Buying school supplies

Kristen wonders about buying school supplies:

"Parents of elementary aged kids, do you buy all of the supplies on the list?

Teachers, do the kids actually use the things on the list or are there some things that you don't use or would rather have something different?"

I think it varies from school district to district, but in general, if the list comes directly from the teacher, you should buy exactly what's on it because the teacher wrote it and will use everything on it. If it comes from the school or district, hold off until the first day to find out what the teacher really wants.

How do school supplies work where you are? I went from NYC public, where the teacher gave us the list on the first day of school, to Ann Arbor public, where we don't buy any school supplies at all.

Teachers, how much input do you have on supply lists that you don't type up yourself? How much overlap is there usually between a list that comes from your school and what you actually use?

Is buying school supplies a purely American thing? Or do the rest of you have to buy your kids' crayons and paper, too?

 

(Unrelated: Here's a story about my almost sending out an obscene Christmas card a few years ago.)

Comments

[BethB]

We list at the end of the school year and they live on the school website year round. We're at a public Montessori so our lists are much different than what the district puts out. They also vary greatly for each classroom teacher but they're all pretty reasonable, IMO. In Milwaukee something like 90% of public school students are living in poverty so the district list is pretty small.

One primary teacher at our school doesn't give a general list for supplies. Instead she assigns each family a week during the year to bring stuff and gives them that list a few weeks ahead of time. I have a BIG problem with this for various reasons but since we're not in her class it doesn't apply to me.

Not sure I agree with waiting until the first day, though. In Wisconsin the school supply sections are desimated by the time classes start. There are also supplies like markers, colored pencils, crayons, construction paper, and pencils (probably others too) that skyrocket in price after the Back To School season is over. Maybe that's not the case with things older kids need?

[Stacy]

My son goes to a public elementary school in a fairly affluent NE suburb.

For Kindergarten last year, we weren't asked to bring any specific supplies like crayons, etc, but were instead asked to donate wipes, paper towels, and hand sanitizer frequently throughout the year. That worked out fine because I would just pick up an extra package of whatever when I was out shopping now and then.

At the end of the school year last year, a new program was started where you could order your school supplies on line in a kit for the next school year. So all I needed to do was click which grade my son will be in and whatever his teacher specified for the kit was already put together and I just purchased it for a reasonable amount of money. It will arrive in his classroom before the start of school. I thought that process was brilliant! Wish I could remember the website. I can probably figure it out if anyone is interested.

[BeccaV]

In TN schools provide lists to parents and they are also available at Target, Wal-Mart, etc. for each school. My son is only 3, but from what I have heard the lists are extensive. We had our tax free shopping holiday last weekend and the lists were available before the holiday weekend so parents could save money on the supplies.
We do have to buy supplies for my son's daycare, but it's only once a year and the list is very small, crayons, watercolor paints, glue sticks and dry erase markers. We are also asked to bring kleenex boxes a few times a year and maybe clorox wipes. I do hear a lot of parents complain about the cost of all the supplies needed for school. It will be interesting to hear what everyone else has to say.

[Lisa]

My son is going into first grade in a public district in a NYC suburb. Last year, the kindergarten teachers put together a collective list of supplies, which was mailed way too late in August. I spent a few days running from Target to Staples to the local drugstore looking for the specific brands requested. Then it turned out that his teacher was returning from maternity leave, and she had a whole separate list, which she sent home on the first day of school. That was annoying.

The general first grade supply list was sent home on the last day of school in June. But I have a feeling that the individual teachers will send lists home on the first day again.

I think this process could be a whole lot more organized & streamlined, and less time-consuming for parents, but that would require advance planning & thought, and that doesn't seem to be a priority in my district.

Oh, and I have been buying everything on the list, but I do spot-check when I visit school to make sure he's using the stuff I bought. It makes me sad that the relatively affluent district we live in doesn't have room in the budget for tissues and clorox wipes.

[Christine]

Last year for Kindergarten, my son's list definitely didn't come from the teacher, because it was on the web site before she was hired. And I'm sure they didn't use all the specific folders etc.

