The future is quite literally in the hands of our talented, big-hearted, and patient teachers. And, if you stop to think about it, you can probably think of at least two of your teachers right off the top of your head who had a huge influence on your life: The ones who believed in your abilities, pushed you to challenge your perceived limitations, wrote you letters of recommendation, and stayed late with you after school.
We’ll pause while you think of them and send a mental note of gratitude.
That felt nice, didn’t it?
Teachers are the best. We owe them a lot. For all the ways they molded our minds and our lives, and for how much they’re impacting the lives of our kids or kids who are close to us.
At Made In Washington, we have forty years of experience celebrating teachers through our locally-made gifts and thoughtful products. We even created a collection on our website filled with gifts for $35 and under. You can start scrolling through it here. In this blog, we’ll point to a few of our favorites to let the teachers in your life know how much you appreciate them, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week, but all the time.
Teacher Appreciation Gifts
To Keep Them Caffeinated
We’re hesitant to generalize, however, we believe the age-old adage, “But first, coffee” very much applies to teachers. They have to be early birds, after all! Plus, we live in one of the world's coffee capitals, so we have to include our favorite bean. Consider a gentle-on-the-belly Rainy Day Roast from Caffe Appassionato or a dark blend from a micro-roaster on Orcas Island. Want to combine their love of pups with a great cuppa? Consider Forecast Coffee Company’s Yonder Coffee, a rich and hearty blend with notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts.
To Keep Them Cozy
If you’re thinking more about how you want to support teachers once they get home from a long day at school, you can’t go wrong with a candle. Here are a few of our favorites for the occasion: Porter Lane Home’s Escape candle, which features notes of Benzoin, Coconut, Sandalwood, Cedar, Tonka Bean, and Amyris; PACIFISCENCE’s Pacific Crest Blackberry candle, which boasts gentle scents of blackberry and amber; or Devine Flame’s Tealight Sampler Pack, which has twelve tea lights that all have a different scent and correspond to one of the body’s chakras.
To Show Them How Well You Listen
Remember at the parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year when your child’s teacher mentioned his love of bird-watching? Get him the Glass Fire - Fused Glass Bird in Lime, a charming little fellow that can be placed on tables at home or hidden in classroom cubbies. How he uses it is up to him. The thoughtfulness is all you.
To Add To Their Decor
A beautiful complement to the flowers the class pooled their money together to hand to their teacher? Pottery By Eleni’s Brooke Bud Vase, a dainty gold and white bud vase that exudes elegance and charm. Looking for a beautiful display piece that doubles as a mug—and a left-handed one to boot? Grab Clay In Motion's Hand Warmer Mug in Ocean Tide. It’s one-of-a-kind and has a contoured pocket along the side to keep hands warm on chilly Pacific Northwest days. And who can say no to a cute to-do list like this one from Sound & Circle?
To Pamper Them
When you’re molding young minds, it’s all about the little things to take care of yourself throughout the day. Gift them a bottle of Handmade La Conner’s Daily Moisturizing Lotion in Rosewood Blood Orange for added moisture in the most delicious scents. Estrella Soap’s Grapefruit Vanilla Bath Fizzies are perfect for an after-school soak. Townsend Bay Soap Co.’s Coconut Lemongrass Bar Soap is a fragrant, sudsy indulgence that will make frequent handwashing a joyful pause.
To Support Their Hobbies
*Most* Washingtonians love a good beach day, especially when it’s sunny, so it’s a safe bet to grab them a copy of the Northwest Know How Beaches Book. For the artists, consider Emily Lex Studio’s Birds Watercolor Workbook with a fresh side of watercolor paints. And for the after-school puzzlers, give them a guaranteed smile with Lantern Press’s tongue-in-cheek nod to Van Gogh, the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot In A Starry Night 1,000-piece puzzle.
Bulk Teacher Appreciation Gifts
Let’s say you want to load up the teacher’s lounge. Get a few sets of Barn Cat Creations’s Kitty Soap Collection shaped like little soapy felines; a Brown & Haley Almond Roca Gift Tin; Seattle Chocolate’s Thank you! Truffle Box; Shrub Farm's Cascade Sampler with raspberry x citrus, blueberry x lemon, and ginger x apple concentrates for their next happy hour; one of the three Tom Douglas Spice Rubs from the beloved Seattle restauranteur’s Rub With Love Gift Set; and a few MarketSpice Tea Gift Sets. Break up the sets in individual Potluck Press Tall Trees & Moon Canvas Totes and let your teachers grab and go.
There is truly something for every taste and type here!
Made In Washington Gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week
Save our gifts under $35 page—we’re always adding to it, and you’ll have a fast-track to Teacher Appreciation Week gifts for next year. Our goal is to make shopping locally and supporting makers in our community a seamless experience, especially when those gifts are going to the most important people in your lives.
We can’t wait to see the smiles your gifts bring out in your teachers. Show us what you’re gifting! Tag @madeinwashington_ on Instagram and @made.in.washington on Facebook. We promise we won’t ruin the surprise.