As much as I dread seeing the back-to-school area in stores during the summer, I get pretty excited about teacher supplies once the school year arrives. The smell of fresh Expo markers and the feel of crisp Post-It notes is like heaven. As you’re preparing for back to school, I want to share a few of my favourite teacher supplies from Amazon that made my classroom a better place to be.
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#1 Pro Click Binding Machine
You might have a little sticker shock after looking at this teacher supply, but I promise it’s 1000% worth the money. Teaching primary, you create lots of books throughout the year, from memory books to in-class resources – not to mention it’s great for creating teacher planners and other quick-reference booklets for planning.
I used to depend on the school-owned comb binding machine, but it was always coming undone. This Pro Click Binding Machine changed the game. These ones never break! I like the click spines the best, but they also have a spiral option.
#2 Flair Pens
To all my Inkjoy friends, I’m sorry to say it, but it’s all Team Flair Pens over here! At the beginning of every school year, I have to stock up on essential teacher supplies, which always include Flair Pens.
I love how smoothly these pens write, and they never smudge. The multicolored Flair Pens are great for my planner, grading, and student feedback. I use the black Flair Pens for personal notes or less urgent items in my planner.
#3 Laminator & Laminating Sheets
One of my favourite teacher supplies for my classroom is my laminator. I am all about saving myself time, and the laminator makes it possible to prep activities and reuse them for years. Plus, it can save you paper if you create class sets of activities and have students write on the laminated paper (pro tip: have students use crayola markers when writing on laminated paper. It comes off much easier than dry erase does. Just use a damp cloth and voilà!).
Personally, I like to use 5 mil laminating sheets because they are thicker and more durable. I use my laminator for all sorts of things, from planner covers to task cards to classroom decor.
#4 Scratch & Sniff Stickers
These stickers are a blast from the past! I still remember my grade one teacher putting these on my schoolwork, and it brought a smile to my face every time. Not gonna lie, when I found my childhood schoolwork at my parents’ house, I may have scratched them to see if they still smelled good.
No matter what year it is, we can all appreciate a scratch and sniff sticker. Add these to your teacher supplies this school year and give them away as prizes or to reward hard work.
#5 Pop-its
Pop-Its aren’t just a fun fidget toy, they can actually be a helpful teaching tool as well. Pop-Its have become essential teacher supplies for my classroom.
During your math lesson, you can use them to help with counting, exploring addition, and more. They are essentially like using 10-frames. You can also use them for literacy by having students pop the number of sounds like hear and then map out the word in Elkonin boxes.
My students loved these Pop-its so much, they would immediately light up when they saw me get them out of the supply cabinet.
I hope these classroom supplies gave you a few ideas for the new year and maybe even brought you some excitement about heading back to school.
