERE.)paper pocket w lottery tickets
  8. Ribbon Bookmarks ribbon bookmark with journals
  9. Insulated Drink Cups iced tea kit contents
  10. Monogrammed Umbrellas monogrammed umbrellas khaki

I have lots of posts with teacher appreciation gift suggestions. Search Teacher Gifts in the search box on my blog, click on the Teacher Gifts link in the side margin of the blog, or click on the Sirsees tab near my blog header.

Ribbon Boomark Giveaway Winner!

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ribbon bookmark giveaway

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway for two journal notebooks and an Amazon gift card.

Congratulations to the winner, Robin D! Robin, please look for an e-mail from me, so I can get your notebooks in the mail to you promptly.

For those who did not win, it is easy to make your own ribbon bookmarks for Teacher Appreciation Day this year or to just have for fun. For the full directions, CLICK HERE. There are many other fun ideas for small, simple, inexpensive teacher appreciation gifts. To see some of my other suggestions, CLICK HERE. And remember, you can never go wrong with a personal note.

Teacher Appreciation Giveaway!

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ribbon bookmark giveaway

One Lucky Winner will receive TWO ribbon bookmarks and journal books plus a $25 Amazon giftcard!

Just in time for Teacher Appreciation Day on May 3, 2016, I am giving away two (2) ribbon bookmarks with coordinating journal books and a $25 Amazon giftcard to one (1) lucky winner! You can keep one journal book set and give one to a teacher friend (or make two teachers, friends, co-workers, neighbors… super happy and give both as gifts). Giveaway ends this Wednesday, April 13 at midnight (EST). Shipping addresses must be within the USA or Canada.

25 amazon gift card

Winner will receive 2 ribbon bookmarks with a matching journal book and $25 to spend at Amazon. See this BLOG POST for more details about the ribbon bookmarks.

How to Enter:

  1. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
  2. Leave a comment below with a way you show teacher appreciation.
  3. Share the giveaway on Facebook or Instagram and tag TheRoomMom.
  4. Complete the Rafflecopter Entry Form after completing any/all of the steps above.

ribbon bookmark with journals

Teacher Appreciation Muffin

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teacher appreciation muffin 2Last week my school held its annual Field Day and served bananas as part of the mid-morning snack to the students. Guess how many teachers and staff have leftover bananas at home? My family does not eat that many bananas, so it was time to bake. I made a batch of Ina Garten’s Banana Crunch Muffins and bagged them up as little sirsees for my children’s teachers. We are close to the end of the year; we have testing next week, and teachers need a little appreciation gift when it gets close to the final weeks of school. (Alert: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8 this year.)

banana nut muffins

These muffins taste the best fresh out of the oven, but they are still mighty delicious the next day. Ina Garten’s Recipe includes whole milk, granola, coconut, and walnuts. I used buttermilk in place of the whole milk and replaced the walnuts with pecans because it saved me a trip to the grocery store.

teacher appreciation breakfast muffin

The muffins are baked in cupcake liners, but after the muffins cooled, I placed each muffin inside a Specialty Wilton Cupcake Liner that has tall, scalloped sides. The large liner protects the muffin inside the clear bag. I tied the bags with curly ribbon and added gift enclosure cards with a handwritten label. We arrived at school early and put the treats on each teacher’s desk for a breakfast surprise.

teacher appreciation gift