specific school supplies frustration

[Poohforyou]

Here is the issue I am having...May seem petty, but it is SO strange to me.

The crayola 24 pack are on sale at Wal-Mart for 40 cents. My kids'(Pre-K) list specifically says the 8 pack which is not on sale and costs 70 cents.

I feel like I HAVE to get the 8 pack, even though the 24 pack is a better deal.

Aren't the 8 pk crayons the fatter ones that are easier for little ones to hold? It's been a while since I've bought them so I can't remember.

 

[Aristocath]

Rose Art products are horrible! I still have nightmares about a Rose Art Play Dough incident over ten years ago.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Crayola crayons are made in the USA, Pennslyvania I believe. I always buy American made pencils and pay way less than what you found

Not sure what an Oriole pencil is...

Well the reason I am guessing that the teacher requested the American pencils and crayons was that in the past those NOT made in USA had lots of lead in them. Kids in grade 4 chew both pencils and crayons (we had a china crayon scare a few years ago also) I am sure also it has to do with the fact that she wants them to buy American. I will also tell you the lead ANd erasers on the pencils made in China are worthless. Lead breaks inside the pencil and the eraser does not erase it smudges.

Honestly, I hve never seen a 14.95 pack or plain old pencils unless they are for sketching or drafting.

Oriole is a brand of pencil that has been around for YEARS ! They do make a difference. When we take our high stakes tests we always request that the admin get pencils made in US because they are so much better.

 

[Ceila]

Toys R US had crayola crayons for .25 2 weeks ago.. so deals are to be foudn on them.

Here is a crazy list my grandmother send me for my cousins daughter. She is going into 2nd grade in a Florida public school:

1 Back Pack ( no wheels)
1 pencil box
1- 1 1/2" binder w/clear pocket front
2- 24 count crayola crayons
6 Elmer Glue sticks
36 yellow #2 pencils (sharpened)
2 pink block erasers
1 pr. scissors w/blunt tip
2 wide ruled spiral notebooks ( 1 red 1 blue)
2 reams white copy paper
2 pks.wide ruled notebook paper
2 rectangular boxes of tissues
1 pk.Expo dry erase markers
2pks. 3x5 lined index cards
1pk.baby wipes (boys only)
1 bottle hand sanitizer (girls only)
1 pack Gallon size Ziplocbags (boys only)
1 pack quart size Ziploc bags (girls only)

There is also a dress code: They can wear red, white, blue,pink polos. collared shirts. uniform or shool T shirts. Bottoms- Knee length shorts, pants or dresses in Navy or Khaki. Jeans or jean shorts may be worn on Fridays only. All children must be well groomed with closed toe shoes or sandals w/strap.

Excuse the long run on sentence.. I just copied and pasted it from my grandmothers email

Actually, that list seems pretty normal and reasonable to me. Heck, I had similar lists back in the late 70's, except for the uniform. That's becoming more and more common in public schools, though.

 

[Soben]

I think it's like a letter to Santa. You really want all these things, but you know it's not going to happen.

My school wants Non-Perforated spirals. I'm sure they're better for all concerned, and if I stumble on them, I'll stock up. But my days of running around searching are over.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Toys R US had crayola crayons for .25 2 weeks ago.. so deals are to be found on them.

Here is a crazy list my grandmother send me for my cousins daughter. She is going into 2nd grade in a Florida public school:

1! Back Pack ( no wheels), 1 pencil box, 1- 1 1/2" binder w/clear pocket front, 2- 24 count crayola crayons, 6 Elmer Glue sticks. 36 yellow #2 pencils (sharpened), 2 pink block erasers, 1 pr. scissors w/blunt tip, 2 wide ruled spiral notebooks ( 1 red 1 blue),2 reams white copy paper, 2 pks.wide ruled notebook paper, 2 rectangular boxes of tissues,1 pk.Expo dry erase markers, 2pks. 3x5 lined index cards, 1pk.baby wipes (boys only), 1 bottle hand sanitizer (girls only), 1 pack Gallon size Ziplocbags (boys only), 1 pack quart size Ziploc bags (girls only). There is also a dress code: They can wear red, white, blue,pink polos. collared shirts. uniform or shool T shirts. Bottoms- Knee length shorts, pants or dresses in Navy or Khaki. Jeans or jean shorts may be worn on Fridays only. All children must be well groomed with closed toe shoes or sandals w/strap.

