Our Favorite School Supplies

 

Growing up, I just loved shopping for back-to-school supplies…perfectly sharpened yellow pencils, clean lined paper, cute three-ring binders, a fun new lunchbox and sturdy backpack. Does it get any better? Okay, perhaps it does. 😉 But, this is fun for me. Want to see our back-to-homeschool supply list favorites?  Here they are…

Ultra-fine dry erase markers – Ultra-fine? Yes, please! My older guys are refining their map tracing skills & these are great for the detailed work of outlining and labeling maps. We’ll use these right on our Trivium table maps for class and laminated maps for home. They’re also perfect for our Quid et Quo trivium tables for our Essentials work.

Dry erase crayons – In my home, not all my littles are ready for the responsibility of non-washable dry erase markers. And since I don’t want to add cleaning up marker spots from clothing and rugs to my to-do list, I stick with these two washable options for them. (Second option below.) The crayons are mainly reserved for blobbing or the littlest littles who are just pretending to map blob with the group. 🙂

Washable dry erase markers – When you’re on your way to being a big kid, but still need the safety of washable, Crayola to the rescue with these washable dry erase markers. Yay!

Dry erase pockets – I stumbled upon these at Wal-mart one year and I just LOVE them! They have a million and one uses, but we most often use them for map blobbing and beginning writing skills. A few ways they’re better than just page protectors: 1. they’re thicker, 2. they don’t wrinkle, and 3. they hold still. (FYI, this link is for a 5-pack with markers & eraser caps) I saw one mom suggest using them as a tutor for posting the CC new grammar in the classroom each week. Much lighter than the shower board!

Colored pencils – As you’ve seen in our curriculum, we “picture, ponder, pray” daily which means we burn through a lot of colored pencils. We also use them for our nature studies. I decided to splurge this year on one pack of these beauties to see if we find the quality difference of enough value for us. And while we’re buying, I’m getting the special $1.99 colored pencil sharpener to go with it to ensure we get the most out of our splurge.

Lead pencils – Standard pack of yellow wood case lead pencils. We started using these pencils last year at the recommendation of fellow moms. I admit I haven’t done my own pencil testing experiment, but I trust y’all’s experience, so we’re sticking with these “best of the best” pencils.

White hi-polymer block eraser and caps – Speaking of best of the best, these erasers are it! An eraser that doesn’t work or rips the paper just adds to the frustration of getting something wrong and needing to re-do it. This eraser eases all that.

Small graphite & color pencil sharpener – We have a wall mounted manual pencil sharpener too, but I like these for my crew to take along in their backpacks to CC or on nature walks.

Mechanical Pencils – I use mechanical pencils regularly and my guys are always trying to steal mine. From my experience, the lead in these break less frequently. Since my boys always seem to have trouble keeping sharpened pencils in their backpacks (despite each having pencil sharpeners in their bags), I think we’ll use these there instead.

Graph paper spiral notebook – My biggest little is on to Saxon 5/4 this year and needs to work and record his problems on separate paper. Thanks to another CC mom for the tip to use graph paper, we have a spiral just like this for him. It keeps his numbers neat, sized the same, and the problems lined up correctly.

Long-sleeved art smock – These are great for art time at CC, especially in the cooler months when their long sleeves can easily end up in the paint.

Ultra-fine point and fine point Sharpie markers – These are the go-to tools for map tracing on tracing paper. I like the ultra-fine for my older guys and the fine point is good for the younger set or those still improving on their fine motor skills. You can also find both in retractable versions: ultra-fine and fine, which can be easier for little ones to open and close meaning no dried out markers!

Deli paper – CC mamas have been sharing all over the group FB pages to use deli paper in place of traditional tracing paper. The material is the same, but the cost is significantly less. We’re trying out this 8 x 10 size, which I’m figuring we can easily hole punch and add to our notebooks to track progress.

Color wonder markers and paper – Anyone else homeschooling with toddlers? Color wonder can be such a lifesaver! I like the blank pages where they can create drawings of their own.

1″ book rings – Perfect for flashcards of all kinds. We use them each year for our Essentials vocabulary words and Latin words.

Green Mountain k-cups – These aren’t on your school supply list? Well, they’re on mine. 🙂 Tea drinkers just look the other way. 😉

Exercise ball base – I’ve been wanting a chair or stool or something for me in our school room for a while. But, I don’t need something in there all the time and we don’t really have a lot of space left. Anyway, this is my solution: I’m bringing my exercise ball into the school room and adding this base. Mama needs exercise and this seems like a good solution. Also, I figured this would be great for my sons to get their bounces out during little breaks. Winter is coming and it gets harder to get the wiggles out. (Side note – this ball is an “Amazon Basic“. Have you tried that brand? So far, I’ve found everything to be more affordable and solid quality.)

I don’t do all of our shopping online. We also do a little in-store back-to-school shopping with our kiddos. We head somewhere local and they pick out a two-pocket folder and fun pencil bag or box to put in their backpack for CC days. They have fun picking out a few things with a current interest of theirs emblazed on it. 🙂

I gotta tell you, besides the fun I find in picking out school supplies, I do think it’s important to give our littles quality tools that make the job of learning a little easier and perhaps even more enjoyable.

Your turn. What are some of your favorite school supplies?