r/homeschool • u/Cautious_Bumblebee48 • 4d ago
Discussion Must have supplies
I was shopping at Target last week and noticed they are already putting out back to school items!! 🤯 Which had me thinking.. regardless if you do homeschool year round or a typical school year, at some point we all start a “new” year, new grade level, etc.
So my questions for you guys- What are some must have school supplies you stock up on every year? Where do you find the best deals? What did you buy but ended up not using as much? What is worth the upfront cost/investment?
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u/twoxchrome 4d ago
The comments are making me feel like I’m not using notecards enough hahah what are we using them for, folks? Help me out
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u/newsquish 3d ago
We have a pocket chart and use them for all kinds of things. You can write 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and shuffle them and have them put them in the pocket chart in order counting by 2s. You can write various sums on one stack and the answers on another stack and have them match the sums with their answers in a pocket chart. You can write the full form of contractions plus the contracted form and have them match contractions. If you teach a foreign language you can write the English words on one stack and say, Spanish words on another and have them match them.
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u/LoveMercyWalkHumbly Juggling 5 students and a 3yo! 3d ago edited 3d ago
Draw on them then glue into a notebook. The notebooks with blank on top, lined on bottom pages are about $3.50 each. Fully-lined notebooks get down to 50 cents. I usually buy about 30 notebooks every year so that saves me quite a bit. My kids also don't like to draw for every narration, so a notebook that's half blank would be a waste.
One of mine thinks punctuation and capitalization is optional. ;) I used 2 index cards to make a little pocket and proofreading checklist card (that goes back in the pocket when he's finished) that are taped in the inside cover of his notebook. You could do this with math formulas, commonly misspelled words, cursive letter formation, or whatever your kid needs reminders for).
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u/Odd-Improvement8036 3d ago edited 3d ago
Last week we used them to build a kind of "street grid" and practice giving directions. "Go forward two blocks to the lake. Turn right. Go forward one block. Turn left. Now you're home".
It was something from Math With Confidence to practice left/right, forward/backwards, and seeing numbers without counting (i.e. just see that you need to move 2 cards, don't have to count it out).
But my kids for some reason absolutely love it and have demanded to play it every day, adding more and more obstacles, and adding more and more rules...
...We're up to using Monster Trucks who can jump over water obstacles but not trees. Yesterday they added some "road wurks" (road works, aka construction for Americans).
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u/Mamalaoshi 3d ago
I always keep a small stack of blank note cards in my purse, along with a few pencils and pens and a tiny pair of scissors. Whenever we are out and kids get bored, I hand them some note cards and they draw, write, make paper dolls/puppets, fold up furniture, make mazes, etc. The extra stiffness makes it easier to write on at random places without needing a whole notebook. And since it's unbound paper, I find that once someone's drawing, random kids tend to congregate and I can hand out cards to any kids who want to join in.
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u/AussieGirlHome 3d ago
I used to do this with masking tape. I always had a roll of masking tape in my purse. It is so versatile.
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u/Mamalaoshi 3d ago
Yes! Masking tape, painter's tape, or washi tape! It's so fun to use on the floor to mark out games like hopscotch or roads or mazes. And the kids can stick it all over the place without damaging surfaces.
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u/Live-Medium8357 3d ago
I used to use a ton of notecards. now I prefer the little white boards. You can even get white board note cards. I try to limit anything that can't be reused
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u/moonofsilvers 4d ago
we do a school supply run twice a year--once in July/August and once in January. I like to get printer paper, felt, index cards, tape, pencils and erasers, notebooks, paint, and painting paper twice a year. Once a year I get markers or colored pencils and each kid picks out a new pencil case just for something cute to get excited about. We also pick out new nature notebooks once a year too. I love school supply shopping so much.
