What school supplies for an incoming kindergartner?

[citymama]

We won't know DD's school assignment till a week before school starts :eek: and probably will only get our school supplies list then. Well, we're away most of that week so I need to start getting prepared sooner!

What are the kinds of things I'll need to get for my incoming kindergartner?
Backpack (what size?)
Lunchbox (does this fit in the backpack? What kind do you guys like?)
Water bottle (yes? Or do they just use water fountain?)

What else? Thanks for any suggestions!

[o_mom]

We have use a LE Small Haul backpack and LLBean Critter lunchbox for both K and 1st. The lunchbox fits in the backpack for now, but we really only had a folder and library books going back and forth to school (boots in the winter, too). DS1 is in 2nd this year so if he needs more room we can clip the lunchbox on the outside of the backpack. We didn't use a water bottle other than in the lunch box.

[JBaxter]

check the schools website or go to a target/walmart close to the school ours has flyers for all the local schools available.

[ellies mom]

Honestly, other than the backpack and maybe a lunch box, you really need to wait until you see the list. I would check the school website and see if they have the supply list posted. Ours is posted late spring for the next year. I know several weeks before school starts a lot of our stores put out the various schools lists too. Another possibility is that the PTO/PTA offers a deal. We keep meaning to do this but always forget because we just aren't thinking about school supplies when they want people to order but we have noticed that they always have extras.

The reason you need to wait is that some of the lists are very particular. And sometimes things are community items and sometimes they are not. And sometimes, they want specific brands, in specific sizes and sometimes they do not. And sometimes they have the girls bring in one item and the boys another. You will save yourself a lot of angst later if you are just patient now.

[wimama]

DS has a LL Bean Critter Lunchbox and Backpack for K4. Both held up well and DS will be reusing both this year. They are a good side for K5 and the lunchbox does fit in the backpack.

I would call the school and see if any supply list are available yet and if so where you can get a copy of the list. Our school uses Schoolpak, so I looked up the supply list online and hit some of the back to school sales today. Some items can be very specific, like DS had to have a nap mat and headphones last year. He needs them again this year, but we already have them.:thumbsup:

[KrisM]

Well, from our website, here's the list for Kindergarten:
1 full size backpack without wheels
6x9 pencil box
4 boxes 24 count Crayola crayons
3-4 low odor dry erase markers
12-16 Elmers glue stick (not purple)
1 solid color 2 pocket folder
1 pair of kid size Fiskars scissors
2 boxes Kleenex
2 containers of baby wipes
Zip lock bags (girls quart sized, boys gallon sized)
1 8 oz bottle of liquid soap (not hand sanitizer)
1 wide ruled spiral notebook
2 pkgs. 3x3 sticky notes

2 ½” white binder with cover pocket

But, another list comes with the class assignment next month, too. Most of the things above are pretty generic and are on our 2nd grade list, too. He has the 2.5" binder though, and I'm glad I only have to buy 1 of those :). I do not know why pencils aren't on the list.

DS puts his lunch box in his backpack with no issue. He brings a water bottle. The fountain is in the hall, so this way he's set all day. I will send a pair of gym shoes with each kid, too, to keep there in case they don't have the right shoes on, or forget them and just have boots.

[o_mom]

...

But, another list comes with the class assignment next month, too. Most of the things above are pretty generic and are on our 2nd grade list, too. He has the 2.5" binder though, and I'm glad I only have to buy 1 of those :). I do not know why pencils aren't on the list.
...

Just for comparison, there is no supply list for Kindergarten at our schools, so it varies widely.

OP - do you know which school it may be? I'm thinking if you know it is one of, say, three schools, you could pull the lists for each school and figure out what you would need to cover all of them and plan on returning the extra stuff. There will probably be quite a bit of overlap.

Or, you could figure out what they all have in common and send the minimum in at first and add to it later. So if the different schools need 2, 4, and 5 boxes of crayons get 2 now and then plan on getting more later if needed.

[Kindra178]

The reason you need to wait is that some of the lists are very particular. And sometimes things are community items and sometimes they are not. And sometimes, they want specific brands, in specific sizes and sometimes they do not. And sometimes they have the girls bring in one item and the boys another. You will save yourself a lot of angst later if you are just patient now.

I am new to this too. I was shocked to see how the teachers are requesting specific brands (Elmers, Avery, Fiskar and Crayola) on many items. Also, girls and boys have different Ziploc bag requirements. Amazon has a ton of back to school stuff, as do all the usual office stores, so as long as you have access to a computer you should be fine. You could order stuff and just have it sent to your house. At least for now, anyway, Amazon's pricing on certain items beats Target pricing from my quick look too.