Excuse the long run on sentence.. I just copied and pasted it from my grandmothers email

I like the dress code but I am just curious why do the girls need quart bags and the boys need gallons ones. Also why is it only the girls need hand sanitizer and the boys baby wipes? Does she think the girls are cleaner ......OMG that is hysterical. Teacher better watch out or the ACLU will get after her for this list.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I like the dress code but I am just curious why do the girls need quart bags and the boys need gallons ones. Also why is it only the girls need hand sanitizer and the boys baby wipes? Does she think the girls are cleaner ......OMG that is hysterical. Teacher better watch out or the ACLU will get after her for this list.

Teachers often do that. Basically, say this is a class of 30 kids. The teachers expects to need about 15 boxes of quart sized bags for use in class this year and 15 gallon sized one. Anything like that will be a communal supply once it comes in.

 

[minniebeth]

I've learned over the years to use the list as a guide and not the bible.

I agree 100% with this statement.
In my kids' classrooms (elementary/middle school) most of the supplies, including folders are pooled. The teachers don't even have any idea of who brings in what, as during orientation (usually a few days before school starts), the kids sort their supplies in piles themselves.
I try to follow the lists as best I can, getting quality supplies on sale, but I won't make myself nuts or broke over certain specific requests that I know won't really make a difference.

I'm in agreement with others on Crayola crayons and quality pencils! They DO make a difference...

 

[Pigeon]

I think school supply lists have gotten insanely specific, and I also think that the teachers who create said lists should have to come shopping with me when I try to fill the lists.

Last year, both my kids had lists that contained items not manufactured or sold in North America, perhaps in the galaxy. They wanted post-it notes of a specific size and color not carried by Target, Staples, Office Max, Hellmart, the local stationery store or any one of the 20 or so other places I looked. The same for an array of very specific types of folders that I was supposed to buy in very specific colors.

And then there are the pointless, unnecessary, expensive frivolous items. One of dd's teachers wanted us to buy a very specific type of laminating film. The list said it was carried by one store that did not actually carry it. It took me about 15 different stores, but I finally tracked it down. $35/package. The reason we needed this stuff is that she wanted the kids to decorate a marble notebook with actual items (not pictures) of things that were meaningful to them, like merit badges, jewelry, plant materials, etc. and laminate the whole shebang so that these 3D items stayed attached. The kids understandably grumbled about the need to ruin stuff that had meaning for them by attaching it to their notebooks.

We needed to complete this expensive ordeal so that the kids could use said notebook as a writing journal during the year, which they could have done just fine without the elaborate decoration. As is the case with 99% of the marble notebooks we buy, about five pages of the journal was used over the course of the year, and then the teacher started having them do their work on paper. Every freaking assignment doesn't need to be an arts and crafts project.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

At that age they might be planning to do a lot of work with specific, but basic colors (color the house blue, the sun yellow, etc) and not want the kids overwhelmed by too many options.

....I see. LOL

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Aren't the 8 pk crayons the fatter ones that are easier for little ones to hold? It's been a while since I've bought them so I can't remember.

They have 8 packs in both sizes.

 

[jen0610]

I'll tell you why they want certain pencils. Kids will often want the ones that have designs on them and they are junk. They break all the time, the lead will slide right on out. The students will have to sharpen all freakin' day. Pencils are not made like they used to be.

Just make sure you buy decent pencils, not cheap ones or cute ones. They really shouldn't be too much more expensive than the other ones. GL!

AMEN to this!!!! And I'm not a teacher.

Over the years, both the kids have talked us into buying a pack of pencils with the "it" character on it. By the time we could get the thing to sharpen and have lead showing to use the pencil, we had half the length gone. And just the slightest bit of pressure and it would snap off.

