It’s that time of year again! END OF SCHOOL. That really busy, must get all the things done time of year. It happens around these parts in June. The time when everything culminates and needs to get wrapped up. The time when your brain breaks and good ideas and creative thoughts disappear. Happens to also be the exact time we are due to show gratitude to our children’s teachers.

So here I am with some teacher’s year end gift ideas! And just so we are clear, my brain is also so full with dance recitals, end of year projects, field trips, parent association assignments, grad parties, family reunion/camping prep, writing assignments and bloggers events and five other things I have forgotten! Leaving my brain in the ‘put out the fires, check my calendar for what I have forgotten 5 times a day, everything else can wait’ mode. Hence my first piece of advice: buy teachers gifts and cute packages through out the year (and often the end of sept when school themed items go on sale) and store them away. That is the only reason I have these to show you today. This way it saves heaps of money (no last minute rush – pay whatever you have to) and frees up much needed brain power. Yeah, yeah I know we are already here and this is no help until next year. But if you want to like your future self, plan ahead!

Micheals, Save On Foods (gift aisle) and the Dollarama dollar store are places I always keep an eye out for sales and things that make me think of the kid’s individual teacher’s taste. It’s not for everyone, but it’s how I roll.

I bake. I mean I bake up a storm and give out baked goods like it’s going out fo style, as my thank you. Come next week you won’t be able to see my kitchen table for the cookies. Again it’s who I am, I bake for everyone – we’ve all got our things and ways to express ourselves! My ‘superpower’ is to be able to guess someones taste in baked goods. Yup, you read that right. Someone doesn’t enjoy baked goods?…well I am completely lost. Because of this I am always on the hunt for cute cellophane bags or ziplocks, decorative boxes and treat bags and other such receptacles to hold the afore mentioned baked goods.

Another tip is to possibly pick up interesting chocolate bars in your travels. These store well and make a thoughtful gift. Last time we were in Paris we hit the corner grocery for a stack of chocolate bars (ate some, kept some and handed some out). My go to at home is the New Zealand Whittaker’s chocolate bars that London Drugs now carries.

Locally sourced cards can be nice touch too, since some of our teachers create some pretty impressive artwork with their classes. At the very least I have the kids help me pick out and write the cards and sometimes they end up being the local artist who craft them entirely themselves! Either way, I make sure the kids are involved in showing gratitude and in the effort that goes into the gifts.