Great Gift Ideas for Teachers

Teachers are a great asset to us. We want to say thank you but as always, money has to be considered in gift giving. If you have several children and they each have a teacher, or if you have just one child with several teachers - either way it could get rather pricey on the road to gift giving, You don't want the gift to be to personal, but we still want to do a little something. The kids want to give their teacher something special. Here's 10 handmade gifts that are great gifts, while halting the money grabbers and still offering a nice gift for any teacher.

1. Get one of those "page-a-day" style cube calanders that has a page for each day. Fill it with things that go on in the school year. Have each student in the class sign the day of their birthday with something like "Happy Birthday to Mike Smith". Or choose any day and just write "Hello, from Sara Adams". Add stickers or other flat embellishments for holidays, vacation times, report card time, and any other school related event. You can most likely get help with these kinds of dates from the principal or school secretary. This gift will last through the year and the teacher can keep it on her desk and every day is a new greeting!

2. Take 3 candy canes and tie them (back to back) together with red velvet ribbon. Insert a pointsetta flower in the middle or a piece of mistle toe. Add a little "To/From" gift tag.3. Decorate a scented, votive candle with ribbon and very small,silk flower buds. Do the same thing with 3 tall taper candles. Add a "To/From" gift tag.

4. Craft stores have hallow, glass ornaments that you can open and fill with candy or other small items. Fill one with any colorful candy (like M&M's). Tie a bow on the top. Add a "To/From" gift tag.

5. Find out the teacher's favorite charity and make a donation in the teacher's name. Create a certificate or award-style form with the information and just roll the paper up (diploma-style) and tie it with an abundance of colorful curl ribbon!

5. Shop at the local craft bazaars for hand made items that could be used in the classroom. A common item is a clothes pin decorated to be a clip for holding papers. How about a paper weight, a pencil holder or magnet? If you'd like the item to be taken home, look for festive and unusual pot holders, decorated mugs, a holiday banner, or hand made ornament.

6. A small box of stationery is a wonderful gift for a teacher. I have seen them use stationery to send notes home to the parent (good notes!) or to thank a parent for helping in the classroom. Stationery comes in handy for most teachers.

7. Look around the classroom. Is there something there that the teacher uses ALOT? Is she partial to Post-in Notes, a certain style of pen? Does she always have something on her desk like a note pad, paper clips, push-pins, anything that she uses in her every day teaching? Go to the office supply store, pick up one of those plastic pencil bags or pencil boxes, and fill it with her favorite office supplies!

8. For a higher grade teacher, how about stopping at the local flavored coffee place and buy them a large cup of their favorite coffee and bring it in to them the morning of the last day before Christmas break? Take along a red ribbon to tie around the cup!

9. A chocolate covered "anything" is always a hit. Look for very large strawberries dipped in chocolate and decorated so beautiful you forget it's a straweberry! Chocolate suckers have gotten quite elaborate and ornamental these days. Christmas offers a large variety of holiday treats - check out the candy stores for Christmas themed specialities.

10. Make a mix of a couple differnet kinds of candys. Pick up some of those plastic "treat" bags and fill the bags with the mix of candy and tie with festive curly ribbon.