Teacher Appreciation Week (coming up Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8) may be virtual this year, but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be a special event to recognize teachers for all the hard work they put into their jobs all year long! In fact, taking a departure from typical Teacher Appreciation themes, room parents and students can get really creative with showcasing their “virtual” appreciation this year! Apex Leadership Co. offers the following fun crafts students (and maybe with a little help from their parents!) can create to brighten their teachers’ week.
Class Photo Collage — One of the cutest ways to include the whole class in a craft, while committing to social distancing, is to have each student hold a handmade sign that when put together spell out a special message to the teacher. Room parents can coordinate the message and assign each student a letter or word then have parents take a photo of the student holding the sign. Room parents can collect the pictures via email or text to then create a sign to send the teacher digitally or to print out and deliver to his or her front yard. Simple messages such as “thank you” or “we miss you” and the teacher’s name are great for smaller classes – while larger classes can get more creative with inspiring quotes (Dr. Seuss is always great for inspiration for students of any age!). Check out some ideas from Apex here: Class Collage
Handwritten Flower Petals — To create this simple yet heartfelt craft, room parents can email a petal template to students/parents of the class with simple instructions for the students to print out and design their petal any way they choose (color, paint, add stickers or glitter, for example) and then write their own message to the teacher on the petal as well. Room parents can collect the petals then create a beautiful “flower” to deliver to the teacher’s home or school.
Quarantine Fun — There’s no doubt things have changed with shelter-in-place and stay-at-home regulations around the country. But making light of the situation can actually make for some pretty great Teacher Appreciation Week gifts. Some companies are making “quarantine” products from t-shirts to tumblers with fun and creative sayings, while other companies can customize any number of items with a clever quarantine pun and the teacher’s name or school. Room parents can do a little research to see which local companies in their communities are making “quarantine” merchandise. Or, for another quarantine gift, room parents can collect funds from the class to create their own “shelter in place” gift basket for teachers including pampering items, favorite snack items, gift cards for local restaurants offering to go food and more!
Apex Leadership Co. encourages room parents and the whole class to get in on some fun and crafty Teacher Appreciation Week efforts this year. It may be tough not to be together as a class right now, but students can still make their teachers feel special – even from a distance.