In Ireland, parents buy the books and copybooks (composition notebooks) for the schoolkids, and everyone has a pencil case with their own pencil/eraser/ruler/whatever, but the glue and the crayons and the tissues in the classroom are supplied by the school.

[Mary W.]

Kids are in a parochial school and get their supply list for the next year in their summer work packet at the end of the school year. It is also posted at the school's website. It's put together by the teacher and very specific (1 red folder, 2 green folders, 1 red composition notebook etc.) It is mostly the stuff the kids need to keep and they color code by subject, I think to help the kids get organized. It can be a real bear if the teacher hasn't been supply shopping in a couple of years because certain things are really hard to find (3 prong white folder! we ended up with a pale yellow one). General class supplies include packs of wipes, and boxes of tissues. They tell you buy what is specifically on the list, but people are often stray a little.

[Shannon]

Here in the district where we live in suburban Chicago, they give out long, detailed lists at the end of the previous year. This is new to me because the school district I grew up attending, and then later taught in, had been sued too many times for asking for supplies, and so they never, ever asked for anything. That meant the supplies had to come out of the teacher's pocket.

Which is why I'm more than happy to provide all the items, if it means those items don't have to come out of the teacher's own personal funds. Yes, it's ridiculously sad that there isn't money in the school district's budget to buy tissues or dry-erase markers, but that isn't the teacher's fault.

Also, last night I read a scathing blog post/comments complaining about how specific the supply lists are in terms of brands and sizes. To which I say, remember when you were single and childless and you wondered why on earth anybody would go through a drive-thru when it was so much faster to go in? And then you had a baby and realized that drive-thrus are God's gift to parents? Why? Because everything is infinitely harder when you have a child. Now imagine having 20+ children in a classroom. Suddenly something small like whether you have an Elmer's glue stick versus the generic brand can escalate to some giant hassle, because some kid's generic brand glue dried out, and now the teacher has to hunt around for more glue, and meanwhile the other kids are starting to goof around, and you lose a lot of time. Either that or there's some stupid conflict because the supplies are pooled and kids are fighting over one specific kind. With kids, it's always easier when everybody gets the exact same thing.

So, my point is, even when it feels like an awful scavenger hunt from hell, just buy exactly what's on the list.

[Kate]

I got totally lazy this year: I took the option of having a school supply company buy the supplies and deliver them to my son's desk. DONE. I don't know what's on the list, but presumably he'll have all of it.

[Leah]

My school in the Chicago Public Schools has supply lists on the website by grade, so all first graders get the same things, etc. At one point in the year last year our weekly newsletter from the teacher came home asking for more paper towels/wipes/baggies. It seems relatively streamlined here but it's only my 2nd year doing it.

I wish they could make the rest of their communication as streamlined, actually. So much stuff is just stuff you end up having to find out from other parents. I'd love THAT stuff to be on the website. But I guess I'll be happy with what they're doing.

[Franziska]

My kids aren't at an age yet where we've had to deal with supply lists (the daycare/preschool provides everything), but I have to admit I'm baffled by the need for such a detailed list.

I grew up in Germany, and I'm pretty sure we did not have supplies lists. Instead, we went out and bought what we needed when we needed. Do kids need a whole new pack of highlighters every school year? And why does the brand matter?

Same thing went for clothes for that matter. We got new clothes when we needed them. Not tied to the school year at all.

Makes more sense to me, but maybe that's just because I grew up that way.

[Kate F]

Design Mom was just posting about how school supplies in France are beyond specific and it's a huge deal getting it all exactly right...

[ramy]

site: Triangle area, NC

in our school district they post a list usually by late July. I totally forgot to look until this morning. I think its by school and then by grade, and then within the list by required and wish list items. I was delighted to see that this year its all wish list items!

Shannon is right about buying exactly the list. Last year it was all pretty specific and I didn't realize that even the notebooks would be pooled. My kid was pretty upset that the one fancy designed BW composition book we bought ended up in someone else's hands. so this year its all basic, all the way.

In kindergarten, the kids fought over the roseart crayons, even though they are the really crummy ones, just because there weren't as many of them in the pile. It was weird.

