It’s that time of the year again. We are rounding our way into the holiday season. Get ready for…. TEACHER GIFT TIME! (And the crowd goes wild!)
Rather than racking your brain, wondering what to get your kids teacher, give yourself a break and peruse this helpful list of gift ideas.
Since these are all eco-friendly options, even if your teacher doesn’t like your gift, it can be recycled or at the very least make a very nice re-gift!
Seriously though, these are gifts your teacher will actually like. I promise.
Without further ado, here are some amazing eco-friendly gift ideas your teacher will absolutely want to have.
coffee mugs
How original, I know. Teachers are used to getting mugs as gifts, they probably have a whole cupboard filled with them.
However, these mugs are just a little bit different and do NOT have ‘World’s Greatest Teacher’ plastered on the side of them. So even if your teacher doesn’t love the mug, he/she can easily regift it. Everybody wins!
This mug is a great gift for teachers, in my opinion. Can’t you just see it looking sleek on their desk? Besides looking amazing, some other great features of this mug include:
- comes with a lid, handy for drinking from as well as keeping germs out of the delicious coffee inside
- made from stainless steel and bamboo, both eco-friendly materials
- anti-slip mat on the bottom to help prevent spills all over test papers
- holds as much liquid as a regular sized coffee mug, so no caffeine buzz for your teacher
- comes in other great-looking designs
- Available on Amazon
Since this gift is a little pricey at just under $20, a nice finishing touch is to throw some apple cinnamon teabags inside. They smell and taste great and are an inexpensive way to complete this awesome gift.
While it still looks great, at under $5.00 it won’t break the bank.
Great features of this mug include:
- unique looking, not your run of the mill coffee mug
- comes in black or red colors
- is not huge, so no caffeine high for your teacher
- comes with a stylish wooden spoon, one less thing your teacher will have to remember to bring from home
- available from Amazon
Again, to inexpensively finish this gift, add a few apple cinnamon teabags to the mug and call it a day.
This mug is also available in a 2-pack if you have more than one teacher to buy for, or just want to try it out for yourself!
In my opinion, this is a lovely gift your teacher can use at school or easily take home and be a unique addition to their mug collection.
Dryer Balls
Ok, this one may seem a little unorthodox, but hear me out.
Who wants dryer balls for Christmas? Everyone. They just don’t know it yet.
I once received dryer balls as a gift (thanks, Mom!) and I love them.
The idea of not having to pick up wayward dryer sheets all over the place is awesome. Not to mention, they are reusable and chemical-free so they are better for the environment as well.
Chances are, I would not have bought these myself and would have continued to use dryer sheets, despite my strong dislike for them!
In my opinion, these are a great gift that are actually useful!
This set of 6 dryer balls come 
At under $10 per bag, these are a very reasonably priced teacher’s gift.
Some features of these dryer balls include:
- reusable
- anti-static
- reduce wrinkles
- shorten dryer time
- essential oil can be used to create a nice scent
- available from Amazon
While I think these dryer balls make a great gift on their own, you can pair them up with lavender essential oil to add an extra element to your gift.
Reusable Grocery and Produce Bags
These may not seem like your average teacher gifts, but that’s kind of the idea, right?
For the first part of this teacher’s gift, I’m not talking about going to your local grocery store and picking up some bland reusable bag with their logo splashed on the side of it.
While that is fine for general use, as a gift, not so much.
I am talking about reusable bags with cool, bold, colorful patterns. Something with a little bit of an awe factor.
Reusable Folding Shopping Bags
These set of 6 reusable grocery bags are what I am talking about!
The bright, vibrant patterns of these bags are awesome!
More great features of these bags include:
- light-weight but strong
- large capacity
- compact
- washable
- available on Amazon
An excellent pairing to this gift are reusable produce bags.
They sound like an unconventional gift, I will give you that, but they are so useful.
This is another gift that a teacher may want to try but might not buy for themselves. Perfect.
Reusable produce bags cut down on plastic soo much during grocery shopping, so why not give a unique gift while helping out our environment as well.
This pack of 9 reusable mesh bags would pair very well with the reusable grocery bags as a great teacher’s gift.
They have some pop of color, a little fancier than plain white produce bags since it is for a gift after all.
Some other great features include:
- prolonged shelf-life of fruits and veg
- can be used for non-food items as well
- 2 small, 2 large, and 5 medium bags included
- strong, colored drawstring with lock
- available on Amazon
Have more than one teacher to buy for? No problem, this gift can easily be split up into at least two teacher’s gifts if need be.
So go ahead, give your teacher a nudge in the right direction with these reusable eco-friendly grocery and produce bags!
Succulents
Ok, so this teacher’s gift is a little bit different. It does require some forethought for sure.
If you’re reading this in search of Christmas gifts for your teacher, maybe keep this in mind for an end-of-school gift or vice-versa, depending on the availability in your area and how much time you have left to shop for the gift!
While you can order live succulents from Amazon, I cannot attest to the quality, so I would recommend picking them out in person.
Greenhouses, farmer’s markets, and even most grocery and department stores have a wide selection of succulents to choose from.
