Great, affordable ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week

 Looking for some great ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week that won’t break the bank? Here are some from moms who spend a lot of time volunteering at their children’s school and know teachers deserve a special thanks for all they do.

A homemade dinner with friends

What better way to show a teacher how much you care than preparing a homemade dinner that she can share with friends or family. Donna Cleary, a busy mom of three who is the president of the parent group at Jerabek Elementary School in San Diego sent in this idea.

 “We ask the teacher to invite friends and family over for dinner on the Friday of Teacher Appreciation Week and we prepare dinner for 8 or 10.”

 Cleary said each person in the class contributes right down to a stick of butter. Parents provide appetizers, drinks, a salad, vegetables, a main course, bread, butter, dessert, flowers and more. Find the moms who love to cook and ask if they will prepare the main course and other standout dishes.

 Children in the class will enjoy making place mats, napkin rings and menus.

 Parents bring in or send in their contribution on Friday morning. Cleary said someone brings in a cooler with ice to keep perishables cold. You can even help the teacher load everything in her car at the end of the day.

 “All she had to do was turn on the oven and reheat and hopefully not have to clean her house too much,” Cleary said.

 Sound like the perfect ingredients for a special night? 

 “Our second grade teacher received a marriage proposal after we prepared this special dinner!” Cleary said.

An Italian-themed lunch

This idea comes from Karen Fleck, a PTA mom from Santee, Calif. The entire event, held in her elementary school’s library, cost about $150.

Decorations: Round tables for dining were decorated with a roll of plastic, red-checked material from a party supply store. Parents brought in white lacy/linen tablecloths from home for the serving tables.

Here’s where Fleck said parents got creative: They brought in old books, candlesticks, knickknacks and wine corks to use as decorations. They couldn’t light the candles because of school rules, but the ambience was still great. Someone collected the corks from a bartender at a wedding.

Fleck said they brought in artificial ficus trees and plants from home and decorated each table with potted plants borrowed from Home Depot. (I’ve borrowed plants from Home Depot for end-of-the-year promotion ceremonies. It’s really easy and free.) They also tucked tiny, white holiday lights into ceiling panels and turned off other overhead lighting. Someone downloaded some romantic Italian music to play.

Food: Fleck said they bought lasagna and had salad and breadsticks donated.  Parents brought in desserts. 

Gifts: Room parents had pages with a grapevine motif printed out with a heading of something like: I appreciate my teacher because… and had each student write a paragraph. The comments were bound into books and each teacher got one as a gift. 

Start the day with a BIG breakfast

Here’s another idea from Fleck that was a success at West Hills High School in Santee:

The PTSA asked parents to donate $5 gift cards to Starbucks and Jamba Juice. About 150 cards were donated, enough for all the teachers.

Other parents chipped in to make and serve breakfast for the teachers, including scrambled eggs, tortillas, salsa, hash browns, fruit and OJ. Coffee was donated. Fleck said the parent group bought plates and other serving supplies on a small budget.

“We were able to tell the staff that this was not an appreciation by the board (although we all appreciate them) but a show of appreciation by more than 150 families who appreciate them,” Fleck said. “It was probably more work to coordinate, but we hope more meaningful to the staff and a way for our parents to show love to the staff. We plan on a repeat next month.”
 

 
Flowers from the garden

 Several moms offered this idea: Ask parents to send in fresh flowers from the garden (or the store for those without a green thumb.) One parent can provide a vase, a simple one from a craft store will do, but you can get as elaborate as you like. 

 I’ve helped organize this several times and have one piece of advice: Bring in extra flowers for children whose parents forget. There’s nothing sadder than a small child without a flower to offer.

 
A basket or bag of goodies

 Again, several moms sent me this idea: Decide on a theme and ask families to send in small gifts. The possibilities are endless: chocolates, soaps and lotions, books for the classroom, books for the teacher’s summer reading.

 A Giving Tree

 Here’s a great green idea from Lori Erlenbach, an extremely active mom and parent volunteer in San Diego: Buy a plant and ask families to send in gift cards that can be attached to the tree.
 
Here are some other wonderful ideas I received:
 

 
Classroom supplies for new teachers

Finally, if your child’s teacher is new to the profession, here’s an idea I’ve tried: Have parents chip in for inexpensive supplies for her classroom. (While each item is not costly, outfitting a class can be very expensive for a new teacher.)

 Look around her classroom and see what she needs. It doesn’t hurt to ask her for ideas. Unless she expressly asks for something with an apple on it, it’s best to avoid apple-themed gifts.

 Here are just a few ideas:

Have an idea for Teacher Appreciation Week or any other time a class wants to say thanks? Please feel free to pas it on.