[sanbikinoraion]

What a bizarre system. You mean to say that you, as parents, have to buy the stuff your kids are going to use at school, during the day??? Why on earth isn't this centrally provisioned? What's the point of universal access to education if you can't afford the pens and paper to write on?

[Spacemom]

We get a list every year. And every year, it's a pain in the ass. The PTO sets up a link on Amazon, but in general, it is outrageous to buy from Amazon. This year, as most in the past, I sit down with the sunday fliers and find the items on sale for that child and then go buy those items on sale. Saves me a ton.

[Sarra]

My son's going into second grade in an Atlanta suburb. The school supply list has been on the website all summer. I've been picking things up piecemeal as I see them available and on sale. School starts early here. Some of the districts go back 8/1, we don't go back until 8/13.

The lists are by grade, not by teacher. This year's list has very specific requests. For example, wide rule composition notebooks in yellow, blue, black and green; 6.5 inch twistable crayons; and 3x3 and 3x5 post it notes. I ended up having to order the larger post it notes online because my local Target didn't have that size and I didn't want to go to a bunch of stores to look for them.

Last year the set up was similar, but the lists were posted later. They used everything we sent, plus there was the usual replenishment of pencils and replacement of folders that wore out.

I just buy whatever they ask for. I figure if they ask, they have a reason.

[girlstuckinacube]

My kids aren't school-aged yet, but there are no supply lists for the early grades (maybe all of elementary school?); the public school board provides all the necessary supplies. (Where I live pretty much everyone enrolls in public school - I know it is different some parts of the in the States). It makes sure every kid has what he/she needs to fully participate in school, and prevents any discrepencies between kids.

[TodayWendy]

I'm in Canada and I'm pretty baffled by this whole thing. When I was a kid the basic supplies were provided by the school (workbooks, pencils, erasers, pencilbox, kleenex, basic art supplies) and I'm assuming that is still the case - the little one heads off to grade 1 next month so I guess I will find out.

It seems to me that the school would be able to get a reasonable deal on a big pile of composition books & pencils & kleenex. Forcing the teachers to pay for these things out of their own pocket seems bizarre.

[yasmara]

I'm in Minneapolis & the school supply list for our school was just posted on Monday! Parents have been anxiously awaiting its arrival because all the sales have started already. The list is very specific...then again, my son's kindergarten year we got an entirely different list from his teacher on the first day of school, after we had already bought & brought in the items from the original list.

Minneapolis (at least at our school) uses a communal school supplies program, which means that you send in the things you buy with no names & the supplies all get put into the communal classroom supply. So the yellow folder you buy for/with your kid is not necessarily the yellow folder he/she will use during the year. Parents who have the means are also encouraged to send extra supplies. I like to call this system "commie school supplies."

On the one hand, I totally understand where the district is coming from, trying to equalize supplies for all kids/families at various income levels. On the other hand, it's taken all the joy out of school supply shopping, which has always been one of my favorite things (My Little Pony Trapper Keeper anyone?).

[jenny]

i'm also in triangle area in NC. We get lists and we really need to supply the exact list and then if we have extra or can afford extra it is encouraged to buy for the pool of lower income children who can't afford the list. I did amazon because I'm a prime member, need 2 of everything anyway (twins) and then can buy a few cases of crayons/markers/pencils here and there to help out. Although, the girls composition books and folders need their names on them heading in. So I think they most likely has issues with the parents buying the fancy color ones and kids being upset about not getting them.

[Sam]

This is my first go-round, really. Last year my son went to a speech preschool class through our local school district so he did have a list of specific supplies. I'm not sure if he ended up sharing some of the supplies, but he was in a class with one other kid so it wasn't a big deal at all. Now he's starting kindergarten at a private school for kids with learning disabilities. They have an 11-month school year, so we actually got our supply list later than everyone else we know. It came straight from the teacher. It is EXTENSIVE, but they have some very specific curriculum so I understand. Not only is notebooks (but no pens or pencils, oddly) and markers and folders but plastic bags, baby wipes, and disinfecting wipes. I was kinda bummed because the notebooks have to be plain, no fun characters or whatever. I am sure I'll probably spend close to $100 over all, including a new backpack and napmat. I am aiming to have everything by the first day of school and not afraid to utilize Amazon Prime to do it!