 

[npmommie]

My dgd will be in the 4th grade this year and he recieved his school supply list. Among the request were 3 packs of 12 American made pencils and Crayola crayons. We priced the pencils and they were $14.95 for 12 and the package stated American made and what's wrong with Rose Art crayons?

I agree the Crayola are better! I was in Target the other day and they were 40 cents a box on sale.
I think Staples is having their sale now too, I usually find them for 25 cents a box there.

I also agree about the pencils. I tend to buy the cute pencils like for holidays, and they are no good, constant sharpening, and the lead does fall out.
cute is all they have going for them

I find the pencils at ocean state job lot ( don't know if you have that near you), but they have the papermate ones cheap.

 

[Ceila]

They have 8 packs in both sizes.

My guess is that a pre-school would want the fatter crayons. Both of my kids' pre-K's wanted those.

 

[MrsPete]

and what's wrong with Rose Art crayons?

Crayola really are better quality, and since they're also cheaper in the fall there's no reason not to buy them.

This is the first year I bought the "Ticonderoga" pencils ealry and guess what ......DD needs "Oriole" pencils! What the heck are they? On the list every other grade specifies Ticonderoga except for hers, grade 3.

Ticonderoga isn't the only brand of GOOD pencils, but the super-cheap one-cent packs are to be avoided. They're just cheap, and the pencil sharpener "eats them up" the first time they're sharpened. The leads break constantly.

I don't remember pencils being so cheaply made when I was a kid, but they're a constant problem in my classroom -- students sharpen and sharpen and sharpen. It takes forever, and disrupts class. No wonder mechanical pencils have become so popular; that's all I'll buy for my own kids now.

 

[Malibustyle23]

Every Monday last school year I was in my DS first grade class volunteering and every Monday Mrs. P was complaining how the lead in the pencil was sliding right out of the pencil when sharpened. You could literally sharpen a pencil stand it straight up and have the lead drop right to the floor only to have to sharpen it again. She was so amazed because she had never seen it happen before and so agitated because there was no solution to be had.

So if buying American made pencils will keep that from happening this year than that is what I am buying. I never knew/thought of that soloution so thanks! And yes Roseart are HORRIBLE crayons! Why not wait a few weeks when the real sales start for school supplies(atleast around here) before shopping or pricing?

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Teachers often do that. Basically, say this is a class of 30 kids. The teachers expects to need about 15 boxes of quart sized bags for use in class this year and 15 gallon sized one. Anything like that will be a communal supply once it comes in.[/QUOTE




OH, we are never allowed to send out a list. The teachers are stuck buying all the tissues and sanitizer etc.

 

[Michelle67]

I'm totally with you. Other than the Crayolas, which I "get" from experience, I don't appreciate having brands dictated to me. I wouldn't mind them saying "good quality," but specific brands is going too far IMO. Last year my daughter (middle school) had to have a specific name brand pen, specific point size. I searched stores in three cities, two counties, and could not find them. I finally just bought her Paper Mate pens and when she wailed that she was going to get in trouble for not having the right ones I told her that if her teacher said one word to her about it, to politely tell her that her mother would like her to call and speak with her. My intention was to tell the teacher to go find the pens herself, submit a receipt, and I would gladly reimburse her, but I had already put way more than enough time into the wild goose chase myself. I never heard a peep. This year, I refuse to run around chasing after specific name brands. If I can see any earthly reason it would make a difference I will look for the specified item, but I am not going outside the city I live in again. School supply shopping should not be days of effort and a tank of gas, unless the district intends to fill my tank.

 

[Sugardimples]

Here's an idea. Why don't the schools partner with the local chain restaurants to collect the crayons that are left on the tables every day? The restaurants throw away hundreds of crayons every day and they were only used once.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Here's an idea. Why don't the schools partner with the local chain restaurants to collect the crayons that are left on the tables every day? The restaurants throw away hundreds of crayons every day and they were only used once.

NOT a bad idea except they chains buy the worst of the worst when it comes to crayons but then they are better then nothing.