1) A Book About Mom Cut strips of construction paper all the same size and staple on the left-hand edge.  On each strip start a sentence and then let the child finish it about his/her mother.  You may want to use some of the following examples: I love my mother when... My mother looks funny when... My mother and I have fun when... 2) Mother's Day Sachet Materials: glue cotton balls perfume lace doiles thread plastic needles Saturate cotton balls with perfume. Place doiles together, back to back and sew with thread leaving small opening. Insert cotton balls and tie thread to secure. Decorate as desired. Makes a wonderful sachet for mom. 3) Bookmark for a Special Mom Let your children take a nature walk to collect such things as pretty leaves, flower blossoms, unusual weeds, etc. (Be sure everything collected can be flattened!) Provide cut pieces of posterboard or card stock for the children to glue their finds onto. When dry, cover each side with clear contact paper or laminate. Trim and punch a hole on one end of each bookmark. Tie on yarn strips to make a tassel. Happy Mother's Day!! 4) For Mother's Day I like to ask each of my children's mother to bring in a photo of them with there child. Then the children make Mother's Day card with the photos inside the cards. Or I will put the Photos on a Bulletin Board with the saying,"Mother's are for Loving!" 5) Mother's Day Snack For a Mother's or Father's Day activity, have the children prepare a simple meal. Grilled cheese, celery and peanut butter, crackers... any simple food that they helped to prepare. Make invitations, place cards, decorated napkins, anything to add to the party feel. The special parent is treated to a meal, and the kids can learn about healthy eating, food preparation, table setting, as well as making crafts to go with it all. 6) STRESS BALL Materials: Any size balloon Flour Permanent markers One 16 oz. pop bottle Small paper cup, wooden spoon 1.  Make a funnel.  Cut 4" of of plastic pop bottle to form funnel.  Fit end of balloon over funnel spout. 2.  Fill balloon.  Pour a paper cup full of flour into funnel.  Use end of the wooden spoon to push as much flour as possible into the balloon. 3.  Finish Up.  Remove from funnel and tie off balloon.  Use a permanent marker to draw a face or write a message to Mom or Dad.  Let dry and stretch, squeexe, relieve stress!! 7) I cut 4 strips about (3 inches x 6 inches~~bigger or smaller whatever you want!) of heavy post card stock paper per child and then let those able use the hole punch  make a couple of holes down the left side of all 4 pieces. I did the ones for the tiny folks. The cherubs then stitched their "book" together with yarn (masking tape on the end to act as a needle) On the outside we wrote "A book of kisses for you" then the cherubs put bright red lipstick on and kissed each page as many times as they wanted!! The mommies LOVED them for Mothers Day along with what started out as a white carnation that we had put into colored water to make it pink, yellow, green or blue depending on each child's preference! (vases were .50 - $1. a piece at the good will store!) 8) Trace around a cup shape onto pretty wallpaper and cut out. Have children glue JUST THE EDGES OF THE SIDES onto a fancy paper doily. Insert a teabag with the string hanging out. Write:"Mom, You're Just My Cup Of Tea!" Then have children dip the bowl of a plastic spoon in melted white or milk chocolate. Hold over a pan til most dripping stops. Dip spoon into nonpareills or other tiny cookie decorations. When cooled and solid, wrap saran over bowl of spoon and tie with a pretty ribbon. Mom can use this stir stick to make her Mother's Day tea a special treat. 9) Do child's hand print on a page with paint and place this poem on the page. EVERY MOTHER LOVES IT! A great keepsake! Sometimes I might upset you Just because I’m small By leaving fingerprints of mine On a table, chair or wall. But everyday I grow a bit And I’ll be big one day When all my tiny fingerprints Have long been cleaned away So keep these prints of my two hands To help you to recall Just how big my fingers were That time when I was small. 10) Mother's Day Key Chains/Magnets Have children trace their open hands on "shrink" plastic (available at craft stores) and then color as they wish. They can use permanent markers or acrylic paint. Let dry and punch hole in "palm" side of hand with hole punch. Heat in oven according to directions and add magnet or key chain and voila! A great AND usable gift. 11) Came across what I found to be an adorable and easy idea for a gift for Mother's Day.     