School Supplies

With August only a heartbeat away, school is on everyone’s mind.  Children are excited as they think about meeting new friends and seeing old school buddies.  Parents are thinking about gearing up for the new year.  Back-to-School supplies are the order of the day.  What is on the list of necessities for your child?

First, take a trip to your child’s school web site.  Individual teacher lists should be posted, as well as school wide lists.  After doing this, scan over the dress code for your child’s age.  With this knowledge in hand, head out to the many stores awaiting your arrival. Pack a change of clothes for spills or accidents for a preschool child.

Needless to say, if uniforms are required, the school web site will direct you as to where to purchase them. Start with a small umbrella and a hooded waterproof jacket for drizzly days.  Shoes with slip-proof soles to prevent playground accidents.  A winter coat for cold months ahead, and light weight jacket for cool weather.  Do not forget  a hat, gloves and a scarf.  A good start is to have 5 comfortable outfits, complete with socks and underwear.  A  backpack that meets the requirement of the school, is necessary to tote things back and forth from school to home.  Send an art smock for preschoolers. 

If lunch from home is on your agenda, a lunch bag or lunch box is needed, along with a plastic drink  container with a flip top to stop spills, and 2 freezer packs to keep things cool. Do not forget hand wipes. Put in packaged snacks (pretzels, nuts and dried fruit) and a water bottle, if allowed.

Supplies for school and homework will include, a box of crayons (16-count), a pack of washable markers (8-count), a bottle of glue (8 ounces), 4 glue sticks, a large pink eraser, 4 No. 2 pencils, a plastic toolbox to store scissors, glue, crayons and other supplies, a pair of safety scissors (age appropriate), a small pencil sharpener, resealable gallon-sized plastic bags for taking home craft projects, 4 folders with pockets and pocket tissue packs.

Middle school and high school students may also need, an agenda or planner to keep track of homework assignments, binder dividers (1 per subject),  a compass, a folder per subject for handouts, 2 highlighters in different colors, a pack of No. 2 pencils (12-count), loose-leaf paper (wide-ruled), pens,  a protractor, a ruler, a mini stapler, a three-subject, or five-subject, spiral notebook, a calculator, 2 packages of 1/4-inch graph paper, and possibly a USB drive to save work done on home and school computers.