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High School Graduation Gift Day 8 of 10 days Planning a Homeschool Graduation

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today is Day 8 high school graduation gift ideas for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

I love thinking up gift ideas for a high school graduate, but sometimes it is not so easy.  I believe in ideas that fit a variety of budgets.

Too, sometimes it depends on your relationship to the graduate and his or her personality too. 

High School Graduation Gift Day 8 of 10 days Planning a Homeschool Graduation

My boys are more close to those that have been in our homeschool group that they see on a regular basis than even some of their cousins.

Day 8 Gift Ideas for Homeschool Seniors @ Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Whatever the budget, I know I was asked quite a bit what Mr. Senior 2013 wanted and it can be quite awkward to answer, but people really want to know.

High School Graduation Gift Ideas

Our close friends know that he likes things like classical music, techie things (don’t most kids) and loves books.  

So I decided to make a list with both inexpensive, but thoughtful gifts and ones that cost a bit more if you are closer to the graduate.

Day 8. Highschool Graduation Gifts @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

1. Cold Hard Cash.

I think cash still tops the charts for grads of any age. We put a pretty decorated box on the gift table for those with a card and cash.

2. Amazon E- Gift Cards.

Whether I live by the grad or not, an Amazon e-gift card can be sent and personalized to suit your style.

It’s still acceptable to send one even to a close friend and I’ve not met a teen yet that does not love receiving one. No gift wrapping involved.

3. Jewelry.

Whether you want to buy a birthstone piece, a vintage item, or new modern piece most teens love a beautiful piece of jewelry.

For example beautiful pearl piece is timeless. And one of my sons got a bracelet similar to this bracelet which he loves.

4. Beats Wireless Buds

Beat air buds are timeless and have changed through the years.

But all my kids grad and post grad love them and it’s a perfect gift that is both practical and loved by teens.

Mr. Senior 2013 got the red set of these elite earbuds from his uncle.  He had been swooning over them for a while.  So it makes a great gift for either boy or girl because they come in a lot of colors.

5. Travel Bag/Luggage for all those exotic places (like college).

Travel Bag – For An On The Go Graduate  My sister got Mr. Senior 2013 a beautiful leather back pack.

She knew we were moving to South America, plus he will be doing some traveling to New York to work on a volunteer building project. 

Now,  he has a beautiful leather bag to take with him.

I think this always makes the best practical gift whether the graduate is going to college or traveling, they will need something like this.

6. Unique Photo Album

This idea came from one of the ladies in my facebook group, but she said get a photo album.

And once a week put a $5, $10, $20 (whatever you can afford) into a slot along with a picture of your child and a little note with something you did together during the week.

You can start this whenever. By the time your child reaches graduation he’ll have a gift worth over $10,000 and years of memories. 🖤 Instead of storing the actual cash in the album I realized it’d be a lot safer to put into some sort of account. Therefore you can stick the deposit slips in the bottom slot all while gaining interest.

7. Nintendo Switch

My kids still love their Nintendo Switch games and it’s a fun whimsical gift that teens still love.

8. Cast Iron Pans to last a lifetime.

Most of value life skills and if you’re teen is moving away or even staying in the house for a while, nothing beats a beautiful set of timeless cast iron pans.

My grandmother was a practical person and gave me my first set which I still have. I value it way more now than I did then but what a beautiful treasure keep.

More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

9. 100 THINGS TO DO AFTER I GRADUATE Journal

Next, this is a fun gift. A bucket full of adventures.

10. Q and A a Day: 5-Year Journal 

Love this. Q and A a Day: 5-Year Journal I fell in love with this gift and have been eyeballing it for the next gift when something comes up.  It is a 5 year journal.

5 Year journal @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

But it is so cool because all 5 years are on the same page. 

You can reflect back and see what has been going on the last 5 years.  Isn’t that so cool? 

Just enough lines to write without being too exhaustive to maintain.  This would be good for the writer too or for your kids first few years away from you.

I think of course one of the best gifts are a few Andrew Jacksons. 

Any kid would love a few extra 20 dollar bills.

High School Graduation Ring from Grandparents @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

But the best gifts have to be from grandma and grandpa. 

You know I told you Mr. Senior 2013 didn’t want a graduation ring, so my parents just got him a regular, but beautiful gold ring.

