10 Must Have Homeschool Supplies
When you first begin your homeschool journey, the sheer amount of products that are available and often, recommended to you is huge. It seems like every homeschooling mom has their favorite homeschool supplies alongside items they absolutely can’t stand. They’re not shy about telling you either. When it boils down to it, though, there are only a handful of items that you’ll need for homeschooling. The rest of them are wants. Sure, they can make things easier, but if you’re homeschooling on a budget, these 10 must have homeschool accessories are all you really need to start.
10 Must Have Homeschool Accessories
Before I get started, make sure to check out the Discount Homeschool Supply Stores when buying school supplies!
File Folders – File folders are a must-have for any homeschooling mom who is trying to stay organized. You’ll need them to keep track of important papers, of any homeschool records you are required to keep and so on. Luckily, they’re cheap. You can typically pick up a box of 100 on Amazon for around $10.00.
Pencil Sharpener – Remember those old pencil sharpeners that you used in school? The ones attached to a wall or bookshelf? You’ll want to grab one for your homeschool classroom as well. They run around $10.00, and they will save you the hassle of trying to find the handheld sharpener after it has been lost for the fortieth time. Plus as a bonus, no batteries needed!
Wipe off report sleeves – This one is particularly useful if you are homeschooling multiple kids. Instead of printing off a ton of worksheets, print them once, slide them into a wipe off report sleeve and give the kids dry erase markers to do their work with. Once they’re done, wipe them clean, and you can reuse them over and over again.
A good printer – Printing worksheets and records all requires one thing. A printer. When you look at getting one for homeschooling, you may want to consider a laser printer. They’re more expensive at first, but the number of pages printed on one toner cartridge is significantly higher meaning you’ll save money in the long run.
Dry erase calendar – If your family does a lot of homeschool field trips and activities, having a dry erase calendar is a huge help. Sure, you could use a regular calendar, but a dry erases calendar will usually be larger and allow you to reuse it over and over again.
Gradebook – You’re going to need to keep track of your kids grades. To make it easier on yourself, use a grade book just like your teachers used to. Your local school supply store should have them pretty cheap, or you can pick one up on Amazon if you need.
Lesson Planner – Another thing you’ll want to have is a lesson planner. Here you have several choices. You can choose to go with an online lesson planner like HomeschoolManager.com, a physical lesson planner or you can find a free printable lesson planner online (try Pinterest!). No matter which you choose, having one will make your life so much easier.
Bookshelf – I know this one may sound a bit odd, but having a bookshelf to store all of your homeschool supplies is a must have unless you want things spread all over the house. Homeschoolers typically amass a large amount of books and other things so do yourself a favor and give yourself someplace to put it all.
Storage Totes – Along the same lines as the bookshelf, having storage totes in various sizes can help you keep things organized. Smaller ones are great for school supplies, and larger ones can be used for everything from books to visual aids and more.
TV and DVD Player – A lot of homeschoolers use Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and DVD’s to help supplement learning and chances are good that you will as well. For DVD's, you’ll want to look at things like cartoons that teach (think SchoolHouse Rock), documentaries and more. Fo all that you need a TV and DVD Player and I highly suggest something like to Roku or Amazon Fire Stick.
What items are on your must have list?