[Juliamalexander]

My partner is a public school teacher in Harlem, and has a lot of trouble getting her school administration to approve supply lists for her to send out to parents--thus, she often doesn't get them sent home until late in the year.

As for whether the schools provide things, my observation is that as property taxes get capped, schools get more and more strapped for cash, and parents and teachers have to provide more and more of the basic supplies. We wind up spending several hundred dollars every year for basic things W needs for her classroom, even when she can get a supply list sent home.

[Erin]

We live in a suburb of Baltimore. My child's school provides a list for each grade level. It is available online, although they might mail it later this summer. The list includes mandatory items that should be labeled with the child's name, and then other communal items (such as wipes or dry-erase markers) that are optional donations to the classroom. We can order through the PTA, but we are a family that loves school/office supply shopping!

[Tine]

What Yasmara said. (I'm in Minneapolis, too.)

[MrsHaley]

When I taught in public high school (central PA, for 10 years, ending in 2006) I never would have DREAMED of sending a LIST of things families had to BUY. I got dinged for asking kids to dress up on days they gave speeches because some may not be able to afford a solid-colored shirt! Isit ironic or expected that this was a pretty affluent district?!?

Needless to say, since there were strict (but seemingly arbitrary) caps on the supplies we could request from Central Supplies, I spent about $500 a year of my own money to buy tissues, staples, pencils & notebooks for my students. Every other teacher I've worked with did the same.

My daughter is entering kindergarten this year and looking up a supply list never even occurred to me! I guess we will get one at meet the teacher night next week?!?!

[snickollet]

Portland, OR
high poverty K-8 school

Lists are teacher-specific and mailed out by the school. It's made very clear on the list that you should buy only what you can afford, and additional if that's an option for you financially. Supplies are then pooled and shared by all children in the classroom (this was true in K and I think will be true again in first grade).

[Rudyinparis]

I'm in Mpls, too, with Yasmara & Tine (hi!). Eldest's teacher last year did something I thought was wonderful which was... she just asked for money. She asked each household for $25 and then took that and she went out and bought all the supplies. I loved it, as I don't relish the school-supply buying. My Mom (a former teacher) thought that was brilliant, too, but noted that back in her day even asking parents to contribute a box of tissues caused a major poop-storm, so she couldn't imagine just flat-out asking for money. I'm happy to contribute. Many households (these days, possibly more than you suspect)aren't able to buy all or even any of their supplies. What doesn't come from households comes right out of the teacher's pocket. As someone commented up-thread, what the gosh-darn heck is the point to universal education if the schools can't afford basic supplies??? Yes, well, ask our legislators that question, it's a good one.

[BethB]

How much are most people spending on supplies?

For my first grader we spent about $15 and for the 3 y/o (K3) it was under $10. Our younger son's teacher asked for $10-15 but I can't remember if the first grade teacher did.

This doesn't include backpacks but I don't know how much I would count those as school supplies as you don't need to buy them every year.

[Chris]

Far NW Chicago suburbs here
middle class (does that even still exist?) area

School supply lists are on the school's website by the beginning of summer and they are the same for all kids or each grade. When we go meet the teacher we may get an additional small list or requests for certain things. We have a fairly large supply list, but I have noticed in the past few years it has gotten smaller. When my daughter went to Kindergarten, I had to buy 8 boxes of 8 crayons. 3 years later when it was my sons's turn, no crayons on the list at all! It was the same for scissors and glue sticks. We did get a request from his teacher about mid way through the year for glue sticks and disinfecting wipes, but that was it. There was only a request for more pencils from my daughter's 3rd grade teacher.

It is an option to buy the supplies in a kit and it is a fundraiser for the PTA, but it is way overpriced IMO. I buy the brand specific items and spend way less than the cost of the kit.

[K]

The list here (public school, college town) includes what you'd expect in terms of actual school supplies (pencils/erasers/folders, several sets of crayons, color pencils, markers, dry erase markers) and also things like paper towels and hand sanitizer and kleenex. New this year: headphones.

Last year, we were also asked to purchase the supplies a second time after the holiday break. I also think my kid is pretty hard on school supplies, just from judging from the way he goes through art supplies at home.