Use a plain white - or any light color bathroom tile (I'd imagine white would be the cheapest) Cover the back with felt.  Then either simply put the child's handprint on it or if the children are older, thus making larger hands - use their fingerprints to make flowers across the tile - then add green stems.  Spray with a shellac to protect and intsant hot trivet - with a wonderful memory for mom.!! 12)   Egg Shell Art Picture for Mom Materials: Dyed egg shells, Rolling pin, Glue, Brushes, Card matt paper plate Procedure: 1. Collect egg shells after Easter. 2. Crush them with a rolling pin. 3. Glue crushed egg shells onto cardboard, matt board or paper plate. 4. If shells are not dyed, you should first dye them. 13) Mother's Day Song(Melody:You are my sunshine) I love you mommy My dearest mommy You make me happy When I am sad I want to tell you I really love you! When I'm with you I am so glad! 14) A cute verse for a card:       Mother, my darling, Mother, my dear, I love you, I love you, Each day of the year. 15) Window Knick-knack for Mother's Day: You will need: Cereal box for each child, clay, dried flowers, scissors (adult can do the cutting part ahead of time, if nec.) Ceral box can be the small individual size, or a larger one depending on what size you want your gift to be. Sit box upright and cut off part of the front leaving enough at the bottom for a flower box (planter, so to speak). Cut little blocks from the back resembling panes in a window.  Put a clump of clay on the bottom of the box toward the front. Stick dried flowers into the clay so that they come forward and stick out of the "window". 16) Mother's Day present: The children wanted to give Dad a lasting impression of their hands so we went & bought good watercolor paper.  Then each child picked out acrylic paint in the color of their choice.  Then we purchased a frame, glass & mat. I painted each childs hand with the paint using a foam brush then positioned their hand over the paper & pressed..........then I took a gold paint marker & made a bow on the index finger.  Then in the upper corner in calligraphy I wrote......."Dad we have you wrapped around our fingers" He truly loved the print & it now hangs in our foyer for a permanent reminder of their little hands.  You could also do this on a t-shirt not only for Dad but for Grandma as well! 17) Because some children do not live with (some do not even know) one parent or the other (or either), remind children that they can make gifts for "Someone Who Is Like a Mother To Me" or "My Special Person" .... 18) For Mothers Day I like to give the moms a Mothers Day Snack Bag.  The children cut out of a pocketbook shape out of a borwn paper bag.  punch holes around the edges and have the children thread together.  They can then decorate the bag any which way they like.  The children then place two napkins, microwave popcorn, two juice boxes, and place them in the bag.  The children can go home and have a nice quiet snack with mom. 19) You need long paper (from a roll). Let the child hug you...then measure the hug with a peice of string.  Put the string on the long paper and cut.  Trace the childs hands and attach on either end of the paper.  Let them decorate with bingo markers or whatever.  Add a small heart in the middle with the poem:    Here's a happy hug a bunch    Wrap it around and feel the crunch    May smiles and Kisses come your way    With Lots of Love on Mothers Day    (or fathers day or grandparents day) 20) Either use this along with a gift you've made as part of a card or make a book You sew the buttons on my clothes   (glue button on this page) You gave me a hankie for my nose     (kleenex on this one) You make good things for me to eat    (picture from magazing) You buy me candy for a treat              (glue piece of candy on) You wash my clothes and mend my socks  (picture from mag and a cut our sock) Dear Mother, I love you lots and lots!!      (big heart - can put childs picture in it) 21) Cut a doily into a heart (or buy it like that) and make it into a flower (add cut stem and leaves) put child's handprint on top of doily.  Glue all onto bright colored paper.  