As for backpack, some lists request a full size backpack. Ours just says labelled backpack, so will be starting K with a PB Kids small one, and may decide to go bigger once winter rolls around due to snow pants/boots/winter gear. LL Bean and LE have a ton, including some sales. I would look for one with a water bottle outside pocket, because it seems that it makes it much easier for the kids to have water bottle access. There is a helpful recent backpack thread from a couple of weeks ago.

There is also a recent lunchbox thread. My guy will be using a planetbox most days and a PB Kids Darth Vader one for days when he takes a thermos. I love the planetbox for myself. It's pretty narrow, not very bulky and doesn't take up a lot of room. It should fit fine a in a backpack.

Our favorite water bottles are the Thermos Funtainer.

[KpbS]

We too bought a Critter Backpack from LL Bean last year but it turns out that our Kindergartners are required to use a school issued tote bag so this will be our first year with the backpack. I would make sure whichever backpack you choose for your DD is not too big for her. It seems like most backpacks made are for bigger kids and not the younger ones or kids with small frames.

DS1 loved his Critter Lunch Bag and it was the perfect size for us--very roomy. Most of the year he used a funtainer for his drinks sometimes a small KK or inexpensive water bottle from Target.

[jacksmom2009]

i just found this site. and it is wonderful. check it out. we are moving so i didnt have a school supply list yet for my daughters new school. but then found this.


www.school-supply-list.com

[ellies mom]

I am new to this too. I was shocked to see how the teachers are requesting specific brands (Elmers, Avery, Fiskar and Crayola) on many items. Also, girls and boys have different Ziploc bag requirements.

I don't mind the specific brand requests because not all brands are created equal. For example, in my daughter's first grade class all the pencils go in a basket. If a child's pencil tip breaks, they put the old pencil in a pencil holder and grab a sharp one out of the basket. Then, usually, a parent volunteer sharpens all the broken pencils. As that parent volunteer, let me tell you, there is a big difference between brands. Some are a real pain to sharpen and some sharpen like a dream. My favorite are the Dixon Ticonderoga. The purple glue sticks stain. The cheaper crayons break. The cheaper scissors don't cut worth crap. If limiting 20 five year-old's color choices to 16 crayons makes for a smoother day, then I don't really mind.

[Kindra178]

I don't mind the specific brand requests because not all brands are created equal. For example, in my daughter's first grade class all the pencils go in a basket. If a child's pencil tip breaks, they put the old pencil in a pencil holder and grab a sharp one out of the basket. Then, usually, a parent volunteer sharpens all the broken pencils. As that parent volunteer, let me tell you, there is a big difference between brands. Some are a real pain to sharpen and some sharpen like a dream. My favorite are the Dixon Ticonderoga. The purple glue sticks stain. The cheaper crayons break. The cheaper scissors don't cut worth crap. If limiting 20 five year-old's color choices to 16 crayons makes for a smoother day, then I don't really mind.

It makes perfect sense to me. I suspect that a third of the class probably won't follow the rules though!

[ellies mom]

It makes perfect sense to me. I suspect that a third of the class probably won't follow the rules though!
I was one of the rule breakers when my oldest was in Kindergarten. They wanted something like 8 of the large non-purple glue sticks. We could easily find large purple glue sticks and small non-purple glue sticks but only two places had large non-purple glue sticks. They cost over $2 a stick. I managed to find a few for a decent price but finally, I just sent in a ton of the small non-purple glue stick and called it good. The one that I complained the most about was the crayons. I can't remember what size box they wanted, I just remember that it was the size that wasn't discounted and ended up being more than twice as much as the larger boxes that were discounted. I did a lot of grousing but did suck it up and buy the right ones.

The first grade list was much more reasonable and the second grade one looks to be as well.

[wimama]

I don't mind the specific brand requests because not all brands are created equal. For example, in my daughter's first grade class all the pencils go in a basket. If a child's pencil tip breaks, they put the old pencil in a pencil holder and grab a sharp one out of the basket. Then, usually, a parent volunteer sharpens all the broken pencils. As that parent volunteer, let me tell you, there is a big difference between brands. Some are a real pain to sharpen and some sharpen like a dream. My favorite are the Dixon Ticonderoga. The purple glue sticks stain. The cheaper crayons break. The cheaper scissors don't cut worth crap. If limiting 20 five year-old's color choices to 16 crayons makes for a smoother day, then I don't really mind.

I have to agree with you on the brands. For some things the name brand really are better. Like Crayola markers and crayons. DS got some cheaper off brand crayons the other day and they only made it through about 4 coloring sessions before they were worn down and all broken. And, they didn't color as nice. Cheaper markers seem to dry up faster as well. I did bend the rules a little on DS back to school list, though.

