10 of Our Most Used Homeschool Items
When I first started homeschooling, I was set on having a fun learning space that was set up for crafts and have a beautiful reading area…... did that happen? Well, not exactly. As we go into our fifth year of homeschooling, I took a mental inventor of things we really NEED and items that we simple WANT. There is a difference. Our learning space is set up more like a library than a craft studio because we learned together that D’s learning style was NOT craft based. In fact, sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get her to create anything! On the other hand, I rarely have to ask her to read because she will read ALL DAY if I let her. Each kid is their own person and that is a beauty of homeschooling, we can tailor our teaching to their learning styles! With all that being said, we definitely have some favorite items that we use almost every day in our homeschooling.
These items are ones we NEED. Does that mean everyone will need them? Maybe not!
Ticonderoga Pencils - When we first started homeschool I thought it would be fun to get special pencils for different holidays or units we were doing. I would get pencils from the Dollar Tree or the Bullseye Playground at Target but D had NO interest in using them. They broke easy, erased badly and did not sharpen well. So out they went! Now we only use Ticonderoga pencils.
A GOOD pencil sharpener- It seems silly to say this, but we like our pencils sharp. Have a dull pencil? It will not be as clean when writing out math or long paragraphs will look sloppier. This could very well be a ME thing that I passed on to D, but it is a need for us!
Post it Notes- We have them in every color and size, some with lines and most without, some off brands (which do not stick as well) and some that are translucent. I like to use post it notes to in our reading comprehension lessons to make sure plots on a story timeline. This has been something we have done MANY times and helps when you make a mistake, you can use remove the post it and replace it. Overall, it has made it easier for the finished product to be clean and presents well.
Spiral Notebooks - At the beginning of each school year I have D select 4 or 5 notebooks to use for the year. Honestly, we are not buying any this year because we still have about 8 that are in need of a use! We use them to write out the work for our math questions, I write our daily task list in its own notebook, writing out paragraphs for reading comprehension and just plain scratch paper. I do prefer to have the paper in the spiral bound notebook instead of loose-leaf paper because it STAYS TOGETHER!
Colored Pens- It is such a stereotype that teach like colored pens, but I totally understand why! I use colored pens to correct math problems, fix punctuation and write out our task lists. I find that by using a colorful assortment to write our task list, they become more fun and do not look as daunting. My go to pen is Le Pen however I recently got so Yoobi pens and I really like them!
Clip Boards- One of the best parts about Homeschool is that it can be done ANYWHERE! We like to go to the library every Monday and do one subject between picking out new free reading time books. This is also the time that I write out our tasks for the week. clip boards come in handy if we do not get a table and to keep the papers needed for the subject all together. Clipboards are also VERY handy when doing school at the park or in the car during a long drive.
These items are ones that we use A LOT but are not a must…. Just things we LOVE.
Magnetic bookmarks- We read a lot, obviously. I prefer to use magnetic bookmarks because they can go on the side of the book and do not have to stick into the center of the pages. This is 100% a personal preference. I also like to mark reference books for when we are working on a unit study. These help me to make that pages that D will reference during her independent work. As a bonus, there are a lot of super cute shaped magnetic bookmarks!
Math Gears- I got these when D was in second grade to help her learn math facts. While she was memorizing the facts, she would use these on her math assignments. She will still sometimes still pull them out to use but they are starting to become not needed anymore.
Timer Cubes- These are just fun, yes you can use your phone but if I leave D to work independently, I do not want to leave my phone. They also work great for timed math tests to test math facts!
Colored File Folders- I prefer to used colored folders! I organize each year in one color; 4th grade was green and 5th is blue. Our charter school is broken down into 9 or 10 Learning Periods per year. Each learning period gets one folder unless we did a large unit, then the unit will get a separate folder. This way I can see what I turned into my Teacher of Record, and it helps not to overwhelm me with how much work we have accomplished (Or need to)! I will also put each of the worksheets per unit we have upcoming into its own folder to keep the pages together. Maybe I am a bit obsessed…. but I will just say its organized!
Do you have any items that are a must for you? Do you agree with any of my picks? or do you have a favorite brand of pencils too?!
No matter what your homeschool area or supplies look like, the most important thing is the connection you get to develop with your kids and the education you get to facilitate! You are awesome and I know you’re doing great!