My 11-year-old daughter piped up from the backseat to inform me that it’s almost time to go back-to-school shopping. I had to giggle. Back-to-school shopping looks a lot different for her than it does for most of her friends.
While her friends are out buying brand new wardrobes for the school year, she and I stock up on school supplies! Now, I will admit that we probably haven’t used up all of last year’s school supplies. But, there is just something about a new pack of glue sticks and fresh notebooks that makes me a little giddy.
So what exactly is on our back-to-homeschool supply list? Well, I’m glad you asked!
1. Paper! Lots of paper. I stock up on printer paper. I once purchased a whole case of paper when it was deeply discounted, and I may do it again soon. It is so convenient to have a year’s worth of printer paper on hand if you have room to store it. I buy quite a bit of white paper, but I also buy colored printer paper. I like to use colored paper for dividers in our notebooks. Emma also glues mini-books to colored paper instead of using file folders for lapbooks.
We also stock up on notebook paper – wide- and college-ruled. And, now that she’s getting into upper level math, I’ll be stocking up on graph paper, as well.
2. Pencils. My favorite pencils are Ticonderoga pencils. The erasers don’t smear. They sharpen well and write smoothly. The lead is nice and dark.
3. Erasable gel pens. These erasable gel pens are so awesome! Last year, I told Emma she could do her school work with these pens (except math) as long as her work was neat. If it wasn’t neat, she would have to redo it in pencil. How boring! She loved that the pens don’t leak or smear. They erase well without wearing holes in the paper. They were a hit with both of us. She got to write with pretty pens, and I got neatly written work to check!
4. Washi tape. This is another of Emma’s favorite supplies. She uses washi tape to decorate her binders and her clipboard. She uses it to stick notes and artwork to the wall or to her memo board. She dresses up her notes with the washi tape, as well.
5. Our Kindle. Emma uses her Kindle daily in her homeschool lessons and after school, as well. She uses it to watch CNN Student News each morning. I’ve loaded it with digital workbooks for her morning work. I’ve downloaded classics for her to read for literature. She can access the internet for research and to watch videos for history and science.
What is at the top of your must-have homeschool supply list?
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