Getting ready to start school again. Due to some family issues, we actually took the whole summer off this year. But everybody is ready to go now!
Every time I walk into the local big blue box store (yeah, you know which one I’m talking about) I am greeted with the huge back to school signs and fliers and school supply lists. But come on! Do you really need everything on that list? I mean, will you fail out of school if you don’t have a pack of colored pencils? *rolls eyes*. Now, don’t get me wrong. I actually love colored pencils, and art supplies are some of my favorite things. But the list of: one red pocket folder, one blue pocket folder, one green pocket folder, 12 #2 pencils (yellow only – no fancy colors)…. Sheesh. That was a bit obsessive. And how many of you parents still have your old Trapper Keeper? (Or God forbid, how many of you parents don’t even know what a Trapper Keeper is!)
So, what did we get?
- graph paper (makes math easier, used for graphs, used with certain art projects)
- college ruled lined paper (for the older kid)
- primary journal (for the younger kid learning how to write)
- sketch paper (for drawing and painting)
- colored construction paper
We already have:
- scissors (one for each kid, age appropriate)
- pencils (Mirado black warriors are our favorite, they sharpen nice, erase well, and write nice and clean)
- colored pencils (Berol prismacolor, because cheap colored pencils suck to use)
- crayons (Crayola really does make the best crayon, the other brands are too waxy – not enough color)
- markers (from my years of teaching I found that Sanford Mr. Sketch makes the better washable marker, it doesn’t rub off like Crayola markers do, and the colors are bright. It’s also a little cheaper if you can find it.)
- glue (we usually get Elmers, it works)
- ink pens (ah, everyone has their own preference)
- rulers (metal for better accuracy and if you’re going to be using it with an x-acto knife, otherwise the plastic ones work just fine)
What more do you really need?
Stay tuned for some new lesson ideas!
