As Teachers’ Day approaches, it’s time to show our educators just how much we value and appreciate their dedication to shaping young minds. One thoughtful way to express our gratitude is by creating a heartfelt and personalised craft using everyday materials.

In this DIY project, we’ll transform an empty cereal box and some popsicle sticks into a unique and charming gift, that’s sure to bring a smile to any teacher’s face.

With a touch of creativity and a lot of love, let’s celebrate the amazing teachers who inspire us every day.

Things you need:

1. One empty cereal box

2. Scissors/paper cutter

3. Yellow and brown-coloured papers

4. Scrapes of pink and grey coloured paper

5. Glue stick

6. Pencil

7. Hot glue gun

8. Three large craft sticks (either yellow or plain)

9. Pink and yellow watercolours

10. Paintbrush

Directions:

1. To create the desk organiser, start by measuring the length and width of the box, as shown in pictures 2 and 3.

2. From the top edge of the box, mark a point four inches down and locate the middle point along the box’s width. Next, use these marks to create a triangular shape, resembling a pyramid, and carefully cut along the marked lines; see pictures 4 and 5.

3. Now cut the narrow sides of the box, as well as the opposite side, in a zigzag pattern; pictures 6 and 7.

4. By now, you should have a zigzag pattern on one side of the box and a four-inch triangular shape on the other side. Giving the box the appearance of a pencil-shaped organiser.

5. It’s time to cover the box with colourful paper. You can choose the colours of your choice. For instance, I used three colours, yellow for the top zigzag part, pink to represent the eraser part of the pencil, and purple to separate and enhance both colours, as shown in picture 8.

6. Apply either dark or light brown-coloured paper inside the box, picture 9.

7. To create the pencil lead tip, carefully paste a small black triangle, shaped like a pencil tip, on top of the triangular area on the box, picture 10.

8. Our cereal box organiser in the shape of a pencil is ready, all it needs is a little decent decoration.

9. To make the bookmark: Take three craft sticks in yellow colour. Paint them pink starting from two inches from the bottom. If you have plain sticks, colour them yellow, let them dry, and then apply pink to the bottom section. Connect them using hot glue, as shown in pictures 11 and 12.

10. Now, take a two-inch piece of cardboard and cut it into the shape of a pencil tip, resembling a pyramid. Cover the tip with black-coloured paper, pictures 13 and 14.

The bookmark is also ready, but it’s a blank canvas waiting for your creativity. You can choose to either write a heartfelt message for your teacher on each stick or attach a loving tag.

Present this thoughtful gift of appreciation to your teacher as a reminder that there are caring students who value and appreciate their dedication. n

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 29th, 2023