Back to School MUST HAVES

Welcome to August where back to school is on EVERYONE’S mind. In a recent blog post I talked about ways to get your classroom funded for free! However I had people ask, “What do you do if the items you want are in stores and not online?” There are a few websites that allow for crowd sourcing of classroom funds. Your friends and family would be able to donate money directly to you!

Now that you have a way to make your wishlist more flexible, here are some items that I put on my classroom list every year! 

Teacher Pens: The debate of ink joy vs flair is so old. Let’s all agree that sharpie pens are the way to go! They were the first fancy pens I fell in love with–way before I was introduced to flair pens. I love their fine tips and writing with these are seriously a DREAM! I love that this set of Sharpie Assorted Fine Tip Pens come with a case which will hopefully stop me from misplacing all my nice pens. 

Pencils: As a math teacher I’m a seasoned veteran of the pencil only battle. For a while I was very loyal to #2 pencils but recently discovered mechanical pencils that use 0.9mm lead. These are honestly the best pencils ever! The lead is much sturdier and can withstand the pressure of middle school angst. They last so much longer than my #2 pencils and only require a refill of lead instead of a run to the sharpener.

However if you’re sticking to a #2 pencil only rule, the Ticonderoga brand pencils are my go to! I’ve tried so many bargain brand pencils and regardless of how much money I save on the purchase I always regret not splurging for the Ticonderogas. Ticonderogas hold up much better and have a considerably longer life span in the classroom. 

Kleenex: During my first year of teaching, we spent a good part of the year blowing our noses on paper towels. I decided to say NOSE MORE to that! Since then, I’ve campaigned hard in the beginning of the year for parents to bring in tissues. I also add it to my wishlist because you can honestly never have enough Kleenexes especially when cold and allergy season hits. 

Post It Chart: There are several different brands of chart paper but the Post It Self Stick Easel Pad is my favorite. I don’t mean to sound snobby but the sticky in the back is so extra and yet I can’t imagine my life without it. It allows me to quickly move my anchor charts anywhere and it’s a feature I’ve used A LOT! This has been super helpful especially when working with small math groups. If you are purchasing these I would be super careful about checking the size to make sure it’s the size you want.

Colored Pencils/Markers: Putting these right after the chart paper because honestly, what’s the use of good chart paper if you don’t have the supplies to design quality charts? My go to marker set this past year was the Crayola Classic Broad Line. They come organized in color palettes which make it easy for you to set up chart color schemes. The Crayola Super Tips are also a great set especially to add smaller details or explanations to your charts.

Clorox Wipes: Every year since I started teaching I’d get sick all the time! I started to stock up on Clorox Wipes in my classroom to help me combat any oncoming sickness. This is also super helpful when accidents happen in the classroom and overall are easy to use.

Snacks: I am without a doubt a snack QUEEN! I can almost always be seen munching on something. As a result I always keep snacks on hand in my classroom and over the years, I have slowly upgraded from a snack drawer to a snack cabinet. My favorite snacks to stock up on are popcorn, chips, seltzer and instant noodles. This also helps me to make sure I always have something on hand especially for days that I forgot to grab my lunch off the counter.

Regardless of when you head back to school, make sure you add these essentials to your packing list! Check out Walmart and their online grocery pick up service to fulfill all your back to school needs!

This post is sponsored by Walmart. All items featured in this posts were chosen and reviewed by me.