Favorite School Made Mother's Day Gift

Oh Oh Oh!!!! I have one for you that I helped a teacher make a few years ago and the mom's LOVED it!

We bought inexpensive canvas boards (8x10). Then we had the kids do three hand prints in an arch in different colors at the top of the board. Then we took green paint and painted "stems" and a bow. It looked like it was a bunch of flowers. We hot glued a ribbon to the back so they could hang. We then had the kids write a little note to their moms and we attached it to the back as well. It was quick and very easy!

I hope this helps!

My absolute favorite gift was my boy's kinder present. It is a tall piece of manila paper water colored with grass, sky and an extra tall flower. Also water colored is the statement: "mom, my love for you grows and grow and grows!"

It is adorable! I was so excited when I got the third from my youngest last year-my collection was complete!

Hope it goes well!

I got a card and inside were printed questions about me, along w/my son's answers. The questions were:

What's your mom's name?
How old is she?
Who is she married to?
Whatdoes she like to wear?
What is her favorite food?
What does she do at home?
Does she say to you?
What does she want for mother's day?

His answers about me are hilarious! I will treasure it forever. GL!

I know it would be difficult for you to do this one is such a short time, but it was my favorite... a chia monster. The kids cut the top off a milk carton, and covered the sides with construction paper. Then they drew a monster face on one side. Then they filled the container with top soil and planted grass seed.

One of my kids, forget which, made a 'coupon book' one year for Mother's Day.

Do homework without being asked.

Help with dinner.

put clothes away.

A few coupons for free hugs and kisses....

Take kind of thing.

It was adorable!

:)

Its tough on such short notice, and 1st graders might be too young for this but my favorite crafty thing my son made for me in 4th grade is a piece of bark from a pine tree, with alphabet soup letters. (I understand you can buy them dry in a package so you dont actually have to strain them out of soup.) He spelled out, "I LOVE YOU M., LOVE OWEN". They glued a paper clip on the back to hang it from and its coated in a glossy varnish. Hes 34 this month, and it still hangs on my bedroom wall with the photos...aww, sniff ..(o:

I got a gift from my daughter last year in 2nd grade that was a paper cutout "mom" card with a set of "gift certificates" attached. The were slips of paper that said:

"When you feel real tired and you're needing a lift, a back rub can be the most perfect gift"
"If junk on the floor has been there all day, I'll pick it all up and put it away!"
"If our trash is piling all over the place, I'll take it ouside with a smile on my face!"
"If dusting is a job you need, I do good work with super speed!"
There was one about a hug, too...

They were so cute, I haven't redeemed them, except the hug one, but kept them right here on my desk!

my favorites were little story books, one was about my daughter & a few accomplishments she's had + a few of her favorite things she'd done, another was one about me, (one line was "my mom has blond hair, rides her bike & drinks coffee! LOL) both had a few pictures, which was nice, maybe if you have a printer for pics or use a poloroid & take pics of each kid for the cover.. both "books" looked like cards made from construction paper & a few pages inside. I like drawn & written things like that, easy to save :)

My favorite is the baby food jars with the little pieces of tissue paper glued like stained glass. Inside has a tea light candle. May be too late to collect all of the jars though.

Another one was teapot shaped homemade cards, with a tea bag and poem inside :)

I was a teacher (2nd grade the youngest)

Google "Brown paper bag scrapbooks" and you can see a really cheap and easy way to use paper bags to make a little book. Or just click here. http://www.scrapbook-crazy.com/paper-bag-album-instructio... (This is the best tutorial, IMO b/c it shows pictures of the steps. Just scroll down past the Ebay stuff and the ads).

For first graders, make a template for each page. IE: each kiddo gets two brown paper bags. Perhaps you could have them pre-folded and pre-whole-punched. Depends on if you have adult helpers. Each bag will need either two or three holes punched to keep the 'bind' of the book together. Yarn will work, but ribbon looks prettier.
COVER: have a premade title or let them choose a title to write/copy from the board.
INSIDE pg1: I like it when my mom _______.
INSIDE pg 2: My mom is as pretty as a _________.
INSIDE pg 3: My mom makes me laugh when she ______.
INSIDE pg 4: My dad thinks my mom _____________.
INSIDE pg 5: I like it best when mom cooks _________.
INSIDE pg 6: Here is a picture of me and my mom.
BACK: Happy Mother's Day. I love you, Mom. Love, _____

just an idea of phrases. It won't take as long if you have them pre-printed where the kid fills in the blank. I don't think their hands are small enough, but on the back page, they could put their handprint on it with paint, or trace their hands.

ps. Don't forget that some kiddos don't have a mom at home. So if you do templates, have enough ready that say "grandma" or "aunt" or "neighbor" or just a blank space so they could write the name of a female caregiver. ie: "I love it when ____ cooks _______."

In First Grade, both of my kids wrote a poem about me and printed it in their best handwriting on white paper then illustrated it. I framed both of them and will always treasure them, because it is not just a craft, but something of themselves.

Mine was a little flower pot that the teacher had put a sticker that said "Happy Mothers Day" and their school and year. I LOVE it and it still sits in my window. They just put a single flower in it so I just have to put a new flower every year which my son helps me with. The pots aren't too much, I have seen them for 50 cents at some places and same for the flowers. HTH! Good luck!

Love JessinTex idea because my fav was also the mommy questions that my daughter answered. She did them in Sunday school when she was 4 years old and I have them hanging up, so sweet!

In PreK last year I received a placemat with my son's hand prints painted on it. Just loved it. I will treasure it forever:-)

I still have this gift from my son's preschooool, paper & pipe cleaner flowers. Trace the child's hands on white paper, cut out, and wrap around green pipe cleaners that have yellow tips. Tape the paper to hold it together. The fingers are petals and you end up with a white paper lily made of the child's hands. A nice added touch is to put the child's name and/or year on an edge of the hand in tiny print so you can see who made it when.

:)

When I was little we wrapped an empty jello box with wrapping paper a ribbon and a note that said something like this "do not unwrap it, please keep the ribbon tied, for it is filled with love inside" it was much longer than that but that is all I can remember.

We are doing cards that has a fingerprint flower on the front, the handprint poem on the inside with the handprint. my email address is ____@____.com if you want me to send you our template for this. We are doing this with our apartment on saturday.

You can also do a handprint lily, trace the childs hand onto white cardstock, cut it out and fold and tape it around a green or yellow straw, add a 2 to 3 inch gren pipe cleaner for the pollin thing in the middle of the flower. you can tie a ribbon around the straw.

I love receiving these types of gifts from my kids, to remind me how little their hands are. Good luck.

I like things I can use like the Pot Holder with my daughters hand prints in the shape of a heart on it. I use that pot holder all the time and see her little hands! Also the magnet in the shape of a big flower with her smiling picture in the middle of the flower. Sooo cute. Cuz she had teeth missing then..lol!