Presents for teachers & childminder?

[Chrysanthamum]

I hate to sound stingy but we're really crunched this year. Is a £5 per gift acceptable? Our ds has 2 teachers and a classroom assistant and then there's our cm who is v generous to us.
Anyone got any good ideas?

dd makes little "crackers" for her teachers etc. We use the insides of wrapping paper rolls/kitchen rolls. Inside we put 2-3 items. such as a luxury chocolate bar (e.g. 69p thorntons), miniature "nice" shower gel/body lotion etc. (sanctuary are on 3 for 2 in boots. £2.29 each). We then wrap the cardboard roll in wrapping paper and twist each end. Imo 2 items is fine, and only costs about £3. Or if funds allow you can put a couple of other treats in.

Imo these presents are either appreciated or easily recycled (!) and better than say a set of cheap bath cubes or something else that looks bigger.

I think a fiver is fine. Could you make or decorate something for each of them? Yellow moon are good for stuff like mugs. I think teachers get a lot of smellies or chocolates so it's nice to give them something a bit different that's actually from the child.

dd1 is giving the t/a's a metre of Jaffa cakes Netto £2.49.Im sure they will enjoy it in the staffroom

love the cracker idea, will def be doing that one next year!

You could enquire discreetly if the teacher enjoys a little drink? Some people don't like giving a bottle of wine as it is so obviously not from the child but I think it is better than boxes and boxes of chocs

As a teacher I would really rather just receive an appreciative message in a card. I would hate to think that parents were stretching themselves to buy me a pressie for doing my job.

Is it the 'done thing' to buy for the classroom assistants as well as teacher then? Hadn't anticipated that but suppose it makes sense...

Is it the 'done thing' to buy for the classroom assistants as well as teacher then? Hadn't anticipated that but suppose it makes sense...

I have bought my ds's teachers a lovely make up set from No7 at Boots,3 for 2 & my staff discount made them into a real bargain

I wouldn't spend that much! Last year we made some chocolates- rocky road(brazil nuts, choc and marshmallows) and put them in little bags from Lakeland. This year we are painting glass jars and putting tealights in. There's lots of mini boxes of chocs 99p that you could get if you don't want to make something. I try not to spend more than £2 each, so shell out on materials to make something and then you get more for your money.

The cellophane bags from Lakeland are lovely, as recommended above by Squiz, especially tied up with a little bit of ribbon. Dd has a very simple usborne book, full of easy-peasy Christmas recipes. (lots of them are just about melting choc and syrup and other bits together and putting the mixture into tiny petit four cases)

Just half a dozen in a bag I would say cost about 50p or less, and it really looks like you or your dcs have made an effort. That with a home made card is a lovely present. In fact I shall take my own advice as I would like dd to give small gifts to the staff at the wraparound club.

btw have just lol at OP wondering if £5 is stingy, as I have openly admitted in my above post that I would give something with a monetary value of 50p!

Thanks for some great ideas. I'd be touched to get a bag full of homemade treats lollipop. My sons teachers are painfully thin tho so I don't think they'd eat lovely syrupy choccie things but I might make a big bag for friends and me instead. M&S are doing the 3 for 2 gift offer again this year so if I can't think of anything else I'll just do that.

A christmas decoration from here