Frugal teacher gifts that really ARE from kids

In the final hour, I’m happy to say teacher gifts are done and waiting by the door for tomorrow – which is the last day of school for us.

My children very much want a role in choosing the gifts they give their teachers. They have their teachers for three years, so they really mean a great deal to them. Honestly, it would be awkward if I just bought something at the store for them to give. We have done gift cards before. Gift cards are always good! Kids like gift cards. And they like to give the same kinds of gifts they like to receive.

Tomorrow my oldest daughter will be taking flowers in brightly colored pots with a rainbow theme. The pots were less then $4 a piece and I bought a large flat of 22 flowers from Home Depot to use for all the girls’ teachers. Writing the notes to go along with the flowers was all the girls’ doing. The notes were hot glued to wooden plant markers and stuck in the potting soil.

My oldest daughter has five teachers, and one is a male teacher. She didn’t want to give him flowers so he is getting a jar of pears canned from our backyard pear trees, decorated with a picture of  macaroni and cheese because that’s what he eats for lunch while sitting with the students.

My middle daughter chose to use my idea of painting old cans (that on found on Pinterest), because she wanted a handle on her gifts so she should easily carry them. So I made that happen by putting two holes in the upcycled cans and using jute twine for a handle, which is displayed in the last photo. 

For the note in my toddler’s upcycled cans, she painted a picture by stamping the end of a Napa Cabbage into paint, and onto the paper. This was great fun! Then I cut up the painting and used it to write the note on for the flowers. 

Here’s a few photos of the process of creating the upcycled can arrangements, with my toddler helping. Don’t forget to put a hole in the bottom of the can for the water to drain. We put two holes on the sides too, to make a handle with jute twine. The last photo shows how that worked out for my toddler, carrying the flowers to her teacher at the end of the year picnic Thursday night. It was an extra step, but I really recommend it. Plus the bow on the front is cute too.

The names of my children have been blurred out on their cards for privacy. I know it’s one tiny thing compared to all I share here. But if feels like the right thing to do, withholding there names from the internet world. So that’s what I do.