They have mugs where you can print a graphic and insert it behind plastic on the front of the mug. This could be personalized in any number of ways, for both men and women

If you get a chance, just ASK a teacher what they might like. Are you making the items, or are other mothers or the children?

Most people, teachers definitely included, love to get edible goodies... candy, fresh fruit, cookies, etc. There is only so much house- or classroom for trinkets or items that say #1 teacher, etc, no matter how heartfelt. Depending on your budget, free passes to local theaters or free meal coupons are certainly appreciated by both sexes.

Buy one or two containers of flowering plants, place them in a basket, cover and surround with spanish moss.

Just and idea........

SharonG/FL

Thank you for the great ideas so far!

Maybee--are those mugs microwaveable? The teachers all use microwaves for warming up their coffee here. If they are, that would be perfect!

Red Confetti--fantastic idea about the coupons for movies or food! I think that is a definite possibility :)I am the one in charge of the whole shabang...this is a small school without much parental support so I will be trying to make things on my own or buy within my PTA budget.

SharonG/FL--I am sure I could swing plants of some sort for everyone. I was thinking of painting some small terracotta pots anyway, so I could just put the plants in them instead of something else.

Thanks so much! Keep the ideas coming...they are very helpful!

Heidi, our PTO does a couple of things for the teachers during that week. They usually print up a little note of appreciation that includes the events for the week and put them in the teachers mailboxes. One morning they put out bagels, muffins and juice in the faculty room along with some pretty paper products. They'll choose one day to provide trays of sandwiches and home-baked goods like cookies and brownies. Sometimes it has just been the baked goods without the sandwiches. It depends on the budget. It has been my experience that they really like to be fed.

I was just thinking that I have seen some cute doorhangers for the holidays and if you could find a template - or if someone here has one - maybe you could make up a little package for the door that might include a pen or pencil, a pack of post-it notes, a couple of tea bags or hot chocolate, some wrapped cookies, a candy bar, a little tissue pack, etc.

~ Lorraine

Here are some ideas you could try.

Stationery or note pads are the perfect gift for the busy teacher. Personalize them for an extra special touch.

Books are very important classroom tools, and sometimes teachers need to hold their place in a story. How about a decorative bookmark? Find a teacher related one in a book store or make one yourself, maybe with sayings about teachers on it.

Since teachers have homework, too, a book bag really comes in handy. Specialty stores carry totes with screen printed sayings that relate to education. Or, shop your local craft store for a blank bag, and make decorating it an art project for you and your child.

What teacher could resist a sweet treat? Both male and female educators will appreciate a box of chocolates or gourmet cookies. Or bake some homemade goodies to help your child in their campaign to be teacherÂs pet.

Find an unusual, oversized cup or mug. Next, fill it with flavored coffee beans, herbal tea bags, or a large pouch of cocoa. Wrap it in cellophane and tie it up with colorful ribbon for a beautiful homemade gift.

A decorative calendar or appointment book might help the teacher with time management.

Instead of doing the ol' apple for the teacher, how about some soaps scented with a sour apple smell. Put a few in a cute soap dish and wrap with cellophane.

I suggest NO homemade edible gift. I am a teacher and there are always concerns about homemade foods. Even though the thought is appreciated most of them get tossed.

As a teacher, I really appreciate the thoughfulness behind any gift I receive from my kiddos, but I have to agree with Red Confetti - you really accumulate too much "stuff". I have started donating mugs to the local animal shelter as they fill them with goodies and sell them at Christmas to raise funds. I have gotten such a large number of mugs over the years, I couldn't even guess how many. And other "teacher" things, while appreciated, just take up too much room. I think the plant idea is great and the coupon/gift certificate idea, too. Maybe some local business would donate these for your teachers. It's really nice of you to take on this project! Good luck!

What about getting a breakfast gift certificate to McD's and ask them for enough bags for every teacher? Maybe they'd even throw in an extra comp of some sort. Surely there's a morning when a teacher is running late & would appreciate that! OR....a certificate from a car wash?

Family Fun Magazine has some good ideas. There are 6 pages in the article linked below.

Here is another related page...

Teacher Appreciation

Here is a link that might be useful: Great Ways to Thank Teachers at Family Fun

Beautiful, beautiful, and even more beautiful!!!

I actually was in my monthly PTA board meeting this morning and was asked about my plans for the Teacher Appreciation Week. I was able to tell them about the wonderful ideas you have all provided :) Our principal attends all our meetings and she was thrilled with some of the ideas, particularly the ones that were useful and not shelf-sitters. I think I will devote my energy to those type of little tokens and gifts instead of mugs and such.

Thanks again for all your help with this! Again, feel free to keep the ideas coming. I am sure they will help me and anyone else lurking:)

Heidi,
I am responsible for Teacher Appreciation Week, too, only we are having ours in Feb.
Mon. Each child brings in a small pampering item, such as bath soap or lotion
Tues. PTL makes breakfast...each child brings in one flower, room mom supplies vase of water. Each parent has written a personal note with the flower.
Wednesday PTL caters in lunch...Each child brings in a chocolate...
Thursday Each child brings in a marker, pack of pens, ream of paper, package of pencils-whatever your teacher uses the most of...
Friday I sent home a list of favorite snacks from a survey given to the teacher the beginning of the year...ex: Mrs. A likes Doritos, Cheetos, Diet Coke, Chocolate, Coffee-no Starbucks, French Vanilla Bath Scents, blah-blah...So the students pick one or two from the list and she will end up with a giant custom care basket!!
Good luck!

