End of Term Presents for Teachers

[IDismyname]

Ds will be finishing his local playgroup next week, and has loved every minute of the last year there.

I'd like to give all the teachers/ helpers a present, but there are 8 of them in all.

Does anyone have any ideas? I don't want to spend more than, say £5 each, but am willing to hear of any ideas that include ds making something.... trouble is, not much time!

Thanks

[codswallop]

sorry if i sounded harsh - I have just re read it - I just thought if thats what you all agreed then it defeats the purpose...
I feel really sorry if I upset you. I think I may have had a screaming baby in my other arm hence the brevity!

[Davros]

I have made t-shirts for my autistic son's home therapists before. You can buy special computer paper, print off photo of adorable child and iron on to M&S or similar cheapo 3 in a pack "vests". The paper is a bit expensive but you don't have to use a full A4 sheet per shirt and get a few out of each sheet. I used to put a message but you have to remember to print in backwards. I got really good at it, its a bit labour intensive, but then I lost the touch and ruined a few t-shirts and gave up. I might try again sometime but too late for end of this term (ours is tomorrow). ANother thing I've spotted which I think my son's teachers would love is Feng Shui cats from the British Museum, £5.50 each, a different colour for a different effect (lucky in love, academic success etc). I haven't checked out what they're like in real life yet and not necessarily easy for everyone to get hold of. THey're available on mail order but I'll pop in there to check them out.

[lisalisa]

Message withdrawn

[WideWebWitch]

Oh that's so sweet lisalisa, glad you did it!

[Lindy]

Well done Lisalisa - must admit that, as usual, I 'wasted' so much time on Mumsnet I never got round to making my biscuits for the playgroup leader!

[emsiewill]

Did anyone see Simon Hoggart's column in the Guardian on Saturday? it's here . Well, I felt I had to let him know that not all of us see end of term present giving as some sort of competition - so I emailed him, telling him about the homemade presents we made for dds' teachers. I also put in a link to this thread, just to show him what's been discussed. And guess what? He replied. Within 15 minutes! I know he's just another person, but I'm a big fan of his column and of "The News Quiz" on R4, so to me it's quite exciting to get an email from him. . And I normally never bother to do this kind of thing - maybe I'll do it more often in the future.

[emsiewill]

How sad do I sound?

[Mummysurfer]

Let me know if our chickens get a mention!!
they went down really well. We're very glad we did it.

[ScummyMummy]

Oh I love Simon H too, Emsiewill. I think it's fab that you emailed him and that he replied. Must think of something to email him about myself!

[codswallop]

He could be our mascot!

[janh]

I think he's great too, and am v impressed that you managed to email him because one of his columns once made me want to email him and I just couldn't make up the right address, everything I tried bounced back. (Why isn't there a link at the bottom of his column???)

Bless him for replying. What a sweetie!

[emsiewill]

janh, I just used the address [email protected] - although it took a bit of looking around the site to find a clue as to what the address should be. Can't even remember where I found it now.

[lisalisa]

Message withdrawn

[mogway]

I'm a teacher too and I think presents are quite nice (although we do get a lot of chocolates) because we all work above and beyond our remit most days in order for the children in our care to have the best time they can when with us and a thank you card of gift shows that we are appreciated.

That said, i'm a bit stuck on what to get the staff at my nursery. I'm going to do mugs for my children's key workers but all the staff work with all the children. I was thinking of something they could do with the kids next term - maybe some kind of growing thing/project but i'm a bit short of ideas.

my daughter wants to by her keyworker a pet!!

[happygardening]

As a nurse we frequently receive gifts, frankly cakes and sweets are always the most apreciated, easy to share with everyone and the other thing which we like is a basket of exotic fresh fruit - this can be demolished at breaktime!

[farkly]

Didn't notice this thread so reposting my message here

DD is finishing pre-school this month & am stressing about what to get the staff. She has 1 key worker and there are another 5 members of staff all of which are lovely. I have been so happy with the nursery but am not into this present giving competitiveness and don't want to buy yet another box of chocs. So, I thought maybe DD could make them a nice card and then we'd get a jam jar each and fill them with nice (wild?) flowers picked by DD, tie the top with some wire so they can hang them up, and maybe/maybe not (?) write their name on each of them.

Is this a crap idea?
And how can I give it to them without making a big fuss, I find it all a bit embarrassing.

the other idea I had was for DD to decorate her keyworker a mug, but then what about the rest of the staff..

[Teachermumof3]

Definitely wine! I also love letters (rather than cards-which end up being bulky if you want to keep them) that the parents/children have written-I have some of these from 14 years ago; they still make me go a bit misty-eyed when I read them! I really hate 'best teacher' magnets and teddy bears though.

If you want to buy for nursery workers but don't want to buy 8 gifts, then it might be a good idea to buy them a joint big tin of chocolates/biscuits but give it to them now, so they can share them (whilst thinking of the lovely parent who was so thoughful!) over the last two weeks, rather than trying to divide up presents on the last day!

[chillistars]

We make a card and then DS writes something inside about what he has particularly enjoyed about being taught by that teacher/TA. We add in a book token if we feel inclined.

[chillistars]

oh, and during the year we will occasionally take in biscuits/a small box of chocolates for her and TAs to share as a little thank you - say after a school trip or when they have done something above and beyond the call of duty or " just because"

[ayshigirl]

when I was a primary teacher I grew totally fed up of choccies!! A small plant/handmade card or pic is fine imo.

[jojane]

I have bought pink pens from wilkinsons with hearts and flowers on )£1.10 for 6) and will give one to each teacher and TA in my two kids classes along with a homemade christmas pudding cakepop.

[StuffezLaBouche]

Obviously it's lovely to receive little gifts from children as a token of appreciation - from a heartfelt note in a card to wine/chocs, whatever.

I do remember one incident that made me feel so sad. On the last day of my previous school in a shit area, many of the kids brought gifts in, but one little girl looked increasingly distraught at the sight of the pile of gifts and later in the morning ashamedly presented me with the rubber from the top of her pencil. I swear to God I nearly howled. :(