Gift ideas for the teacher.

By Shawna When you have kids, you know you’re going to be buying gifts for life’s occasions for that child.  You don’t really think about it much ahead of time, as it’s not a factor that you weigh when you decide to procreate.  Everyone knows kids are expensive; it’s the feeding, clothing, sheltering, educating them, etc. that are the biggies.  Sure, when my kids started daycare, we added the daycare provider’s kids to our gift list for birthdays and Christmas, but fast forward to this year, when Sage entered junior kindergarten. 

It has only recently occurred to me that my mom always sent Christmas gifts to my teacher, ergo I should be thinking about what to get for Sage’s teacher.  This has sparked a mad combing of the internet to decide on what to get for a person I’ve only met a couple of times, but to whom I entrust my precious firstborn for several hours a day, five days a week.  I suspect I cannot be guaranteed of a hit by buying something Sage would like, which is my modus operandi for getting gifts for birthdays of kids I’ve never met.

So here’s what I’ve found:

All sites agree a heartfelt, handwritten note is always appreciated by a teacher.  My personal take on this is sure, it would be appreciated, but even more so if it comes with a thoughtful gift.

After this, sites seem to diverge in what would be appropriate.  Some proclaim that the personal touch is best: baked goods accompanied by a card – both handmade by your little elf – would be universally appreciated.  Others suggest small luxuries such as bath and beauty products would soothe away the frazzling effects of looking after half-pints all day.  And chocolate?  Well, who doesn’t like chocolate?

On the other hand, sites that claim to have polled real teachers (at least anecdotally) suggest that people are very conscious of their waistlines these days so fattening things aren’t a good choice.  Bye bye banana bread and chocolate.  And the choice of toiletries is a very personal thing so don’t bother getting stuff like that.  And for goodness sake, don’t get that poor teacher yet another mug!  If you really want to get a good gift for the teacher, why, here are some links to items that cost at least $50 each!

Give me a break!

Having winnowed through the contradicting opinions, here’s what I’ve found out and decided I believe:

Apparently, kids drive teachers to drink because one site claimed that a bottle of wine was the gift that would be most appreciated (in which case, my mom was right: that’s what she always gave).

If you don’t feel comfortable giving booze to a teacher (and I, frankly, wouldn’t, despite the fact that I’m sure it would be a popular choice 90% of the time), pretty much all teachers like gift certificates that allow them to choose their own gift.  Some malls have mall-wide gift certificates so you don’t even have to narrow it down to one store.

Teachers almost always end up spending their own money on classroom supplies.  If you don’t know what kind of gift certificate to get, one to a place like Scholar’s Choice (there’s an online store, plus two retail locations in Ottawa) is a pretty safe bet.

If you’re the organizing type, bigger may be better.  If you have a way to contact the other parents in your child’s class and are bold enough to send the message, “one $100 gift is better than ten $10 gifts, so if you want to pool money and go in on a gift for the teacher, let me know”, you may even be hailed as a hero by parents that don’t have the time or inspiration to find something on their own and would be happy to contribute a relatively small amount to a group gift.

There are lots of (but I bet not all) teachers who would appreciate the idea of donating to a charity in his or her name, instead of getting a dozen assorted mugs and boxes of chocolate.  There are tons of options for this (like Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders, or something more local like a pet-rescue shelter for a pet-loving teacher, just to give a few examples) if you think your child’s teacher is the it’s-better-to-give-than-receive type,  just do a quick search online.

Save your feet and frazzled nerves!  There are some great options for gifts to be had online, and they don’t have to be mass-produced.  I searched through Etsy (a site that connects artisans directly with buyers) treasuries and items using the word “teacher” as a search term to get some ideas.  In the end that’s where I ended up getting a gift for Sage’s teacher: she’s a lover of colour so I got her a small sparkly red apple pendant on a necklace, which I’m going to pair with a mini-calendar which I produce myself.  As a bonus, I also found a great “emergency gift” for a teacher – a pretty little clear glass apple paperweight with a silver stem and leaf.  Both gifts are now in the hands of the postal system, making their way to me, and I didn’t have to go out and fight a single crowd to get them.

