What School Supplies Do You Need?

It's that time of year when the sale fliers are filled with school supplies at great prices. So, what should you buy? What exactly do you need to have in your schoolhouse to make teaching easy and effective?

Let's start with what you don't need. You don't need anything fancy or expensive. Those things are fine to buy if you like, but plain folders serve the same purpose as fancy ones, so don't get sucked in to buying something that you don't need.

You can stock your home school with supplies as needed, but do take advantage of the sales. A glue stick for 5 cents is a great bargain! Pick up items that are on sale, especially notebook paper and pencils, which seem to be used up at astronomical rates in our home! I pack a grocery cart this time of year with bargains. The secret is to only buy those things that I really do use during the year. Here are some items to consider purchasing eventually for your school supply cabinet.

Paper

Lined notebook paper, computer paper, construction paper, drawing paper, graph paper, card stock, and watercolor or finger painting paper all get used at our house. Paper doesn't wear out, so buy whatever you have room to store. I purchase a year's worth of paper each August.

Writing/Coloring Supplies

Watch out! These items disappear behind couches, under seat cushions, in the van, and inside the dog's mouth. So prepare to purchase these items in bulk:  pencils, pens, washable markers, crayons, colored pencils, and white board markers. Don't forget big crayons and pencils for little fingers.

Globe

We use this all the time.  Make sure it's sturdy. My son and his best friend used ours for a bowling ball during a history unit study and, thankfully, it survived.

Large Laminated World Map

Another item we use all the time in history or geography class. It's great for praying over the nations of the world too. Rand McNally still makes the prettiest large laminated world maps, at a relatively inexpensive price.

 Computer

I hate to admit it, but computers are here to stay!  Get one that does everything you need it to do. (Can you tell I'm not a big computer person!)

Magnifying Glass

Great for burning holes in leaves, but also good for scientific exploration. (If you can get it away from the leaf burner!) Take a magnifying glass with you on a walk and examine bugs, leaves, and pretty rocks.

Index Cards

Needed for the dreaded research paper, but also great for speech notes, memorizing Scriptures, or studying for a test.

Assorted Music CDs

You can't go wrong with a large collection of good music. Our collection includes everything from Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and Handel to our favorite Christian worship songs.

Assorted Teaching set to Music CDs

We have learned grammar rules, multiplication tables, and phonics sounds from silly songs on a CD. I highly recommend keeping these CDs in the van. Your children will complain, but will not get the words out of their brain no matter how hard they try. ("Conjunction Junction, what's your function?")

Pencil Sharpener

Realize that you will replace this often. Well, at least we do and I'm not sure why. My children have whittled a perfectly good pencil down to a nub with this contraption.

Reference Books

Every homeschool needs a Webster's Unabridged College Dictionary, Webster's Unabridged College Thesaurus, and a colorful LAMINATED atlas.  May I also suggest a children's dictionary if you have little ones, foreign language dictionary for second language of choice, time lines, and a periodic table chart. I love periodic table placemats for elementary children--they will have a reference point when they are taking high school chemistry.

Bible Reference Books

We want our children to be Bible-literate too!  A Bible dictionary, concordance, Bible handbook, and several different Bible translations will allow your child to study the Bible seriously. You may also want to consider a Bible atlas, commentaries, and a Greek-Interlinear Bible.

Books to Stock the Home Library

Every home needs its own library. Grow your homeschool library a little at a times and you will provide your children with a blessing beyond measure. But we'll talk about stocking your own homeschool library next time. So, until then, happy shopping for your happy homeschool!

Remember to keep in mind that you don't need lots of "stuff" for a successful homeschool. Don't feel like you need every school supply mentioned. If finances are tight, pray and ask God exactly what you should purchase. Better yet, ask him to provide for your homeschool. Join the homeschoolers who have testimonies of God's provision of paper, textbooks, drawing pads, computers, and field trips for free. Remember God is the supplier of our homeschool needs.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that...Commnad those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment," (I Timothy 6:6, 7, &17 NIV).