School shopping

[mammamo]

My oldest is going to Kinder in the fall and was wondering what is on your list to buy your little ones, other than school supplies. This is our very small list so far.

Bookbag

Tennis shoes (Im sure what she has will be outgrown in the fall, if not, they will wait)

socks

few pair jean (probably 2)

She already has a nice tupperware lunch bag and a ton of clothes!

[Ragana]

Our list is usually about the same. We stock up on reusable lunch containers, make sure we have enough water bottles, last year I sewed a bunch of small lunch napkins. I usually make sure they have 2 school-ready shoes each, since they don't change shoes for gym. Our supply lists are LONG, so I try to keep the rest to a minimum.
 

[ollyoxenfree]

I would check with the school and kindergarten teacher for specifics. For example, at some schools, students wear slippers in class. They may be required to bring their own box of tissues or there may be a request for classroom donations for that sort of item. 

If the teacher doesn't use his/her own file folder or manila envelope system to communicate with home, I always found it handy to have a clear plastic 8.5 x 11 inch envelope with a flap and string closure for notes between home and teacher, school newsletters, permission slips etc. It lived in the backpack and made it very easy to find those things. 

[NiteNicole]

We have the option of buying the supply box from the PTA.  It's less expensive and all the stuff goes into a common pool of supplies anyway. 

When school starts and everything goes on super sale, I will still snag a ton of pencils, glue sticks, construction paper, several sizes of ZipLocs, etc.  They will start to run out and send home "wish lists" at some point so it's nice to have gotten them cheap and just send them in.  I hate that teachers have to supply this stuff if parents don't.  My kid helps use it up, I am thankful we can afford to help replace things.

I just thought of one other thing  - LABELS!  I don't even know where you can buy them, but labels for clothes, scarves, jackets, etc.  If your school has uniforms, you will one day find yourself trying to figure out WHICH blue hoody on the lost and found table is your kid's and there will be like, fifteen to choose from.  I also found some iron on patches (just cute ones) for hoodies, scarves, gloves, etc so my daughter can easily pick hers out at a glance.  It helped a lot.  MOST of her stuff made it home this year.

[~cassie~]

We have a very long list for each kid.  Plus they will all need new tennis shoes, they all still have plenty of kackis for uniforms but they will most likely go to a new school and will need new polos for each of them.  By the time we are done, it will be about 600$ between clothes, shoes, supplies, and school fees.  Thankfully they still have their backpacks from this year that are in perfect shape!

[JollyGG]

We skip the new clothes until the weather actually gets cooler. They wear shorts the first couple of weeks anyway and I have enough other things to spend my money on in August. They usually get one new outfit for the 1st day, but that's it.

school supplies (1 set for each kid plus extras for home while it's all on sale, in addition to another full set for each kid to donate to our city's school supply drive)

tons of Kleenex, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer for the classroom.

snacks for the classroom.

bag/backpack (I buy a decent one that can last two years)

shoes

lunch money

school pictures (they do them the second week of school already)

hair cuts

club dues (just chess this year thankfully)

sports fees

Luckily as you are dealing with K, you probably won't have sports of club fees.

Edited by JollyGG - 5/20/12 at 8:06pm

[Drummer's Wife]

Be lucky your list is so small! My DD is starting middle school and wants Jordan shoes, brand name clothes, expensive bags , and a new tablet since she. Rome hers -- just a few of the things she wants/needs.

My 3 boys are much easier, and I can still pick out their clothes for the mos part. Also, they are all 3 in Montessori in the fall so luckily I don't have to buy any actual school supplies... Just write up a check to give the teachers.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by NiteNicole 

We have the option of buying the supply box from the PTA.  It's less expensive and all the stuff goes into a common pool of supplies anyway. 

When school starts and everything goes on super sale, I will still snag a ton of pencils, glue sticks, construction paper, several sizes of ZipLocs, etc.  They will start to run out and send home "wish lists" at some point so it's nice to have gotten them cheap and just send them in.  I hate that teachers have to supply this stuff if parents don't.  My kid helps use it up, I am thankful we can afford to help replace things.

I just thought of one other thing  - LABELS!  I don't even know where you can buy them, but labels for clothes, scarves, jackets, etc.  If your school has uniforms, you will one day find yourself trying to figure out WHICH blue hoody on the lost and found table is your kid's and there will be like, fifteen to choose from.  I also found some iron on patches (just cute ones) for hoodies, scarves, gloves, etc so my daughter can easily pick hers out at a glance.  It helped a lot.  MOST of her stuff made it home this year.

My ds will have uniforms in the fall - if you figure our labels let me know!!! I'll be using sharpie on everything, but a small label so I know at a glance which one is his would be awesome!!

[Ragana]

I wish we had the PTA supply box, but I don't want to open my mouth and get roped into organizing it!

Really, that could be done centrally by school or even for the whole district, but it's only done at one school here that I know of.

One more thing about supplies like pencils and crayons - if you can afford it, spring for the name brands. Dollar store stuff is practically useless.