Gifts for the Teacher

In this season of giving I get quite a few of my non-teacher friends and family asking me what types of gifts teachers like to receive from students.  I know that some schools discourage giving gifts, but even with that, I  know many parents want to give gifts if possible.  In my 6 years of teaching, I've been blessed to receive some really thoughtful and generous gifts from my students and their families.  

Here are a few ideas:

Gift Ideas For Teachers by conolley featuring body moisturizers

My Tips:

• Gift cards are almost always a winner.  If you don't know them very well, choose one that could be used several places.  Target is almost always a safe bet for anyone (unless you happen to live in the middle of nowhere and don't have one nearby.)
• Give a practical gift of something they enjoy.  Sometimes the best gifts are my everyday favorites like a 12 pack of Diet Mountain Dew or some Special K Bars.
• Find out "their thing."  My thing is K-State and it's pretty apparent when you walk into my classroom. It's a pretty safe bet that I'll love anything K-State...  Jewelry, blankets, decorations, etc.
• A useful gift set is another safe bet.  I actually received one of these Starbucks sets from a student.  I'm no Starbucks addict, but I do love me some hot cocoa and a cute travel mug!  It's something that is generic enough that most people can probably use it.
• Bath & Body Works products...  They have a great exchange policy!  If you didn't already know, B&BW will let you exchange products if you don't like the scent.  This always makes me feel better when I give something to someone.  Last year my old roommate was able to swap out several gifts from her students for items in scents she enjoyed.
• Classroom supplies are always needed.  I don't know many teachers that couldn't use more classroom supplies like Post-Its, Sharpies, or colorful grading pens!  
• Note cards and stationary with a personal touch.  I love cute notepads and cards.  You can get plenty of cute patterns at specialty stores or even places like Target or Michaels.  If you want to step it up a notch, have it personalized through a website like Vista Print or Shutterfly!

I hope that helps you with any last minute shopping you may still have, or keep these ideas in mind for teacher appreciation or end-of-the-year gifts!

Happy Tuesday!

Since everyone seems to be in a shopping mood...

It's been fun reading everyone's shopping posts over the past couple days.  I feel like I've been spending money and shopping like crazy over the past few weeks, but oddly enough, really haven't done much shopping this weekend.  (I've been working part-time, so that's helped a little bit.)

I've been buying a lot for myself, but I've also put a pretty big dent in my list of things to get family and friends.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite affordable gift ideas and some of the things that I like to give as gifts to my friends and family.

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Scarves

I'm personally a bit obsessed with scarves and I think they make a great gift.  It's a great clothing item that will fit any size person and add a great statement to any outfit.  Here are a few of my current faves.

AEO Floral Paisley Scarf

Gap Cozy Classic Plaid Scarf

Gap Snow Leopard Scarf

Gift Cards 

I know, you're probably yawning at the thought of gift cards.  I think these are a great option for those people that you're just not sure about.  When I give gift cards I like to add in something a little extra.  Last year I purchased cute little coin purses to give my friends and I put the gift cards in there.  Another option is to give multiple gift cards to create things like a "date night" package or to different stores to create a complete outfit.  And if all else fails, give a Target gift card.  I don't think I know a single person that wouldn't be happy with a Target gift card.

Bath & Body Works Goodies

I say this one for several reasons.  First, I'm always a fan of Bath & Body Works items.  I will gladly accept candles, lotions, body sprays, and hand sanitizers at any time.  Second, this store has a great return / exchange policy that makes it really easy for your gift recipient to swap things out if they don't like the scent.  Last year my roommate got some scents from her students that she didn't like and she was able to go in and trade them out for ones that she liked.  Nobody wants their gift recipient to have to make a trip to return or exchange something, but in the event that happens you at least want it to be easy for them.

