Is it REALLY Back to School time? The buzz on Facebook and Instagram tells me everyone is out buying school supplies and either starting soon or has already started school! Whew! Summer sure flew right by!
I have a confession. I kinda wish my kids were old enough to go to school. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I want them out of the house. I want to buy school supplies! I seriously had to hold myself back at Staples yesterday and not buy every cute little pencil holder and pad of Post-its and glittered binder. (Yes, they had glittered binders.) It’s weird, I know.
Anyway, my obsession with school supplies came in handy when I started teaching 2nd grade a few years ago. Whoa! Brand spankin’ new boxes of Crayola crayons for 25 kids! Woo-hoo! But guess what? I spent a TON of my own money as a 1st (and 2nd) year teacher. And so I LOVED when parents were able to donate a few things to the classroom that really cut back on the money I spent out of pocket. So here it is. A few of my favorite things to receive as “gifts” at the beginning of the year! Totally 100% just my opinion. But hopefully it helps someone out there!
Disclaimer: These are elementary school-ish ideas. But when in doubt, ASK! I’m sure your older children’s teachers would love the help as well!
{1} Hand sanitizer. Kids + boogers + cooties + no handwashing. Need I say more?
{2}Tissues. Always ran out of these. This is also a great Christmas gift! No joke – cold season!
{3} Ziploc bags. I have a slight obsession with these as well, but they really do get used a lot in elementary classrooms. I love Gallon sized to hold Center stuff, Take-home Books, etc. and the snack size for all those tiny little pieces of things that kids lose.
{4} Cardstock/Colored Paper. Some schools provide this, but not a lot anymore. A pack of white cardstock or a ream of brightly colored paper could really make a teacher’s day! (Or is it just me?)
{5} Printer paper. Again, some schools provide this, but it is rarely enough. Maybe with all the smartboards and digital stuff that is getting to be less of a problem. It wouldn’t hurt to ask!
{6} Candy/snacks. Don’t kill me! I totally used candy/snacks as rewards in class. But you need to find out what your school/class policy is on that. Even some healthy snacks would be so great to have to pull out when the kids need a little boost!
{7} Small prizes/ rewards. This was what I spent a lot of out-of-pocket money on. My students had a class store that was GREAT for teaching counting money and basic addition/subtraction. Here are some ideas: stickers, pencils, fun erasers, $ store stuff…check out Oriental Trading!
{8} Crayons, Markers, Glue Sticks. Some schools provide pencils and paper but these 3 supplies are the things that we always ran out of. Glue sticks = gold in Teacherville. (Did I just say Teacherville?)
{9} Simple Board Games/Puzzles: These could even be old ones you were getting rid of anyway (as long as they work/have all the parts!) Perfect to pull out on rainy days when the kids can’t go to recess.
{10} And last, but not least, YOUR TIME. Ask where you can help. Even if you can’t come in during the day, could you cut things out at night while catching up on your shows? Or maybe you know an awesome (free) field trip the kids would like. My student’s parents are seriously what SAVED me when I was teaching. I was so lucky to have such wonderful support and help. I know that is not always the case, and that’s hard.
If you’re out doing some school shopping this weekend, consider adding one of these things to the list! It will be greatly appreciated!
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From one teacher to another THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!! I teach preschool and every.single.thing on the this list is a NEED in my classroom and would be lovely to get as a gift. Sure I know I will have to spend some of my money as well, but if parents would be willing to give a little extra that would rock.
Hope you dont mind but I am going to Pin, post and tweet the heck out of this so that others take the hint!
Thanks for spreading the word!!
Great ideas! Most of these are on the supply list that my kids have to take to elementary school anyway. But I love that you included time too. I get to stay home with my kids, so I love having the opportunity to go into their classrooms regularly.
As a former primary teacher, I couldn’t agree more. We even used to send home a note at the beginning of Autumn to the parents letting them know that if the would like to donate a box of tissues, it would be most welcome. And white A4 cardstock got used soo much in the classroom, I know it would be gold!
I homeschool so we only have to buy the things we need for here, but the public schools here have ‘required’ items lists. These list are so large that even Walmart and other stores have areas up front where parents can pick up the list for their childs school according to grade level. (supposedly this also helps grandparents and others to buy some things off the list as they can mark things off then pass it along to the parents to finish the list) My best friend shows me her list every year then reports back with how much it cost. All these items are on it and more. She usually spends around
$400 by using coupons. Another friend has a high schooler and she spent over $600 last year! Believe it or not toilet paper is even on it now because the school doesn’t provide that anymore. The list is quite extensive.
Wow, toilet paper? That’s crazy! How do parents afford that? I taught at schools that had lower-income families and so we weren’t allowed to even send home supply lists.
I teach middle school and most of these are on my wish list as well! We aren’t allowed to keep hand sanitizer in our rooms unfortunately because students were abusing it. I would add BOOKS to my list. I always need more books for my students to browse!
Our school pretty much asks that parents buy all these things for the classroom at the start of the school year. Everybody just pitches in and the whole class gets to use all the supplies for the whole year. In addition, we get asked to bring baby wipes, 4 whiteboard markers, and 4 glue sticks.
Whiteboard markers and baby wipes are great additions to the list! Thanks!
Wonderful idea !! We always throw a few “extras” in!! Thanks for sharing at uncommon! Always love having you guys!! 🙂
Great ideas and every parent needs to know these. I love that my 3rd graders teacher gives us a wish list. I hope you will link this up to The cSI Project. The challenge is back to school. Each week is a new challenge. Come on over!
http://www.thecsiproject.com