[Amy F]

My kids (entering 3rd and 1st this fall) have been at a private prep school in Minneapolis suburbs up until this point but we're switching to homeschooling now. Their school charged us $75 per kid for supplies. We had very subsidized tuition but had to pay full price for supplies, $4 school lunches, etc. and it always frustrated me to see that charge because I'm sure I could have hit Target in August for a fraction of the price. It was fun school shopping for the first time last week since I didn't have to follow any lists and got whatever appealed to me for cheap.

[electriclady]

This is our first year in NYC public schools. For kindergarten we had a very long list of items including not just crayons and pencils and notebooks but hand sanitizer, a ream of copy paper, etc. We got our list at the end of June at parent orientation, but I know other NYC public parents who still haven't gotten their lists yet (and school starts in a month).

School budgets are getting slashed like crazy (my friends' kids' school had to hold a huge fundraiser to be able to keep their librarian for another year!) so I'm not surprised that we as parents are being asked to make up the difference. I have to assume this is really stressful for the lower-income families at our school (we have a very wide socioeconomic range).

[Christine]

Arizona public school. Supplies are shared in the classrooms. Every kid gets a folder once a week with homework and any communication for parents from the teacher and PTA. If the teachers need any supplies, they'll ask in the weekly newsletter and any parents that are able to donate do so.

[Claire]

Ireland here, first child going into primary school (age 5). We have no set supplies list, so just picking up things like a school bag, track suit etc. BUT we have to pay a 'voluntary contribution' that really isn't voluntary at all and I believe it is several hundred euros. All the schools that my friends kids are going to also have a voluntary contribution of varying amounts.

[kakaty]

Suburb of Cleveland, OH. Affluent, well-funded public school district.

We are charged a fee for supplies which (we are told) "Teachers use to purchase consumable instructional materials in bulk". K-6 the fee is $35, 7-12 it's $25. In theory, this would give lower grade teachers about $700-800 to spend on supplies each year. In practice, I am told by teachers, they get about $500-550 then the rest is pooled into a fund from which they can make special requests.

[Erika]

I love Montessori! The kids in public (and even many private) schools here in Indiana have extensive lists (I see them when I go into Target). The Montessori school? None.

When I was a kid, in the 60s, I can't imagine any school asking parents for supplies beyond #2 pencils and an art eraser. I remember my mom grumbling about having to buy a special art eraser for my oldest sibling. The rest of us used that same art eraser for the next five years.

[ramy]

last year I remember seeing an article out of a Boston newspaper comparing how the schools of 2 of the author's young friends dealt with school supplies and what this might be teaching them. Her daughter was in the Boston public school system and they were handed an extensive list that families struggled to pull together during the sales. A friend who had just begun attending a posh private school had a canteen where kids could pick up supplies and not only never see the bill (it was on their parent's tab) but it seems like they never even heard the prices. it was all play money.

at the public school, the students were exhorted to go to college so they could make more money, end of story. Give the right answers on tests, go to college make more Money Money Money. At the private school, it was all about the students' observations about basic phenomena. not what is the right answer but how do we describe the process of getting there. No discussion of money at all.

I wish I could find the post. I know it is slightly off-topic but its what I think about now every time I look at a school supply list.

[Dawn]

We're in an affluent school district in the Philadelphia suburbs and at our school, it depends on the grade level. For K-2, our experience was that the teacher enclosed a note with the classroom assignment with a relatively short list of supplies. For 3rd grade, the teachers sent out a list at the end of the school year of the supplies the children will need. I guess since 3rd is when they start using book covers, they wanted to give advance notice? At any rate, the lists are not too onerous and I've probably spent about $30 each year.

On the other hand, I also prepare school supplies for lower income families in our neighboring (also affluent) school district (it's a program our church runs) and I've been shocked at how much they're required to have - I think I spend $50 per child for that school district.

[Chive]

I'm in the UK, we don't have to provide any of this ourselves. Well at some point my kid will have to take a pencil case daily with his own pencils, colouring pencils, sharpener in it, but that's not till he's about 8.
I was really shocked when I realised that it's so different in the US.