A Tasty Treat

Source: verybestbaking.com via Michelle on Pinterest

I think these types of gifts are adorable! Not only are they yummy, but they'll also look cute sitting out on the counter.  You can purchase packs of jars in the kitchen department at Target, so these are a great option if you're looking to mass produce a gift.  You can also customize the look with cute gift tags, ribbon, fabric lids, etc. or tie a cute ornament to the jar for another added touch.

A Random Favorite

I think sometimes my favorite gifts are ones that show the person truly knows me.  Yes, a gift wrapped 12 pack of Diet Mountain Dew truly makes me happy.  I think this is a fun idea for coworkers or just as a little added extra.  Pop, gum, or snack foods can make great practical gifts and you can always get cute and creative with you wrapping.

Source: adventuresofabettycrockerwannabe.blogspot.com via Amelia on Pinterest

A Little Something For Pampering

Source: supremecourtney.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

I think this idea is absolutely adorable.  Maybe it's because I'm addicted to nail polish right now and I know many of my friends would be more than happy to receive nail polish as a gift.  Ulta currently has a 5 for $5 table with all sorts of neat beauty gifts.  I picked up 5 items the other day to give as little pampering gifts.  

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What are some of your favorite Christmas gift ideas?

Please share! :)

(Student) Teacher Apprciation

This post is a bit overdue, but I still wanted to share...

My student teacher completed her time with us a few weeks before school actually ended.   I wanted to do something special as a surprise for her, but with our busy schedule and her still being in the building through her last official week, we weren't really able to do much sneaking around.  We celebrated her last day with donuts, but promised we'd have a surprise for her when she returned for Field Day the following week.

I sent home a note on Monday asking the students to donate small items for our student teacher.  Since she doesn't yet have a full-time job lined up for next year, we sought generic items that would be helpful for any teacher.  My cooperating teacher did the same thing for me and I really appreciated their gifts, so I wanted to do the same!  

We were overwhelmed with the generosity of the students in the class!  I was shocked with how many items we had to fill her bag!  The teacher bag I had almost didn't fit everything!

In addition, I had the students type a letter, poem, acrostic, or essay for her and I assembled them into a little booklet.  Their writing was very encouraging, sweet, and of course, hilarious!  My students are quite honest and funny sometimes.  She's definitely going to have some entertaining reading material!

She was completely delighted over the bag of goodies that we gave her.  The kids and their families really outdid themselves with this one!  (The pic above doesn't even show everything that we ended up collecting!)    I know that these goodies were greatly appreciated and that she's now got the makings for an awesome classroom!

Christmas Gifts for Parents

Every year I seem to struggle with coming up with Christmas gift ideas for parents. I try to come up with something that is personal and creative, but all the while won't cost me my entire paycheck to reproduce for 20+ students. I'm pretty sure I've settled on making picture tiles again because they were super easy and cheap.

I made them for Mother's Day last year, so you can check out that post here. I think I'm going to attempt using the spray Mod Podge and see how that works. I think that'll speed up the process!

I've been finding all sorts of cute ideas on Pinterest and have pinned them on a few of my boards.

Classroom Stuff

&

'Tis the Season

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Pinterest findings... If you click on the image you will be directed the the pin and from there can go to the website link.

Obviously this would be simplified a lot if I did it with my third graders, but you could totally make a cute collage Christmas tree with buttons and scrapbook paper. I picked up some really great unfinished wooden frames at Dollar Tree that would be good for this project as well.

I think this would be really cute to do with little kids. I'm not totally sure about how I feel about painting / inking feet, but I know if I were a parent this would be a picture to treasure.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my class make these cards to go along with their tiles. Aren't these adorable? I feel like painting hands would be a lot less messy than painting feet, making this project a bit more appealing.

Again with the feet... I love this idea, but I'm not 100% sure on the mess factor. I think I'd definitely have to have some additional adult supervision and major painter's plastic on the floor of my classroom.

What Christmas crafts are on your classroom agendas over the next couple weeks?

Goodies!

