Saturday, August 10, 2013

Ahh... The Joy of School Supply Shopping

                


I am sure that we are all aware that summer is nearing its end, and it is officially back-to-school season. (Yay! ... not.) Personally, I think that I enjoy everything about school except for school itself-- I absolutely love organizing my workspace and preparing my backpack & desk for school, but my favorite part: school supply shopping.

At my school, we don't get a supply list on the website. Instead, we find out what materials we need for each class on the first day. So, when tax-free day rolls around, I really only purchase the essentials. What are the essentials? You might ask. Well, search no longer, because I have come up with a list that I believe benefits every individual for back-to-school. :)

1. Planner- As you have probably heard many times before, a planner is a LIFE-SAVER when it comes to recording all of your assignments, tests, and due dates! Definitely a must in my opinion. 
My advice? Make sure your planner is efficient and durable. If you love extremely cute prints, go ahead, but be sure that it will last the year!


                

This Five Star planner is my all-time favorite, which is saying a lot. I almost couldn't find it this year at Target (I might have had a mini heart-attack), but upon full inspection of every ransacked school supply aisle, I found the one. The main reason this planner is unique is because of the vertical layout. It keeps me super organized during the year and helps me see all my tasks at a glance when I get home!

2. Post-its (normal 3x3 and tabs)- I love using post-it notes to jot down little reminders and sticking it in my planner. They are great for those miniature tasks to do during the day, too, like asking your teacher a question or printing out that bus pass in the morning. You can use post-its for anything... which is why I consider it an essential!

                


Tabs, on the other hand, are great for bookmarking certain pages in textbooks or books for your literature class. Here's a tip: if your textbook has a glossary, index, or answer key, bookmark the first pages so you can easily flip to it when necessary! You can also use these to mark your spot in your planner.

                


3. Backpack- You obviously need something to carry your books and papers in! Just like I said with the planner: you can make it cute, but keep it durable :) Oh, and be sure it has cushioned shoulder straps and back support!

                


My backpack this year is from REI, and it has SO MANY pockets! It will definitely keep me organized.

4. Pens, pencils, and highlighters- Need I say more? 

            


5. Index cards- I know, I know: "There's an app for that." The index card app for the iPhone is very helpful when you need to study quickly on-the-go, but I have learned that writing everything out manually really does help. There's just something about it that sticks information in the noggin' a lot better!

            


6. Locker shelves- This is an absolute essential for those of you who have/actually use a locker. (At my school, we each have an assigned locker, but no one uses it-- we just carry everything around in our backpacks!) However, when I used a locker in middle school, locker shelves were super duper helpful in dividing up the narrow space that I had, and allowed even more storage for books and binders.

            


This is the basic kind of collapsible locker shelf that you can find pretty much anywhere. They come in many different colors to suit your taste :) In 8th grade, though, I used a different kind of locker shelf from the Container Store (love that place!). It has 2 adjustable shelves, so you can change their height depending on the size of textbook or binder!


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Okay, so those are all of the essentials that I can think of at the moment. I would love to know all of your essentials, so feel free to leave a comment below telling me which supplies you think are important for back-to-school!

I hope you enjoyed reading my first real blog post. I had a lot of fun writing it and coming up with ideas for it :) If you have any suggestions for future blog posts, please email them to me at artofhighschooling@gmail.com!

Good luck!
-B.


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