Receiving a live plant as a gift is awesome, in my opinion. Succulents are perfect for teachers as they can stay in the classroom for the school year, even over the breaks as they don’t require too much maintenance. At the end of the school year, your teacher brings home a beautiful plant. It’s win-win.
Why succulents make such good teacher’s gifts:
- most classrooms have windows, a perfect spot to grow a succulent
- minimal care required as they don’t need to be watered daily
- bugs are generally not a problem with succulents- sorry, kids, no distraction for you!
- plants help keep air fresh- a requirement with 20-30 kids in a room for most of the day
A couple of caveats to keep in mind before you set out to buy your succulent are to buy naturally green and hardy succulents as they stand the best chance of surviving indoors.
A few examples include jade plant, aloe vera, echeveria, zebra plant, panda plant, and crown of thorns.
Jot these down before you set out to get your succulent plant, and your teacher should be able to keep them alive successfully!
To take this gift to the next level, have your child decorate a terra cotta pot or purchase these cute owl ones from Amazon. Either way, replanting the succulents gives this teacher gift a nice, personal touch.
stainless steel Travel Mug and straws
A little twist on your everyday teacher’s gift.
Yes, it’s probably true that your teacher has a few travel mugs kicking around, but pair it with a stainless steel straw or two, and we have a winner!
This stainless steel tumbler is available in all kinds of cool, bright colors and at around $10 a piece, makes it a pretty reasonable teacher’s gift.
Some other great features of this tumbler include:
- keeps liquids cold for up to 24 hours
- keeps liquids warm for up to 12 hours
- tumbler will not sweat
- comfortable, slip-free grip
- BPA free
- FDA approved
- available on Amazon
This would make a fantastic gift on its own, but to spice it up a bit, let’s add some stainless steel straws to the gift.
Stainless Steel Straws
The hydrate tumbler comes with a lid with a hole for a straw. Let’s provide the straw so your teacher can feel a little more hygienic having his/her coffee or water around students, or in the staff room around other teachers for that matter.
These ALINK stainless steel straws are the perfect size for 20oz or 30oz tumblers.
They look pretty cool with their different colors and silicone tips. As a user of stainless steel straws myself, the tips are a nice bonus as they are easier on your teeth and nicer to drink from as the temperature of the liquid does not affect your lips as much.
Some other great features of these straws include:
- comes with 2 cleaning brushes
- silicone tips are removable
- BPA-free
- FDA approved
- durable
- reusable
- scratch-proof
- easy to clean
- available on Amazon
Since these straws come in a pack of 10, you could easily make five or more gifts out of them. One or two straws per tumbler are plenty, in my opinion.
You have the option to keep some for yourself (if you haven’t tried stainless steel straws, I recommend doing that!) or giving them away to your friends and family as a gift or just because.
Although this gift is perfectly fine on its own, an optional way to finish this teacher’s gift is to add a few apple cinnamon teabags to the tumbler. They will make your present smell amazing, and taste delicious too!
bamboo utensils and scrub brush with an organic cotton kitchen towel
This final teacher’s gift idea is a three-parter. Allow me to break it down for you.
These bamboo utensils have their own case, making them ideal for your teacher to leave in his/her desk or safely tucked away in the staff room at school.
Some other great features of these utensils include:
- holder made out of recycled plastic
- the holder includes a carabiner
- heat and stain resistant utensils
- utensils finished with a food grade wood oil
- includes a fork, knife, spoon, and chopsticks
- available on Amazon
This teacher’s gift is sounding good already, isn’t it? Well, we’re not done yet!
Kitchen Dish Brush with Bamboo Handle
This may be a bit of an unusual gift for a teacher, but I believe it is one that will be appreciated and used.
If you couldn’t tell by this list of teacher’s gifts so far, I am a fan of giving practical gifts, not necessarily traditional.
This gift fits right in with the bamboo utensils because after you’re done using them, you need to wash them!
Besides looking pretty sleek, you know, for a kitchen scrub brush, some other great features include:
- made from bamboo and recycled plastic
- three great colors to choose from
- durable bristles
- made without harmful chemicals or coatings
- BPA free
- available as an add-on item from Amazon
Now that your teacher has used the utensils, scrubbed them clean with the brush, they need to dry them. Good thing you’ve thought of everything!
100% Organic Cotton Kitchen Towel
This kitchen towel is so cool and modern looking, your teacher just might keep it at home!
This tea towel has great features such as:
- made from 100% organic cotton
- durable
- absorbent
- machine washable
- available as an add-on item on Amazon
To up your eco-friendly game, try wrapping the utensils and scrub brush with the kitchen towel. You can use twine or string to close it, make it rustic! Then just reuse a gift bag you have kicking around at home.
This is a unique and unexpected gift I am sure your teacher will appreciate!
So there you have it, a pretty decent list of eco-friendly teacher’s gifts your teacher will not only love but brag about in the staff room as well!
Of course, this is not a static list, feel free to mix it up a little. A lot of these gifts follow the same theme and go together quite well. Get creative!
Let me know what you plan on getting your teacher’s for holiday or end-of-school gifts. I love to hear from you!
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