DS's back to school list is only posted on the Schoolpak website and the list is super specific because it lists what the Schoolpak company supplies in their back to school packs. The only things I substituted were Scotts Tissues instead of Kleenex. They wanted a box of 200, and there were not boxes of 200 Kleenex tissues. The Kleenex boxes are all smaller. And, I let DS substitute Star Wars folders and notebooks for the plain poly folders and plain spirals. Lots of the kids had character folders last year. So, I figure there was a little room or individuality there. DS goes to a Catholic school and starts wearing a uniform next year and I am not buying him a new backpack or lunchbox. I figured an extra $4 on Star Wars supplies would make him happy and it did.;)

[hellokitty]

EVeryone's made good points. I just wanted to add that for the backpack, make sure it is big enough. DS1's LL bean jr backpack would have been way too small for K. They were bringing home binders, books, plus sticking his lunch box in there too. We got the LL Bean little critter backpack and matching lunchbox and they are the perfect size for early elementary aged children. Also, a lot of schools cannot accomodate rolling bacpacks in their cubbies/lockers, so I wouldn't even bother with one of those. Our school is sooo picky about brands. I understand for one thing, but what infuriated me last yr was that they wanted the colored oxford index cards. They were expensive and I could not find the colors they wanted, but still got oxford. I found out they are only used for flashcards on a ring, and a lot of parents got the cheapy $1 brands and they would have worked just fine. So, I understand why certain brands are preferred, but sometimes I think it is excessive. I don't even know if I will send elmer's glue (not glue sticks) as requested, b/c honestly generic glue and elmer's glue seem the same to me, but I know that the sticks are very different and can see why they are picky about those, crayons, scissors, pencils, etc..

[AnnieW625]

DD1 will be getting a new backpack (from LL Bean, or Lands End), and potentially a new lunch box if they can't have character lunchboxes (I doubt we'll find that out until sometime in August).

Here is the list of supplies for this year, however I believe it's a new thing for the school because my friend who had a son in kindergarten last year only had to bring in paper towels, and kleenex.

Crayons - Crayola - Twistables - 8 Ct
Eraser - Magic Rub - White
Folder - 2 Hole Poly Retention Jacket 14 x 9
Folder - Laminated Pocket - Oxford - Blue
Folder - Laminated Pocket - Oxford - Red
Folder - Legal -Color Reinforced Tab Fastener - Yellow
Folder - Manila - End Tab with Fastener Straight Cut
Folder - Plastic Pocket & Prong - Green
Glue - Crayola - Washable - Stick x5
Paper - Copy - White - 500 Ct Ream
Paper - Wausau Astrobright Color Cover - 65 lb - Vintage
Paper Towel - Roll x 3
Pencil Pouch - 3 Ring - Clear
Pencil Pouch - Mesh Window - Nylon - 3 Ring - 7.5 x 9.75 Inch
Scissors - Fiskar - Kids - 5 Inch - Blunt
Tissue - Kleenex - 110 Ct
Wipes - Baby - Pkg - Unscented - Huggies - 40 Ct
Wipes - Disinfectant - Clorox - 35 Ct
Zipper Bags - Snack Size - 50 Ct

[new_mommy25]

We won't know DD's school assignment till a week before school starts :eek: and probably will only get our school supplies list then. Well, we're away most of that week so I need to start getting prepared sooner!

What are the kinds of things I'll need to get for my incoming kindergartner?
Backpack (what size?)
Lunchbox (does this fit in the backpack? What kind do you guys like?)
Water bottle (yes? Or do they just use water fountain?)

What else? Thanks for any suggestions!

DD is starting K and I have a DS entering 2nd.

Backpack: I bought DD the Lands End Featherlight 100.
Lunchbox: LE Featherlight. Matches her backpack and clips on.
Waterbottle: We use Camelbak. I have a dishwasher safe adhesive label on it. They bring the bottle daily and keep them on their desk so they stay hydrated and don't hang out at the water fountain all day.

Here is DD's Kindy supply list. There were other items on the list like smock, change of clothes, etc. that I didn't list because this is my shopping list.

[new_mommy25]

Wanted to add a few things. The reason there are specific brands is because at some schools items are shared. At DS's school there are groups of 4 desks pushed together. In the center there are containers that hold pencils and other supplies. They specify Mirado pencils, Crayola colored pencils, etc. because these items are shared so they must all be the same, and I assume they know which items are best quality. On DS and DD's school list (and they will be going to different schools) it tells you which items to label and which not to.

[KpbS]

They specify Mirado pencils, Crayola colored pencils, etc. because these items are shared so they must all be the same, and I assume they know which items are best quality. On DS and DD's school list (and they will be going to different schools) it tells you which items to label and which not to.

That is a good point. Last year we were told not to label any of our supplies--no scissors, pencil boxes, etc. They were all shared supplies.