Pleasing Office Products
Posted by Kim Murphy on 29 Jul 2009 | Posted in: Organization and Supplies, Teachers and Teaching
Do you know what I love about back-to-school time? Office products! Notebooks, pens, sticky notes, binder clips, crayons, stickers—I love them all! I want to twirl down the back-to-school aisle at the local superstore and sing a little ode to these marvelous items. (In my mind, I imagine being accompanied by a troupe of dancing writing utensils à la Disney.) Do you love office products as much as I do? Talk to me about how you acquire paper, crayons, stickers, and other items for your classroom. What does your school provide? What do you purchase yourself? What items do your youngsters bring to school? And is the economic crunch affecting your ability to acquire the items you need for your classroom? I can’t wait to hear from you.
Your blog cohost (and office geek),
Kimberly Brugger-Murphy
Congratulations to Diane Fangmeyer, Director/Teacher of Covenant Kids Preschool, Covenant Presbyterian Church; Omaha, Nebraska! She is the winner of a copy of the Big Book of Monthly Ideas, PreK-K.
64 Comments |
Subscribe
|
Email This
64 Responses to “Pleasing Office Products”
More Comments Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All Comments
Believe it or not, State Fair time is just around the corner. In past years, I have found plenty of freebies there. Things like pencils, pens, markers, post-it-notes, etc. from booths at the fair. So what if a pencil or pen has a local television or radio station of it. It’s still a free pencil or pen that can be used for a student, right?
I love school supplies. Right now at some stores you can get free school supplies when you use their card. You pay upfront for them then when you check out, the cashier will give you extra care bucks for the money you spent. It’s awesome. Watch your sunday ads because it’s only free sunday-tuesday.
I just love going into the stores at back to school time! Sometimes I just go in to smell the new supplies or to just look at them. I would love to buy everything even it I don’t need them just because it’s back to school time. My students buy their supplies for my classroom not my supplies. I do buy a folder for each child and get it ready for open house. We ask each child to take a week and buy snacks for the whole class or to buy napkins, spoons, and cups for the whole class. That’s what we do at our preschool. I buy what I can and then ask the folks of the church where I work to buy some. My favorite things are any things teachery. I love teaching!
I love Post-it’s - especially the pop-up ones with the dispensers. Mechanical pencils are my other weakness - I rarely go to an office supply store without purchasing one of these items. I have bought so many things for my students for 25 cents and less.
Gel pens, rolling ball pens…..can’t get enough of them, extra fine point, please.
I love to write and am always jotting down ideas and reminders for myself.
Sticky notes come in a close second for my favorites.
The back to school isle brings the hope of a new and exciting school year, and it also brings to mind wonderful memories. I also like to watch parents and children as they look through the folders and binders and debate their preferences. Just yesterday I watched a Mom and daughter shop, Mom had the “list” in her hand and the daughter was kneeling on the floor, reaching to the back of the shelf to find just the perfect color folder.
Local stores are having wonderful sales this year to help families get their children ready for school.
I LOVE school supplies. They make me feel like a kid again. It also reminds me of the fun of learning. When kids see how much fun you are having they want to have it too! Fun school supplies helps to show kids learning can be fun!
I must admit that I am a sucker for post-it notes. I cannot get enough of them! I use them for everything! I especially love the ones with bright colors and fun shapes. You rarely see me pass them up in the store. Our school provides the plain yellow ones, but what fun are those? Give me the bright, bold, and fun shaped ones!
I love office supplies! I have a weekly tradition for getting the best bargains for my classroom. Every Sunday morning, over a great cup of coffee, I look over our local Sunday paper ads! There are so many items that I need that are on sale for very little money. I’ve gotten scissors, crayons, markers, rulers, etc. for .25 cents or less and sometimes items for free. The key is to get to the store early before they sell out.
This is my second year as a teacher for preschoolers with disabilities. I am so excited buying new stuff for my classroom. I do give my parents a list for supplies but love to go shopping for most of the things that I need. I work in a title one school and last year some parents apologized for the lack of supplies due to the economy. That is why I shop at Wal-mart, staples, and dollar tree for the best deals.
Back to School is so much fun (for me, not my kiddos)! I love to go out and shop as soon as I see the supplies have hit the stores. My kids hate it, so we get our lists and pick up everything and then pack it all away for 6 weeks, until school starts.
I know why Crayolas smell so good too; they are the smell of new beginnings! Excitement, new friends, reuniting with old friends and shiney, freshly waxed floors!
For me, the best purchase this year was a splurge on my very own labeling machine! You should see my file cabinet now!
School supplies! I watch and go for every sale with all available kids and relatives in tow so I can get enough of those really good bargins that have quantity limits! I make use of all the parents who work in industries that get a lot of “freebies” from vendors. I now have enough clipboards for every child. Printing companies have the leftover “oops!” notepads. Parents track down the “oops!” keys from the locksmiths in town for our math center. For those garage sale addicted parents, I give them a list, cash, and a “no more than” price per item. A long time ago, in St. Louis, MO, there was a teacher’s recycling center. It was the best $25 I ever spent…can you say Toyota full, had to leave a child behind to collect later!!!!!! Just kidding…it was another teacher (smile).
I have two favorite stores. Staples and Discount Supply. As owner/teacher/janitor, etc. (child care center) having a budget and sticking to it is crucial. I enjoy purchasing all of the “deals” Staples has just before school. And they have great teacher bags! We live in a small community and everyone is very supportive of our program. Parents and community members sometimes drop off items for the children.