[Kate]

I have to buy books/workbooks and all supplies for my kids. Before my first went to 1st grade I literally sat down with a friend and she translated the list for me because it was so specific and foreign (notebooks in Israel are not like notebooks in America, ditto folders, etc).

But on the second go-round it looks pretty normal :)

My only real complaint on that front is that I gave in and bought my kids backpacks locally instead of getting good quality ones from America because I just could not figure out how much in the way of Israeli school supplies and books would fit into them. Lands End has these videos where someone unpacks a bag so you can see the capacity. But the notebooks are different sizes, my kids have workbooks instead of books (in grades 1 and 3), and since the temperature in my city rarely dips below 55 I doubt they'll need snowpants.

[Jennifer]

Northern VA here. We got the school supply list for the next grade with the last report card in the spring. Also on the elementary school's web site, by grade. For some reason, last year's list (4th grade) was way more specific in terms of numbers of things (10 glue sticks, e.g.) and brands. I think we spent close to $100 last year. This year, there were no numbers ("glue sticks") except for composition books and folders. About $65. We'll see if the classroom teacher adds more. They do ask for everything to be labeled with the student's name, so I guess they're not pooling most of the supplies.

My daughter went to a British school when we were in Germany, and I remember asking the head teacher what supplies we needed to buy. She looked at us like we were crazy. I never bought so much as a pencil for school there.

[Rebecca @ Sink Or Swim]

When we lived in Spain the school list for the Department of Defense school was Europe wide so we didn't buy anything until the first day of school after talking to the teacher.
Now in Hawaii the list was detailed down to what brand to buy and it is a small school with only 2 grades per class so I figured the teachers had input and bought everything. The teachers here do give back leftovers at the end of the year.

[Maria]

I'm with the folks who are shocked and appalled by all this specific, expensive school supply business. I guess I'm old, but no, when I was in school, there was no such thing as a list. We went shopping on the day before school and got pencils and notebooks, and when I got a little older a binder of some sort, but I even feel like that was at our own discretion.

Anyway, we still don't know where my daughter will be going this year, or even what grade she'll be in (ask me if I'm stressed??) but for the two previous years (1st and 2nd grade) at a small, private, but not fancy, school, I paid a supply fee of about $200 that covered everything. For that she got a fancy binder in the color of her choosing (which frankly was a waste because all it ever held was about 4 sheets of weekly homework), and all the pens, pencils, art supplies, etc, that she used at school.

[Jessica]

Someone told me that it's actually illegal in California to have a school supply list, so my son's school has a list online of supplies we can "donate to the classroom." I picked up a few notebooks (17c each at Walmart, please, not a problem) and crayons and whatnot. They also need things like tissues and hand sanitizer, which they ask for again throughout the year as they run low. With the dismal state of the budget in California public schools, if the parents didn't contribute something, the kids would have nothing to use. Or the teachers would have to spend their own money. As the daughter of a teacher, I have too much respect for the teachers' salaries to expect that of them.

I seem to recall having lists sent home or being given a list at the beginning of the year when I was in middle and high school in a middle class suburban Philadelphia district. Stuff like 3-ring binders, specific colors of notebooks, rulers, hole punchers, and other nonsense, depending on the teacher's style. You didn't want to be the last one to Staples in that situation!

[MemeGRL]

Fascinating post! We live in Philly suburbs and our school supplies list is posted on the website, ready to access anytime, organized by grade. First grade list is longest but they figure you are buying things they will use again (backpack, clipboard, headphones, pencil box). Most of the things (markers, crayons, tissues) are thrown in the closet or classroom baskets and used all year by all the students in the class (so while I might prefer one name brand, chances are a lot of dollar store markers go in there too--not to besmirch dollar stores, where I spend a lot of time, but their "washable" markers, in my experience, really don't wash out best).

Scissors always seem to be on the list. Where, I wonder, do all those scissors go, that they all need replacing every single year?