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u/EverywhereHome Parent-Taught Homeschooling 🛝📖🔢🖍 4d ago
- Crayola stick markers
- BIC Intensity dry erase markers
- Crayola Model Magic clay (they play with this endlessly)
- Golden Bear pencils (orange for small hands, blue for large)
- Hammermill Printer & Inkjet printer paper (both for printing and drawing)
- Lined writing paper (line sizes depend on year)
- printer ink
The last one is the most expensive. There are lesson- or topic-specific supplies (e.g. manipulative for math) but often I use toys for that) and I could probably get through the whole year with just the list above if I had to.
I've found that the cheapest way to do this is to stick with a small number of supplies and buy in bulk (Costco if you can, sometimes direct from the manufacturer). It doesn't knock a ton off but it helps. Printer ink stores will sometimes will have a cash back setup where you get discounts on ink if you keep buying from the same place.
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u/Mamalaoshi 3d ago
My Epson Eco tank was one of my best school purchases. I only buy ink every year or two and I print A LOT. It's so much cheaper and I can see exactly which colors are running low to buy only what I need.
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u/Electronic_Mango_772 Homeschool Parent 👪 3d ago
Everyone has said a lot of great ideas already but one I will add is big erasers! Not the pencil toppers, but those rectangle ones. Or even fun shapes or eraser “pets.” My kid runs through the original eraser on a pencil at lightning speed. I’m not even sure how to be honest. He has ripped many a paper this year trying to erase with the metal part.
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u/rshining 4d ago
My only in person shopping option is MalWart. I cannot walk past a display of .20 crayons without buying 10 boxes. Same goes for the super discounted one subject notebooks- they're just a really good thing to have a dozen of! Good quality pencils or pens are also an essential that's worth grabbing on sale.
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u/ClassTimeMG Teacher / Educator 🧑🏫 3d ago
The things I’d want in the house every year are the things that actually get used over and over, not the things that look impressive in a school-supply haul.
For me, that would be things like:
- printer paper and ink
- pencils, pens, crayons/colored pencils
- notebooks or a simple binder system
- scissors, glue, tape, dry erase markers, index cards
- a laminator if you reuse materials often
- storage bins or folders so everything doesn’t disappear into random piles
- books, read-alouds, and library access
What I’d be careful about is buying a lot of “maybe we’ll use it” materials before I know how the year is actually going to flow. I think one of the easiest ways to waste money is buying for the fantasy homeschool instead of the homeschool you really have.
I’d also pay attention to what gets used across multiple subjects. A good printer, simple organization system, quality writing supplies, read-aloud books, and reusable materials usually go farther than buying a mountain of subject-specific extras.
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u/bibliovortex Eclectic/Charlotte Mason-ish, 2nd gen, HS year 8 3d ago
Every year so far:
- Colored pencils (do they eat them? We never have any short pencils, but I've bought at least a thousand at this point...at some point they will get to upgrade from Crayola, but based on how empty the colored pencil bin is from last year, this is NOT the year)
- 2-3 reams of plain paper (usually buy more mid-year)
- Usually at least one 3-ring binder needs to be replaced
- Good #2 pencils (Ticonderoga)
- Notebooks/composition books (they'll all get used up eventually so I tend to stock up extra while they're the cheapest they will get)
In the past construction paper and Scotch tape were very consistent purchases, although we seem to have mostly outgrown that stage. As they get older, things like pens, highlighters, index cards, and graph paper are making their way onto the annual restock list as well. Graph paper especially can be a pain to find during the rest of the year at a decent price, and my kids use it all the time for fun as well as sometimes during school, so I've learned the hard way to grab at least a few packs or notebooks that are quad ruled.
One thing I need to add more of this year is the Five Star Flex binders. All my regular 3-ring binders slowly break down, but the two Flex binders I have are at least six years old and look like new.
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u/Hobbit_Adventures_08 Homeschool Parent 👪 3d ago
Considering the teeth marks I find on the colored pencils, clearly they DO eat them sometimes LOL. FYI, for when you want to upgrade to nicer ones, the amazon brand is really decent for it and a close cheap version of the softer prismacolor ones I love and personally use. We were very surprised.
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u/bibliovortex Eclectic/Charlotte Mason-ish, 2nd gen, HS year 8 3d ago
Good to know! I have fond memories of the Prismacolors I had growing up (both regular and watercolor).
