So, last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Our school actually has a teacher appreciation committee that hosts a themed luncheon for the staff then on Friday each of the classrooms presents the teacher with a special (usually handmade) gift. I took on one teacher's gift this year--and with the help of the kids, made a set of coasters for the teacher. I was really happy with the way they came out. The kids did a great job decorating them. And it's nice to give something that's functional and also serves as a keepsake.
HOW TO MAKE THEM:
I gave each child a flower template that I downloaded from Parents here. Parents' idea was to use the templates to write thank you notes, but I took it one step further to turn them into coasters. Each child decorated a coaster (colored pencils work best). They should each add their name somewhere so the teacher knows which kid designed which coaster.
I bought cork coasters from Hobby Lobby--always using their 40% coupon!
Mod Podge each design onto a coaster and let it completely dry.
Then brush a layer of Mod Podge over each design. This is when I discovered colored pencils are the way to go. I had the kids use markers and a few of them started smearing when I applied the Mod Podge. This didn't happen with colored pencils. Let the top layer of Mod Podge completely dry.
To make sure they were water resistant, I sprayed the coasters with Krylon Clear Glaze. This also gave the coasters a shiny coating.
I found a brown paper mache canister at Hobby Lobby to put the set in and added "Thanks for helping us coast through third grade" around the canister. I found the orange flower at Walmart (in their fabric/sewing section). Underneath the canister I wrote the grade year.
It was perfect! The kids loved seeing their artwork all put together and the teacher loved a gift she can use and remember the kids by.
What did you make for Teacher Appreciation Week?!
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