Christmas Presents

[sunnydays]

What a lot of great ideas! I love the tin full of crafts idea and also the playdough. I plan also to make gingerbread men with my kids and give each child one. I don't want to spend a bunch of money, so I love all the homemade ideas here I also love Playfelt's idea of giving early....hahahha...y ou know parents sometimes actually appreciate that. I know when my son was in daycare for the first year, I didn't realize that his caregiver was going to give him something and it was very awkward because I didn't have anything for her...I had to rush out and get something and deliver it on the weekend! I would have liked a heads up...parents don't always know what the protocol is

[playfelt]

I bought the crayola crayon maker and hope to use it to create new stuff from the bits we have around. I have an entire 4 litre ice cream pail of bits I can't bring myself to toss so will start with those. I used to have an old muffin tin for making the crayon blocks but it rusted out too bad. Hoping this machine works the way it is intended.

[CPST_Manda]

I'm planning on gifting a box of home made cookies to the kiddos. I only have 3 that I watch so this will be relatively inexpensive. I bought some cute Christmas tins at Dollarama to dress them up a bit.

[lilac]

Playfelt-I bought a Crayola Crayon Maker too! I'm excited for Santa to give it to the kids... cant wait to try it!

This year the school sent a list home for ideas for stocking stuffers. Basically, it was all school supplies that they use. I thought this year since all my kids are school age that I would do something like that... all of them including my own have a multitude of toys that at least it is something useful. I dont know, do you think thats boring for the kids? Also, I'll only officially have 1 dck by the time xmas actually gets here (my others have moved on due to my mat leave) although i've been looking after them for well over a year, I feel like I should (and kinda want to)get them something for xmas (even though they are leaving me early and in a bit of financial stress). Should I?

[playfelt]

I would give only to the kids that are still in care as of the week of Christmas unless there are extenuating circumstances like the parents are off for two weeks such as my husband for the military block leave period. You could also have some things in the house ready to give in the event that those that have left early bring you something then if they don't use the items in your daycare.

[lilac]

These are the kids that have left me early due to my mat leave in Jan, and although they said originally they would be back, they now say they wont. Maybe I'll just bake cookies for everyone and do the present for the one child that I have left. I want to have them all over the week of xmas for a xmas party so that should be enough do you think?

Thanks ladies!

[playfelt]

The party with cookies is enough. If you wanted to give to all what about just christmas colouring books from the dollar store or make a large cookie for each child and decorate with a few candies and wrap in cellophane and a ribbon as a treat.

[VictoriaChildCare]

I order each child the same book from Scholastic (usually the $1.99 sepcial) and I usually make something for my dck. One year it was sock monkeys, I crocheted each of them a 12" Elmo. This year I had to buy because I just ran out of time. For the parents I do a craft with the kids that involves their picture, a drawing and something that measures how much they have grown in the past year. My favourite thing to do is get the clear glass ornaments (@ Micheals on sale) and put a photo of the child inside with glitter and usually a ribbon cut to the length that they have grown this year. We keep a growth chart in the playroom and I measure them each month (permanent chart, wide masking tape beside it) It works out to about $1 each. I must say that all of my parents are very generous and appreciative. The most generous Christmas gift I've ever received was a week's pay which I was specifically told not to include on the tax receipt. I love the idea of sending cookies home!

ETA: I'm a little selfish in that I love to see the children open what I've given them. I take pictures and video. I love to see their reactions so I would never send the wrapped gift home with them