I went out of town this past weekend to do some Christmas shopping and to visit some friends and family. I've really been in the mood to get out of town since my life seems to be super lame these days. I must say, I had a GREAT weekend. I got a lot of Christmas shopping done, had a really fun time visiting my family and friends, and even found a new teacher store!

My friend I visited is also a teacher. In fact, you can see pics of her classroom here from when I was up to help her and visit back in August. Anyway, she'd mentioned the store US Toy to me before, but we'd never made it over there 'til now. Mardel is usually the teacher store we hit up when I'm in town (partially due to the fact that it is closer to her house.) Anyway, US Toy ended up being great! We didn't spent a lot of time there, which is fine since I'm still on my school spending diet, but I did pick up two goodies there. Their website doesn't really carry much as far as educational items, but they do have a lot of toys and offer free everyday shipping. I was really impressed with their selection of teacher books and picked up a great reading comprehension book. I also got a set of two comprehension spinners that I've intended to get forever, but always seem to be out of stock where ever I look! Plus, I signed up for their teacher reward program and got 10% off my purchase. I definitely plan on heading back there next summer after round 2 of our reading training and my brain is full of fresh, new ideas!

I feel like all I talk about on here is shopping on what's supposed to be my teacher blog, but it is one of the things that I'm really good at and that I do really enjoy. LOL I'd eventually like to get into posting things that I make and even venturing into TpT, but I'm not there yet. Maybe that'll be one of my (many) projects for Christmas break and summer break.!

I also had to make a trip to J.Crew to return my Cyber Monday purchase that I mentioned last week. Don't you hate it when you order something in the same size as another item you have and it fits completely different? And then they're sold out in the store? Yeah, me too!

I swapped it for this top, which I'd been eyeing online. I'm not a full price shopper, so I was happy that they let me apply the teacher discount to the price difference. Still a little splurge for me, but this is definitely an item I love and not just like!

I also picked up a "shocking pink" (we're talking neon, people, the picture makes it look tame) cardigan at the J.Crew Factory store. That color is definitely different and I liked that it was on a super sale (way cheaper than it is online right now). I wore it to school today and joked that I'm going to wear it during state assessments so that when the students look at me they will remember to highlight. Oh wait, I guess it's not joking since I'm actually serious! LOL Does anyone else get crazy thoughts like that while shopping, or is it just me?

The final "goodie" for this post was actually a pleasant surprise to me. I did a major after Christmas shopping spree last year with my gift cards and bought TONS of decorations at Target and even Wal-Mart for 50 and 75% off. As I unpacked my decorations I found a bag full of gift items that I purchased for my students! I bought goodie bags, cards, mini puzzles, and pencils, plus I always buy extra boxes of crayons during back to school time so I already have those on hand, too! What a nice surprise, huh? I'm totally stocking up again this year because buying 20 small gifts for kids can really get pricey if you're not careful. Now I just need to grab some candy and I'm ready to assemble my student gifts! I'm sure I'll have a post in the near future with more about our Christmas projects and gifts! :)

Well, that's all for now. I ramble, but just like shopping, it's something I'm good at!

How was your weekend? Get any good deals?

Teacher Appreciation

I had to share this cute idea for for a teacher appreciation gift. I've been seeing a lot of other bloggers post ideas online this week and it's given me a lot of neat ideas for ANYtime gifts!

I received this the other day from one of my students. It's simply a small metal bucket (I have several from Hobby Lobby and the dollar section at Target), two flowers cut out of scrapbooking paper, a flower clip, and some candy! Clipped to the flower was a Target gift card, too! (They know me so well!) I think I'm going to steal this idea for some of my end of the year gifts that I will be giving to paras and a few other staff members that have helped me out this year.

Other than the gift card part of this, the whole thing would only cost about $3-4 max to assemble. Of course it's nothing super fancy, but it's a thoughtful and cute gift idea. There are a lot of ways that you could vary this idea for whatever, but this was different than other teacher appreciation gifts I've received in the past.