[Inki]

Norway here. Kids are expected to bring a pencil case with a few pencils and erasers, maybe a highlighter or a crayon or two, but that's about it in terms of school supplies until middle school. Also indoor shoes to keep the floors nice during the winter season to avoid slush etc. Everything else is provided by the school (not the teacher, I was shocked the first time I heard about American teachers having to buy school supplies for their students!)
In middle and high school, you bring your own notebooks (and binders if you want them, not as common here as in the US) and in high school you also buy your own text books, which can usually be had secondhand.

[Kelli]

I remember having a shopping list provided by the Oregon school I attended 30 years ago. This year I downloaded the list for our California Elementary School (1st and 3rd). Last year I paid the teachers rather than going shopping ($30 per), but this year I pooled lists (different schools) with a couple of friends and we picked up what was on sale over the summer. Some specific brands ("Crayola washable markers") or packaging ("upright box of Kleenex tissues"), some just general ("glue sticks"). For the lower grades, items are pooled so it makes sense to have the same brands. Upper grades start to be responsible for their own items.

The shopping appeals to my bargain shopper side. I also love visiting the office supply stores.

[Alexicographer]

Oof, I'm late here, not too late I hope to throw out a question. I have no particular expertise in this topic as my kid is just starting public K, but among the things on our list is "headphones or ear buds for use with laptops and ipads." And the school then recommend a pair of earbuds that costs $2.99. Which, fine, I get that my kid is growing up in the 21st century and will at some point use ear buds or headphones, and I appreciate that our public schools have identified a set that are hopefully within many families' ability to afford. But. First, my kiddo has never used earbuds or headphones, so I just wish them luck introducing those. But more to the point ... am I the only one thinking about the concerns associated with kids, audio devices, and hearing loss? And, relatedly, was I nuts to go buy the one system that seem to be recommended as having good, and automatic/not-overrideable sound controls to protect little ears? I don't mean nuts as in obsessively anxious, I mean, nuts as in was it a waste of my $50 to pay for the good pair of headphones I just ordered through Amazon? Will he be allowed to break/lose them in the first week of school? Aaaaah!

[AmyM]

Last year our school sent out a list of school supplies that didn't look like it was actually created by the teacher. I priced it out between $80 and $100 and decided to wait until I asked the teacher what she needed. I gave her a $50 Amazon gift card instead and she used it as needed later in the year. On a philosophical note, I was dismayed to receive such a list in a school district in which 65% of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch and most low-income families can't easily get to a store which carries the supplies.

[Susan]

In my middle school (grades 6-8) in New Jersey teachers are grouped into teams and students don't find out until first day of school which exact Language Arts (Reading and Writing) or Math teacher (could be one of two for each of those subjects). This means that teachers get together and compromise on the list so, yes, it is quite possible that there are things on the list that your child might not need. If binders or folders or notebooks and pens or pencils are on the list, I would definitely recommend getting those, but not necessarily the index cards or sticky notes or specific colored pens or pencils... yet. Wait and see.

If the list specifies a specific color for a notebook or folder, do try to get that if at all possible.

I tried a new thing with my classes to ask for two dollars from each kid, but, because I work in a team, this is in addition to the other supply items. I wish I could just ask for $10 and then not have to ask for anything else at all for school but I work on a team and other teachers aren't yet willing to, IMHO, do the legwork to have everything ready for the students. (A wrinkle is that we don't know how many students we have until about the end of August yet our supply orders are required by the beginning of June and the special for-teacher-only sales at major retailers etc are usually in July. So I personally wind up buying enough for five classes of 30 kids in each even though I might have a few classes of only 25.)

The most important physical supplies I think are the writing implements (pencil or pens) and notebook paper to have many BOTH at school and, especially, at home. Binders usually come in second and I highly recommend a binder that says "heavy duty" so it can withstand the opening and closing many times a day.

Happy new (school) year -- soon!

[Susan]

@MemeGRL

re: scissors needed every year: it's a fine line between encouraging creativity and keeping classroom supplies in shape! I find students of all ages use scissors on all items just to test it out or to work into collages etc and when scissors are used on sticky or waxy items, the scissors lose their sharpness. If they were safety type scissors to begin with, then they will really lose their ability in a school year. A few pairs always go missing each year, too, sometimes because they were mixed in with scraps of paper and when the scraps were cleared, the scissors got accidentally put in the recycle bin, too.