Homemade

• Nothing expresses gratitude like a gift from the heart, and homemade gifts fit the bill. From a hand stitched tote bag to a box of homemade candy or cookies, homemade gifts show a teacher that you took the time to create something special.
  
  Other homemade ideas include a holiday apron signed by your child or maybe even all the kids in the class. Buy an inexpensive canvas apron and have the kids sign in permanent marker.
  
  A homemade pair of mittens is something special for a seasonal or holiday gift, as are homemade mixes for cookies or soup, layered attractively in a jar.
  
  

Simple

• Teachers may feel awkward when given expensive gifts. Simple gifts like a gift card to a coffee shop or to a restaurant for lunch work well, as do tickets to the movie theater or a local production of a play or concert.
  
  Visiting teachers will especially enjoy such gifts, as they provide the opportunity to check out places around town that they might otherwise have missed.
  
  

Gift Baskets

• Practical gift baskets would make life easier on visiting teachers. Consider a breakfast basket with a coffee mug, assortment of coffee and tea, rolls or muffins and a $10 gift card to the local book store.
  
  A snack gift basket may include candy, cookies, pretzels and beef jerky along with a 2-liter bottle of soda.