Do you bring gifts back to teachers and classmates?

[tink2]

My children are in preschool. When we went 2 years ago at Thanksgiving, I bought both teachers a Christmas ornament for their Christmas present. I also bought them a Mickey American flag pin to give immediately- just after 9/11. As a teacher, I've had several students go to Disney World and some bring gifts to me and some don't. I've never had anyone bring something back for everyone in the class. The main thing we do in my room is share about the trip- I try to get them to bring in pictures if they can. The students who will never get to go somewhere like this REALLY love hearing all about it. So we just take special time to do this. So you might want to consider talking with the teacher and letting your child bring some items in for a special show and tell.

Those stickers they give children throughout the park- on Main Street at MK- are a great and FREE idea! If I see someone handing these out on this trip I plan to get some for my students. My niece got some last time with Mickey on them. You might can also pick up stickers pretty cheap- they seem to be all over with scrapbooking being so popular!

 

[Gilligan]

We've now got Barnaby. Turns out he's actually a furry bear hand puppet. He's not too big, so shouldn't be too much of a problem carting him around... except of course DD HAS to bring her favourite toy Muffin, and another, Dizzy (he's on stand-by until I've finished the packing Thanks for all the photo tips. DH has just bought a digital camera, so I expect he'll be only too happy to take photos of Barnaby! (Not sure I can get one on here before we go) The pencils suggestion is good idea too. Great tips! There're 21 children in DD's class...

Just as an aside, are there any rivers in Orlando? DS (9)'s homework is to do some research into a river...makes sense to choose a river where we're on holiday! (I'm wondering if the Everglades count as a river!!)

 

[TerriBelle]

The teachers at my DD school all wear lanyards with their school id and keys on it. So my daughter picked out a disney pin for her teacher and her student teacher. They have a really cute Minnie pin that is in front of a chalkboard teaching that we got for her teacher. My daughter had learned before going that her Student teacher's favorite character was Goofy so we found a pin for her.
The teachers really enjoyed this because they wear them every day!

 

[deb305]

Gilligan,
For some reason I think the Everglades is a river. Just as interestingly due East of Orlando is the Indian River, which actually runs in the Ocean. I think it runs between the mainland and Cape Caniveral Island. There is a National (?) park there, with a great beach on the ocean side. Also there are dirt (with potholes) roads you can tour on to get up close to ponds with Alligators. I think its near New Symrna beach. It is only about 20 minutes to get there. Sorry to be so vague, but I'm at work with no maps.
Finally, Disney is filled with man made rivers. An example would be POR. They may be man made but they are filled with wildlife.

 

[NotUrsula]

There is a good river park in Sanford, the Lower Wekiva River Preserve; here's the link:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/district3/lowerwekiva/info/history.asp

There is another park associated with the Wekiva as well, Wekiva Springs. I think that the river preserve might be more what you're after for a school assignment, though; the other is more a recreational park. I doubt your daughter is old enough to appreciate something this complex, but there is also a really interesting restoration project going on with the Kissimmee River, which was turned into a drainage canal years ago; they are trying to re-naturalize it.
(http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/erd/krr/index.html)

The Everglades is MUCH bigger and more complex than a river, although several watersheds drain into it, it's a wetlands ecosystem. The best known river in Florida is the St. John's River, which flows through the Jacksonville area and out to the Atlantic, but there are lots of smaller rivers and springs scattered all over the state.

 

[Gilligan]

Thanks for the river info. everyone. I've just read in one of my Florida guides that the Everglades is a 'vast sheet river system', and as we'll be going to the Everglades after WDW, I think DS can write about that, & local flora and fauna, especially if we see an alligator - cool!!. I don't think his teacher is going to be too fussy! (and it'll make a change from the others writing about our local River Blackwater or the River Thames!)

counting in hours now til our WDW trip!!

 

[CuteKatCar]

On one trip we did bring back pencils for the class and on another we brought back chocolate covered pretzels. I did get a book for the teacher as well.

