Things I Love Thursday: School Supply Edition

As I perused Target the other day, (one of my VERY favorite places on Earth!), I found my way to the back of the store where all the school supplies were on display.  This makes my heart happy!

Not just because it means the kids will be back in school soon, (and yes, I *AM* happy about that!), but also because I LOVE school supplies!

All the bright colored folders, notebooks, markers and crayons.  The glue bottles lined up for days.  The trendy little backpacks and lunch boxes that kids adore.  Water bottles that are so cute they make you believe your kids will actually start drinking water.  It's all so wonderful!

I seriously have to watch myself in a place like this.  I can get carried away and come home with several packs of markers and crayons, and maybe 20 new folders or so...just because you never know,  (True story).

But if you're wondering what my Favorites are, I DO have a few. 

First, just about everything Crayola makes it great.  But one of my *very* favorites are the Bold Washable Markers.  I like the Bold colors because they are extra bright and show up GREAT on posters, which comes in handy for school projects and sports signs.  Plus, they are washable, which is important because you KNOW your kid is going to get it on that brand new school outfit.

I also like the pip squeakes markers.  These are much smaller and easier for small hands to use.  My youngest daughter loves these and uses them all the time!

Now, when it comes to Glue, I am a name brand girl.  Elmer's really is the best.  I tend to go for the glue sticks at home because they are less messy.  But often, at school, they want the bottles.  And have you seen the Galactic Glue??  Not sure if the teacher's will want this, because it is colored, (comes in blue and red), and has glitter.  But it dries clear, (all you see is the glitter), and for my girls, this is awesome!

If your teacher wants the no-frills kind of glue, the Elmer's School Glue Gel is a great option because is is no-run and is completely washable. 

As far as back-packs go, there are two ways to look at it.  First, kids often like the trendy backpacks, and many kids go through at least one backpack per year.  If that is the case, I would say to go to Target or Wal-Mart and let your child pick out something they like that is inexpensive.

BUT, if you prefer a more traditional/classic look and you want to spend a little more, then check out Pottery Barn and Lands End.  Both of these companies offer great backpacks at affordable prices.  One thing I like is that you can get them embroidered with the child's name.  I did this for my daughter when she started kindergarten and she loved it!  We were able to use that pack for two years, and now she has decided she wants a trendier one...

And for lunch boxes/sacks, there are TONS of options.  Younger kids mostly like the ones with characters on them.  Now, I am NOT a fan of character clothing, bags, bedding or pretty much anything else.  But this is one of those situations that you have to choose your battles.  I let my daughter have a Barbie lunch box for kindergarten and first grade.  At the end of first grade, she informed me that it was no longer "cool" to have a Barbie lunch box.  I secretly cheered inside :)

I am pretty sure my youngest will want some sort of character lunch box too, though, and I will be okay with it.  But if you are looking for other, "cooler" options, Thirty-One makes some great lunch bags in awesome patterns!  Plus, they will last you a good long while.

In terms of where to shop for back-to-school supplies, there are TONS of options.  As I said before, Target tends to be my go-to.  Partly because I'm there so much and it's just convienient.  But also because I like how they have all the supplies located in one spot, so it makes it all easy to find, and they also have a lot of options in terms of colors/designs/patterns.

Another great place to save is Wal-Mart.  They usually have the basics at the lowest prices, but maybe not as much variety. 

Stapels is another great place for school supplies.  The prices are usually not as low, but if you watch the sales, they have some GREAT deals.  For example, right now composition books are on sale for $.10 and notebooks are $.50!  They also have a much larger assortment of calculators etc. for older kids. 

So there you have it!  My take on Back-To-School supplies!  As always, I am linking up with The Diaper Diaries for Things I Love Thursday.  Click on over and check out all the other things that are getting blog love this week!