My students spent a few days making some special crafts and gifts for their moms. It was so sweet to watch them as they took pride in their creations. Each student wrote about their favorite memory of their mother, as well as making a sweet little poem where they filled in the adjectives that describe their mom and what makes her special.
My mom is _________, _________ and _________.
I love when she ____________________.
She is the sunshine that lights my day, she is the path that shows me the way.
There is no one quite like you.
Thank you so much for all you do!
These sweet poems accompanied their cards and gifts on the tables where their moms sat to enjoy some special treats. 
You Are My Sunshine Journals: 
To create our Mother's Day gifts we started with the DIY White Canvas Spiral Notebooks. First, the students painted them aqua. Once they dried they painted a half circle close to the spine and then used their fingers dipped in paint to create the sun's rays. These blank journals make the perfect little notebook for busy moms. Just toss this notebook in your purse and use it to jot down notes. My students wrote sweet notes on the first page and then hid a few throughout the book. As their moms start writing their notes down they will come across some sweet words from their little ones.
Watercolor Bouquets: 
These colorful watercolor bouquets made decorating easy. We used them as centerpieces for our sunshine social and then handed them to the moms as they left. They are fun to create and easy to assemble. Take a 9x12 sheet of lime green construction paper and fold in half lengthwise. On the folded side cut slits 3/4 of the way down. To assemble simply roll together and staple. On a white sheet of paper have students use watercolors to create flowers. We chose to make them all pink but you could use whatever colors you like. Once they were dry the students cut them out and then glued them onto the green folded sections of their bouquet.
To set the scene for a fun afternoon, colorful paper fans were hung through the center of the table to decorate. The desks were pushed together to create one large table, and a yellow gingham tablecloth was centered as a table runner through the center of the desks. The poems, daffodil pinwheels, journals and cards were set at each desk. Students greeted their moms at the door and quickly showed them to their seats and started to share their treasured gifts. 
For food I kept it very simple, I only had a few minutes to set up and prepare before our special guests arrived so I opted for just 3 sweet treats and some lemonade. I felt like this was just enough for a little treat without going overboard. 
The students helped to set the table with some sweets and treats for their moms to enjoy. I found some quick and easy treats from a local store that required no prep. The cakes and muffins were a big hit. We used store-bought sugar cookies and topped them with cream cheese icing and slices of fruit. These tasty treats were easy to prepare and quick to set up!
The students took turns serving their moms as they read through poems they wrote. This worked well, so everyone wasn't rushing to our treat table all at once. As everyone snacked on their treats a slideshow played on our smartboard highlighting classroom events throughout the year. It was fun to listen as students recapped events from throughout the year. 
As our time together came to a close I wanted everyone to be able to have a quick photo op with their child. We created a special place for some fun photos just outside the classroom on an exterior wall. I just layered yellow fadeless paper with some yellow tissue fans, coral tissue fans, aqua tissue fans to create an instant backdrop. This creates a fun area for your moms to take some quick photos with their favorite little ones. This makes a great keepsake from such a special afternoon. I know I will treasure this photo of my own little ones!
