Yolande

This week marked the end of preschool for Kate.

I may or may not have been totally crying as I picked her up from her last day & we said Goodbye & Thank you to her teachers.
What an incredible 2 years she has had.
Kate has 8 teachers in her class, so I knew I wanted to give them a gift that was meaningful & useful, but didn't cost a lot of money.
And, I knew I wanted it to be handmade-ish rather than totally store bought.
Here is what I decided to do:

I got 8 mini terra cotta pots at Home Depot for $1.27 each
I got 2 six packs of zinnias for $2.89 each
{I already had the spray paint}
I spray painted the pots & bases with 2 coats of spray paint.

I made printable that said "Thank you for helping Kate bloom"
I printed it on cardstock.

Then I used a 2.5 inch scalloped punch to punch them out and I glued them with a hot glue gun to craft sticks that I already had on hand.

Once the pots were dry (the next day) I planted a zinnia in each one & stuck in the printable.

Didn't they turn out so cute?

Way more fun than just boring terra cotta.
I figure her teachers can use the pot at home or they can keep in in their classroom!

Kate had 4 main teachers & the other 4 were in their room once a week for Bible, PE, Music & Science.
For her 4 main teachers I also gave them a gift card to a local Nursery so they can buy some more flowers for their yards.

It has been so neat to see Kate's transformation over the past 2 years...socially, academically & creatively.
Kate's school has them draw a picture of themselves the first month of school & the last month of school. It is fun to see how Kate's art & writing has improved in 9 months.
This was a fun gift to make & I love how inexpensive it was!
It was meaningful....Kate really has bloomed this year.
Also, Kate LOVES helping me plant flowers & water our flowers, so this gift is perfect!
Because I love you all so much, I made some printables for you to use also!
Kate's said "Thank you for helping Kate bloom"
The ones for you guys say "Thank you for helping me bloom"
So, you can use them for any kid!
I made them with 3 different background colors:
Pink:
Purple:

Aqua:

I love Teacher Appreciation Week...and not just because I am a teacher ;)

Of course, my reasons are two-fold.

Reason #1 I love Teacher Appreciation Week because I AM a Teacher and it's always nice to be appreciated. Yes, teachers get 3 months off...blah blah blah. BUT we have one of the hardest jobs there....I spend 5 hours a day with 150 7th graders who are 12 & 13 years old.... who are going through puberty. THAT is no easy task. It's exhausting. I am not only trying to teach them math (which is probably the least liked subject out there) but I am also trying to maintain classroom management and teach these kids important Life Skills like time management, teamwork, being KIND and being a good citizen.

Reason #2 I love Teacher Appreciation Week is because my girls are also in school and I LOVE giving gifts to their awesome teachers. I truly am thankful for and appreciate their amazing teachers and want them to know how much they are appreciated, even if it's a small gesture.

I think Teachers have one of the hardest jobs out there and as a parent, I want to make sure my kids teachers KNOW how much I appreciate them.

I like giving little goodies to my kids teachers throughout the year (and giving them THIS questionnaire at the beginning of the school year is super helpful)

Here is what you need:

- Bundlets from Nothing Bundt Cakes (or make your own bundt cake)
-Printable (found at the bottom of the post)
- Cellophane wrap
-Bakers Twine (or ribbon)
-Scissors
- Hole Punch
- Pen

Here is a close up of the Printable that I made...I made 2 color combos.
A peach/pink one:


 Brown/Blue:

It says "How Sweet it is to be Taught by You" and then at the bottom it says "Thanks a bundt-ch for all you do"You know I love a good play on words :)

 These are SO easy to put together.
I like the Bundlet size because it comes in a container!

Red Velvet is my favorite :)
Fill out the printable, cut out some cellophane wrap & tie a string around it.
Both my girls are in speech, so we are giving one to their speech teacher also :)

I loved how these turned out...so cute & easy to make!

{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}

{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}
I also made a version that doesn't say "Thanks a bundt-ch for all you do"
Not everyone has a Nothing Bundt Cakes near them, so I wanted you to be able to use it for something else.
I have it saying "Thanks for all you do"
This way you, you don't have to use a bundt cake.
You could attach it to cupcakes, doughnuts, candy apples, etc....Anything sweet...the possibilities are endless!

{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}
{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}


I hope you will be able to use this printable!

Need more Teacher Appreciation Ideas?
Here are some other free printables that I have on my blog that would be perfect for Teacher Appreciation and/or End of the School Year Gifts!

Dinner is on Us:

Free Printable {HERE}

Cupcakes in a Mason Jar + Free Printable:

{HERE}

I'm so lucky to have a teacher like you Printable (I add a gift card to this)

{HERE}

Thank you for being my Teacher (Cookie in a CD Sleeve with gift card)

{HERE}


Thanks a latte for all you do:
Get the printable {HERE}

I love this idea because this is what is inside the box....my favorite Anthro mug & coffee gift cards :)

Thanks for helping me bloom printable:

{HERE}

The World Needs S'more Teachers like You Printable

Printable {HERE}


 S'mores Bar Recipe {HERE}

In the Cookie of Life, Teachers are the Chocolate Chips:

Free Printable {HERE}

So, there you have it.
Several easy (& cheap!) gifts you can give the teachers/coaches/office staff in your life as a way of saying Thank You. These work for Teacher Appreciation Week, End of the School Year or Just Because!
And, the beauty of these gifts is that you could always attach a $5 or $10 giftcard to any of these treats (if you want to) 
Hope some of these ideas are useful to you!

 See you back here tomorrow for What's Up Wednesday!
Our bonus question is: What's your Favorite Mother's Day gift to give or receive?