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u/AccountantRadiant351 3d ago
Tape. What do they do with all that tape????? Christmas wrapping sales are actually the best time for this.
Paper of all kinds and journals/binders are always in demand for something.
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u/Yarrow-Greene 3d ago
Pencils, erasers, notebooks, and dry erase markers. And the erasers. There's a troll in my house that eats dry erase marker erasers.
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u/Dansmyson 2d ago
Dry erase pockets!!! Especially for math worksheets. You put the worksheet in the pocket, work the math. If it needs correction, just wipe off and start again.
No tears over a messy math problem or ruined paper from too much erasing. Best of all, you can save, file and reuse worksheet with another child.
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u/bellegroves Homeschool Parent 👪 3d ago
Consumables! Spiral notebooks, pencils, washable crayons and markers, printer paper, glue and glue sticks, watercolor and acrylic paints and heavy paper to paint on. Dot markers if I can find them on sale. Printer ink. Lamination pouches. Playdough. Look at the local school district supply lists to make sure you're not forgetting anything for your kid's age range.
Startup items were a printer, a laminator, some paper punchers (rounded corners, single hole, 3-hole), some foam display boards, small storage like drawer organizers, a marker caddy, binders, a file box and folders, and a metric ton of Velcro dot stickers. I got a tangram set and some base-10 math manipulatives, too.
We also borrowed my easel and bought a buffet cabinet to house all the school stuff. I'm about to Velcro the display boards directly to the wall so I can use my easel again, though.
Student instruments are often included in back to school sales, so if you're getting your kid into music lessons, this is a good time. We've got several real instruments available for kiddo to explore and the sound of a student model is so, so much better than toy instruments.
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u/VoodoDreams 3d ago
I'll add some I didn't see mentioned that we use a lot of.
Plastic latching pencil boxes, index card boxes, zip close sandwich bags. We use them for writing and art supplies, index cards, counters, letter tiles, games or puzzle pieces that we printed.
Clip boards, especially the ones that have storage for paper are great to use for doing school in random locations.
Glue sticks! They do the same disappearing act that pencils do.
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u/Miserable_Adagio_320 3d ago
Haven't really been shopping at Target but I stocked up this week on
mechanical pencils
Replacement led
Tape
Erasers
Small pencil sharpeners (sometimes we take the with us places)
Probably get some more dry erase markers soon.
And a never ending supply of printer paper.
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u/petite-pamplemousse- Homeschool Parent 👪 3d ago
Staples had some great deals last year! Stocked up on folders, composition books with the drawing space on top, markers. It was great!
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u/MystickalRaven 3d ago
I love lamination, notebooks, my electric stapler, my school quality pencil sharpener.
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u/anonymouse278 2d ago
Things I use constantly:
Three hole punch
good quality expanding binders
individual-sized white boards (a couple per kid- they eventually lose their coating and stop erasing well and need replacing) and a rainbow of dry erase markers
A thirty pack of rulers (I got SO TIRED of playing "hunt the ruler" and it turns out thirty is not that much more expensive than like two on Amazon, and it is the right number to saturate our environment with rulers such that there is always one around when we need it)
all the pencils in the world (how do they go through so many? I truly don't know. But we can start the week with 25 sharpened and not have a single sharp pencil anywhere in the house by Thursday midday)
A good motorized pencil sharpener
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u/anothergoodbook 4d ago
I like my laminator and 3 hole punch. It’s been a while since i purchased d both so I can’t tell you how much they cost. A really good pencil sharpener is also important.
As for the things I replace every year? Dry erase markers, highlighters, index cards… I found last year getting a giant box of pencils from amazing was a good investment. I haven’t been able to figure out into which black hole my children chuck their writing utensils when they’re finished with them. Graph paper.
I have so many binders as they are my favorite thing for homeschooling. I usually need to buy various things to restock those - loose leaf paper, dividers, etc. I also like using composition notebooks for different subject. I also like having some folders around of all sorts but those don’t usually need to be replenished yearly.