High School Graduation Ring from Grandma 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

One that he truly will use throughout his life and not take off later or put in the bottom of his drawer.  I love that idea.

High School Graduation Gift Day 8 of 10 days Planning a Homeschool Graduation

Did you get some ideas for when the time comes to buy a high school graduation gift? What do you normally buy?

Fun Table Decoration Ideas For High School Graduation Day 7 of 10 Days

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today is Day 7 table decoration ideas for high school graduation for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

Two more things the Mr. and I did to make this day special for our son was to make the table top decorations and to make a diy photo booth back drop.

Fun Table Decoration Ideas For High School Graduation Day 7 of 10 Days

Actually, one of my best friends, you remember the one that I had the 25th anniversary party for, well she did the beautiful table top decorations. 

I found the idea on pinterest and got the material and we tweaked it to fit our needs.

Day 7. More DIY Decoration Ideas. 10 Days of Planning a Homeschool Highschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Table Decoration Ideas For High School Graduation

Supplies for the table top decoration

  • Letters for your graduate’s name and numbers. We chose the sparkly glittery ones because they were just prettier. We picked them up at Hobby Lobby.
graduate hat party idea homeschool graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
  • White graduate hats are miniature Kindergarten hats from Oriental Trading Company that I ordered previously.
  • The roll or diploma are paper towel rolls we started saving. We only had 15 or so tables to do along with the gift table. So we asked everybody to save their paper towel rolls.
  • Then the wire used for sticking through plants or flower arrangements we used for holding up the numbers and the letters.
  • Some ribbon and some paint for the paper towel roll.
  • Some vases from the dollar store that have a wide mouth or top.
  • Some beads and a few dried flowers for inside the vase. You don’t need much, just add a little color because you don’t want to take away from the top decoration.

Originally, we had planned to use the kindergarten hats unfolded to sit on top of a glass. 

Homeschool Highschool Graduation Party ideas @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

But, after measuring again because I wanted my guest to be able to see through the arrangement to visit with each other, we decided to only use the top part of the graduate hat.

DIY Table Top Decorations for High School

    So that was one mistake I made on calculating the decorations because we could have easily used a stiff board, but then again the graduate caps ended up being more sturdy.

    I knew I would make a few mistakes along the way but I think the arrangement came out great.

    My girlfriend and her daughter actually put them together the day we got in to decorate.

    It took some time to put the wire through the letters and then to curl the ribbon, but that didn’t take long in the whole scheme of things.

    photo booth back drop @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Then, I had to get the Mr. involved because I knew we were going to have a photo booth and props.

    The building had concrete white walls like a lot of facilities and I knew I wanted something with more color and the colors of our party.

    We ended up using a purple table cloth and a hanging beaded curtain from Hobby Lobby.

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    Since we couldn’t hang anything on the walls, I got the Mr. involved and he made a stand or fake wall so that I could hang the decorations on.

    We found this video on YouTube showing us how to make our own photography backdrop.  Actually this idea is great for any DIY photography guru.

    Colorful Table Decoration Ideas for High School Graduation 

    The Mr. built it over the weekend and we took it the day before the party and set it up.

    royalblue table cloth homeschool graduation party

     

    Then I used one of the table cloths that I borrowed from another friend of ours and used clothes pin to hang it up on the fake wall stand.

    photography booth homeschool graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    I had the photographer pull back and grab this picture so you could see the whole get up.

    I actually ended up loving this picture because it is industrial looking with a fun twist.

    DIY Photo Backdrop

    Between bungee cords, some industrial strength clips for holding up the table cloth and a white drop cloth for the floor, it made one fun back drop.

    Of course lining up some ideas with photo props at the party helped too.

    Photo booth back drop homeschool graduation 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    The photographer was able to take part of our homeschool gang and this was just a small part of our gang but they didn’t all fit in the picture.

    So I told him to pull back and show the sides. I think it makes the picture so much less perfect and I love this picture.

    Photo booth backdrop homeschool graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Grandma and grandpa got into the fun too. We picked up the masks and accessories at the dollar store.

    Everybody got in the mood once we started.

    Photo booth @ Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    And the backdrop looked great even when we had a contest so see who could blow the biggest bubble. Mr. Senior 2013 was the only one who could blow a bubble.

