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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Aug 09 2013 at 7:33am | IP Logged
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I think I'm looking for an excuse to avoid the cleaning of our learning room, but anyone want to talk school supplies? I guess I don't have anything specific, but I'm pining for new school supplies when, in reality, I probably have all the pencils (Ticonderoga, please  ), pens, and glue I could ever need! 
What sorts of supplies do you get at the start of the school year? How and where do you store them? Any new devices, gizmos, or handy dandy storage options out there?
(This discussion started by your fellow school and office supply junkie!  )
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SallyT
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I try to keep it simple! And this year I've reused things I already had on hand:
*plastic "in-box"-type desk baskets for each primary-aged child. The last couple of years we used crates, but they were big enough to collect a lot of detritus, so this year I wanted to keep the book/supply storage more efficient. These fit neatly side-by-side in the bottom of a big, deep cabinet that I'm using as a "locker," plus storage for my printer. On a shelf just above the kids' boxes I have a similar one for myself, for our "lunch basket" reading and other Mom-directed elements of our day.
*those little wooden crates that clementines come in. Those are great for pencils, pens, small art supplies, etc. I keep a couple of those in the top of the cabinet, on a shelf above the printer. Printer paper also lives there.
Things we've bought:
*A new binder for each child. This is their treat -- we actually have quite a collection of old binders which we use for various things, but these were on sale, and they like to have something new. These will hold math sheets -- we're doing Life of Fred plus MEP practice books this year, so the MEP pages go in the binder, along with blank addition and multiplication tables and subtraction and division drills. Each child also got an old binder (the kind where you can slide a page into the front cover to make a decorated cover) filled with notebook paper to make a Book of Centuries.
*An off-brand "primary journal" for each child, for copywork. They're a little old-ish for those Mead Primary Journals, but we love them, and as I'm going to require all cursive copywork this year, and neither one of them has great motor skills (especially after a summer off), I thought the primary ruling would still be very handy. I found these in our grocery store for about a third of the price of the name-brand primary journals I usually get at Walmart.
*Two each of those marble-cover composition books, one for written narrations and one for grammar. We're going to be working on rules of usage (so they need a place to write them down), plus diagramming.
*A clipboard each (dollar store) for art and nature walks -- easy to put in a backpack, easier to draw if you have a hard surface.
*A small dry-erase board each (dollar store again) for doing the "Your Turn to Play" and practice problems in Life of Fred.
*Gel pens (dollar store) -- nice-writing motivation.
Our big splurge this year, which the kids don't know about yet, was Kindles for each of the two younger kids. We were going to buy a family iPad, but could do this more cheaply, and I could set up a good bit of each child's reading on his/her own Kindle. They're Kindle Fires (2nd generation), so will have to be managed carefully, but I liked that I could select educational apps to add to the FreeTime feature, which I sign them into, and otherwise turn them off. They'll also have access to audiobooks. I've got them stashed in my linen trunk right now, and have been getting them out at night after everyone's in bed to play with -- I mean, work on. But that is pretty exciting. Our college and high-school students both have laptops -- most of my 10th-grader's work is concentrated on his computer -- and while I'm not exactly ready to give computers to 11- and 9-year-olds, I really wanted to divert them from using mine. The Kindles will slip nicely into each child's box with books, notebooks, etc, all stood on end.
So that's about it. I still need to get basic supplies for the 10th grader -- composition books, mostly, for chemistry, German, and math. And make sure he has enough pencils.
Anyway, that's us and school supplies this year.
Sally
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Aug 09 2013 at 11:39am | IP Logged
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Second the small dry erase board for $1.
They have been a huge hit here, and very handy instead of scratch paper.
Best of all, we store them on the fridge since they come with magnetic strips.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JodieLyn
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Well the only things I know I need to get with the sales are more pencils and crayons we always seem to run out of those two things.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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StephanieA
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Well, no one has mentioned glue sticks. Holy cow....my kids must eat these things because they go so quickly. But for $.25, it is easy to justify quite a few for all those artsy projects, cards, etc.
My girls love the fancy notebooks which I try to buy at Staples when they clearance them out in November. I stash them away and they make great Christmas gifts or "pick one" at the beginning of the new school year.
The other thing I must think about is mid-morning snacks. I don't bother much with it over the summer since they graze through the fruit that always seems to be lying around. But I don't want grazing when they are suppose to be schooling. So I have to think ahead of what to offer on a weekly basis as a protein mid-morning pick-up since we tend to eat lunch later with the older girls coming back from college classes at 12:30. That way 2 lunches are not being fixed and we can eat together.
