Teacher Appreciation Day is on May 5 this year, and it is the perfect time to thank your special teacher for a great school year. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a gift; more importantly, put time and thought into it to show how grateful you are. Here are some ideas that will take little time and money, but are thoughtful and kind:

• Hand write a letter of thanks.
• Have your class write a top-ten list of favorite memories of the past school year.
• Write a poem that captures the uniqueness of your teacher.
• Make a genuine piece of art for your teacher, as an individual or as a class project.  A mural capturing the past school year would be an excellent idea.
• Have all the students contribute $1 toward purchasing a gift for the teacher. A gift certificate to a favorite bookstore, coffee house, or local restaurant would be a great class thank you.
• Make a batch of homemade goodies for the teacher to appreciate. How about one special cupcake?
• Have the kids ask their teacher what his or her favorite pastry and morning drink are. Surprise the teacher with his or her favorite treats on Teacher Appreciation Day.
• Create a special banner where all the kids can say thank you and write special messages to the teacher as they would in yearbooks. Hang this up in the classroom while the teacher is not in the room as a special surprise.
• Have the kids create letters out of their bodies that spell out “THANKS FOR A GREAT YEAR,” and take a photo of each child as a different letter. Spell out the sentence with a collage of photos. This is really unique and fun for the kids too!
• Plant a tree in your local community to honor your favorite teacher.
• Contact your local flower shop, and ask if they would be willing to donate their less-than-perfect flowers to you for the teacher. Wrap these flowers in colorful tissue paper and tie them with a bow. A perfect bouquet for year’s end!

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Lil Sugar discusses the new rule that schools are implementing that bans kids from talking about any social gathering that is going on outside of school.  The comments on this blog are quite interesting.

Although many schools have been quite clear about party invitations in the classroom, this rule may be more difficult to enforce given kids love to talk about their exciting plans for the weekend or what they did over the past one.

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If I bring cookies in to my kid’s classroom to celebrate her birthday, do I also have to invite the entire class to her birthday party as well?

Only if the school requires that the entire class be invited if you extend invitations at school do you have to include the entire class. If you have decided on a party with a few friends on the weekend, then the classroom celebration with a treat is something entirely separate from the official party. Do not feel you need to include the entire class in your party plan.

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My daughter’s best friend is having a little celebration at school for her birthday, i.e. her Mom is baking cupcakes for a birthday treat for the class. She will not be having a birthday party. Should my daughter give a gift to her friend at the school celebration? Usually, no one does this.

Keep the present away from the classroom, and make an alternative time for your daughter to give the gift. In the classroom setting, most kids will have not brought a gift and it may be awkward for others. Given she is a best friend of your daughter’s, there will be other opportunities to do this, i.e. on a play date. Another consideration is that your school may not allow presents to be exchanged either.

We are moving and taking our son out of his day care class two months before his birthday. He will not be in his new day care class until after his birthday this year. Should I ask the old day care if we can come back one afternoon to celebrate with his friends? Given we are moving towns, if we host a party at our home, I don’t think many of his classmates will come due to the distance.

Instead of planning a party for the exact birthday and having to ask the day care if you can come back for an afternoon, as well as deal with traveling to the old school, schedule your kid’s birthday party earlier. Even if it is two months before, the celebration will be heart-felt, fun, and easier to organize with this group. You could even combine it to be a birthday party celebration, as well as a farewell.

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Well, it is “Back To School” season, and many of you may be thinking about treats/snacks that you will bring into your kids’ classrooms this school year. If you are looking for a few good ideas, have a read:

I love themed-cupcakes to match the seasons, i.e. for September, they could have an apple on top, etc. Cupcakes made in Ice Cream Cones is also lots of fun.  Same goes for themed cookies. This Apple Cookie Cutter would provide fun cookies for the beginning of the school year.

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