My kids are in a new school this year and my first grader, who did not like school up until this year, is absolutely in love with her teacher. She wants to bring her gifts all the time. I am happy she wants to "give" and not just "get" all the time. We will be bringing back gifts for everyone. Probably pencils, or the free stickers - there's just too many kids.

I work in a nursery school as a teacher's aide and some give gifts from vacation and some don't. I think it all depends on what some of them can afford.

 

[Harambe]

Pulling our kids out of school to go to Disney is very much poo-pooed in my town. Unfortunately I am a teacher's aid at the school as well so not only are my kids missing, but I take the week off, too!

DH and I are firm believers in making memories for our kids. If principals and teachers don't agree, that is their perogative (sp?). My third grader was given so much homework to do, she needed two whole mornings at WDW to finish, and she had to stay after for 30 minutes for a week to complete other assignments. My first grader's teacher "worried how his reading will suffer".

Last year my principal sent a letter home with all the children in our school stating that vacations should only be taken during official school vacation time.

So - to answer your question - no we don't buy anybody anything that will draw attention to the fact that we've been missing for a week! Yikes!

 

[timbud1]

I'm with ya, Harambe!!! Traveling during school sessions is not exactly popular around here either. However, I'm a former public, now private school teacher and I am all for it if the work can be taken care of. My first grader's reading level isn't exactly going to drop in one week!!! My third grader's a straight-A student and she too will survive!! Their teachers are fine with it, so I'm just not saying anything to the principal. I have friends who think the world is going to end over this issue and fear for my children's futures. Oh well!!

Now, about those FREE stickers. Impossible! Where does one find such a thing? Thanks also for the pencil idea...will search for those.

 

[alwaysmom]

Another idea!

At the end of the "Journey into the Imagination" ride (Epcot) you end up in an area where you can send picture e-mails at no charge. You can even add things to the picture (such as hats, bug eyes, etc.) The kids had a blast trying to decide what add on they wanted. DS 7 ended up with a funny hat and DS 5 wanted nothing.

We sent them to their teachers, who in turn showed the kids. And also the grandparents and home.

Everyone got a chuckle.

 

[BethC]

We always bring back the free Mickey stickers too. This year they were handing out Goofy stickers as well. The CM's don't mind giving you 20 of them if the kids explain they want to take them back to school.

NotUrsula, I LOVE the lego separater idea. This would be great for the kids, who always try to use their TEETH to separate those little pieces. I'm thinking I'll buy a bunch and include them with the present anytime we give out legos for a gift (with an 8 year old son we give out legos a LOT!).

 

[tjmw2727]

If my girls are missing school I do bring something back for the teacher and the class. Everyone knows about the trip anyway and a little something special dosen't really "rub it in" IMHO. I usually either do something that they can use, like pencils or erasers and the "free stickers. One trip at the CR the woman at the gift shop was talking with us for a while and actually asked my dd's how many children they had in class. She brought out a small plastic bag for each girl with enough stickers for the class.

I also keep an eye out for a gift that may be in line with what they are covering if possible. This is easier at AK or Epcot, last trip my dd told one of the CM's at a kidcot about an international language project and she gave dd enough of the "dream catcher stars" for the class. It was extra incentive for dd to get the word dream in each language and share with the class so they could fill in their stars. Nice touch.

Another trip when youngest dd was in Kindergarten the symbol of her school was a viking ship. She was wearing a school t-shirt and a Norway CM noticed. He came out with a package of really cool viking stickers and she shared that with the class.

I don't always bring something back and don't "stress" over finding something but I do keep my eyes open for something appropriate and not to pricy. If I find something I do it if not - maybe next time.

TJ

 

[Kallison]

I'm really glad the habit of sharing gifts from trips has never reached our school district. Between my three kids that would be 67 kids and 7 teachers to buy for. Now there is a 5th grade teacher who has her room decked out in Disney and goes there every summer. She knows I'm a fellow Disneyphile and if any of my kids were in her class I would bring something back for her like Mickey soaps or napkins or pens, a self depleting item as the other poster stated.