Back to School Checklist

Some of you may be heading back to school already. However, here in Michigan, we don’t got back to school until the day after Labor Day. If I’m being honest, it drives me crazy. I would rather the kids go back to school mid August and get out of school Memorial Day. This year we are going away for Labor Day weekend. So, in order to not feel crazy when we get back, I need to make sure our back to school checklist is completed.

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Photo by Alexandr Podvalny from Pexels

adidas Unisex Classic 3S III backpack, Black/White V3, One SizeJanSport Cross Town Backpack – Leopard PineapplesExtra Large 50L Travel Laptop Backpack with USB Charging Port Fit 17 Inch Laptops for Men Women

Starting School

It drives me absolutely crazy that we start school after Labor Day. I wish we could start mid August and get out around Memorial Day. However, that will probably never happen. You see, tourism is big in Northern Michigan. With us starting after Labor Day, it gives us Michiganders one last hoorah to end summer. A lot of people travel to Northern Michigan for the weekend. While I get it, at the end of the day, if a family wants to take a long weekend trip, they will do it regardless of school! Side-note…if you haven’t been to Northern Michigan, you must plan a trip! Traverse City is one of my FAVORITE places!

School Checklist

This year, my youngest is starting high school. Her school is pretty unique. There are three high schools on one campus and the kids can have classes in all three buildings. It’s pretty wild. So for us, our back to school checklist may contain things that the average high school, middle school, or elementary school student may not need. But…if you are going away to college, you may find some of these items on our checklist pretty handy! One of the things I like to do is check Amazon for a lot of items before heading to the store. Sure the store may offer sales, but I got WAY better deals on Amazon last year. And, not to mention, it was pretty nice having it all delivered to my door!

adidas Unisex Santiago Insulated Lunch Bag, Black/ White 2, One SizeAmersun Kids Lunch Box,Durable Insulated School Lunch Bag with Padded Liner Keep Food Warm Cold for Long Time,Small Water-resistant Thermal Travel Office Lunch Cooler for Girls Boy-2 Pocket,Light BlueNeoprene Lunch Bag,LOVAC Thick Insulated Lunch Bag – Durable & Waterproof Lunch Tote With Zipper For Outdoor Travel Work School (Cool Gray)

School Supplies – Organization

I think organization is key for kids, especially when they hit middle school and high school. When you have six different classes, you want to be able to keep things straight. When I was in middle school, the number one thing I wanted was a Trapper Keeper. So when my kids started middle school and high school, I searched high and low for something similar to the amazing Trapper Keeper we had in the ’90s!

Five Star Zipper Binder, 2 Inch 3 Ring Binder, Xpanz, Teal Triangles (29040HZ9)Case-it The Universal 2-inch 3-Ring Zipper Binder – Holds 13 inch Laptop – Includes Removable Sleeve – 400 Page Capacity – [Purple]Case-it The Dual 2-in-1 Zipper Binder – Two 1.5 inch D-Rings – Includes Pencil Pouch – 600 Sheet Capacity – [Mint]

My daughter was not a fan of the zippered binder. She used it for a little bit and then it sat in her room. So instead, I got her set of spiral bound folders (FYI, it’s on a great sale) and she loved it. This was the exact same thing I used in high school and college. I highly recommend it.

Papers, Pencils, Pens Galore!

Normally I like to wait until the first day of school, when teachers give students a supply list, before I purchase most things. With that said, there are a few things on your school checklist that you know you will need and should stock up on. Things like the reinforced loose leaf paper (get reinforced…trust me), graph paper (buy A LOT of this…it’s always so hard to find here), and notebooks. Those things, along with pencils, pens, erasers, etc. are always things you need, regardless of the teacher list. Everything I linked below are great prices…you will want to grab them quickly!

Spiral Notebooks Quad Ruled Heavy Duty White Paper 100 Sheets Assorted Colors Water Resistant Covers Protect Your Notes 3-hole punched for Ring Binder (Pack of 4) Wire Bound Graphing Books – by EmrawFive Star Loose Leaf Paper, 3 Hole Punched, Reinforced Filler Paper, Graph Ruled, 11 x 8-1/2 inches, 100 Sheets/Pack, 3 Pack (38034)Mead FBA_6180 Five Star Spiral Notebook, College Ruled, 2 Subject, 6 x 9.5 Inches, 100 Sheets, Assorted Colors, 6 PackPaper Mate Mechanical Pencils, Write Bros. Classic #2 Pencil, Great for Standardized Testing, 0.7mm, 24 CountPaper Mate 70624 White Pearl Erasers, Large, 3 CountBIC Ballpoint Pen, Assorted Colors, 60 Pack

Technology Needs for School

In our schools here, the kids use Chromebooks a lot. We got our daughter one in 6th grade and she has used it all three years of middle school. She will also be using it in high school until she graduates (or it dies and she needs a new one). I’d say we got our money’s worth! Honestly, I would recommend picking one up for your child instead of them borrowing from the school. I can’t tell you how many people I know that ended up with ridiculous charges for things that their child didn’t do to the computer.

 

Acer – Chromebook Spin 713 2-in-1 13.5HP 1FX82UT#ABA Chromebook – 11 G5 EE 11.6 inches 1366 x 768 Intel Celeron N3060 Dual core (2 Core) 1.60 GHz 4 GB RAM 16 GB SSD 16 GB Flash Memory Chrome OS HD Graphics 400 (Renewed)Lenovo Chromebook C330 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop, 11.6-Inch HD (1366 x 768) IPS Display, MediaTek MT8173C Processor, 4GB LPDDR3, 64 GB eMMC, Chrome OS, 81HY0000US, Blizzard White

When my daughter was in middle school, she needed a TI-84 Plus CE Color Graphing Calculator, Black. Right now this calculator is about $50 off on Amazon. I would pick it up. This is the calculator that your child will use in middle school, high school, and college. They can also use it on the SAT and ACT. The last thing on your back to school checklist I would consider getting is a Kindle Paperwhite. In middle school my kids had to make sure they always had a book for silent reading. The Kindle Paperwhite was great because it is light and barely took up any space in their binder!