Back to School Part 2

If you’ve been following my posts, you know I started a group of posts that list some of my favorite school supplies. I have deferred to my teacher friends from all different age group to start working on some of the most common school supplies requested, things teachers really need, and gifts teachers really want! You can catch my first school supply post here: https://messymamalife.com/back-to-school-part-1/!

***As with my previous post, this post contains AFFILIATE links. If you click on them and make a purchase I may make a commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.***

Let’s jump right in! One of the things ALL of the teachers said were either on their school supply list or that they really need, even before COVID hit are disinfecting wipes and baby wipes. Disinfecting wipes are great to clean up spills, sneeze spray, when a kiddo coughs everywhere, etc. Baby wipes are great to easily wipe the kiddos hands for messes, productive sneezes, and productive coughs. Hand sanitizer would of course go along great here! I mentioned it in my previous post. What are the favorite disinfecting wipes, you ask? Clorox and Lysol wipes! It can be very difficult right now to find any place that has these in stock (at least here in Texas) so if you find them and can get a couple for school, do it! I did find some Clorox wipes on Amazon but the cost of shipping was ridiculous so I cannot recommend those. My goal is not to make a small commission while pointing you in a direction that is way too costly. I did find this Clorox cleaner at a reasonable price Clorox Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner. It is a bathroom cleaner but who doesn’t need their bathroom cleaned?!!? I use it to clean my bathroom frequently. I do have to use a different cleaner on my tub and the tile because it has been refinished and to keep with our warranty we are only allowed to use 2 cleaners on those areas. But I do use the Clorox cleaner for the toilet, sink handles, and door handles. While not Clorox or Lysol wipes, these wipes are listed on the EPA website as approved against SARS-CoV-2 (aka COVID-19) CaviWipes Metrex Disinfecting Towelettes. These are normally used in healthcare settings. You MUST wear gloves when using these and they are NOT safe for use on skin. If you would like to search the EPA’s list of disinfecting agents approved for use on COVID-19 here is the link to their site: https://cfpub.epa.gov/giwiz/disinfectants/index.cfm. From this link you can change the way you search so you can search by name of product you want to check. You can also check by the EPA registered number. Moving on to diaper wipes. I know last year my daughter was required to bring 3 flip top packs of diaper wipes. I think most teachers would prefer the flip top as opposed to a refill pack that has to be ripped open so keep this in mind when purchasing wipes. Amazon has some Amazon Elements Baby Wipes, Unscented but you can also get some very reasonably priced wipes at Target. When I went to Target yesterday they did have a limit on the number of wipes you could get (I don’t remember if the limit was 2 or 4) so keep that in mind.

Most teachers said crayons or map pencils as well. Crayola brand anything was recommended over any other brand. I’d love to have this crayon set at home: Crayola Ultimate Crayon Collection Coloring Set! My daughter’s school supply list only called for 3 pack of the 8 crayons like this Crayola Washable Crayons, 8 Colors. I ended up buying several of these packs in case the teacher ran out and so I had some at home. These would be good map pencils Crayola 68-4012 Colored Pencils. If markers are on the list I like these (and these were on my daughter’s list last year) Crayola Ultra Clean Washable Markers, Broad Line, 12 Count. Depending on the age of your child, you may or may not need the washable markers and/or broad line markers. Honestly though, kids of ALL ages seem to like to draw on desks, walls, etc and it isn’t always appropriate things so washable is always a good idea to me! Black ink pens were also a common thing found on lists (not pre-k or kinder) as the kids start to get a little older. A pencil holder is a good idea to help keep the pencils/crayons/markers contained especially if your child will be responsible for keeping up with his own supplies. If your kiddo has a binder that he can put the pencil case in, Binder Pencil Pouch with Zipper Pulls has good reviews on Amazon and this is a pack of 10 for $15.99. Target has some for $2.99 each. These are just basic, simple pencil cases. You can of course spend more and get something cuter, totally up to you. There are also hard plastic pencil cases. Those might be a good option for use at home. Dollar Tree also carries pencil cases and pencil pouches.The kiddos will need a pencil sharpener like this Bostitch Office Twist-N-Sharp Manual Pencil Sharpener to sharpen their pencils. Some schools may not allow them to have a pencil sharpener due to safety issues so check with your school.

Highlighters were also listed. I always liked the Sharpie Retractable Highlighters but just about any would work. Scissors were a common theme as well. If your kiddos are younger, their list will typically say blunt tip scissors. I like the Fiskars brand like this Fiskars 5 Inch Blunt-tip Kid Scissors, but there are other brands as well. With older kids blunt tip may not be required. A teacher friend for high school aged kids said she prefers Fiskars scissors as well. Teachers throughout the grade levels also recommended Composition Notebooks. Some want wide rule and some want college rule so you might check with the teacher. Composition notebooks can be found just about anywhere. I know Dollar Tree, Amazon, Target, and Walmart are all selling them. I have seen them at the grocery stores as well.

Organizational items were high on the list as well. Binders, Binder Dividers, and Planners were all recommended to help with organization. I think I need some of these things! I need to work on my organizational skills for sure! While I have a calendar on my phone, I honestly prefer to have a physical planner book. It makes it easier for me to see everything and make a better plan! Next I need to add my meals to a planner!

Keep an eye out for my next post! School supplies and things teachers like to have in their classroom will be on the next agenda!