    Of course, the photographer is loving all of this.

    Homeschool Graduation Robertson Family Picture @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    I had bought picture frames from both a thrift store and Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off.

    And we won’t so easily forget his special night because a touch of mom and dad and dear friends made it special.

    I hope these ideas spurred some diy ideas for you when the big day comes for your sweet bunch and it will!

    Fun Table Decoration Ideas For High School Graduation Day 7 of 10 Days

    Fun Graduation DIY Decorations Day 6 of 10 Days Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation

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    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

    Today is Day 6 graduation diy decorations for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

    I have always confessed that I don’t seek out crafts, but like most people when they are inspired, they venture out.

    Sink or swim, I was determined to add a bit of my not so craftiness to the party. I didn’t want the special moment to pass too without having something mom made.

    Fun Graduation DIY Decorations Day 6 of 10 Days Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation

    I will be sharing more of these ideas on my other two graduation parties I planned.

    However, this party was my first and I kept it easy.

    Day 6. DIY Decoration Ideas. 10 Days of Planning a Homeschool Highschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus-1

    So I decided to go with some easy decorated numbers.  Believe me, this has to be EASY for me to do it!

    Graduation DIY Decorations

    Supplies Needed.

    • Cardboard Numbers.
    • Mod Podge Glue.
    • Scrapbook Paper.
    • Acrylic Paint of Your Choice.  I used Skyline from FolkArt and Margarita from Americana.
    • Scissors.
    • Sponge Brushes.

    Now if you really want to get thrifty, you can cut the letters out way ahead of time from cardboard and make them 3d your self by using duck tape.

    Letter Collage for Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    This really is a good project that can be done way ahead of time and that is why I did it too.

    There are so many last minute details that having a few crafts done makes it less stressful the closer it gets to the party.

    Here is how I made them.

    First, I painted the front and backs of the numbers, but only after I found paint to match the paper that I wanted to use.

    It’s important that you decide your patterns and colors at the beginning. I wasn’t going to be showing the backs of these numbers, but was going to have them at an angle on the gift table. 

    But, just in case the back did show some, I didn’t want them to appear unfinished.

    So I made sure I covered them in paint.

    But, if you plan to place them in a place where you are going to see the back, I think it would be hot looking to use one paper design or color on the front and another on the back side.

    Get how easy this second step is.

    After they were painted, I placed the numbers on the back of the scrapbook paper and penciled the shape lightly so I could cut.

    Then I cut out the number shapes on the paper.

    Paint the backs of the number too @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Then with my mod podge glue, I used a sponge brush to glue the scrapbook paper on.  Impressed yet?

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    Actually this is so easy you can use it for letters or numbers.

    Easy DIY Letters Homeschool Graduation Party @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    That’s it. The hardest part to anything I want to do needs to be picking up the supplies.

    DIY Decorated Numbers 10 Days of Planning A Homeschool Highschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    I went with a glitter like blue scrapbook for part of the numbers and a lime or kiwi green for the other part of the numbers.

    The sweet thing is that I already had the green paper which is a snake skin-like textured paper for these fun graduation diy decorations.

    And then taaaaa-daaaaa…fast forward to the day of the party……..here they were.

    DIY Cardboard Letters Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Along with my picture collage, the numbers looked beautiful on the opposite end of the gift table. We just tied some tulle balls together with and laid them around the numbers. It wasn’t too girly girl for Mr. Senior 2013, but still fun.

    Finished Cardboard Letters @ Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    Tiny liked them and….

    Back of Cardboard Letters @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    well Grandma, she loved everything! But, then again she is biased. The backs of the numbers looked good too, like they were complete. I can’t imagine now leaving the backs undone, but I was thinking of doing that.

    Fun Graduation DIY Decorations Day 6 of 10 Days Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation

    But the simple cardboard numbers and photo collage is not all we done.

    In my next post, we did a few more of our own simple decorations that I will tell you about.

    What do you think? Do you got this planning for the decorations down?  I think so, because you have to be way more crafty than I am.

    Hugs and love ya,

    The Day is About Your Graduate Home Graduation Ideas Day 5 of 10 Days

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    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

    Today is Day 5 home graduation ideas remember the day for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

    By this time in the stage of planning, I am feeling better because we have hired a baker for the cake, a caterer for our chicken and prime rib dinner, had invitations ordered and a place to hold our graduation.

