The Most Fun to Buy School Supplies for Homeschool Families
Long ago I realized that my homeschooled kids were not going to need the typical list of school supplies every year.
We are able to reuse folders and binders each year and we don’t need quite as many of them as your typical classroom students.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t go school supply shopping each year. I love fresh new items to kick off our year. Sometimes I grab a creative spiral notebook for someone or a special folder that catches my eye, but overall, I just stock up on fun stuff that we love.
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The Best Homeschool School Supplies
Over the years, I have collected some of the best (and most fun!) school supplies to enjoy when our school year kicks off.
I love to purchase a few fun surprises for each kid and quite a few for myself as well.
1. School Supplies: Pens.
We will start with the school supply that I love the most. I have an obsession with pens. We love them for copy work, poetry, journaling, art and….well, and EVERYTHING!
Sharpie Markers. Sharpies of all shapes and sizes and colors make me giddy. I love the fine point, the ultra-fine point, and even the chisel style. Without a doubt, the retractable style is my favorite because you always “remember to put the cap back on.”
Papermate Flair Felt Tip Pens are Ah-Mazing. I mean. I adore these pens. I stock up on these pens because I use them for everything. If you don’t have a set, grab one or two or three.
FriXion Pens. These pens give you all of the beauty of the colored pens you love (like the felt tip) but they allow you to erase mistakes with ease. These are great for copywork or math when you want a little color with the ability to correct what you did.
NOTE: The FriXion pen ink disappears in heat. I have no idea if this would disappear in a hot car, but it does disappear with a blow dryer, making for some fun secret message activities. Put the paper in the freezer and most of the writing returns!
2. School Supplies: Clipboards.
We use clipboards everywhere. In the house. In the car. On nature walks. On field trips. We are huge fans of clipboards. They make it so easy to take your work to the sofa or on the road. They are convenient for students to color while listening to a read-aloud book.
Of course, we have the cheap standard brown set at home right now, but the ones pictured far left below are the ones I have my eye on for this school year.
3. School Supplies: Pencils
These Geddes Twister Mechanical Pencils were introduced to me by my niece and nephew, both public school students. They assure me that these are the best! They love how the eraser can twist out as you need it.
I immediately added them to my list because fun pencils make me happy!
Now there are folks who swear by the Ticonderoga Pencils. I have yet to give them a go.
They come pre-sharpened and I have been told that they are fabulous. I hesitate to try anything other than a mechanical pencil, but we might try these out this year.
4. School Supplies: Artist Pads
We love to use these for all sorts of activities. I keep around cheap ones for random doodling and nicer ones for planned activities. The artist tiles are perfect for zentangles if you plan to explore that art form this year. And watercolor paper is another one we like to keep on hand for occasional projects.
5. School Supplies: Blank Books
We found these at the Target dollar spot and I suggest looking there first. They were $3 for a pack of them. They are only offered once a year during Back to School Time. If you missed it, you can still find them online, but you’ll pay a bit more.
These amazing books allow your students to publish their stories on their own. When I walked in the door with them, one of my kids accosted me and wrote a children’s book that day.
6. School Supplies: Art Supplies
Each year a few of our art supplies need refreshing, so I pick one or two fresh packs of something as a surprise.
Faber Castell is our favorite chalk pastels brand that work well at a reasonable price. I have also added watercolor pencils to the list this year so we can play around with some new art supplies. Sculpey is an absolute favorite art supply in this house, so I make sure we have plenty on hand. The multi-pack is my favorite way to restock.
7. School Supplies: Headphones
The kids in my house have hit the point where they need headphones. The first pair below was inexpensive and perfect for my 9-year-old son who has been recording videos for YouTube. We needed a simple headphone set with a microphone and this inexpensive pair has worked well. Headphones are a perfect surprise for back to school!
For teens, Airpods are an excellent choice.
8. School Supplies: Just For Fun
Ok. I love to surprise the kids with some things that are purely for fun.
I have been eyeing up these magnetic bookmarks. You can see them below on the left. How cute are they? One of my pet peeves is a book lying open on the floor to hold the page, so they would be a perfect and fun solution!
Or check out these emoji stickers! I can think of a ton of fun ways to use them for decorating or journaling or just goofing around.
My kids use tape pretty frequently. I’d love this silly tape dispenser for our art room.
Finally, we love to use post-it notes for all sorts of things so a few fun-shaped notes would work well in our school supplies.
9. School Supplies: Back to School “Backpack”
How about a creative container (if you don’t need a backpack) waiting for your kids on the first day of school filled with these fun new supplies?
Perhaps hiking backpacks make the most sense for your kids? Then you can use them for vacations, camping or hiking in addition to the infrequent times you need them for school.
The teens in this house love a Kavu bag and they use it daily.
Or perhaps a new laptop case filled with all of their fun supplies. Later, they can use it for their laptop!
I am off to shop because these supplies make me happy and ready to kick off the school year!
Happy Shopping Everyone!
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She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Oh, we have been just dangerous in the aisles of Staples and on Amazon this week, stocking up on school supplies! Your list is making me wish I’d thrown a few more things in the cart!
#1. Pens (??) How could I tell this was Mary’s list?! Homeschool supply lists are SO much more fun, I must say. Thanks for the links!
Guilt as charged 🙂