My Top 10 School Supplies w/Free Checklist {5 Days of Back to School Blog Hop}

It's that time of year--the time when the stores send out one of the strongest lures ever--school supplies ads! One of my most favorite things to shop for is definitely school supplies. At a homeschool level, we just don't need as many as other students do, but there are still some must-haves that we find ourselves getting more of each year. Today, I'm going to touch on my Top 10 School Supplies for any homeschool--will your choices be on my list?

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When it comes to school supplies, there are some big must haves and some small must haves. Some of my must haves aren't even physical! But these still count as my Top 10 School Supplies for any homeschool classroom.
#1 Internet and Printer Things have changed since our parents were in the homeschooling world (if they were). Today's homeschooling world includes a LOT of digital resources previously unavailable. There are digital copies of textbooks, online classes, printable curriculum, online educational games...the list goes on and on. I would have a MUCH harder time homeschooling if I did not have access to the internet and a good printer. We even upgraded our printer so it had a higher output AND did double sided printing. We are fortunate that even though we live in rural Kentucky, we still have a great high-speed internet!

#2 Books Books Books Right on the heels of having internet, is having access to a WIDE selection of books. Homeschooling requires a lot of resource materials, and not being tied to the internet is nice. This is why I highly recommend that you collect some quality non-fiction materials for your personal reference library. I took advantage of a Usborne Book sale and stocked up on their fantastic encyclopedias. They are full color and internet-linked. Perfect for any homeschool classroom. I have one for history, science, geography, animals, and even math! We also collected all sorts of field guides for nature exploration. You can't go wrong with the National Audubon Society ones for your area. Don't forget some poetry and short story collections! I also have several young adult biographies. One of the main reasons I don't have a huge personal library is that I live just 5

minutes from an AMAZING library. It was recently redone, and with their renovation came a new "no fines" rule. Talk about making the homeschoolers happy! LOL. They also happily order any books that I can't find, and pull books on topics if I ask for them in advance. With the wide selection of young adult, children, and non-fiction available, there is rarely a book I need that they don't have. 
#3 Laminator I cannot tell you how much I have used a laminator since we started homeschooling 6 years ago...but it is A LOT. Because so many things are printed out these days, I do like to protect them. Being able to laminate them is one way I can do that. You don't need anything fancy--just a simple one with a box of laminating sheets. You can make custom posters, flashcards, games...so much! You can also turn pages into "dry erase" by laminating them. I wrote a whole post a couple years ago about how much I love my laminator. It really doesn't matter which one you have--you will enjoy having it available for you!
#4 Notebooks Spiral notebooks and composition notebooks. I cannot have enough of these each year. I actually have shifted over to the composition notebooks, simply because there isn't a wire to get caught on anything nor can they unwind it! They are super cheap too--during the height of sales, you can get them for just 25 cents each! I rarely pay more than 50 cents each for them. We keep college ruled and wide ruled. Another style I also get is the primary version. This comes with primary lines and blank spots for illustrations. We use these for literature and science. I think each boy usually uses 3 per year. 
#5 Post-Its What? Post Its are a must have? Yes, yes they are. I ESPECIALLY use the little ones because they fit in my planner day spaces. I also use them as bookmarks, and for extra notations on something the boys need to work on. I buy the COSTCO size packages. LOL. They really are a must have here though. 

#6 Index Cards We use these for spelling words, vocabulary, bible verses, and anything else that might call for them. I also have laminated some and added magnets to them. Now they can be used over and over, and will stick to our cabinets or magnetic white board. I prefer the neon colors. :)

#7 Art Supplies Now if you are only doing middle school/high school, this one might not be anywhere on your must have list. But with elementary ages, it really is. Even if I myself am not artsy, a LOT of our curriculum includes art projects. Already having the paper and paint and other supplies on hand saves me a LOT of time. 
#8 Coffee/Tea/Chocolate Another major school supply is whatever YOU need to keep yourself going. For some it's a big mug of coffee in the morning. Others it's tea. Or chai. WHATEVER gets you going in the morning or gets you over the 2pm slump--IS A NECESSITY. So make sure you have plenty of it. 
#9 Flexibility Remember when I said some things aren't tangible? This is one. I find that flexibility is totally a must have school supply for my classroom. I would be so overwhelmed (or at least MORE overwhelmed) if I didn't maintain a level of flexibility for what our routine looks like. This allows me to "go with the flow" on any given day. I included this in one of my Homeschooling Essential posts a few years back.

