My Favorite Must Have's
One of the things that gives me joy is school supplies. Every year, I search for what I think are the best and must haves in supplies for our school. Let me start by saying that kids don’t require a lot of flashy supplies, decorations, or equipment. If you were like me and homeschooling was a quick and unexpected decision, you don’t need much to get started. Pencils, paper, crayons or markers and a good library is really all you need to get started. Having said that, over the years, I have picked up some very useful items that we use on a daily or weekly basis. I don’t like to spend a lot, but occasionally, I find something that is too good to pass up.
The following links will take you to some of the items that I currently have in our school. I consider all of these must haves for us. You may find that you can get by without some of these and that’s fine. These are just my suggestions.
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Please note that these are affiliate links and the items shared are NOT free.
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1. Pentel Hi-Polymer Block Eraser
This eraser is by far the best I have ever used. I bought a set of 3 or 4 about 9 years ago and I am still using the same set! You will have to teach your kids to keep up with these, but I have found that these little erasers will not disappoint. They erase even the darkest pencil marks. Pentel also offers the same eraser in a pencil topper form. I have these as well, but they do not hold up as well as the blocks.
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2.Ticonderoga® #2 Pencils, #2 Lead, Soft, Pack of 72
Old fashioned wooden pencils are a must have in our school. These pencils are easily sharpened, don’t break easily, and are just the best pencil I have ever used. Like all pencils, the erasers will disappear before the writing ability goes so make sure you have extra erasers. These are so inexpensive; I buy them in bulk. I have two kids and they write a lot; these pencils don’t disappoint.
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3. Sharpie Accent Gel Highlighters, Fluorescent Yellow
We use a lot of highlighters in our school, and this is my favorite. Unlike the other marker kind, this highlighter is a gel. My daughter is an over-highlighter, so this is perfect for her. She can go over and over, and it doesn’t bleed through the paper. One of my favorite things is that if the cap is left off or just not snapped on properly, it doesn’t dry out, (at least it hasn’t for us).
4. Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo Pack
I bought this laminator 9 years ago and it has stood strong through a kid-caused jam, falling on the floor, and laminating countless number of school and official items. Of course, I have an older model so I can’t verify the newer version, but if I ever need to buy another one, Scotch will be the brand I purchase. Laminator sheets are very easy to find online and in office and do not have to be Scotch brand.
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5. Fiskars SureCut Portable Paper Trimmer
Like my laminator, I purchased my paper trimmer when we started homeschooling. Fiskars is a very reputable name in cutting tools, so I chose to go with what I had experience previously. This cutter came with two blades, and I have used them both without having to buy more. Unfortunately, the blade does fall off when stored, but I think I should probably have a better storage system in place. My cutter is old, so it does not look quite like the one in the link. There are cheaper cutters, but I’m partial to Fiskars.
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6. Exceed Plus College Ruled Spiral Bound Notebook
This heavy paper spiral notebook is a must have for math. I discovered early on that when my son erased on regular notebook paper, he would over-erase and end up tearing holes in his paper. Erasing lightly was a difficult skill to teach him because he tended to release his math frustration through erasing. With this heavy-duty paper spiral, no more holes! The paper is thick and sturdy and believe me, my son has tried to destroy. It is pricier than regular spirals, but we only use these for math. Typically, we only need one per year, but I have found that as the math gets more advanced, two are needed.
7. Carson MicroBrite 20x-40x LED Lighted Pocket Microscope
This little pocket microscope has been one of the most used items in our school/daily life. I have two, (two kids) and they have been used to examine insects, dog hair, minerals, and pretty much anything you can think of. I’ve probably had mine for 7 years and have only replaced the batteries once. One of the reviews complained that the LED light button must be pressed and held for the light to stay on. I think this is a minor thing, we don’t mind pushing and holding a button. I highly recommend this microscope; everyone will get a lot of use out of it.
8. Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer with Scanner and Copier
I could probably spend hours discussing printers. I personally believe that a good printer is one of the keys to functioning smoothly in our school. Over the years, I have gone through my fair share of printers, all EPSON, and all good. The problem I had was with ink, all my printers had ink cartridges and that became very expensive. I did some research and decided to spend the money and get an EcoTank. I have not been disappointed in this machine. The biggest difference that I have noticed has been ink. The printer combo comes with bottles of ink that you easily pour into the appropriate ink receptacles. I have had this printer for about 6 months, and I have not had to buy extra. I used the printer every week, sometimes every day. Typically, I print one to three pages at a time, but I have printed 100s of pages with no problem, black and white and color. My hope is that this is the last printer I will need to purchase for a long time.