Now to figure out: if Sage has just started taking the school bus a couple of weeks ago, do we get her bus driver a gift too?  This Christmas shopping may never end…

 Shawna is mom to 4-year-old Sage and 2-year-old Harris.  She has  been writing online since 2003, and her latest project is a fledgling photography blog.  She also has an Etsy shop of her very own.

Second-hand holidays

by Brie I love a good deal. Sometimes that means scouting the stores for sales, waiting until the item I want finally gets marked down and then grabbing it and running to the cash as fast as I can. Sometimes that means buying second-hand.

I don't have a problem with buying things other people have already owned. I love to buy my kids clothes second-hand. The way they wear their clothes only leaves me frustrated knowing I paid full price for the shirt with a blueberry stain that won't come out. Or tear in the leg. Or lost sweater. You get the idea.

I've also bought toys, baby equipment and furniture used. With the holidays coming, buying second-hand is a great way to find presents your kids and family will love without breaking the bank. Here are some of my favorite gift buying sources for shopping second-hand.

I have found great deals on clothes and toys, many of which I given to my kids as gifts, at kids consignment stores. I usually hit Boomerang Kids since it is closest to us, but I  have been know to venture further afield in search of something particular. And I am amazed by how many more stores there are now then when I was pregnant five years ago.

I like to browse online sites like Used Ottawa and Kijiji looking for to see what catches my eye. Just last week I stumbled upon a dollhouse that I ended up buying for the girl. I was looking for another present at the time, but couldn't resist the fact that I was getting it for a third of the price new. Plus I know she will love it when she finds it under the tree this year.

You never know what you will find when you shop at second-hand stores like Value Village and the Goodwill. We have quite a few toys, including a favorite barn, that my mother-in-law has scored at second-hand stores. And when a box came in the mail with 10 pairs of pants my mother-in-law had bought for my 4 year old for only a few dollars each, I was beyond impressed. They make up the bulk of her winter wardrobe, I didn't have to buy her any additional pants and they look like new.  Another reason to love my mother-in-law!

The perfect place to find little nicknack's, cheap knitting and yummy baking is at a Church bazaar. I have done quite well at Church bazaars in the past, buying some beautiful vintage jewellery for my sister and books for the kids. Last year I bought a matching hat and mitt set for my then 1 year old for $3. It made me gleeful.

Garage sales are a great place to look for holiday gifts. Yes I know it's December and there are no garage sales now, but I like to do my holiday shopping all year. One summer I hit garage sales hard and manged to buy all my Christmas gifts before labour day. I gave beautiful batik tablecloths, used books, shawls and old picture frames. I even wrapped everything in old scarves I picked up for $1 a piece.

Are any of you having a second-hand holiday this year? Where do you love to shop? What tips do you have to share?

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Learning to be a safer parent

by Amy We ventured out in the wind today to join a small group of folks at Anna Belanger and Associates to take part in Amanda DeGrace’s Safe Parent course. The class takes place on the lower floor of the building in a warm, comfortable area with couches and rockers for those of us who happened to have our little ones with us. Joe and I brought Maggie with us and another woman had her 10-week old with her.

I had met Amanda before at some of the Kids in the Capital Tuesday meet-ups, I liked her immediately and this class is a wonderful forum for her. She shares experience and knowledge in a very clear way. She explained that she had designed the Safe Parent class to benefit parents and caretakers who might not have enough time to take a full first aid course for certification but who want to have some of the skills to help those they take care of in case something bad happens.

During the four hours Amanda went over what do when an infant or child is choking, how to perform CPR, what to do in case of cuts, seizures, burns, and more. She repeated the important points over and over again to drill them into our memories and she quizzed us.

The most important thing Amanda told us throughout the day was that if you forget something or miss a step, don’t panic – doing something is always better than doing nothing, and that if all you remember to do is call 911, you’ve done something to help this person.

The class was informative and made me feel better about being in an emergency situation with my daughter or another child and knowing a bit more about signs to look for and what to expect to see in certain situations. It was a nice environment with not too many people. We spent our breaks talking about our experiences with young children.

It was a good way to spend our afternoon and I would definitely recommend the Safe Parent course to others with little ones in their lives.

Amanda is offering all Kids in the Capital readers 30% off the Safe Parent course.  The discount will be accepted until December 31, 2010.