#10 God and His Word For our family, it is IMPERATIVE that we incorporate God into every single school day. AND that He is a priority. We do not move forward in our day unless we pray and have Bible study. The few days that we have forgotten to do it...well those days were a bit pile of rottenness and attitudes. You will see on my curriculum post from yesterday that we do several things daily for bible. What isn't included on that list is that I pick curriculum that is Christian based, so God is woven throughout our day--whether it's history, science, or literature! I would not be able to fulfill my calling as a homeschooling parent unless I had God to help me. Even on the worst days, I know that "He's got my back." And it's no wonder that one of our classroom mottos is "With God All Things Are Possible!" (Matthew 19:26).
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So there you have it. My Top 10 School Supplies for the homeschool classroom. What do you think? Do you agree? Are any of these must-haves on YOUR list? Share with me in the comments what you consider a must have school supply!

BEFORE YOU GO--I have created a super simple School Supplies Checklist that you can print off and take with you when you head in to buy supplies! I even left extra spaces for the things you need above and beyond the normal! Grab your FREE School Supplies Checklist!

Join me tomorrow as we explore Planning and Record Keeping for Day 3 of the 5 Days of Back to School Blog hop with the Homeschool Review Crew! Please make sure you visit some of the other bloggers participating this week. There are some AWESOME resources being shared--and I'm pretty sure there are even some freebies! Here are some blogs to get you started!

Back to Homeschool Blog Hop: Day 5 ~ My 10 Favorite Homeschooling Blogs

It's Friday and that means it's Day 5 of the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop. It's been a great week and there have been so many incredible things that were blogged about! I hope you had a chance to check out some of the other blogs participating in this weeks hop...but if you didn't, here is the anchor post so you can see the other 49+ bloggers.

Looking back on this week I've spoken about homeschool essentials, my five favorite online resources, steps to pick a curriculum, and lesson planning methods. As a close to this blog hop, I decided that I would share links to ten of my favorite homeschooling blogs--the blogs on this list are ones that I regularly visit and I believe they help me out a lot in encouragement, ideas and resources and I hope they will help you out too!

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links. 

There are so many incredible homeschool related blogs out there. I could easily say there are easily several hundred--maybe even a thousand or more. But there are some blogs which draw me time and time again because of their content and writing style. Some of them I go to for encouragement more than anything else. Some I use as a resource. Others offer regular printables or downloads which are useful to my curricula. 

I have narrowed them down to my top ten choices...not an easy task I assure you! These are the blogs I find myself visiting the most and I hope that you will be able to find them just as valuable as I have.

1. Where My Treasure Is

This blog is a lesser known blog....but I absolutely adore it. Anna, the owner of this blog, is a personal friend and a mom of soon-to-be six. Anna's blog is devoted to sharing about life on the farm up in Michigan, life as a SAHM, life as a homeschooler, her focus on the Charlotte Mason method, sharing recipes to encourage healthy eating, and encouraging moms in general. She has an excellent regular series called Mothering Mondays and has hosted several book clubs. She shares a passion of reading "living" books and regularly hosts small giveaways to share "favorites" with her readers.

Where My Treasure Is is a blog that I turn to for encouragement regularly and I hope that you will consider joining her readership!

2. Delightful Learning

This is a fairly well known blog in the homeschooling world--especially if you have ever used the FIAR (Five-In-A-Row) curriculum. But I love this blog for more than that--I love it because #1 Michelle has become a dear friend, #2 Michelle shares her heart in her NON-homeschooling posts, #3 Michelle shares such an incredible glimpse of life in their homeschool that I want to come and homeschool in HER classroom! Did I mention she regularly shares about their meals and with the photos she posts, I just want to lick the screen of my laptop? (ooops, did I just say that out loud?)  

I have pinned many of Michelle's posts because of the ideas she shares, her recipes and just the fun that they seem to be having. If you have yet to visit Delightful Learning, make sure you head on over soon!

3. To The Moon and Back

Dusty is the author of this blog and she has turned her blog into a must-have for me. She has reviews of so many different products in the homeschool world that I have regularly turned to them to help make decisions. She shares a lot of great recipes--especially her ABC series on Homemade Playdough. (Her playdough recipes by the way makes the best ever.) She is passionate about her walk as a Christian and her faith shines off her blog. She has recently been creating some really useful printable packs that she offers her readers for free.

If you haven't been To the Moon and Back (teehee) I hope you will consider visiting soon! (especially since she's in the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop this week!)

4. Enchanted Homeschooling Mom

Jill is the author of this fun and helpful blog. Jill regularly features guest posts and provides valuable product reviews. She is also the owner of  E.H.M Members Only Store which I spoke about on Tuesday as being one of my five favorite online resources. She regularly adds new curriculum and printables to her shop and I love that for just $15 you can have access to anything she's ever created and will create--forever. She just created a colorful and fun Back to School Activity Pack. She is passionate about learning and adores books. She is the founder of the Poppins Book Nook book club and host of the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop every Monday.

I hope you will pop on over and check out her blog and say hello!

