If you're ready to really give a gift that will ?wow' your child's teacher and really show her what her efforts have meant to your child, it's time to start thinking outside the box. There are plenty of wonderful choices to be found, you've just got to get your creativity going! And remember, it doesn't have to be a ?school-themed' gift. In fact, your child's teacher might appreciate something that isn't school related at all!



If the teacher is into art, why not buy her a portable art studio? Whether it's oil paints or watercolors, this can be taken outdoors for some landscape painting on a nice day. A complete set would have everything she needed to get started, and even if she's never painted in her life, it might be a fun avenue for her to try.

Learning calligraphy could also be a great gift. You could buy the teacher a complete set with paper, pens, ink, and an instruction booklet. Picking up a new skill is always fun for anyone, but especially to someone who loves to learn. It also might be a skill he could pass on to his students! Let your imagination go wild: candle-making, paper-making, knitting, leaf pressing, jewelry making, all come in self-contained kits that allow someone to have fun learning something new.

If you have an idea of what your child's teacher enjoys doing during her spare time (here's where you can put your child to work as an informant), then put your own creative juices to work. If she enjoys gardening, put together a gardening themed gift of gloves, trowels, potted flowers and seeds, and some kneepads all inside a basket she can use to haul weeds around the yard in.

If he enjoys writing, then purchase him a nice journal and pen, a few books on writing, and put it all into a nice canvas tote bag (along with a Starbucks gift card, perhaps?).

If sports are his thing, why not get him some tickets to major or minor league games? Or if he enjoys the theater, why not some tickets to see a few upcoming plays?

If she enjoys cooking, boy can you have a field day with this one! Some gourmet spice rubs, olive oils, exquisite dish towels, and a really nice oven mitt could all go into a bread basket for the kitchen. She'll be skipping all the way home with this one!

If you're buying a gift at the end of the year (and know that your child's teacher is planning on sticking around town), why not enroll her in a new, fun class somewhere locally? She could learn ballroom dancing, pottery, a new language, or yoga. Again, your child might function well here as an informant on where her interests lie.

Using your imagination can really pay off for your child's teacher, who probably has enough knick-knacks, bells, and coffee mugs by now to have a multitude of garage sales. Thinking outside the box will really make an impression and allow the teacher to have some fun!