    Now came the nitty-gritty details of planning for the big day and for the fun part – decorations.

    The Day is About Your Graduate Home Graduation Ideas Day 5 of 10 Days

    Here were some of the ideas going through my mind for the events of the big day.

    • How would my son want his diploma given to him?
    • Did we want a table showcased with his achievements, hobbies and interests?
    • How comfortable was my son with a slide show presentation of our journey?
    • Did he want to give a graduation speech?
    • Did he want to play the piano?

    Surprisingly, my son wanted it pretty simple for the day.

    He wanted a dinner, give a short but gracious speech, have lots of pictures taken and reflect back by looking at pictures from previous field trips and events.

    Home School Graduation Ideas

    The Mr. gets emotional only on a few occasions, but wanted to give my son his diploma in private so the could tell him how he felt. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

    A lot of our friends are homeschooled too and have been with us from the beginning, so they know his achievements.

    The Day is About Your Graduate Home Graduation Ideas Day 5 of 10 Days. Today is Day 5 home graduation ideas remember the day for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page. By this time in the stage of planning, I am feeling better because we have hired a baker for the cake, a caterer for our chicken and prime rib dinner, had invitations ordered and a place to hold our graduation.

    Would my son feel differently or want something more elaborate if we had started homeschooling in high school?  I don’t know.

    I do know that I learned that my son was not affected by the things of this world like I am because I went to public school. He didn’t have any preconceived ideas of what a graduation was suppose to look like.

    Was I still trying to do things the public school way, even on his graduation?

    Remembering that the day is more about what our family wanted, I started planning to keep it simple, but fun for the night.

    Understanding that my son wanted pictures at the party more than a slideshow focused on him, I started preparing a photo collage.

    The Day is About Your Graduate Home Graduation Ideas Day 5 of 10 Days. Today is Day 5 home graduation ideas remember the day for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page. By this time in the stage of planning, I am feeling better because we have hired a baker for the cake, a caterer for our chicken and prime rib dinner, had invitations ordered and a place to hold our graduation.

    I started at one small corner by making letters of his name. Of course, you know my love affair with washi tape, so it has to go on anything I make. It can’t hurt.

    Home Graduation Ideas

    After slowly adding more pictures I think I had something that Mr. Senior 2013 would allow at the party. Boys! They have to be sure everything is not too girly looking or too big.

    ME? I wanted a whole wall of pictures, but restrained myself to a smaller display.

    Homeschool High School Photo Collage

    Fast forwarding you to the day of the party. What do you think?

    The photo collage turned out to be just enough of his accomplishments, but focused on friendships we built through the years.

    But oh no, I couldn’t stop there with decorations.

    I had way more ideas. I will show you another project or two we did with the help of hubby and some more ideas for THE day.

    More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

    Every family and teen is different too.

    It’s not like I didn’t already know that, it just became more of a reality check when planning the graduation.

    The Day is About Your Graduate Home Graduation Ideas Day 5 of 10 Days

    As I stopped trying to follow what I think our special day should look like or be according to everyone else and started planning for an occasion unique to my family, things started to fall in place.

    If you missed the other posts in this series, you can catch up below:

    Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation 10 days day 1 Start the Planning thumb Day 4. Menu & Venue. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation
    Day 2 Senior Portraits and Senior Cap and Gowns Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus thumb Day 4. Menu & Venue. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation
    Day 3 Homeschool Graduation Invitations Which Words Matter Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus thum Day 4. Menu & Venue. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation
    Day 4 Menu Venue of 10 Days of Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation CP Tinas Dynamic H2 Day 4. Menu & Venue. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation

    Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

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    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

    Today is Day 4 homeschool high school graduation menu and party venue ideas for the updated 10 days series for planning a homeschool graduation. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.

    As I learned, choosing a menu goes hand in hand with choosing a venue.

    We knew we were wanting to host a graduation with a sit down dinner and not just serve light refreshments.

    Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

    I feel there are a handful of occasions that come around in life that deserve more attention than normal; graduating high school is one of them.

    We chose to serve a dinner for our guests. Keeping it small keeps it affordable too.

    At first, Mr. Senior 2013 decided he wanted Italian food. We love Italian food.

