School Counselor Blog

Our PBIS Team has a tradition of getting a small gift for staff for our final "Treat Trolley" of the school year. This year, we did a Hawaiian Theme. We purchased Hawaiian T-shirt Can Koozies, fun and festive sparkling waters, and of course some pop! We put a colorful gift tag on each one that says "Aloha, Summer! We Hope You have a great Summer Break! Love the QVMS PBIS Team." Below I will share everything you need to re-create this Hawaiian Themed Teacher Gift. This would also make a fun gift for a School Counseling Department, Student Services Department, Supervisor, Intern, and more... To make the "Aloha, Summer!" Gift, we purchased: Hawaiian Themed Can Koozies  - Oriental Trading Company - Also available at Walmart Colorful Astrobrights Cardstock Paper Ribbon A Variety of Festive Summer Sparkling Waters Waterloo Italian Ice (I can't wait to try this one!) Bubly Strawberry Sunset Bubly Coconut Pineapple Bubly Orange Cream Pop/Soda Diet Coke Coke ...

There is nothing quite like that New School Year Energy! With the first day of school just around the corner, I made fun gift to kick-off the school year and to provide a little caffeine boost to my colleagues.⚡ I packaged up mini cans of Alani energy drink, motivational pens, and notepads. I added a gift tag I made in Canva to tie it all together. I am planning to give a gift bag to all the school counselors and school psychologists in my department as a welcome back gift on our district's Opening Day. To make the "New School Year Energy!" gift bag, I purchased: Mini cans of Alani Energy drink * - these are sugar free and come in fun flavors! You can purchase these at Target or Walmart (not-sponsored!) Small lined notepads * Motivational pens * Small cellophane bags - I found these at Target * Ribbon - These ones from Target are my favorite * Shredded paper * "New School Year Energy!" printable gift tag I filled each bag with...

If you still looking for a gift for the school counselor in your life, you are in luck! I compiled 10 items that would make great last minute (but also thoughtful!) gifts. If you are a school counselor, you can also treat yourself to some of the items below!  1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 For the School Counseling Office 1. Jenga is a tried and true game. It can use it in groups and individual counseling sessions. The classic version is great! I think the  big version  or giant version would be super fun for a counseling group. I would love to have one of the bigger versions for my office! 2. Rory's Story Cubes is one of my favorite activities to do with students. Students use the picture cubes to create a story. They are great for elementary, middle school, and high school! There are also different versions of Rory's Story Cubes . In my office I have the original pack and the adventure pack called Voyages . 3. I Spy Wonder Tubes  are ...

The holiday season can be the most stressful time of the year ! If your looking for some ways to spread holiday cheer and boost morale without breaking the bank, look no further! In my latest post on the  Free Spirit Publishing's Blog  I share  3 (Inexpensive) Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer to Teachers and School Staff .  Do you do anything fun and festive for your school staff? S hare your comments and ideas below or in the comment section of my post on the Free Spirit Blog! I started writing for  Free Spirit Publishing's Blog  in April of 2012. Check out the  Counselor's Corner  for more Free Spirit Publishing Blog Posts by me! I love  Free Spirit's books  and I am so excited to contribute to  Free Spirit's Blog , "a springboard of ideas for teachers, counselors, and anyone who cares about kids!" Comment below,  tweet ,  contact Danielle , or share on the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page...

Yesterday I was trying to think up a fun and functional end of semester gift for the internship supervision group that I co-facilitate. I was racking my brain and could not think of anything... that's when I turned to Pinterest for some pin-speration! I looked around and then I saw IT! A BEACH BALL! I got the idea from  this pin from Uncommon Designs Online . She used beach balls as a favors for an end of the school year party. I loved the look of the folded beach ball and thought this would be an super easy and affortable gift for a future school counselor. Not only does this beach ball and message make a super cute gift, but my absolute favorite part is that they can use the beachball to make their own question ball ! For other suggestions of how to use a beach ball in your work as a school counselor, check out my post,   3 Ways to Have a Ball with a Beach Ball All Year Round . Below you will find step by step instructions of how to make your own "You will ...

