Teacher Appreciation Gift: Apple Pencil Holder

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day (and National Teacher Week), here is a great teacher gift craft that you can help your child make to give to their teacher. This is a fun and thoughful National Teacher Day gift for your child to show their appreciation for their teacher’s hard work!

Here's what you'll need for this National Teacher Day gift idea:

  • a balloon (any color, it won't be seen)
  • paper mache paste (combination of 1/2 glue & 1/2 water)
  • strips of newspaper
  • strips of white paper
  • small pieces of red tissue paper
  • green felt

Instructions for teacher gift craft idea:

  1. Prepare the paper mache paste in a bowl and set it aside. Blow up the balloon all the way, then let out all of the air. This will stretch out the rubber on the balloon, making the apple a rounder shape once you begin to paper mache it. Now blow up the balloon a little bit until it is about 5 inches in diameter and tie it off.
  2. Cover the balloon with 2-4 layers of newspaper paper mache and let it dry for about 24 hours. Don’t cover the tied part of the balloon; this will be the hole for the pencils. Be sure to leave the hole wide enough to hold a few pencils in it.
  3. The following day, paper mache over the newspaper strips with white computer paper and let it dry for another 24 hours. Once it is fully dry, pop the balloon with a sharp object and pull out the balloon through the hole.
  4. Use a damp cloth to soften the mache on the bottom part of the apple to flatten it. Keep doing this until the apple is able to stand flat on its own without help. 
  5. Paper mache the red tissue paper onto the apple until fully covered and let it dry. Cut two small leaf shapes out of green felt and glue them to the top of the apple.

Personalize the apple with your teacher's name in stickers or colored marker and place in a gift bag. Then, all you will need to do is stick in a few newly sharpened pencils and your child can give the gifts for teacher on the special day.

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