Inexpensive Gift Idea for College Grad. with Teaching Degree

Gift cert ot a teacher supply store. Most have to spend some of their own money to decorate room. Also, a friend of mine asked me to start saving 'junk' for teaching aides like baby food jars, paper towel rolls, corks, etc... I decided to fill her a tub with lots of craft pieces: beads, ribbon, jars, glue, scissors, paper towel rolls, hand sanitizer, foam peanuts, dry beans, string, etc.... She loved it. And ..... No one else gave her what i gave her. Ps.... Kids love to help fill the tub with you.

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I would do a gift card to Mardel's, or another teaching supply store if she's not close to one. Teachers spend a fortune setting up and decorating their classrooms! I'm sure that would be much appreciated.

Give them a gift card to put toward framing that diploma to put up in their classrooms or give them a frame for their diplomas

The best gift for an elementary teaching grad would be children's books. You can also pick up personalized stamps that read "property of "Their name" to label all their personal books and belongings. This comes in handy and not many people think of it.It is also inexpensive yet personal.

You could do a tote with their name embroidered on it since they will soon be toting a bunch of things back and forth. You could also fill it with supplies - dry erase markers, eraser & cleaner, sharpies, pencils, pens, sizzors, etc.

First year teaching, it seems that I had to spend a lot of money on clothes and classroom decor. So maybe a gift card to the local teacher supply store or some place like Ann Taylor Loft or somewhere else that has semi-professional clothes?

Dollar Tree stores carry lots of teacher goodies from bulletin board border, stickers, pens, markers, pencils, sticky notes, etc. Maybe fill a basket with some of these things and don't forget everything there is a dollar!

We've given my kids' teachers cute thank you notes (mainly for the ladies). They seem to get a lot of gifts and write many thank you notes through out the year.

Good luck!
L.

It depends on how inexpensive you want to go, but you can get $20 gift cards from a educational/teachers store which isn't super personal but much appreciated. You could also go into one of those stores and look around for anything you see that you like. Cute book ends for their classroom are a fun gift, but I'm really not sure if those would be in the cheaper category. I actually found a magnet that said something like "teachers touch lives" or something like that at Kroger over near the floral and card section. Hmm...maybe making up a basket of things that a teacher might use in a classroom. My roomate would have better ideas, but I'm trying to think of things she got. Books?? Hope this helps, good luck!:)

As a teacher, I would have loved to get teacher stuff (or even a gift certificate to a place like Teach Mart). You can get bulletin board border, fun pens/pencils for grading, notepads, etc. Things like that would be so good because it's something they'll use, and it doesn't have to be expensive. You could even go to a dollar store to find some things.

I recommend that you go to Mardel's and just spend some time in there looking for something. I bet you will run across something amazing to get them. That way you can pick your price range before you go and then pick something in the range.

How about gift cards to a teacher supply store?

i am not sure how much you would like to spend but I have been selling Scentsy Products to parents to give as teacher gifts.

www.scentsy.com/jolenepanigot

May I make a suggestion that you put together some resources for them and just be there to help them set up their classrooms? Write them a letter of encouragement and just put at the end that as a gift to them you would like to help them set up their classrooms. Rearranging and setting up a classroom takes time and it is always more fun with a friend. Also as you are going you can help her make a list of the things she would like to have and the things she needs. Lakeshore has great products and gives free totes or planners depending on the season. I like Mardel's too as they let you laminate things in store. You could organize a "classroom warming" among their family and friends. Also if you have time craigslist is always a great place to browse for retiring teachers getting rid of things. Knick knacks are just clutter and remember she'll be getting them from her students. Books, supplies, and things for her to get organized are best.

I have gifts for $20 and less that are perfect. Apple magnetic pad and pen holders, 6x6 bulletin boards with coordinating push pins I've made, or 12x12 bulletin boards with coordinating push pins. If you email me, I can send you pictures immediately. Later this week, I'll be posting them on my website: Glitz4Gals.etsy.com.

I have some kitchen angels on the site that are perfect gifts too, or a great charm for their cell phone.

My email is: ____@____.com and I'd love to help!

D.

You've had great suggestions. I valued gift certificates my first year. One of my favorite things I got though, was a "World's Best Teacher" frame (it was rather cheesy and not ordinarily what I would like), but the best part was the poem/prayer the gifter printed and put inside. She wrote her own little prayer about God being the author of everything and that all knowledge comes from him. Asking for the patience and wisdom to to teach the students and the opportunity to influence my students to His glory. So it was clear that the "Worlds Best Teacher" was the Lord.

It was special and personalized and unique.

Wow, I just read the suggestion about the rollie cart to carry stuff from school to home. What fantastic idea!! I was forever carrying a huge heavy box of papers or books or supplies out to my car and a cart would have been terrific!!

