Sustainable Teacher Appreciation Gifts

My mom was a teacher and the end of the year was the best time. She would get piles of chocolate and cookies and other little goodies. But when I had 4 kids in 4 different schools with up to 15 teachers to buy for – it suddenly wasn’t so exciting which is why I eventually started making goodies for the teachers. Not only did it work out cheaper but it was also much more sustainable than buying a pile of “random” gifts that the teachers may not even want or use.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t buy teacher appreciation gifts but rather make sure the gifts you are buying are kind to the environment and are something that the teacher will actually use.

I have put together a few ideas on what you could make or buy to show your child’s teachers appreciation.

Cute little trinket bowl and chocolate: I LOVE this idea from Pretoria Products so much. The teacher can leave it on their desk in the classroom for paperclips, staples etc or take it home – these little bowls always come in handy. And who doesn’t love chocolate! The fact that this is handmade chocolate does make it a little more special.

DIY succulents: If you don’t have succulents in your garden you can use, then you could buy a few – they are pretty reasonably priced. If you take little cuttings of succulents you have you can create a pretty little succulent garden for your teacher. The best part of a succulent garden is that they are pretty low maintenance (unlike general house plants). You can also use empty glass jars – any size will do – we have a few different sized ones all over the house and outside with little succulents in.

Cookie Mix in a Jar : If you know your child’s teacher enjoys baking then this is the perfect gift. Not only is it sustainable but these cookies from Unwrapped are absolutely amazing and you don’t even really need to wrap it up – it looks so gorgeous in this jar!

Coffee : Sounds simple but I wouldn’t mind if my students bought me Terbodore coffee to show their appreciation!! This is my absolute favourite brand of coffee so if your teacher is a coffee lover you could make up a little coffee hamper for them. Add some homemade (or store bought) cookies and a reusable travel mug! Perfect way to say thank you if you ask me!

Soy Candles: Candles are also pretty great gifts for teachers – they can use them in their classrooms or take them home. These soy candles from plasticity are beautiful and come in a range of fragrances but the best part is the jar can be washed and then used for storage!

There are so many more sustainable gift ideas that you can buy for your child’s teachers that will be appreciated and are kind to the environment.

This is one of the posts in my Sustainable Christmas series!