From a teacher perspective, I like doing the shopping so that the kids have the exact things I want them to have (like really good quality colored pencils). I also know that some things, like Waldorf main lesson books, are hard to find so it just makes more sense to place a group order.
As a former child, I remember well that some kids had sparkly notebooks and folders with cool graphics on them when my family could only afford the plain things, and I don't want that experience for any of my students. Having things be the same makes it more fair.
From the parent perspective, it's nice not to have to wander a crowded store on a hot summer day with cranky tired kids and a long supply list in hand (1 green 2-pocket folder with prongs, 3 1-inch binders, 1 black & white composition book, 3 glue sticks, 1 pink eraser, etc.). I also know from the parent perspective that those supply lists change and you always have to go back to the store anyway because the teachers have changed their mind and issue a new list on the first day of school.
Homeschool children love the routine of buying a new backpack, lunch box, and water bottle when it is back-to-school time, so they still get to do that.
When I started the homeschool co-op I didn't allow backpacks. We don't have homework so there's simply no need for them. A group of ten backpacks is also incredibly bulky and takes up a lot of unnecessary space in your living room. However, since children LOVE to bring a backpack to school, I've slowly relented. And now, instead of keeping a bag of extra clothing at school (which so often turns out to be no longer the right size or no longer for the right season), I have the children bring a seasonally-appropriate change of clothing with them every day in the backpack. Ta da! The backpacks are useful and so everyone feels good about them.
I haven't made a post before with the list of all the consumable supplies I buy each summer for the upcoming year, so I'd like to start working on that. Office supplies like lined paper, graph paper, printer paper, watercolor paper, tape refills, glue dots, fountain pen cartridges, and so on I just replenish throughout the year as they come up. Here is what I buy in advance:
TEACHER PLAN BOOK
STUDENT PLAN BOOK - 1 per child
NO. 2 PENCILS - 1 color per child
- It has worked well for us to give each child a different color of no. 2 pencil instead of purchasing all yellow pencils and writing everyone's initials on their pencils with Sharpie. They like having a special color and it's way faster to identify whose pencil is whose when you find one on the floor!
I'm thinking 10 pencils for each student (in his/her special color).
some options:
orange, red, purple, blue, green
striped - yellow, orange, pink, blue, green
neon - yellow, orange, pink, purple, green
true neon - yellow, orange, pink, blue, green
metallic - gold, pink, purple, blue, green
COLORED PENCILS - 1 tin per child
- For many years I've gotten each child a box of Lyra colored pencils to use when writing in plan books (we color-code each subject area).
Next year I'm going to switch to Prismacolor. I did use Prismacolor once in the past but the leads are so soft that the pencils didn't all last the school year. However, I'd like us to do a lot of Nature walks and sketching and so I think that having a wider variety of colors will be necesssary. I am thinking of going with the 36 ($31.24 per child).
MAIN LESSON BOOKS - 8 per child
- Our tradition has been to do eight main lesson books each year (2 Language Arts, 2 Mathematics, 2 Cultural, 2 Science) and to do a Class Play in December. I get my main lesson books from Meadowsweet Naturals. They are $4.75 apiece ($38.00 per child). Two yellow, two blue, two orange, and two green for each student.
I usually get the kind without onion skin but for a child who writes with really heavy pressure, onion skin is nice because it prevents the colors from the illustration from staining the writing on the facing page.
This year I also used MLBs for Science Club. An MLB with a white cover is ideal for this, since all of the other colors are used up in our color coding system.
SKETCH PAD - 1 per child
ART PORTFOLIO - 1 per chld
- I'm not sure yet about art portfolios. So much of the artwork that we do goes straight into the MLB, but sometimes we do larger pieces.
The most inexpensive way to make an art portfolio is with a tri-fold presentation board. Rotate it sideways and fold up the bottom piece. Duct tape along the two sides of the pocket, taping the side piece (12") to the center piece (24"). Leave the top piece untaped. It becomes the flap. Voila! A large and sturdy art portfolio for $6.00.
Many of our school supplies are reused every year, like pencil sharpeners, scissors, erasers, jeweler's loupes, kangaroo pouches, etc.
In the past we've used handwork bags made by a grandparent of a former student, but I think this year I am going to switch to handwork baskets.
I buy enough supplies for 10 children each year, so it adds up very quickly! But even though the handwork baskets are $29.95 each I would only need to buy them once. I'm very excited to make my new Handwork Room beautiful!
What are you buying to get ready for the new year? Share your thoughts in the comments!
This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!
Immersive Experience
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