My 10 Favorite School Supplies for Homeschoolers
Back to school is BACK!
Schools and teachers have their preferred supply lists but as a homeschool teacher, those needs are a little different.
Sure, we stock up on basic school supplies every year like pencils, crayons, and notebooks, but there are definitely supplies I absolutely adore and that I make sure to never go without from year to year.
Transparency: This list is in no particular order and though I will include links to these items, these are not affiliated links or advertisements for products. I do not get paid if you purchase. I just have found these items to be a great addition to my classroom (see living room).
1. Crayola Pipsqueaks
From crayons to clay, we are big fans of Crayola products and we use them all the time. Crayola Pipsqueaks, however, take the cake. Why not get a pack of regular sized markers? For one, variety. There are 16 colors versus 10 in the regular pack. Secondly, they are just so cute! This is a real factor for use, because no matter what age you are, you can’t help but smile when you use them. They are more expensive than a regular pack but they do not seem to dry out as quickly even with their miniature size.
2. Clipboards
We might do our handwriting at the kitchen table and our typing at a desk but otherwise, seating is wherever you want it to be – On the floor, on the couch, on a balance ball, at the park or in the car. Clipboards make school work more interesting and versatile – and reduces the mysterious holes through the math sheets. Every student has their own clipboard that they have decorated so we always know who’s whose as well as which one is misplaced. Don’t worry, we have extras.
3. Plastic Folders
Not usually a big fan of unnecessary plastic when I know there are other options, but these plastic folders hold up to multiple years of use without getting ripped or falling apart like the paper equivalents. We use them for both the current weeks’ work and finished papers ready to be graded and I’ll have you know that to my embarrassment of forgetting to empty it, the folder can hold at least a 60 pages without dropping them.
Target – Pocket Folder with Prongs
4. Continuous-Feed Paper
It’s not as commonly seen in a modern office as it was in the 90s but continuous-feed paper you will commonly see in our house. It might sound strange but I have found that it is a great alternative to having my kids hijacking my regular printer paper for scratch paper or doodles. My husband cut a slot in the side of the box so the paper will feed out as it’s used. A box comes with 1000 sheets and though the price is higher than regular printer paper, it takes our family of 5 two years to get to the end. Â
Staples – Blank White Computer Paper
5. Pencil Top Erasers
Mistakes are part of life and learning, so we should expect that the erasers pencils normally come with will be worn out before October. So I make sure to have a big box pencil-top erasures available at the beginning of every school year. Why not a big pink eraser? Because they get lost. The pencil-top erasers reside on top of the pencil. And don’t skimp on quality or fall for the cutesy colors, regret will ensue.
6. Masking Tape
It’s simple but we seriously go through rolls and rolls of masking tape between art projects, science experiments, and imaginative engineering feats. It’s easy rip, the right amount of sticky and much more affordable than other tape options, which makes me far less stressed about amount we go through.
7. Bright Colored Paper
Printer ink is expensive so instead of printing in color, I will print in grayscale on bright colored paper. It makes things like vocabulary words and history timelines fun and engaging without fear of running out of ink. And there are so many colors to choose from; if you wanted to use one color per student or per subject, you totally could.
8. Handheld Whiteboards + Markers
Paper is useful for many activities, but if we want to make things interesting, we use handheld white boards. They are great for spelling words, math scratch paper, brainstorming ideas, or simple doodling. There’s less waste and some how using one makes annoying handwriting practice seem like a game.
9. Mini Paper Cutter
I don’t mind using a regular pair of scissors (in fact, I find it a calming practice), but when I have hundreds of little timeline stickers to cut out, those scissors just don’t, well… cut it. My paper cutter has saved my butt more times than I can count when I forgot to prepare my flash cards before a lesson. And you don’t have to get a full size one, my mini cutter does the job just as well.
10. Stickers
Stickers make everything awesome! We use them for art, rewards, and just for fun. Every time we get knew supplies – like notebooks, clipboards, and folders -the kids get to decorate them with their stickers of choice. You can get stickers of any type, size, color, character – you name it – to fit any kid’s current obsession.
We buy stickers everywhere! Our favorite places are Dollar Tree, Target, and Hobby Lobby.
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Well, that is the end of my list of school supply favorites. Share with us your back to school favs and which items you think you may add from my favorites to your list!
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