DIY Version of a "Little Pot for Thought" Teacher Gift

My kiddo has had a wonderful teacher this year. He has taught my son so many great things and showed compassion, concern, knowledge, and awareness about his food allergies. We wanted to show our appreciation with a thoughtful little gift to present to him at the End of the Year Classroom party.

I racked my brain on what to give him. I reached out to friends and google searched like crazy. Received a lot of great ideas, but I kept going back to this "Little Pot for Thought." It was just so cute! And the quote was perfect!




"Teachers change the world, one child at a time"  --Anon.

Well, if you clicked the link then I am sure you might have seen the price. It's a bit out of my budget and that doesn't include shipping charges. I was also on a very short time frame so I did not have time to wait. I thought, "That would be so nice stuffed with school supplies. And the pot would be so easy to make." That sealed the deal. So I went out and bought the supplies.






- COSTS -
Found the 4" pot terra cotta pot at Wal-mart for .78 cents. The matching saucer was .75 cents (why they charge separate for those is beyond me!) I went with Krylon Duo Paint + Primer in one, a glossy black, which cost 4.94.  We needed a mismatch box of acrylic gems anyway, and we found one that had little red ones just like the "little pot for thought." That cost $4.97. Then I purchased a white paint pen at Hobby Lobby for $2+change along with a 40% off coupon. I should have bought a smaller tipped paint pen, I was a total noob at it and the letters turned out HUGE. But anyway, I already had the rest of the materials, so it cost me less than $14. Even lesser if you figure the cost of the actual gems used. I had money left over to buy some supplies I knew he used for fillers: pencils, dry erase markers, red pens, and some post-it notes. The kiddo also wanted to leave a little something extra special in there for his teacher, so he tucked in a Spring school photo of himself.

Here is a close-up of the acrylic gemstones. Tacky Glue hadn't completely dried yet, so you can see a bit of white around the edges.

I added a little bit of personal touch by writing his teacher's name on the top rim. The kiddo also signed the back of the pot with a drawing of a heart with love (not pictured). Children can be so sweet. :)

- TIPS -

I used a fine sand paper to smooth out sharp and rough edges of the terra cotta pot before I painted it. I also used tacky glue for the acrylic gems, E6000 to permanently glue the pot and the bottom dish together, an apple sticker for decoration, and then sprayed the finished project with Mod Podge spray sealant. I recommend the glossy sealant if you are using the gloss spray paint. 

Easy S'mores "Trail Mix." No Bake, No Mess!

Quick, easy, and no mess! Serve them in cup, throw them in a baggie for a snack on-the-go. So easy to throw together if you are in a hurry or just plain lazy. The best thing about it, kids can make these on their own, too!

I got this idea from the Girl Scouts booth at our local Kindergarten round-up a while back. A friend of mine was wandering around eating something out of a litte paper cup. When I asked her what it was, she replied, "It's smores! In a cup!" I thought, "AWESOME!"

My family loves this snack and they are also good in school lunches. Here are the 3 easy-peasy ingredients:

Ingredients

Golden Grahams Cereal

Mini white marshmallows

Hershey's Milk chocolate chips (I like to use the semi-sweet sometimes for myself, that's why they are in the picture.)

Dump in a big bowl and mix it up! That's it!

It's your preference on how much of each you want to mix. I like equal parts. If you are a marshmallow fan, then mix in more marshmallows! More chocolate chips if you are a chocolate lover!

I like to make small batches at a time because we don't eat too much at once and the cereal gets stale. But you can mix it all together and store in a big air-tight container if you want.

Since my son has peanut allergies and multiple nut allergies, this is a great snack that he can have**. Of course, I always read the labels to make sure I use ingredients that are safe for him. I store them in our wonderful Safe Keepers containers. He knows the green containers have food that is safe for him to eat. 

**So a little disclaimer: As with all food allergies, it will  be up to you or the parents discretion to use the ingredients listed above. This is just for informational purposes to help you decide if this will be an appropriate food for you or your child. ALWAYS READ THE LABELS FOR FOOD ALLERGENS! Even if it is something they have eaten before. If you are still nervous about it (like we all are ^_^ ), then you can opt for Enjoy Life brands or other products that are dedicated to making nut and peanut free chocolate chips.

Peepshi (Peep Sushie), fun sweet treat for the family!

I was itching to make "Peepshi" after I discovered the recipe. All we used are Peeps, Rice Krispie Treats, and Fruit Rollups. They were fun to make and unexpectedly tasted awesome! The kiddo was tickled silly with making them and I was having giggly-fun by serving them on a sushi dish. We even ate them with chopsticks and tea! This was well worth the short prep time and cheap ingredients! We want to make more soon!