Amy is mom to 8-month-old Maggie and a 4 year old schnauzer named Henry. You can read her blog at amyboughner.ca where she writes about motherhood and anything else that’s on her mind.

Picture Perfect Holiday Photos: Second Installment

by Carly

I've always enjoyed being behind the camera much more than being in front of it.  Which is why I happily oo'ed and ah'ed over the family photos tucked into the beautiful Christmas cards we received over the years, but never reciprocated with one of our own.  Then the Little Man was born and my obsession with photography morphed into high gear.

The thought of having to book an appointment for a formal portrait, even if it was only at the local grocery store didn't sit well with me.  Likely because Jake had horrible reflux until he was over a year old and the odds that he wouldn't spit up projectile vomit on the chosen outfit before we even left the house were about as good as our chances of winning the lottery.

So while Jake took an unexpected nap one bright and sunny November day, I set the scene in our south-facing kitchen.  I hung a soft white blanket from the pantry cupboards, draping it over the kitchen table I had moved directly in front of the patio doors.  With the curtains wide open, letting in that gorgeous natural light, I carefully propped Jake up on some pillows tucked under the blanket and snapped away.

Back then I had only a film camera to work with and I shot about three rolls of film to ensure I got at least one good photo.  Not long after that we splurged on a good digital SLR and the Little Man learned to recognize Mommy by the black thing in front of her face.

Over the years I've repeated the process in various bedrooms - going wherever the natural light was best, hanging backdrops from headboards and even taping blankets or sheets to the walls with painters tape.  I've gotten great results using both the fancy-schmancy camera and the regular point and shoot types.

So, if you would like to take your own photos for your holiday cards, I humbly offer the following very amateur-ish advice:

1. Take photos in natural light without using the flash.
2. Take a lot of photos.
3. For at least some of your shots, get in closer to your subject, letting them fill the frame, rather than the background.

As far as locations go, some of my favourites include:

1. South-facing kitchens and bedrooms.
2. Rockcliffe Park.
3. Anywhere in the country.
4. The backyard.
5. Gatineau Park, Mud Lake and the Byward Market.
6. Staircases.

Happy snapping!

Carly has red hair and occasionally the temper to match.  She loves potatoes, rainy nights, photography, her husband and her 4 year old son, Jacob.  Probably in reverse order.   She also blogs.

Game On: Dance Central

by Maranda This post is part of a new monthly series about gaming for and with kids.  Consider it A Mom’s Opinion on Gaming.

Game:  Dance Central Platform:  Xbox 360 with Kinect Players: 1-2 Rating: Teen (for song lyrics)

Dance Central is one of the launch titles for Xbox 360’s new Kinect motion controller.  It’s from the makers of Rock Band and follows a similar formula, only this time instead of matching notes on a plastic guitar, you’re using the Kinect’s full body motion control to match dance moves.  Unlike dance video games of the past, there are no controllers to hold or mats to jump on.  The Kinect’s camera capture every aspect of your movements and your score is based on your ability to mirror the on-screen dancer from head to toe.

Thankfully no real dancing skills are required, and your on-screen avatar always looks great no matter what you do.  Unlike music games, there is no failing and all 32 songs are unlocked from the beginning.  The tracks cover several decades of material and there are three levels of difficulty, making this a great game for the whole family. [But note the game is rated Teen due to a few song lyrics]

My 11 year old son and I in particular have been really enjoying Dance Central, including the Dance Battle mode which allows two players to swap in and out and each dance at their own difficulty level.  I love that he's being introduced to some new music, and he even had his guitar instructor teach him "Funkytown" after dancing to it in-game.

Personally, I love the addition of the “workout mode” which gives you an approximation of calories burned for each song.  This makes Dance Central a nice alternative to traditional workouts, and trust me, you will work up a sweat!

Dance Central is super polished and the Kinect controller works solidly.  I plan on making it a part of our regular family gaming sessions, and also a part of my winter workout routine.

Maranda is a mom of four who loves games as much as her kids do and believes the best part of parenting is having someone to play with. She blogs about parenting, techonology and practical-yet-wholesome cooking at MomIcon – adventures of a mom, geek, gamer. Her Xbox Live Gamertag is HotelQueen.