5. Confessions of a Homeschooler

If you are seeking out a host of free printables for the elementary age--especially pre-school and kindergarten, I highly recommend the COAH blog! She has a complete kindergarten curriculum which I have used several things from. If you want something for the older students she has some great unit studies--we will be using her artist and composer lapbook studies this year. We are also going to be using her literature lapbooks with our read-aloud books. She has some incredible stuff that I have always found very useful. She blogs about other things too and I find her blog to be very helpful and encouraging.

6. Schoolhouse Review Blog

I come to the Schoolhouse Review blog when I need more information about curriculum. The Schoolhouse Review blog is devoted to bringing homeschoolers reviews on new and old product and curriculum and have a 100+ team of homeschool moms to make it happen. I also enjoy the guest posts (I did one!) and other extras the blog shares.

7. Hip Homeschool Moms

I had the pleasure of meeting the owners Wendy and Leann in Cincinnati this past April. This is a must-have blog because of the full spectrum of topics that they blog about...it's definitely NOT just about homeschooling! The bloggers who share here are "real" and share things that are very relevant to life as a homeschool mom. I find a lot of encouraging posts here about just being a mom, about battling the challenges of homeschooling in a public school world and much much more!

8. Royal Baloo

If you have a PreK to 3rd grader this is the blog for you! Erin is a genious with creating fun and exciting educational packs in crazy fun themes. One of our favorites is her Zoomin' Moving Alphabet. She also has a very very popular Frozen themed activity packs that your Frozen lovers are sure to enjoy. 

9. 1+1+1=1

Here is another blog that has fabulous free packs for the preschool and kindergarten ages...even tot school! I love her daily binder for the kids as well as her Raising Rock Stars curriculum. She includes a lot of biblical studies including copywork and scripture memorization. I have pulled from her printables many times and planned on incorporating a lot of her stuff into Preschool this year.

10. Ben and Me

This is a blog by a friend named Marcy. I love this blog, because not only does Marcy share homeschooling tips, reviews and product links...but she shares her heart. It's another one of the encouraging blogs that I love to visit. She recently began an adventure into using essential oils which I've been enjoying reading about. This mama adores her family and it shows in all that she shares in her posts. I have pinned a lot of her posts to come back to later. I have met Marcy in real life and she's just as sweet and "real" as she comes across on her blog!

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These are only ten of the incredible blogs out there...but these are ten that I feel are absolutely worth your time and attention. I believe all of them have email subscription available so that you never miss a post. I like finding a new post from these blogs in my email because it's always going to be something good!

I hope that you will take the time to visit them--or maybe just ones you haven't visited before--and I hope that they bring you as much joy as they bring me!

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There are 50+ bloggers more bloggers in this blog hop---here are a few to to get you started! I've seen some of what is being blogged about and it's going to be a great week!

Marcy @ Ben and Me

Jenn @ Treasuring Life's Blessings

Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays

Dusty @ To the Moon and Back

Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning

Rebekah @ There will be a $5 Charge for Whining

Gena @ I Choose Joy!

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And don't forget about the INCREDIBLE (and I do mean that in every sense of the word) giveaway that is going on this week--there are two HUGE prizes that are sure to bless two homeschool families for the new school year. You can get the details about the giveaway--and get entered to win here: Back to Homeschool Giveaway ** Well this is the end of a great week! I am looking forward to the weekend and a blogging break...until next week when I am bringing you three product reviews! Enjoy your weekend and I hope to see you back here on Monday!

Back to Homeschool Blog Hop ~Day 1: Homeschool Essentials

Happy Monday! Here we are in the middle of August and all around us we are seeing things devoted to school--from the incredibly addictive school supplies (who can resist 50 cent boxes of crayons?) to college dorm decor to seeing the big yellow bus go rolling by! But for some of us, we just wave to the school bus as it passes us by--because we are a homeschooling family. Well, it's time for US to start school too, and what better way to celebrate a start of a new year then with a...  
Over the next 5 days I will be sharing posts about things related to homeschooling--so make sure you check in every day! This week I'm going to be talking about Homeschool Essentials, Choosing a Curriculum, Lesson Planning, My Favorite Online Resources and My Favorite Homeschooling Blogs! I have had fun planning out these posts and hope you will join me each day!
*** What do you think of when you think of a school essential? I'm sure that good old supply list they give you each year (have you seen the size of it these days?!!) comes to mind and the staples that are on it every year. But what about Homeschool Essentials? 

1. New Supplies

Yes, even for homeschoolers, there is just something incredibly exciting about new school supplies! Did you know that I make a list for my own "students"? A lot of what I put on the list depends on our curriculum, for some curriculum requires specific supplies--subjects like Art, Science, History (for the maps and timelines), English and others. This is when having material lists in each curriculum are very useful! But after a few years I can usually guess what I'm going to need.

