Teachers do so much for our kids throughout the year.   They deserve a special thanks.

These adorable homemade teacher gifts and homemade teacher appreciation cards are perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week, the end of the school year, and all year long.

Homemade Teacher Cards

Handprint Fish Card —  Don’t you just love handprint crafts?  Turn your child’s handprint into a cute teacher card with this idea.  After all, that teacher made “school cool!”

Ladybug Teacher Thank You Card —  This homemade card is so stinkin’ cute and perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week in the spring. 

Apple Stamping —  Apples have long been associated with thanking teachers.  Fold a piece of card stock in half and turn the classic fall apple stamping craft into a cute card for a teacher.

Handprint Flower Pot Card — Simple and perfect card for teacher appreciation week in the spring.   Turn your child’s handprint into a pot of flowers and thank that teacher for “helping them grow.”

Printable “Tea Chair” Card —  Who doesn’t like a good play on words?  This adorable printable card is a play on the word “teacher.”  Add a small box of stress-relieving tea for the perfect gift.

Yoda Card — Here’s another printable teacher card with a fun play on words.  “Yoda best teacher!”  Perfect for teachers and students that are big Star Wars fans.

Superhero Teacher Card — Here’s a cute homemade teacher appreciation card that the kids will love putting together.  For even more fun have them personalize the hair and eyes to look more like their teacher.

Pencil Card — No time for crafting?  Print out the card and have your child color it.  Quick, simple, and cute.

Fingerprint Balloon Card — This is an adorable idea to use as a card from the entire class.

Homemade Teacher Gifts

“Hands Down” Best Teacher — Whether you turn the idea into a simple handprint card or you add the suggested goodies and make it a small gift, this is a cute idea.

Potted Plant Gift — We have done this for teachers several times and it is always a hit.  Usually we just add the note “Thanks for helping me grow!” on card stock, glue it to a craft stick, and stick it into the flower pot.  If you want to dress it up a bit more, check out this idea.

Crayon Picture Frame — This would be perfect for a preschool or kindergarten teacher!   The colors are bright and cheerful, and you could even include a photo of the class if one is available.

Highlight of My Year — Has your child’s teacher been the “highlight of their year?”  Here’s a fun way to show them just how special they are.

Extra Special Thank You Gift — Another fun play on words.  This one could be used for teachers, postal workers, doctors…so many people you just want to give a special thank you too.

Surprise your child’s teacher with one of these homemade teacher appreciation cards or a homemade teacher gift this school year.

You may also like these ideas:

• 15 Homemade Gifts Kids Will Love 
• 40+ Hands-On Learning Activities for Early Learners
• Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home
• 15 Ideas to Make Math Fact Practice More Fun

The post Homemade Teacher Cards and Gifts first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

There is just something about the stretchy, slightly sticky substance that kids love.  And since liquid starch slime is so easy and quick to make, you can make a batch in just about any theme, like this snowflake slime, in just minutes.

You can make this ahead of time, or get the kids involved in making their own homemade slime.  They’ll have a fun, ooey, gooey slime to play with in just 5 minutes.

Snowflake Slime

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Ingredients:

• 5 oz. Bottle Clear Elmer’s Glue 
• 5 oz. Liquid Starch 
• Snowflake Confetti
• 5 oz. Warm Water
• Measuring Cup
• Bowl and Spoon

Make Your Own Snowflake Liquid Starch Slime:

Pour your clear glue into your bowl.

Then add in the same amount of warm water.  Mix until the two are thoroughly combined.  (I find using warm water helps it mix better.)

To make snowflake slime, add in a generous helping of plastic snowflake confetti pieces.   We also tried adding artificial snow, but it wasn’t as noticeable in the finished slime.

Now for a bit of science!

Slowly pour in your 5 oz. of liquid starch and stir it with your spoon.

The mixture will immediately thicken. This is because glue is a polymer and the liquid starch is changing the structure of that polymer as the two come together. Head over to Little Bins for Little Hands to find out more about the science of slime.

Pretty soon it will become too thick to stir with a spoon.  It’s time to pick it up and finish mixing in the liquid by hand.  This is a great step for kids!

The slime gets better the more it is played with.

We had fun pairing this winter-themed liquid starch slime with some polar animals.

This snowflake slime also makes a fun DIY gift idea for kids.

Put the slime in a clear container with a screw on lid and add a polar animal or two for lots of sensory play fun.

The slime should keep for at least 2 weeks, and then you can mix up another batch in a whole new theme!

You’ll also love these posts:

• Christmas Slime Recipes, from The Chaos and the Clutter
• Sparkly Valentine’s Day Slime 
• Rainbow Water Bead Slime 
• Googly Eye Liquid Starch Slime Recipe 
• Make Your Own Snow — Taste Safe Cloud Dough 

The post Mix-Up Some DIY Snowflake Slime & Beat Cabin Fever first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I can’t believe it is almost the end of the school year.  Soon my little kindergartner will be graduating to first grade. (sniff, sniff)  To celebrate this milestone we created put together this simple flower craft as a gift for all her new friends.

To make your own homemade end of the school year flower craft, you will need:

• construction paper
• cupcake liners
• lollipops

Cut large green leaves from your construction paper.  (Ours are approximately 3 inches long.)  Cut simple flower shapes (approximately 2 1/2 inches wide) from other colors of paper.

Your child can write a brief message on the flower’s leaf.  This is also a good spot to put your phone number if you’re hoping for a few play dates with classmates over the summer!   Make sure your child writes his/her name on the leaf as well.

Using the lollipop stick, poke a small hole through the center of a cupcake liner.

Then add one construction paper flower and leaf.  To keep the construction paper from tearing, I used scissors to make a very small hole in the flowers and leaves.  This allowed the kindergartner to thread them onto the lollipop stick without ripping the paper and causing a bunch of frustration.

To speed up the process, have your leaves and flower shapes cut out ahead of time so all your child has to do is assemble the flowers and write their note.  (You could also print the notes off on the printer.)

Once finished, simply place all the flowers in a large zippered plastic bag for your child to take to school the last week.  This simple flower craft is a cute homemade gift to hand out to friends at the end of the school year.

You might also like these 15 homemade gifts for kids.

The post End of the School Year Gift Idea first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.