School officially starts in just under a week! It’s such a bittersweet time for me, while I’m generally happy not to have to listen to my boys fight constantly all day I get sad that my babies are getting that much bigger! I have a 5 and 12 year old and they are very excited to go back to school!
In June the boys never brought home a back to school list so I’m kind of in the dark what exactly they want them to bring.
Heres my list so far:
Backpacks, lunch pails, paper, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, pencil crayons, binders, erasers, rulers, calculator, math sets, a reusable bottle for water, indoor shoes.
Is my list similar to yours? Is there anything I am missing that is essential?
Have you completed your back to school shopping? I got quite a bit of my supplies in the US a few weeks ago. I spent less then $10 on all the pencils, crayons, pencil crayons and markers.
A few more things you might need….duotangs, report covers, dividers, lined notebooks, graph paper, reinforcements, white-out, highlighters, pencil case, glue sticks, white glue, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, scissors, gym/art shirt, headphones and memory sticks (for computer labs). School shopping is done – happy with all the low prices this year!
It is a very bittersweet time for me too – my oldest is heading off to JK next week!! I’m happy and excited for him, but I also feel so sad that my baby is going off into the world!
As for the school shopping, I think I have almost everything ready, we have to buy him another pair of shoes this weekend so he’ll have a set for gym, but I think that’s about it. I grabbed all the stuff when it was on sale at Staples and WalMart, so I was able to save a lot of money!
check your local Staples store–I think ours had supply lists for all the schools in the area…
Generally the school is open by now you can get the supply lists for your kids before they have to start just go into the office and ask. I wouldn’t buy anything supply specific until then. Some instructors prefer specific supplies and it would be very uncomfortable for the child if they bring in the wrong items.
got to love shopping in the states
As a non-parent, I often wonder: What about LAST YEAR’S stuff? Does it just end up in the garbage can after the school year’s over?
@Stephania – It all gets used and/or broken. Scissors, rulers & calculators I usually keep for the next year but in general it all gets used up. Whatever is left over in pencil crayons, crayons, felts, glue etc I usually keep to replenish their at home supply. Binders end up getting torn, duotangs end up being written on or have stickers that won’t come off… I don’t buy them a new backpack every year or water bottles but I do buy them a brand new lunch kit every year.
You can go to the school website and they usually have a different shopping list for every grade that you can printout. That what I had to do, since I also lost the shopping list.
I am really not looking forward to the lunch making for two kids this year…they are not old enough to pack for themselves yet.
Steph, by the end of the year my kids book bags and lunch pails are in rough shape. Kids are hard on their stuff. Pencil crayons and crayons are all broken and or near the ends. Anything I can save I do but that isn’t much and just ends up as crafting supplies at home.
A binder has had a good life if it makes it to the end of the year. I teach Jr. High and some don’t make it past Christmas! Kids also don’t want to keep things at the end of the year, they just dump it in the garbage rather than take it home. Some schools collect it and send it to a school in a third world country (the good things). If it is heading for the garbage I try to keep it to have kicking around in the classroom the following year.
Don’t forget the labels! From pencil cases and calculators to clothing….a classroom is full of dupliate belongings that wind up on the floor or out the door and to avoid loss or conflict…label them.
Graduated start means one of my kids doesn’t got back until the 16th. Come on! It is his second year – we all know the rope. Jeesh!
Just remember the water container has to be a sports tip. Schools don’t like the screw on stainless steel containers because kids have the habit of knocking them over in class and spilling everywhere. For small kids dollarama has an awesome 2 pack BPA free plastic sports bottle. They are great.
Walmart also has back to school lists by their entrances. I have to find microwaveable lunch containers that don’t leak or fall apart and are generally cheap enough that I don’t mind if the kid loses them.
Great idea on the labeling …I just got a bunch for my kids supplies at this website..
http://www.jaimie.lovablelabels.ca
A good tip is to use your last name on the labels then the whole family can use – I used them on my laptop, cellphone and ipod. I’m hoping I’ll only have to buy one pair of mitts/hat this year.
Re-stock on paper, blue/black pens, pencils, erasers, whiteout, yellow highlighters, binders, folders, sticky notes.
We already have a homestash of markers and coloured pencils. So, we stopped buying that. They never seemed to use the math set – so the ones we have are in perfect condition.
Clothing is where most of the money is spent.
Backpacks are usually bought mid-year (I’d give it to them on Christmas). And water bottles last about 2 years. Lunch bags have stayed the same for a few years.
Considering you’ve got a 5 and 12 year old, I think you’ve got everything. I know the schools in my area prefer the kids to use binders by the intermediate grades instead of duotangs, but it’s good to keep a few on hand for the older ones just in case. It’s also good to have some bristol board, construction paper, and glue sticks handy for projects (especially for your older one).
I’m a teacher, so I’m already stocked up on my school supplies. I always buy tons of extras of pens, pencils, markers, pencil crayons etc. as well as duotangs and binder paper for the kids that don’t come prepared with them. Those items are also the first things the kids run out of the closer you get to Christmas break and the first things kids lose (the schools also start to run out by this point so it’s up to teachers to supplement out of their own pockets). I’m a big believer in labeling kids school supplies, ’cause most kids are messy and careless with their things and they end up being thrown out during clean up if I don’t get to them first and put them aside to be reclaimed.
A Canadian label site I love is Mabels Labels. We’re doing a fundraiser with them so if you’re ordering anyway and feel so inclined to also help out another smartcanucker, the website is http://www.lajoie.mabel.ca — the pricing is the same as their regular site http://www.mabel.ca — they just give our daycare a small commission so that we can put that towards supplies and resurfacing the playground. Our daycare, Garderie La Joie, is a public francophone daycare. Thanks.