I have been in charge of staff appreciation at my daughter’s middle school this year.
Teacher Appreciation Idea: Soda-lighted!
There are over 100 staff members, and my job is to make sure the PTSA appreciation effort gets done each month. We’ve appreciated with donuts and soup and Italian sodas and little treats dropped in their boxes throughout the year.
It’s not an exceptional amount of work. Usually. I think the recurring nature of it being every month causes a bit of stress for me, a woman who likes a forever finished task.
However, of the all the volunteer work I have done over the years… this is one of my favorites. I am enjoying the process of appreciation. When I am making something or trying to come up with something… I like the place in which my mind gets to dwell – on thoughts of appreciation.
While I do appreciate others, I definitely feel I do not outwardly express my appreciation enough. And I’m not just speaking of school staff, but anyone in my life. I FEEL appreciation, but I don’t express it… well and/or enough.
This “job” has been a great exercise in thinking about the role and value of expressing appreciation and has become a larger focus in my overall living.
Today I am sharing the last token of appreciation being given this school year. I found the idea on Pinterest (of course). However, I made my own printable (using Canva) because this gift is not only going to teachers, but the entire staff… I had to make about 120. Therefore, I needed to have a printable that required minimal layers of cutting/gluing/hole punching/etc…, and an overall design that was a bit simpler than some I found on Pinterest.
The list of items needed (outside of the graphic printed on cardstock) are simple… scissors, ribbon, a ruler, hot glue gun, and bottles of soda. I went with the small Coke bottles for a couple reasons… 1) they are adorable, and 2) large bottles are a bit cost-prohibitive when buying for 120 people.
I think if you are buying for one (or just a couple teachers/staff), you could give a whole six-pack!
The first thing you need to do is print out your little graphic circles… on CARDSTOCK. Don’t use flimsy paper. Click the link below the image to get your FREE download!
Click HERE to download the printable (for free!)
A 3″ circle punch fits this design, but I used scissors because of the “You Made It” faux ribbon flare. If you use a big punch, it’ll just chop off the little Vs off each side with a hole punch. It looks just fine without the flare. But who doesn’t love a little extra flare 😉
I’d say use the punch if you’re in a rush or can’t get past your circle cutting imperfections. I can’t even care imperfect circles anymore. I think think imperfection lends to my charm. But don’t tell me otherwise, OK?
Cool.
After you get your little circles cut out, plug in your hot glue gun so it can start heating up, and cut your ribbon. I made them 8 inches long.
Then fold the length in half…
and pinch the ends in half together and cut a little angle. Look at the picture. A picture is totally worth a thousand words:
Then… place a dab of hot glue in the middle of your ribbon and fold it in half, but a side-ways-ish…
Once you have all your ribbon glued together…
glue the ribbon to the back of the printed circle.
The glue the “medal” to the bottle…
TAHDAH!!!
June 2016
