I was the kid who thought an Office Depot gift card was the ultimate birthday gift. I adored my moms nice pens, and wanted to build a collection of my own (I’m looking at you, 0.38 Pilot G2). The thought of school supply shopping fills my heart with anticipation of newly sharpened pencils and matching folders. Goodness, I was made to be a teacher! 

Today, I’m rounding up my favorite homeschool supplies, in addition to a few wish list items I’m researching and saving to purchase in the future. 

As always, I’m not an affiliate of Amazon or any other store, so the links you see are simply  happy recommendations for which I receive no compensation. 

Basic Supplies

Pencils 

Ticonderoga Pencils are my favorite. In my classroom days, I noticed they break less frequently and sharpen better, so to me they are totally worth the extra money. 

Notebooks

We’ve used these little notebooks for my daughter’s narration notebooks, and they’ve worked so well! My son also uses one for a sketchpad, and they’re small enough to carry with us for outings!

Crayons

I love sticking to name brand for crayons as well. The quality is worth it to me, so I tend to stick to Crayola! They also offer jumbo size crayons that I’ve used for my toddlers when we first introduce them to crayons! 

Pens

I love so many different pens, but these are my favorites and tend to smudge the least when I use highlighter over the top! They come in both black ink and color ink, so be careful to choose the one you prefer!

Highlighters

I love these highlighters so much, and they come in so many color options! I use them for highlighting our attendance tracker, completed school work, and even my Bible studies! 

Pencil Sharpener

I know some people love the old-fashioned wall sharpeners, and if that’s you, I think that’s amazing!! For our family, we love this electric pencil sharpener, and it tends to hold up well even if the kids use it. My daughter also used this smaller, battery-powered one in her room during afternoon rest time as she’s drawing and needs a quick sharpen.

Pencil Cup 

I have a Daily Grace Co. mug similar to this one in our classroom space to store our pencils in, and it elevates the space in such a lovely way! 

Organization Supplies 

Magazine Holders

I’ve enjoyed using magazine holders to contain our supply-heavy subjects. I mainly use these for Language Arts and Math since we’re needing to pull out several books and other materials for these subjects every day. Since subjects like history or poetry generally only require a single book for each day, I tend simply store these books on the bookshelf (and skip the magazine holder).Thoughout the day we’re able to pull one set of supplies out of the cabinet at a time, and it makes for quick cleanup.

Card Holders

Our Right Start Math curriculum comes with about ten sets of card games, and I’ve used these plastic crayon cases as storage for each deck of cards. It’s perfect and has made it so much easier to keep the games organized! 

Label Maker 

I’ve gotten a little nerdy with my label maker, and have labeled the magazine holders and card holders in order to quickly find what we’re looking for. I’ve also used it for labeling kitchen storage, and I’m loving it! 

School Cabinet

This was a splurge, but I’ve loved having a school cabinet in our small kitchenette. Since we’re doing school right at our kitchen table each day, it makes for quick cleanup at meal! 

Art Basket

Our little basket has been great because I’m able to store crayons, colored pencils, and their little notebooks all in one carrying case. We’re able to grab it and take it anywhere we’re coloring – I even took it to Salato Wildlife Preserve for nature notebooking on the go! Mine is smaller but similar to the one linked, but I got it in the Target Dollar Spot for $5!

Planning Supplies 

Teacher Planner 

This year I’ll be using our very own Seedlings Schoolhouse Planner to plan my weekly lesson plans, track attendance, log our books read, and record our field trips. I’m so excited! 

Student Planner 

Last year I began to work with my oldest on taking initiative in her daily independent work and chores, and this planner is helping immensely with that task! It’s got a place to track monthly calendar events, weekly chores, and daily independent tasks. 

Printing Supplies

Copy Paper 

I love a good copy paper! This premium paper is ultra-smooth and thick, and it feels high quality for more important documents. 

Cardstock

For printing our morning menu, cardstock is my go-to. I also love pulling it out for my daughter if she’s working on a special art project using mediums that require a thicker quality paper (like oil pastels). 

Wishlist: Binding Machine

I currently visit FedEx Kinkos for my binding needs, but I’d love to own a binding machine someday. This one is recommended by Whitney Newby of Brighter Day Press, and has good reviews on Amazon as well. To see Whitney’s review, and to read more about homeschool printing supplies, visit her article here! 

Wishlist: Epson Printer

My husband and I are switching this summer to an Epson Eco-Tank! We are flying through printer cartridges on our current printer, and the cartridges are super expensive. However, with the eco-tank system, I’ll be able to print colored copies for approximately 5¢ each. I’m so excited, I’m asking for it as my 40th birthday present! I’ve linked the one I’m planning to get, but since I’m planning to upgrade to one with auto dual-sided capabilities and the option to print larger paper sizes, you may want to explore the other models and get the one that best fits your families needs.