    However, I feel when serving to a larger crowd and because not everybody has the same taste palate, a more diverse menu was in order.

    10 Days of Planning a Homeschool High School Graduation: Menu and Venue (Day 4). As I learned, choosing a menu goes hand in hand with choosing a venue. We knew we were wanting to host a graduation with a sit down dinner and not just serve light refreshments. I feel there are a handful of occasions that come around in life that deserve more attention than normal; graduating high school is one of them. We chose to serve a dinner for our guests. CLICK here to learn how we celebrated!

    Making Homeschool Lifetime Memories NOW

    He agreed and in the end we kept to our southern roots and added in something special, like the prime rib.

    Here is our menu for the night

    • chicken friend chicken with smothered cream gravy
    • prime rib
    • garlic mashed potatoes
    • southern style green beans (no half cooked crispy green beans)
    • salad/trimmings
    • homemade bread sticks

    Having hosted many parties where I both prepared the food and brought it, I didn’t want to do that this time.

    I wanted to enjoy the out of town guests and family instead of running around serving/preparing food.

    Look at these tips I learned when ordering the food through a catering service that saved us some money.

    • Choose a time of the week when it’s not as busy. Saturday is more like a peak time, so having our party on Friday, it was a better price break.
    • I chose entrees and sides separately instead of paying by the plate. In other words think like you are picking up the food with 40 servings instead of telling them they are catering.
    • By serving the food ourselves, we didn’t have the extra charge for set up, serving and tips for servers.
    • For us, the venue was right down the road, so the caterer only charged an extra $25.00 for delivery. If the place is further away, having somebody responsible with a huge van works too. For me, having the chef deliver the food worked out better since he had rolling carts and brought his hired help.
      • Cake and Food - Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    At this time, I ordered the cake too. Being the guy that he is, Mr. Senior 2013 only had a few things he wanted.

    One thing was he didn’t want it to look like a wedding cake or “too girly”.

    I think if you have a daughter, she will probably have a lot to say on this.

    Homeschool High School Graduation – Party Time!

    I think it’s hard for cakes to look anything other than plain pretty.

    I ended up having it made and chose an ombre (graduated color) blue design.

    Keeping the table simple with candles, flowers and a white cake stand, kept it pretty, simple, and elegant.

    Homeschool Venue @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusWelcoming Lobby Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
    homeschool graduation location @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusKitchen matters Homeschool Graduation @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

    As far as the venue, we have a lot of places around us to choose from.

    I have lived in places where you only have a handful of places that are nice. But, if you have a choice, look for these things.

    • Is there a fee for set up or cleaning?
    • Do you have to clean? Can you pay for somebody to clean it afterwards? We got the place clean and so all we had to do was pitch in at the end and clean up. Our homeschool kids are use to doing this because of how many field trips we have had hosted.
    • We ended up going with a community center that has a nice kitchen so I could keep the food warm when it was delivered. There was plenty of parking and it was easy to find so I didn’t have to send out instructions with the invitations. The lobby was warm and inviting.

    But, I think the best tips of all are the money savings tips because why not take advantage of them. Who wants to pay full price when we can get a deal?

    Remembering that some managers gave me a discount for places we have rented for our homeschool co-ops during the week, my hubby asked them for renting the place on FRIDAY and not a peak time like Saturday night.

    They were delighted because hardly anybody rents a room or building on a Friday.

    We cut our cost significantly, about 40% by renting it on Friday.

    Our homeschool friends are pretty flexible and as long as they knew ahead of time, they can arrange their schedules.

    Choosing to do some of the serving and cleaning ourselves, the party was fast becoming a part diy party.

    But that is not the only diy thing we did. You know homeschoolers become true do it yourself people the longer we homeschool. It’s true.

    Next post, I will share some more things we did to prepare for the decorations and yep, it included getting the Mr. to help us out too.

    If you missed the other posts in this series, you can catch up below:

    Homeschool High School Graduation Menu and Party Venue Day 4 of 10 Days

      More Homeschool High School Graduation Planning Resources

      10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation: Day 1 Start the Planning

      Day 2 Senior Portraits/Cap & Gown. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation

      Day 3 Homeschool Graduation Invitations Which Words Matter Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus thum Day 3 Homeschool Graduation Invitations–Which Words Matter. 10 days of Planning A Homeschool High School Graduation