Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

To learn and never be filled, is wisdom: to teach and never be weary, is love. – anonymous

This is our last week of school and I am looking for gifts for our favorite teachers.

Our beloved 2nd grade teacher (we’ve had her two years in a row) is moving to a new school.  I know I don’t have any more children left to be in 2nd grade, but I am sad she is leaving none-the-less.

We also love Ben’s 3rd grade teacher.  She is one in a million and has made this year fantastic.

So how do you say thank you?

I’ve been busy making a plate of Mint Brownies for our principal, bus driver, art teacher, and music teacher.

Mini Bundt Cakes are a perfect gift too.  They look so special, and are inexpensive to make.  Any baked gift from cookies to bread and jam makes a thoughtful gift.

A bookplate makes a very sweet gift for anyone who loves books- and what teacher doesn’t love books?  I came across these wonderful bookplates from Sarah Jane Studios.  I love the little school setting… just perfect for a teacher.  Come to think of it, I would love these for myself, but then again, I love everything Sarah Jane does.

I also ran across a free template for a bookplate for a teacher over at Skip to My Lou, she even has a recipe for making a homemade sticker solution… very make it do.

Of course, teachers always love books.  Two great books for teachers are Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden, a sweet book that makes the analogy of the teacher as a gardener and her student as different kinds of flowers.  And Thank You, Mr. Falker, a story of a girl with learning disabilities whose life is changed by her teacher.

And last, but not least, a hand written letter from your child makes the perfect end of year gift.  Give your child a chance to tell their teacher what they’ve learned and what they’ve loved about being in their class.  What teacher wouldn’t love to receive that?

Do you have any special year end gift ideas for teachers?  I would love to hear.

The summer holiday is right around the corner.  Friday is the last day of school.  This year I’m meeting it with excitement and not just a little trepidation.  Summer means camping trips, picnics, and swimming at the pool.

But it also means kids who no longer have a schedule built in.  If I don’t get a working summer schedule put together, my kids will be bored, messy and driving me crazy.

I know for sure they are not going to watch TV all summer.  I also don’t want my kids brains to totally turn to mush.  A while back, I read the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  It was an interesting book about success and one thing that interested me was the impact of summer activities on kids who are successful in school.  A bit of summer learning can go a long way.

So with all that in mind, here’s what I’m thinking we need this summer:

• Job charts- We already use them, but they need different job charts for summer, with more responsibilities.
• Summer “school”-  Even though I don’t want to do a full scale summer school, I want the kids to do a bit of math, writing and at least 20 minutes of reading every weekday.  I also think it’s fun to do a few science experiments here and there.
• A daily schedule- I don’t do well with a rigid schedule, I can never stick to it.  But the kids need to know what’s expected of them- they need to finish jobs and school work before they can run off to play with friends.
• A weekly schedule- This will include things like going to the library every Monday, doing a weekly activity like going to the Zoo or hiking to Timpanogos Cave, and a swimming day.

With a little planning, and a bit of luck, I hope this summer vacation will be good for all of us.