A Piece of me I give to you I made this flower Because I Love You The heart is for you The hand is me To show we are friends The best there can be I hope you will save it And look back someday At the flower we shared on your SPECIAL DAY! 22) Trace child's hands and attach with a long piece of yarn (measure child's arms)....put into an envelope with a note that says, "MOM, (or Dad or Grandma..etc)  I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH... 23) If you are doing a class cookbook for Mother's Day, here is a verse to go with it: Here are some favorites we like to cook We tell you how in this little book. We carefully measured and mixed each dish And send this to yo with a Happy Mother's Day wish! 24) My Wish If I could have an Only wish Now wouldn't that Be fine! I'd wish that Everybody had A mother just like Mine! 25) Mother Who ran to help me When I fell And had some funny Story to tell Or kissed the place to make it well? My MOTHER! 26) Here are some starters for child dictated cards for Mother or Father's Day: 1. "To Mother on her special day This is what I want to say:......." 2. "Thank you Mom, for all you do Today it's my turn to help you! (Make a list)" 3. "Here are some things I'm going to do For Mommy because I love you!  (List)" 27) Here is a little craft I based on something I saw in a thrift store: It will be a refrigerator magnet for Mom.  You need clothespins, magnetic tape, and fun foam.  Cut flower shapes from the fun foam and glue at the top of the clothespin.  Cut stem, leaves from fun foam and glue beneath the flower.  Put the magnetic tape on back. This will be a note holder. I think I will duplicate a "Mother" poem to go with it. Mom can put the poem up with the note holder and replace later if she wants to. 28) I buy white cook's bib aprons from a restaurant supply house.  You can find one in your yellow pages.  I buy 20 and they cost about 2.30 each.  If you don't have the funds, parents will be happy to pay for these as they are really cool. I get two bottles of fabric paint, one lavendar and one magenta or pink.  I use pie tins for printing pads.  I put round pieces of damp felt in the pie tins and pour the fabric paint on and spread it into the felt with a paint brush.  (If somebody is absent, just cover this with seran wrap and use it when they return).  I put the apron on the table and cover the center of it with a piece of mat board so they won't print there.  I put the pie tin print pads on the mat board.  The kid puts their hands back and forth between the print pad and the apron and stamps their hand prints all around the border and on the bib.  The next day, they draw a picture they think their mom will like on the large space in the middle of the apron that was covered by the mat board the day before.  I use fabric crayon or fabric pens to draw the picture. In addition, a companion gift goes with the apron.  Each child draws a picture of their mom with a thin crayola black marker.  Then I ask each child to tell me what's special and important about their mom.  Then I ask them to tell me what their mom likes to cook and how she cooks it.  I type these up , reduce the pictures and copy enough for the whole class.  The children make a book cover, usually a printing activity on construction paper.  So the book is called, "The Important Book about Moms and What They've Got Cookin'"  Each book contains everyone's text and drawings. 29) We then make a simple dessert:  oreo cookie crunched on the bottom of little pie tins filled with chocolate pudding mixed with coolwhip - kind of a simple chocolate mousse.  We have a "Mother's tea" which is a brown bag lunch with dessert served to the mom's by the children who also at this time give their gifts of the aprons and the books.  The children also sing songs for the mothers.  One of the songs we sing is this:  It's a very old song my grandmother taught me but they have it in the library. M is for the million things she gave me O means only that she's growing old T is for the tears she shed to save me H is for her heart of purest gold E is for her eyes with love light shining R means right and right she'll always be Put them all together they spell Mother, A word that means the world to me 30) PASTA NECKLACE FOR MOM use various pasta shapes Wheels Straight Pasta with holes Hearts Bow Ties (tie on with pretty ribbon) Other shapes w/holes to string Dye pasta w/food color & alcohol.I use a sm. amt. of alcohol (1/2 cup or less). Use about 1/2 bottle of food color in the rubbing alcohol. Add the pasta & drain. I do a small amt.of pasta @ a time & use a slotted spoon to drain the pasta. I keep using the colored alcohol. The pasta drys quickly.I use all kinds of bright colors. When dry let the children string the pasta on pretty ribbon. Tie on the bow tie shapes. This really is cute & fun for the kids. My mom's were proud to wear these beautiful creations that their child made.