A personalized canvas tote bag would be a good suggestion. When you put their name put Ms. Last Name. As a teacher having anything with your identity on it is important and special. You could do a cute design that the kids would love and she could use it to carry papers and books home. I got a fancy leather bag when I graduated and I use my canvas one every day.

these are the things I love receiving for my first classroom:

stapler
scissors
pack of multi colored sharpies
rolls of packing tape
tape dispenser
cardstock
desk caddies
personalized note pads
stamp pads/personalized stamp
gift card to Walmart/Mardels/office supply store

As a teacher you always find yourself needing two or three staplers and tape dispensers for group projects and asking fellow teachers to borrow theirs. We go through cardstock like crazy and are always looking for storage solutions to all of the "stuff" we use. For my student teacher's end of the year gift, I took 20.00 and filled a basket with as much of this kind of stuff that I could buy. Walmart is a great place for this for the price. Good luck.

If they have found employment I would suggest a gift certificate from a local teacher supply store :>)
Teachers always need supplies

A nice frame to display their teaching certificates in the classroom- you can use the Michaels 40 percent coupon and get a great deal.

Gift certificate for a teaching store- Teaching Etc, The Learning Patch

A storage container filled with supplies like colored pens to grade papers, sticky notes, thank you cards for when they get presents from kids, stickers, rubber stamps, stamp pad, peronalized note pad- "Mrs. _______"

rolling cart to carry stuff back and forth between work and home- they have these at office supply stores for about 20.00

subscription to Mailbox Magazine- ideas and tips for teachers

You can also search the bookstores and find some funny inspirational books written by teachers for teachers that they might enjoy.

Land's End is running a special on their canvas bags that you can get monogrammed. As a former teacher, a big bag always comes in handy for toting papers, etc back and forth to school. If you look in the overstock section of their website, there are some that are on clearance as well.

Hi Lori~

I am an Independant Consultant for Scentsy. Scentsy is a wickless, flameless, smokeless & leadless candle! They make a great, unique gift. I have 4 school age children & their teachers always love the plug-in warmers that we have! They are a wall plug-in, but they are bigger than most people think and really beautiful! We also have over 80 scentsational scents available! The scents are stronger & longer lasting than wicked candles AND since the wax is warmed with a 15 watt light bulb instead of a flame, it doesn't get hot enough to burn! Which makes them safe to use in classrooms! We also have larger sized 'Deluxe Warmers' that warm with a 25 watt light bulb!

What sets Scentsy apart from wicked candles? They are safe to use~ There is no flame so there are no worries about a fire starting in your home or office! Also since there is no flame, there is no smoke which means no soot on your walls or in the air for your family to breath into their lungs!

Scentsy is amazing! Just to prove it, I have a promotion that I do~ 'try it before you buy it'! You can actually use a warmer & wax in your home or office for 3 days and the best part is there is no obligation! Check out my website at www.Got2HaveScents.com or call me ###-###-####

Have a Scentsational Day!!

Magnets come in handy, especially ones with with clips or hooks.

If you decide to have something custom-made and/or embroidered I highly recommend Irene of Sew Nice. Irene offers embroidery on home décor, accessories, and apparel, including custom-made items.

I recently gave personalized, embroidered fabric bookmarks custom-made by Irene to several women in a Bible study. I've also given many gorgeous tote bags embroidered by Irene.

You can reach Sew Nice at ____@____.com for more teacher gift ideas.

How about an inexpensive basket with sticky notes, pens, pencils, and perhaps a couple of stamps and ink pad (Super!, Good job, Great Work!) depending on which grade they'll teach. Teachers can always use sticky notes, or note pads, and many stores now carry ones that say "From the teacher."

I would say a gift card to a teacher store or children's books. I would read to my students every day and had a classroom library, so children's books were a great gift!

How about a gift card to Teacher's Tools or any place they can get much needed classroom supplies.

How about a gift card to a teacher supply store?

Anything they can use in thier classroom would make a great gift...teachers spend a FORTUNE on their classrooms! Also, something personalized with their teacher name (Miss ...) A tote bag to carry things back and forth, a personalized stamp (from the desk of Miss...) check out www.nestdesignsbaby.blogspot.com for cute personlized stamps and coordinating stationery. The stamp isn't on there, but you can get one with an apple that says "from the desk of Miss..." then they can stamp it on anything they are sending home. Give them the stamp along with a stack of colorful cardstock notecards & envelopes. Or bookplates with their names to put in all the personal books they will accumulate and use in the classroom...www.bluberryfreckles.com has bookplates that you print yourself. You purchase the PDF file from them, then you can change the name and print as many as you want! You could save a copy of the file with their name (one for each) and give them that along with some that you printed out for them and maybe a childrens book or 2.
Hope that helps!!!

A rolling crate or teacher bag--to haul home that inevitable teacher work on a regular basis. I just saw the crate thing at Mardel's for $25. Also, a g/c to Mardel's or Teacher Tools because of all the out of pocket $$ teachers spend, especially the first year on classroom stuff.