I have a new post on  Free Spirit Publishing's Blog !  Check out my post Small Gesture, Big Impact  about how a simple gesture can make someone's day. I give some fun low-cost ideas in this post!  I started blogging for Free Spirit Publishing's Blog  in April of 2012! I love Free Spirit's books and I am so excited to contribute to Free Spirit's Blog , "a springboard of ideas for teachers, counselors, and anyone who cares about kids!" Comment below,  tweet ,  contact Danielle , or share on the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page ! Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at  School Counselor Blog , a place where school counselors share innovative ideas,  creative lesson plans,  and quality resources. Connect with Danielle via  email ,  Twitter , Pinterest ,  LinkedIn ,  Google+ , and become a fan of the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page .

When I give new school counselors gifts, I want them to be fun and functional! I want to give them something they will actually use in their work as a new school counselor or school counseling intern. Last year, I gave my school counseling intern a gift of a portable sand tray .  Instead of just giving her a container of sand I wanted to make a gift "basket" of things she could use to get her started as a school counselor. In addition to a storage container and sand  (see the  portable sand tray  post for more details) I used colorful tissue paper to wrap some fun items she could use. First up, BUBBLES! :)  What school counselor doesn't love bubbles .  There are so many ways school counselors can utilize bubbles in sessions with students! Squishy Ball! I got this Squishy Ball at the Target dollar spot (have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Target dollar spot?!).  Balls like this are great for students to fidget with when they are ...

Today is the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week. One week just does not seem like enough appreciation for any educational professional! We need encouragement and appreciation all year round! Way back in February, my co-school counselor and I made decided to make water-bottle gifts for staff during National School Counseling Week . My co-school counselor saw something similar on Pinterest . We purchased bulk packs of water bottles and individual drink mix packets in a variety of flavors. We printed the message "Together we help  'quench' the 'thirst' for knowledge! We appreciate you!" on yellow card stock. We then punched a hole in the top and tied the cards on with embroidery floss.  We used glue dots to affix the individual drink mix packets to the cards. The water bottles turned out really cute and the staff loved them!  They were inexpensive, simple, and quick to make. I love that they look so bright and cheery! These water bottles are a simpl...

Looking for a last minute gift for a school counselor friend or colleague? You can throw together some fun and relaxing items to make a relaxation basket! Every year our area donates a basket to raffle and raise money for a charity. We decided on a relaxation theme this year. Members contributed items such as aloe infused socks, a bathrobe, a mug, hot chocolate mix, wine, a wine holder, wine bottle opener, and an island calendar calendar. Some other items you could include in a relaxation basket are: bubble bath, lotion, soothing music, pedicure kit, spa gift certificate, a noise machine, etc. I love gifts with a theme! A themed gift basket would also be great for a supervisor or intern! What items would you include in a relaxation basket? What other theme baskets have you made? Comment below,  tweet ,  contact Danielle , or share on the  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page ! Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor,...

My mom made adorable gerber daisy flower center pieces for the tables at my bridal shower. The flowers are colorful, bright, and cheerful. I thought the flowers would be great for Career Café tables to add some ambiance and make Career Café feel even more like a cafe experience. Then, I got an idea to make the flowers even better and serve two purposes, by making flower pens! I have always wanted to make flower pens... now I had a great excuse! Watch the video below to learn how to make your own flower pens! I realized while making the flower pens that they would make a great gift for a school counselor, teacher, principal or educator. Really, they would make a great gift for anyone who has a desk. ;) I love that they serve a purpose and look cute! Here's a picture of the flower pens on a  Career  Café table. Have you ever made flower pens? How would you use flower pens in your work as a school counselor? Comment below,  tweet ,  c...