Craziest Thing on YOUR School Supply List

[BABuse]

They only make about $5 for each packet also. Or at least that is what they make at the school I teach at. You are right about the cost being higher than what you get at the store. They list those marble composition books at $1.15, you can get the same thing at Wally World right now for $.25.

It is cheaper when you pick stuff a little at a time on sale. If you are like me, you make a weekly trip by any of those stores. I just grab the sale stuff while I'm there.

[Tiff]

For a first grader ... 10 sticks of .77 glue. That's the medium size ... so they say. The size of the small sticks is .26. The year before last I sent my daughter to school with 3 sticks of glue, she came home at the end of the year with six... that were unopened and twice the size of the ones I sent. How much glueing is going on in first grade? Are they EATING the glue or something?? 10 sticks seems just a little extreme. It takes a lot of effort to use up a single small stick of glue.

why didn't you buy the school pack? just wondering, it is so much easier. I made the mistake my first year thinking I could find the items for cheaper, I ended up spending about the same, plus gas and running place to place.

Because I play the Grocery Game and thus, I KNOW where to go and am not just going there for school supplies. I save a lot more money, get a better quality product and more of it.

Oh and I do not go against a color request. If there's a specific color, I know there's a reason, design on the otherhand ... It may be red polka dots, but it'll be RED. Like I said, my list said: Marble composition books.. which are all plain. We got three different black and white covered comp books.

[JKTex]

For Kindergarten I got the school pack b/c it was convenient. Last year, I bought the supplies myself -- I priced it out and compared to the school pack price. I paid roughly 40% of the cost of the pack when I purchased the supplies on my own. I will be doing that from now on... it's a money making operation sponsored by the PTA.

When you have more than one child, it becomes even more economical b/c you can buy larger packages of items at the store and share between your own kids' packs.

Ditto starting this year, maybe. Last year by 1 month in to the year, most of what was in the wrap pack has replaced and half of the stuff goes to the teacher for "extras" which I've never seen my daughter get to use when she ran out later in the year. It gets used for kids who loose stuff and parents don't replace it.

Besides, I think it'll be fun shopping for supplies this year. It's like the old days when I got to go shop for my Big Chief pads.

[momof2]

I think the school should supply the supplies. It's relatively nothing compared to how much the school districts spend on other things.

As for kids having "cool" stuff that others don't, I think it is more a matter of distraction than being "fair". The fewer distractions in a learning environment, the better.

My .000001¢.

When you deal with little ones, it's easier to say, "Let's get out our PURPLE poetry folder." Most teachers used a specific color for each subject, etc. Kids know their colors, they don't know if it's the Transformer folder or the Spiderman one. Less confusing on the kids.

I get that, but if that is not what is listed on the supply list, my child should be able to have whatever spiral not book she wants. All it said was spiral notebook. If it stated a color or anything specific, I would have absolutely bought that!

And Al, life isn't fair...not even at school on a daily basis are things fair. Don't want to be a pessimist, but kids have to learn that sometimes they have what they want and sometimes they don't....

[Al]

And Al, life isn't fair...not even at school on a daily basis are things fair. Don't want to be a pessimist, but kids have to learn that sometimes they have what they want and sometimes they don't....

You're right, it's not... and they will have plenty of opportunity to learn that. But why make learning environments prone to more distraction than is necessary?

[Tiff]

Let me tell you about Timber Creek (in the area of distraction and why have more distraction) - I love this school. It's a good school.

But there are times I feel like it's run like it's set in the world of the movie Equilibrium. Especially when I go to have lunch with my daughter and marvel at the fact that you could hear a pin drop in that cafeteria. Distractions? The biggest distraction to a child is another child and apparently they have that well in hand. I remember chattering and talking while ate lunch - but I also had longer for lunch. :/ A folder isn't really going to distract kids for long - but maybe some silly bandz will!

[Al]

Back to the school supplies topic...

Don't forget Costco has some good stuff you can buy online - cheap and usually with free shipping (shipping inclouded).

They have a "Back To School Bundle" for $7.99 including shipping:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... d=11539410

Plus their stuff should be good quality.