DIY Back-to-School Teacher Gift

Teachers do so much for our children. I have read that teachers typically put $1,000 per year of their own money into classroom supplies. A practical back-to-school gift that will benefit the classroom is a great start to the school year. Putting it together in a cute craft is a lot more fun than just handing over a box of crayons and markers. This cute, functional, craft will be a helpful gift that teachers can really use.

The Supplies: 

• Oval-shaped box of Kleenex (I found this one at Walmart)
• (2) 10-piece packs of Crayola markers
• (1) 24-piece box of Crayola crayons (2 boxes are pictured, but I only needed one after all)
• (1) 24-piece box of #2 pencils ( are our favorites)
• Low-temp glue gun
• glue sticks
• 3/4-1 yard of ribbon
• newspaper to use as a work surface

The Instructions:

Start by setting up your glue gun and laying out newspaper to protect your table top. Pencils are the first item to glue on. Make three dots of glue down the label side of the pencil.

Starting on the side of the oval, set the pencil tip on the table at an angle and tilt it up toward the Kleenex box. This will help to make sure the pencils don’t set too high or too low on the box, and they will all align evenly. Press the pencil firmly against the Kleenex so it adheres well. Continue gluing the pencils until half of the oval is lined. It will take all 24 pencils to cover half of the oval.

Next, make three dots of glue down the back-side of the markers (you can see where there is a gap in the border that wraps around- that’s the “back”). This way it will look more neat and orderly from the front with the Crayola logos all lined up in the center. I made sure to keep the colors in the order they came in the box too, just for aesthetics. Not all 20 markers will fit, but 16 or so will.

You are more than half-way there!

Crayons are next. I started by gluing 2 dots over the seam of the crayon wrapper, and placing them in between the markers. Mix and match the colors for more variety.

To use all 24 crayons, I decided to add the extras to the sides of the oval. I just filled in the gaps. I didn’t think it was distracting from the pattern, but if you prefer, leave them off.

To finish it off, tie a ribbon around the crayons for a more put-together look. And there you have it!

Once the tissues are used up, the teacher can easily pull off the crayons, markers, and pencils for use in the classroom. The hot glue peals right off. What a fun, easy, practical way to provide our teachers with the supplies they need to make it a great school year!