Teacher Appreciation

Twice a week I volunteer in a classroom at a community Pre-K program.  There are 17 children, most from non-English speaking families.  The teacher is amazing.  She is patient, kind, cares about each child, and is preparing them for success in Kindergarten next year.   Without this program, these children would start kindergarten way behind their peers.  It's hard to believe our school district has plans to cut the program next year.  But that's not what this post is about.

Teacher Appreciation Week comes and goes.  There aren't room parents for this class.  So I decided to help the students show their love for their teacher with this project.  It's simple enough, but goes a l-o-n-g way in showing their appreciation.  

I brought punched scalloped and plain circles, mini letter rubber stamps and a black ink pad to school one day.  Each child chose their color combination for their "flower" and stamped their name on it.  So it was also a lesson in ABC's.  Then I glued a coffee stirrer stick between the flower and another scalloped circle to create the "flowers."

I painted a terra cotta pot and saucer using yellow acrylic and chalkboard paint.  Two coats of each fully covered the pot.  I also painted a tag with the same yellow paint and stamped the teacher's name on it.

I embellished the top rim of the pot with an actual yellow measuring tape.  Because the rim is larger at the top than the bottom, I cut the measuring tape every two inches or so, and glued them separately to compensate for the tapered difference.  When glued, you can't even tell the measuring tape was cut.  I used Mod Podge for the glue, and again for a final glossy coat (but not on the chalkboard paint).

 All that was left was to pot the plant and stick the "flowers" in the pot.

 And added a coordinating tag that reads "Thank You for helping us to grow."

The teacher was so delighted to receive the gift that her students created.  

And the students were anxious to find the flower with their name.