I love the new school stuff, but once I bought Lyra crayons and colored pencils years ago, my kids and I have enjoyed them SO much that I am no longer tempted to purchased much of anything else. I just replenish when they become stubby.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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Aagot
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Scissors! They walk away to that giant black hole hiding in my house along with the first officially lost and paid for library book.
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jawgee
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I usually get whatever's free or cheap at Staples. So that generally means pens, pencils, folders, spiral notebooks, composition books, folders, crayons, and various types of markers.
Glue sticks are on my youngest's birthday wish list for the end of the month. She got a dozen glue sticks in her stocking at Christmas and they are gone.
I got a few journal and sketch books this year, too. My two youngest kids each got a sketch book for their nature journal. My oldest got a small journal to use as his Commonplace Book.
Last year I got each of my school-aged kids a file box with a handle. That is where they keep all of their individual work (books, notebooks, pencils and erasers, etc.) It was very convenient and we'll continue using those this year.
Office supplies are some of my favorite things!
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Becky Parker
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StephanieA wrote:
The other thing I must think about is mid-morning snacks. I don't bother much with it over the summer since they graze through the fruit that always seems to be lying around. But I don't want grazing when they are suppose to be schooling.
Blessings,
Stephanie |
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I agree Stephanie! This is something I need to think about ahead of time and prepare for. I always plan our dinner menus but I'm not so good at planning for snacks.
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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jawgee wrote:
Last year I got each of my school-aged kids a file box with a handle. That is where they keep all of their individual work (books, notebooks, pencils and erasers, etc.) It was very convenient and we'll continue using those this year.
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I think this might be a good thing for us to try this year. We are going to be on the road a lot, unfortunately, and I want the kids to be able to just grab their books and go. Trouble with backpacks is that a lot of times the notebooks or papers get crumpled and torn. Backpacks are more expensive too.
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Becky
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Barb.b
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First, I realllllly love thinking about, looking about and getting school supplies this time of year. So, someone explain why .
I bought 2 one ft by one ft steel flat sheets at home depot and but them up with the 3M stuff by my ds's desk (which faces the wall, so they are right there). Really cool look actually and took no effort!
I got the usual note books, pens, pencils, binders.
I got 2 expandable files folders (one for each kid) to store their work.
Barb
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knowloveserve
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Picking up the dry erases board idea with gusto. (Just need to figure out how to keep the markers from disappearing.)
And YES Ticonderoga pencils only please... who knew I could turn into a pencil snob?! (Thankful for Costco's big box...)
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Kristie 4
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I love Ticonderogas- unfortunately they are made overseas now...
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SeaStar
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knowloveserve wrote:
Picking up the dry erases board idea with gusto. (Just need to figure out how to keep the markers from disappearing.)
And YES Ticonderoga pencils only please... who knew I could turn into a pencil snob?! (Thankful for Costco's big box...) |
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The dollar store dry erase pens are also magnetic, so we hang everything on the fridge.
Of course, being from the dollar store, the quality is not top notch, so I am not sure how long these will last. I have seen nicer versions in Target and Walmart put out by Crayola. Cost is about 4x as much just for the board.
I decided to go with the cheap boards just because the Melissa and Doug white boards we had got so grungy so quickly, plus they were heavy and much bigger- not easy at all to move around.
My kids are taking their cheapo boards in the car and even to bed to draw on. I am going back tomorrow to get myself one- it will be perfect for jotting down names and places to help with narration.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JodieLyn
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Even if you want better dry erase pens you can just buy some of the stick on craft magnets (or even ones that need a glob of hot glue) so that you can put them on the fridge too.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JodieLyn
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ok something I'm considering.. is getting each of the kids a bag (ones from home or new or homemade or whatever).. probably a cheap tote bag not a backpack.. and putting hooks down the hallway for them to keep their stuff in. Not everything would be able to go in those.. but it might free up some space and be a space that is less likely to have just anything dropped on it... hmm maybe I need to make those bags so that they are closed making them a bit more toddler safe and making them less friendly as a repository for junk 
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pumpkinmom
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We didn't need too much this year if you don't count some really nice art supplies I got.
Things that we always need are pencils (and yes, only Ticonderoga will do), glue, and dry erase markers.
What is up with dry-erase markers? The big ones are so stinky and I don't want to use them. The small ones don't last very long. Some brands don't make it a month and others I will get a couple of months out of them. We really don't use them that much. I'm hoping to hit Target when the school stuff goes on clearance and get lots of cheap dry-erase markers.
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Cassie
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*Lindsey*
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I picked up new pencils (Ticonderoga fans here as well), crayons, markers, colored pencils, and glue at Target a few weeks ago. I also got a new bookshelf to put in the dining room! I am so excited about moving all of our current books and workbooks in the room we do school in.
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Lindsey
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: School Supplies
