Teacher Appreciation

Last week Henley's little Mother's Day Out program celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. I'm a bit confused because I have heard that some schools celebrated the week before and some schools are celebrating this week, and then there was a National Day, so who knows when the technical week was. All I know is that I got an email about bringing food to the teacher's kitchen and was immediately on it! 

After being a teacher, I feel like you tend to appreciate your children's teachers even more. Now, I was a middle school teacher, so I can't say that I got much in the way of gifts from kids (they each have 7 teachers, I totally get it), but the PTA and our administration always took great care of us. It is amazing what a little gift or special surprise can do for your day as a teacher! 

On Monday, I baked some banana nut muffins for the kitchen, but on Friday, I felt compelled to do a little bit more. After I dropped Henley off, I went to the store in search of something special for her two teachers. Now, keep in mind, I did something a little bit bigger because I knew that I would be scattered on the last day of school, also Henley's first day of swim lessons, so I went ahead and did a Teacher Appreciation/End of the Year gift all together. Her teachers were so excited! 

I originally had a few little things in my cart for a spa-like bag, then I came across these adorable beach bags and it all came together. These were only $9 each, and I thought they were perfect for getting her teachers excited about some summer pool days! 

Once I found the bag, the things inside it started falling into place. 

I filled it with a few summer essentials and things that might help her teachers relax. You can't beat $3 flip flops! I am thinking I may need to go back and get a pair of these for myself! The bag included: 

- flip flops 

- lavender bath bombs (my favorite)

- summer nail polish 

- a $5 gift card to Sonic 

- facial masks 

I bought the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry brand of nail polish and the colors were "Sonic Bloom" and "Pink Blink." Again, I might be going back for more soon! They both seemed perfect for the pool or beach! I also happened to have some cellophane at home, so I wrapped them up together and tied them up with a ribbon so they wouldn't be floating around in the big bag. 

When I got home from the store, I sat down to write a little card for the bags. Now, I did go on Pinterest and I found TONS of cute ideas for teacher gifts and most of them had cards to go with them, but I ended up going with my own idea, so I thought it would be fun to make a card myself! 

I love making things like this! I hole punched the corner and used a ribbon to tie these onto the straps of each bag. I also personalized it by writing a note to each teacher on the back. You have no idea how much a simple note can mean to a teacher. 

These are the fun little masks I bought, and I LOVE them! I bought a few for myself (a post on that later), and they are so easy. I put one on the other night and loved the way it made my skin feel! 

I was so happy with how the bags turned out, and even more happy with the reaction I got from Henley's teachers! 

This post is not to pat myself on the back, but to hopefully encourage you to do something for your kid's teachers too. I understand that the end of the year can be totally overwhelming and that finances might be tight, but you have no idea how much it means to teachers to receive even the littlest of gifts. Don't underestimate the power of a $5 gift card! You have no idea how it will brighten a teacher's day to know that they can stop by Starbucks or Sonic for a free drink! Also, if you can't buy anything, a nice note goes a LONG way too. Most teachers keep those notes forever!

Happy almost summer!!