Where has the time gone?  It seems like school just started and now – bam – it’s the end of the school year and time to find the perfect teacher’s gift.

A flower planted in a coffee cup is two sweet gifts in one that any teacher will appreciate.

A coffee cup planter.

When my son was in kindergarten, his teacher loved flowers, so he wanted to give her a flower at the end of the school year.  I wanted to do something nice for her, too, since my little guy had not been diagnosed with ADHD yet, but, boy, he sure had the symptoms, and his teacher was always so very patient with him.

Find a coffee cup.

We used a large coffee cup we already had. He liked that it was sunny yellow and had a smiley face on it. There are so many varieties out there that you and your child can easily purchase or recycle, whatever kind of cute coffee mug or delicate tea cup they think their teacher will like. Check out your local flea market, Goodwill, or dollar store for great ones.

Get a plant.

We went to the local nursery and found a nice bedding flat that had 6 bright pink petunia plants for just a few dollars.  Since these are meant to fill out a flower bed, they are quite inexpensive and if you have more than 1 child or more than 1 teacher to give gifts to, this multi-pack helps a lot.

It is so easy to pick up herb plants like basil, parsley, and chives in the produce section of the grocery store these days.  Those would be great plants for your teacher’s cup, too.  Besides, fresh herbs just smell good and taste so much better than dried. And if they have a cat, planting catnip in the pot is a great gift, too.  Here’s how to grow catnip.

Plant it.

Since there were no drainage holes in the cup, I had him put a layer of marbles at the bottom (packing peanuts work great, too, and it’s a great way to recycle them) first. Then he added some potting soil and, lastly, the petunia.

Feel good!

He did everything all by himself and he was so excited to give it to her.

And here’s the best part. If, later, the plant gets transplanted somewhere else or, ahem,  the teacher doesn’t have a green thumb, they can just wash up their mug and use it for beverages instead!  Two gifts in one 🙂

Another awesome teacher’s gift we created when my son got a little older is a quote about the importance of education from none other than Eeyore. It’s very simple to do. And all you need is 3 sticks, a frame and my free printable page.

Check it out here: Easy DIY teacher’s gift kids can help make!

I have 3 kids of my own, so I know how hectic the end of the school year can be.  I hope these teacher’s gift idea helps make yours a little better!

And if you are a teacher reading this, THANK YOU for all you do for our kids!

~ Pam

P.S. The pictures in this post are of my son, Ethan, on the day he took his flower to his teacher, Mrs. Swartzendruber. He looks so little!  See below? He’s in 7th grade now!

So, moms, even if they do drive you bonkers sometimes, remember your little ones grow up in the blink of an eye.  I still can’t believe my oldest is graduating from high school in a few weeks!  How did that happen so fast???  Enjoy them now while you can 🙂