To be honest...I make a bigger deal about needing new supplies than necessary. Do they need a brand new package of crayons or coloring pencils? Well since we have a crayon jug and a crayon box and a recently purchased box of 94 Crayolas? Eh, probably not. Pencils? Well, I do only have about 50, and I might need more, right? So there are a FEW things I don't buy...but because I remember the thrill of new supplies for school each year and how much it really did make my first day of school better, it's a little splurge we indulge in each year anyway. Besides, I've learned from experience that we go through a lot of Crayons and pencils throughout the year. And glue. LOTS of glue. LOL.

The main thing each boy gets to choose is a new folder, a new binder and a pencil box. I take care of picking the supplies for everything else. But the joy they have in getting to pick whatever their heart desires for those three items is so worth it. They know that school is going to start soon when they get to pack up their pencil boxes to put on their desks and it brings a level of excitement to the house.

2. White Board

I was incredibly blessed when we started our journey into homeschooling. My husband was demolishing a school in Cincinnati for work during that time. If you know about demo work, the company doing the demo has rights to anything left behind--and in this school EVERYTHING was left behind. Imagine the thrill of excitement when I got the call from my husband that he was going to be able to outfit our "classroom" with real school stuff! We were blessed with desks, a filing cabinet, 2 bulletin boards, piles of paper, full size classroom maps, and my best friend---a full size white board.

Now for most families this would not be an essential, mostly because they would never have one. But for us, this white board has become an essential. We have really been using it the last year as our subjects got more challenging--especially in writing and English lessons. Being able to do work up on the white board has helped tremendously and I forsee us continuing to use it in the many years to come.
Want a white board, but know you aren't going to be able to get one? I ALSO consider the mini student white boards to be an essential. 

We use these for the many days when we are not in the classroom for work. I also enjoy using this for Baby Britches. The best thing about these is that you can usually find them at Target in their $1 bins! I just picked up this new one there a couple weeks ago. We use these just as much as we use the big board.

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is a teacher's best friend. With a simple keyword search, you can pull up a plethora of things from ideas to printables to clip art---and a LOT of it is free! I have used Pinterest countless time to help me find ideas for crafts, to find themed worksheets, to find free fonts I can use, to find free clip art that's school related. Follow Lisa @ Farm Fresh's board Homeschooling: Science on Pinterest.

I have made boards for each subject in homeschooling from planning and organization to art to Charlotte Mason to Preschool to History. This allows me to separate out the gems I find to places where I can pull them up easily. 
Seriously. If you haven't been using Pinterest for homeschooling, you are missing out on a great tool that will save you a lot of time and frustration! I'd love for you to follow me on Pinterest so I can help you make connections with great homeschooling resources and ideas.

4. Homeschool Planner (or planning sheets)

This essential is new for me. I spent my first 2 years of homeschooling without one but last year I decided to try out using one for the whole year. You can read about what I used and how it worked for me and it worked VERY well. But this year I am going with something else to assist me. 

Hey Mama! Physical Schoolhouse Planner $23 (US)

This is my planner for this year. It is spiral bound and beautiful! It has blank calendars, blank weekly sheets, a place for curriculum lists, attendance, and more. I am looking forward to using this to try to stay on top of not just school, but of blogging too. I plan on using this in conjunction with my lesson planning forms--I will be going into that more in another post this week.
I have discovered I am FAR more organized using a planning sheet of some kind. It gives me a "routine" to follow and a way to keep myself accountable for what I have planned. There are tons of free forms out there and yes, even free full planners if you don't have the funds to invest in one like this.

5. Homeschooling Friends

This is perhaps one of the most important essentials for me. I could not homeschool without my fellow homeschooling friends. They support me and help me out when I'm ready to throw in the towel. They know what it's like to swim upstream in the educational world. We share ideas and resources. We share sales and big curriculum finds. Having an incredible network of friends carries me through the days when I'm THIS close to wishing the big yellow bus will stop at my house to pick up two crazy monkeys. 
***There are far more things that I could list as homeschooling essentials, but these five are at the top of my list this year. I will be diving more into aspects of this list as the week continues, especially into curriculum and lesson planning, so please make sure you check back in with me!

There are 50+ bloggers more bloggers in this blog hop---here are a few to to get you started! I've seen some of what is being blogged about and it's going to be a great week!

Marcy @ Ben and Me

Jenn @ Treasuring Life's Blessings

Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays

Dusty @ To the Moon and Back

Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning

Rebekah @ There will be a $5 Charge for Whining

Gena @ I Choose Joy!

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And don't forget about the INCREDIBLE (and I do mean that in every sense of the word) giveaway that is going on this week--there are two HUGE prizes that are sure to bless two homeschool families for the new school year. You can get the details about the giveaway--and get entered to win here:Back to Homeschool Giveaway
I hope to see you at the same place and same time tomorrow as I share with you some of my personal favorite homeschooling resources--most of which are FREE!