Easy Teacher Appreciation Day Craft: DIY Pencil Holder

Nine days ago, we had massive hail storms come through our town and do tons of damage to many of the buildings in our area (including our house, which was already waiting on a new roof from a hail storm two weeks prior!). This storm damaged the roof of my daughter’s pre-school, and because of all the rain we’ve had, they haven’t been able to repair it. Which means her school has been closed for over a week, and we’re still not sure when it will open again.

All that to say, as I’ve tried to keep a four-year-old entertained while I work a full-time job from home, I’ve certainly realized how much I appreciate her amazing teacher, who always has fun and engaging activities planned for her students.

It’s not that I don’t like having her home with me, but I  have a hard time finding engaging activities for her to do all day.

When she come home from pre-school every day, she brings with her fun crafts, new songs, and stories of her adventures on the playground. I am always amazed at how full her days are, and impressed with the fun projects she brings home (I realize that her teacher has to come up with those fun activities every.single.day.).

So – I really appreciate my kids’ teachers and wanted to make an easy Teacher Appreciation Day craft that the kids could give to their teachers this year. I ended up making several fun things. One of my favorites was this cute DIY chalkboard pencil holder with an apple pom pom tied around it.

Easy Teacher Appreciation Day Craft

Here’s what you need to make your own chalkboard pencil holder (this post contains affiliate links).

• Mason jars (I bought several from Hobby Lobby because I wanted flat glass, but these are great, too).
• Chalkboard paint (I actually bought a greyish one from Michaels, but any will do)
• White paint
• Sponge brush (I always have a bunch of these around the house!)
• Chalk or chalk pen if you want to write on the pencil holder
• Pencils!
• If you want to add an apple pom pom (or several), you can get the full tutorial here

Here’s how to make your own super easy DIY pencil holder:

1. Wash your mason jar so it’s clean from oils and ready to paint.
2. Apply one coat of chalkboard paint. I let mine dry for an hour or so and then added a second coat.
3. Using your foam brush, get a tiny bit of white paint and swirl it around in the still-wet chalkboard paint. This gives your chalkboard a “chalky” feel.
4. Let dry.
5. If you want to write a message on it, use your chalk or chalk pen to write your message.
6. Did you make some cute apple pom poms? Tie one around the neck of the jar. I used some twine to tie mine.
7. Fill it with pencils! Yay!

I also thought it would be cute to add a gift card, maybe to Starbucks or the teacher’s favorite place to eat. Just add a dab of hot glue to the back of the gift card and stick to the jar. When the glue dries, it can be easily pulled off.

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