Making sure you have everything you need to get your children prepared for school can seem like an overwhelming task. Whatever grade they are going into, there always seems to be something vital that you might have missed. Thankfully I have missed all those things in my years of being a parent, so you don't have to. Here is a great guide to help you organize for your kids going back to school.
Best Chromebook
ASUS Chromebook Flip C214
Staff Pick
The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is the best Chromebook for students because it provides an excellent experience in a compact, durable package. The 11.6-inch screen is easy to see in a wide array of angles — even in the Florida sunshine — and the zinc alloy hinge allows you to rotate the screen around 360 degrees into tent or tablet mode as needed. A 2-in-1 Chromebook lets your student interact with lessons and content however they want: with the keyboard and mouse or directly with the touchscreen.
For the whole class
Crayola Crayons Bulk
If you have young children in K-4, then your teacher's supply list likely has crayons as a priority. It is possible to buy Crayola crayons in bulk to help your teacher and to cover those less able. This box of Crayola crayons has 24 packs of 24 colored crayons. Enough for an average classroom. It won't be enough for the whole year, but at least it is something.
Best water bottle
LifeStraw Go water filter bottle
The 23-ounce LifeStraw Go water filter bottle is a wonderfully sturdy water bottle that can be used to filter your h2o for everyday drinking or for keeping you hydrated during extreme outdoor adventures in the middle of nowhere. You may not like the water coming from a school fountain or the idea of sharing so that a Lifestraw bottle will filter out 99.9999% of contaminants from the water.
Make all the notes
Hamelin college ruled notebooks
When you are in college, the most important tip is to take notes and to take them often. Writing down everything helps cement that knowledge into your mind and lets you come back to it afterwards. These three notebooks are lined, ready to take copious notes in your lectures. I like that they have three different colors, making it easier to separate out for your different classes.
Write it right
Sharpie S-Gel
Obviously, pens were going to make it onto this list. You can't work without them, and you'll need a lot of them over the course of a school year. I really enjoy these gel pens from Sharpie as they roll on the paper smoothly and can keep up with my chicken scratch handwriting. They can stay wet for a little while, though, so make sure you let them dry before you close your notepad.
A modern lunch
Bentgo kids lunch box
We've come a long way from the metal lunchboxes I had when I was a kid. My daughter has one of these Bentgo boxes that let us add some much-needed variety into her diet. She even gets to have some ranch dressing because each small compartment is sealed, stopping any liquids from spilling into the other foods. The compartments are the perfect size for a child too, with room for snacks and a main sandwich.
Cover the angles
Mr. Pen Geometry Set
If you are just starting in High School, you will likely be embarking on a new type of Math. Get a good leg up on it and order one of these geometry sets from Mr Pen. It has everything you need to measure angles and draw perfect circles, something you will definitely need every day of your adult life. I promise...
One a day
Crayola Kids Face Mask
Masks are an essential part of life these days, but making sure your child has one that is clean every day can be a chore. Crayola has this nifty five-pack in various colors, so you can give your child a fresh mask each day and clean them all at the weekend, saving you time and hassle throughout the week. My daughter loves these, especially has I added some vinyl images with my Cricut!
Keep it secure
4 Digit Combination Lock
School lockers need locks. It's a standard thing across the United States, so you'll need to pick one up. This combination lock is the perfect size to fit a school locker and is easy to set up. Just make sure you keep the code handy at home. My boy forgets his code every week!
Keep everything safe
High Sierra Loop-Backpack
Having a great backpack can help organize your child day and reduce the stress of moving from class to class. These High Sierra backpacks have plenty of space to separate your books, lunch and electricals to make it safer to carry everything. It even has a dedicated pouch for your tablet/Chromebook and a strong clip on the front for your water bottle.
Stick together
Elmer's All Purpose School Glue Sticks
Another bulk buy for the classroom, these Elmer's glue sticks are used across the country in classrooms K-8. When you can pick up a pack of 30 for such a low price, it feels like a no-brainer to help your child teacher cover the necessities. We managed to pick up four packs of 30 for our daughters pre-K teacher, and she was over the moon.
Best Overall
Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator
Perfect for high school and beyond, this calculator is classroom-ready. Pre-loaded with 12 useful applications, this calculator can't help but teach you something new. This model also includes MathPrint functionality so students can enter factions and equations in proper notation. And, bonus, it's approved for standardized testing, including PSAT, SAT, ACT exams, and IB and AP tests.
Everything you need
When looking at what you might need for back to school supplies it is important to think about what grade your child will be going into. If your child is young, K-6 for example, then having a good lunchbox like the Bentgo kids lunch box and school supplies like Elmer's glue sticks are going to be more important than a Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator.
If your kid is off to college — they grow up so fast! — they will almost certainly need a good calculator as well as these excellent Hamelin college-ruled notebooks to take all the notes needed to succeed.
Why trust us?
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Credits — The team that worked on this guide
James Bricknell James currently has five children, so he is intimately aware of how frustrating dealing with school stuff can be. Over the course of 25 years of being a dad, he's managed to narrow down some great options.
Amy Kaspriskie is a writer at TechnoBuffalo. She is a fan of puns and constructing a great story. When she's not writing, she's giving her attention to her very adorable dog, Teddy.