One of the major goals of most classrooms is to have a cooperative and team-style relationship with your students’ parents. After all, you are all working toward the same outcome – intellectual, social and physical enrichment for their child. What better way to celebrate your “team mates” than helping their child create a thoughtful gift to share? These are some of our favorites for Mother’s Day!
Little kids will love playing with paint to create a work of art for their mothers. They can just use non-toxic paint to finger paint a canvas, or they can decorate a canvas tote bag. Have them create their own masterpiece, or use their hand prints to create flowers, like this idea from Little Page Turners.
Kids who are a little older and can handle a glass mason jar without dropping it can make a planter with it for their moms, such as these from Consumer Crafts. This is especially fun because it’s an ongoing project. Students learn how to care for something and help it thrive. Instead of flowers, try easy-to-grow herbs such as basil and mint. All you’ll need are mason jars, seeds and soil.
If your school has a kitchen that you can use for a lesson, teach your students how to make an easy brunch recipe that they can surprise their parents with on Mother’s Day. Executing a recipe is a great way to teach critical thinking skills. Avocado Ricotta toast is a good one that doesn’t require any cooking. Just have your students smash a ripe avocado (remove the skin and pit) and mix with ricotta. Toast a few slices of bread, then spread the toast with the avocado and ricotta mixture. Season with salt and pepper (or better yet, tell your students to put salt and pepper shakers on the table to ensure that the spices aren’t added with too heavy a hand!).
Most importantly, enjoy yourselves! All of these ideas are a little messy, but that’s part of the fun. Any of these can also be adapted and used for Father’s Day (Sunday, June 18)!