This post contains affiliate links.
My favorite section to shop is school supplies. LOVE it!!! My type A personality wants to plan and make sure I have everything needed to keep things running smoothly in our homeschool. Some school supplies we have to purchase every year, sort of like consumable workbooks; other things we have bought once, having worked so well, we haven’t had to purchase a new one.
Since my children are still young, the list is focused on school supplies geared towards preschool and elementary age students.
I am only recommending what has worked for us or plan on getting based on reviews and friends comments. Hope you find this list helpful!
Yearly Homeschool Supply Materials –
Dixon Ticonderoga Wood-Cased #2 HB Pencils, Box of 96
Ticonderoga pencils are pretty much the B.E.S.T. They sharpen really well and they write well. Most my teacher friends recommend them as well. We got the 96 ct box. We may have some pencils to last us through all elementary school!
Everything Crayola: coloring pencils, markers (thin and thick), crayons. This Crayola pack for K-2 is pretty neat. Thinking about adding these Watercolor Tube Artist this year, also.
We like to go on Nature Walks, following Charlotte Mason’s philosophy that children should spend time observing nature. This set comes with 2 pads so it is perfect. You can also find it at Jo-Ann and get it with a coupon for an additional discount. I think they sell them as a single book there, though. The spiral makes it really easy for the kids to turn pages and draw their leaf and write down their observations.
This is the journal my kids use for writing their creative stories and drawing a picture. They also have this one that we use for copywork or to write down their spelling words. It works great for dictation as well.
We use A LOT of paper!!!! So I keep printing paper on hand that we use for lapbooks, notebooking, or writing additional things that we then cut and glue to our notebooks. This box comes with 1,500 sheets which lasts a while even though we use it so much!
For colored printing paper, Astrobrights has the best deal on Amazon. I use it for printing memory verses, color coding memory work, signs for our homeschool area, etc. It is very useful! We save a lot of ink by printing on colored paper.
Mom – Homeschool Mom Teacher Needs
The very first thing I bought for our homeschool was a laminator. I use it ALL the time. It saves me time from going to the store to get stuff laminated. It is very convenient for laminating memory verses, signs for our classroom, phonics cards, syllable cards, and so many other things that we use on a regular basis. It makes them last so much longer, that way I don’t have to print the same papers over and over. My laminator is so old, it is no longer online but this one has really good reviews and a lot of moms say the use it.
If you get a laminator, be sure to grab a package of laminating sheets.
Another investment we made right at the beginning was purchasing a printer. Are you familiar with the site Teachers Pay Teachers? Well, you can download SOOO many activities, guides, resources for teaching your own children! If I need a novel guide for a book, I just go there and get one. In less than 5 minutes I have a file and printed in my hands! Printers that use toner will go a long way!!! Amazon has toner made by off brand that are compatible with most printers. You can get toner for as low as $20! Check the reviews before purchasing to make sure you are getting a good product.
Brother makes GREAT printers, also. Check this one.
Tip: To find off brand toner, search “Toner compatible with __________” fill in with the brand and model number of your printer.
Pencil Sharpener – where do I begin? Hmm we bought 3 last year. We got an electric one that didn’t work well. The X-acto one has great reviews and a lot of my friends use it. My ideal sharpener is this one…just can’t install it right now. Someday, though, we will get this metal manual pencil sharpener.
Sheet Protectors – I keep them in stock for keeping papers we will be using in our portfolio assessment review.
File folders and hanging files useful for sorting lessons, activity pages, and additional resources.
Binders for portfolio evaluations and a binder for my morning meeting / homeschool organization.
Related: How to Organize ABeka Assignments for the Year
Last, but not least, a planner. Somewhere to write down all the appointments, get togethers, information of co-ops, friends’ birthday parties, lesson plans, logs, etc.
Supplies from Dollar Tree
Clipboards – very useful!!! We use it for holding paper to trace maps or for drawing.
Shop For Pencils, Markers, Pads and Other Crafts Today! Only $1 Each!
Educational posters, although other stores like Michaels are carrying a good selection.
Hope you found this list helpful and at a convenient time to help you plan and get ready for a new school year. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments below.
Have a wonderful day,
Fabi
Bilingual Mami 