I am looking for low cost Christmas gifts for teachers, aids, and therapists in a total of 30 in all.?

Question

I am looking for a low cost, hand made or store bought gifts for several (30) people. My children are in a special day class,so they have teachers, and aids. They also have OT, speech therapy, and horse therapy. I would like to get them something that is not going to cost a lot but mean something.

Answer 1

If you do any kind of scrapbooking then you know the techniques. Use the techniques to make bookmarks. They are easy to make and will cost very little. When you are talking about 30 people even $5.00 a person adds up very fast.
You can make the bookmarks for under a dollar a piece. If you do not know how to make them then maybe check a scrapbooking store. I bought just one to use as a guide and then made several of my own to give as gifts.
Here are a couple of link to see pictures. You can make them even simpler then these though. This first one includes instructions in case you are new to it: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_paper_crafts/article/0,1789,HGTV_3287_3332358,00.html
This is also a very good one: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_paper_crafts_other/article/0,1789,HGTV_3294_1378534,00.html

http://www.patchpieces.com/Paperpiece.html
http://www.cddesigns.com/PaperPiecing/Bookmarks/
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/scrapbooking/86228

Answer 2

The kids might be a little bit tougher, but for the adults it pays to know what sort of hobbies, collections, etc. they have. Get a feel for what they're passionate about. Then go to eBay and find something related to that. For example: my brother is a huge Tampa Bay Bucs fan, so I found a vintage copy of Sports Illustrated from their first year as an NFL team (they were the cover story). I put the magazine in an inexpensive frame. Voila! A gift he absolutely loved and it cost me less than ten dollars. The 14 year old, I'd go with a gift card to FYE or Tower, somewhere he can buy a CD. For the girls you can get Bratz, which aren't especially pricey, or if they're artistically inclined you can pick up something to paint (wood or ceramic) at Michael's or AC Moore, some inexpensive brushes and a few bottles of acrylic paint. You have plenty of time to wait; the 2 ounce bottles go on sale (4 for $1) all the time. The 3 year old, just find out what he's watching on TV and get something from that universe (Barney, Sesame Street, Thomas). That one doesn't have to be big or fancy. Good luck!

Answer 3

Here are some great Holiday and Christmas gift ideas:

1. Personalized Silver-Plate Business Card Holder $9.74: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:All%20Stocking%20Stuffers:784714544

2. Monogrammed Wine Bottle Stopper/Pourer
$15.00: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:All%20Stocking%20Stuffers:784714544

3. Everyone loves candles and they are affordable: High Fragrance Box Candle Fruit Orchard at $9.99: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:For%20Adults:784713464

You can find more unique Holiday and Christmas gifts at Yahoo! Shopping’s Holiday Gift Center: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:Holiday%20Gifts%20%26%20Gift%20Ideas:784712816

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

My favorite is called "gifts in a jar". They can be baked goods you make yourself and put in the jar, or the ingredients for a special recipe that you layer artistically in the mason jar. You then decorate with a piece of colorful fabric over the lid and a bit of ribbon.

Here are some links that should help you. If you do a search you will find many more. Also, check out your local book store. I found a recipe book devoted completely to these kinds of recipes.

Best of luck with it.

Answer 5

truthfully, I think the best gift is a gift certificate to a crafts or school supply store. a lot of teachers use their own money to decorate or buy extra supplies for the classroom.

Answer 6

Here's what I do -- go to the dollar store and get a bunch of cute gift bags. Bake batches of cookies and wrap them in colorful plastic wrap, place in gift bags. Viola! Relatively inexpensive way to give a lot of people a meaningful gift they will enjoy and can share with their families.

Answer 7

Get something funny, but useful like stress balls or some other relaxing destresser. I was a teacher, and as fun as it was, we all needed some comedy thrown in from time to time to keep our sanity in the midst of the occasional classroom chaos.

Answer 8

how about personalized christmas sugar cookies?
search under "personalized christmas sugar cookies" on the web and you can have someone bake a message on the cookie like: Thank you for your wonderful help and support (child's name) and I truly appreciate having you in our lives...

Just an example?

Answer 9

I too have been faced with this dilemma often. Compared to baking cookies and stuff from orientaltrading, you can give a very nice gift for around $5 a person, sometimes less.

Everyone gives little Apple or Stethoscope ornaments or homemade candies and cookies, few people take the time to find something people in these professions can use. My solution? I go to Bath & Body Works, found at most malls in America, or even a place like Wal-Mart, and shop for the Buy one, get one or buy 2 or 3 and price is reduced "smell good" "luxury" items.

Every person you mentioned are in jobs where they are exposed to many people and many germs nearly every day. I can guarantee that due to the number of times they wash their hands, that their hands are dry and/or cracked. I love to give things like good scented anti-bacterial hand lotion, nice hand lotions, even hand scrubs and such. If you shop around, you will find high quality items that no one ever buys for themselves, that you can give them for not much money.

And the wrapping couldn't be easier, buy a few yards of pretty ribbon and just tie a bow & attach a card.

I ran into one of my step-sons former daycare teachers and they told me they missed his Christmas gifts every year!

Merry Christmas and good luck!

Answer 10

Look here. You will never shop anywhere else!

www.orientaltrading.com