Let’s talk about gifts for the science teachers in your life!

(If you’re a science teacher looking for science-themed gifts for students, check out my post about that HERE.)

I want to make one thing very clear. TEACHERS DO NOT NEED GIFTS. Teachers appreciate gifts. We truly do. But we’re people, too. We understand the busyness and the financial strain of this season.

And to be honest, most kids do not give teachers gifts. Your child will be in the majority if you skip worrying about teacher gifts this year. It’s fine! I promise, promise, promise.

However, if you insist on giving teacher gifts and you’d like to make it science-themed, here’s some great ideas!

Gifts for Science Teachers

Science Ornaments: I love getting science-themed ornaments from students! Every year, I remember the kids from years past who gave them to me when I put them on my tree. I love this little Erlenmeyer flask, and this microscope is downright adorable. This Earth is cute for anyone who cares about the planet.

This Day In Science Calendar: I would love to have this in my classroom! I would read one off at the beginning of every class to start a fun discussion with the kids.

Science Lanyard: Teachers have so many keys (teacher’s room, bathroom, classroom, closets…) so lanyards have become kind of a “thing” with teachers. There are tons of different kinds to choose from. Biology teacher? This DNA lanyard is fun! Chemistry teacher? The periodic table, of course! And I do believe that 99.99% of science teachers are NASA nerds! This NASA lanyard would be cute for any science teacher.

Periodic Table Cutting Board: This is fun and useful! This is a great idea because it is science-themed, but still really practical and useful.

Element “Rubik’s” Cube: No one is too old to fiddle with a Rubik’s cube! This is a fun, unexpected gift for a young teacher or a teacher who is young at heart!

Keychains: As I mentioned, teachers always have a lot of “work” keys. Fun keychains are just that, FUN! I like the “Think like a proton, stay positive” one, and I’d also love to receive the chemical structure of caffeine, too. If you search Amazon for “science keychain,” tons more options pop up.

A BETTER MUG…

Coffee Holders: I have gotten a lot of mugs as gifts, and generally, they say “Merry Christmas” or “Holly Jolly.” While I do use them all year, it would also be fun to get non-Christmas mugs. Many of us use an insulated coffee thermos daily, so this caffeine-themed one would be fun! I also love this one that looks like a beaker!

Gifts for the Science Classroom

DNA Pencil Holder: “My students never ask for pencils” – said no teacher ever. This is a cute place to store pencils so that instead of the teacher having to rifle through their desk, there’s a one-stop spot for loaner pencils.

Galileo Thermometer: This is a beautiful and decorative addition to a classroom and an educational piece!

Amber or Fossils: These are not terribly expensive, but I can promise they will be much more appreciated than another Santa mug. Any science teacher will find them cool and unique, and the added bonus is that they can be used in a science lesson.

Framed Butterflies: I personally would say framed bugs are a cute science gift, but not everyone likes bugs – even science teachers. However, I’m sure any science teacher would love to add a beautiful framed butterfly to their classroom decor. There are tons to choose from on Amazon. This was the best set I could find – it comes with 2 for under $30.

Storm Glass: I actually have this exact one in my classroom right now! My old wall-mounted one broke, and it was such a conversation piece in the classroom that I had to replace it. It’s pretty, but it also gets kids to witness the changes in atmospheric pressure and how they relate to weather. Countless kids who have come through my classroom understand pressure and weather because of this little “decoration.” If I had to pick just one item for a gift on this whole list, this is it.

For an “Out of This World” Teacher

Meteorite: How cool is this?! This is one of my favorite gifts for science teachers! To be able to hold and touch an actual meteorite is pretty awesome. If you search Amazon for “meteorite,” there are all different sizes and price points, so you’re sure to find one to fit your budget. To any of my students reading this (that’s a joke, there’s none!)… hint hint!

Telescope: I’m sure this telescope is more pretty than it is functional, but it’s cool token-type gift for a science teacher. I’d love to have this piece on my desk! I have a project where students make their own telescope (many teachers do this project), so I’d love to use this as a model.

Living Gifts

Acorn or Avocado-Growing Vases: How beautiful is this? Of course, I think we’ve all seen an avocado pit growing in a random jar – and it’s still cool – but this takes it to another level! I especially love the gift-worthy package presentation. And I never even thought to try an acorn in a vase like this! I don’t know if it works, but I’m going to try this spring.

Grow-Your-Own-Mushrooms: Now, to the average normal person, this may not seem that cool. But to a science teacher? I promise, it’s very cool! And we’d get to share the growth with students as a lesson, a win-win!

Grow-Your-Own Mushrooms

Easy-To-Care-For Plants: I think any teacher with a window would appreciate a plant to cheer up their classroom, but science teachers might appreciate a living, growing gift even a little bit more. However, teachers are really busy, so getting a plant that’s easy to care for is the way to go. My husband has a snake plant (like the one pictured) in his classroom, and I think he waters it a few times a year. (I know this because he only waters it when I remind him to… and I always forget!) It still looks great!

A Useful Gift

Teacher Pay Teachers Gift Card: Teachers love to buy new and fresh things to do in their classroom, and the website TPT is where they do it. So, this is how it works: when teachers make a new lesson, they can post it on this site. Then, other teachers can buy it for the price of a coffee. I buy lessons on TPT all the time. And I always do it with my own money. So, every teacher I know would appreciate a gift card to this site.

Individual lessons are sold for anywhere from $2 to $6, so a $10 gift card could get a teacher quite a few lessons – definitely more than one Starbucks coffee! They’re probably buying things there already and would LOVE to have a little help. And, your child gets a fun, extra lesson out of it! This might be the most useful of all the gifts for science teachers.

Gifts for Science Teachers Footnote…

Please remember that I made this list for people looking for ideas. However, if you need validation for not giving teacher gifts – I hereby give that to you, too! It’s a nice gesture, but not necessary at all.

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