Here are some of the things our group has done for teachers at our small school:

-fill a soup mug (Dollar General $1.00 each) with a packet of instant soup mix, individually wrapped Saltines, a spoon, and some kind of dessert like the oreos that come in individual servings. Tie a card to it that says, "For a soup-er teacher" (custodian, secretary, bus driver, etc.)

-to one of those little, hand-held fans, we attached a note that read, "to a great teacher-from your biggest fans"

-flashlights-attach a note that says "Teachers light the way"

-3 or 4 inch flower pot-fill with a small baggie of potting soil and a packet of seeds-"Thanks for helping us grow."

-pack of highlighters (Thanks for making our school brighter)

-paper clip dispenser (Together, we make our school great.)

-this year, I found some of the $1.00 reusable lunch bags at Wal-Mart on clearance for 25 cents each. We are going to put things in each one like a sandwich, chips, cookies, whatever we can find that is pre-wrapped. We are probably going to get a party sub, cut it up, and wrap the sandwiches individually.

I agree that useable items are always best. Almost all of these items were picked up on a clearance sale at one time or another too, so you can do it very inexpensively.

Good luck

Here are 2 ideas that our PTA is doing for TAW.

Mon - We are taking individual-sized Delmonte fruit cup pop top cans and using a smooth edge can opener to take off the bottoms. We ordered M&M candies from their website in our school colors with a personalized saying on them. You fill the cans with the candy and them pop the bottom back on. Next replace the original wrapper with a hand-made one from us.

Wed - We are doing a luau themed luncheon. We will serve pulled pork, fruit salad (what was taken out of the cups for Mon treat), kabobs and other themed foods. You will be surprised how many local resturaunts are willing to donate for teachers and school staff.

Hope this helps and good luck!!!

For the last 2 years, our parent organization has done something special each day. For instance, one day, they got a giant bag of lifesavers mints for about $7 at Wal-Mart. They put it on the table in the teacher's lounge with a note that said something about how teachers are worth a "mint." Another day, they put a box of microwave popcorn on the table with a note that said something like, "poppin' in to say thanks for all you do." On the last day, they had lunch catered in for all of us. Last year, my sister-in-law got crazy and wrote poems for each day to go along with the daily treat. (cookies, fruit, mints, popcorn etc.) We did have some moms from our parent organization bring in homemade treats but we are a small school and everyone knows the moms and that the food is "safe." Since I am both a teacher and on the parent organization, I was able to give them some ideas of what our staff likes.

I was going to suggest using the inexpensive plastic apples and gild them all gold and add their names on them, These could be used for on their desks or even drill 3 holes in the top to hold pencils. If your having a luncheon these could be a favor & name placecard as well.

After searching the net for ideas for our TAW celebrtions I came across acouple of GREAT ones!!
1. Take the kids outside, have them lay on the ground and make letters with their bodies. To spell out THANK YOU! and take pictures. Post the pictures in the teachers lounge
2. There is a clever list of sayings that go along with candies.
Sweet Talk (submitted by Cathy Sork, Ft. Vancouver H.S.)

Use candy and other treats to help share a thank you/encouragement message to teachers including:
 Kudos ® to You!
 You are worth 100 Grand ®!
 Thanks for all the laughs and Snickers ®
 You are Out of this World! (Mars ® or Milky Way ®)
 You Deserve a Sweet Escape ® for All You Do!
 Thanks for the Mounds ® of Work You Do!
 Hope your vacation is Carefree ® (Gum)
 You are M&M!!! (Marvelous and Magnificant)
 Students and Teacher Working Together Makes a Sweet Symphony ®!
 Thanks for putting up with us Ding Dongs ®!
 You are O'FISH'ally Awesome!(Gold Fish ® crackers)
 We Love You!!! XOXO (Hershey's Hugs and Kisses ®)
 You Deserve an Extra Payday ®!
 Thanks for always being willing to do EXTRA ®! (Gum)
 You are a JOY! (Almond Joy ®)
 We are NUTS about you
 You were "mint" to be a teacher
 Snack bag of chips with note "You're all that and a bag of chips!"
 Have a poppin' good weekend (popcorn)
 Thanks for pudding up with us. (Snack pudding)
 Have a Cracker Jack® of a summer!

Good Luck

At our school, our PTA has a guideline that each class follows where something special is done each day of the week. The first day is a door decoration. There are usually themes that everyone follows (this year it is a "spa" theme such as "You make us feel wonderful"). So on Monday the door is decorated using kraft paper and anything that conveys the theme from all the kids. Day 2 is bouquet day-- each child brings a flower from their yard (or purchased) to add to a vase to make a large arrangement for the teacher to enjoy all week in class. Day 3 is a PTA sponsored lunch and parents for each grade sign up to bring parts of the lunch for all the teachers. Day 4 is a teacher gift day from class funds (this year we are providing a small gift card and class supplies such as paper, etc that the teachers are running short on and due to budget problems in CA the districts can't replace). Day 5 is a school holiday this year but I think they've usually done another lunch brought in just by the room parent to their own classes teacher. Hope that helps give you some ideas.

All these great ideas! Giving me ideas for the "end of the school year" gift. I'd vote for the plants too. contact a local florist of the flower department at a local grocery store and see if you can get a bulk order discount. Doesn't hurt to ask! Good luck and let us know what you decided on.

I have a tradition every year that I cut out white or cream quilt blocks and sneak into class on a sub day and have all the kids design a block and have them sign it. I later then integrate it into a blanket for that teacher and give it to them on teacher appreciation week. I like to do qwillows/ pillow quilts so the can either use in class, or fold up and throw on a couch, or fold into a pillow and use as a pillow or emergency blanket in the car.
The other children remember the blanket and ofter I have over heard them ask the teacher about it years later.
After time, I noticed in my children's school, it be came not only a memento that they could use but a brag right as well.