Most ridiculous item on school supply list?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:19 am

My children all had extensive school supply lists which I'm sure is not uncommon these days. I really wish that if teachers are going to be so specific with their demands as to size and color of folders or binders or whatever then the schools would just buy them in bulk and add the cost to tuition. Same goes for buying tissues and wipes and ziplock bags and boxes of cereal for preschool classrooms. Don't even get me started on really obscure items that I can't find in Walmart or Staples.

What's the weirdest or most ridiculous item on your children's supply lists? I'll start - graph paper sticky notes. Yes, apparently that is a thing and not a mixup of two items on one line.

Chayalle

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:23 am

Wow that is ridiculous.

DD's school tries to keep supplies basic, B"H. Though I do wonder if she's really going to use all 5 2-pocket folders. (she's the type to just cram them all into one...if they make it into a folder at all...)

amother

Aubergine

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:42 am

A good attitude
A smile
Where do I get those? All the stores that I checked were out of them or never got them in.

amother

Pink

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:45 am

Highlighters in 5 different colors that were used ONCE!
A black expo marker that was never used.

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:45 am

3 pocket accordion folder- after not being able to find it at staples I went to the local store that prepares school supply orders for the pta...the owner told me the school means 6 6 pocket accordion folder since 3 pockets do not exist...it’s been a typo on the school’s list for years and they have yet to change it

amother

Azure

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:45 am

Scrapbooks.

They never used them.

keym

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:48 am

A protracter for 5th grade.
That sits in the supplies box for 8 months until the teacher tells them to take it out to see- this is a protracter. We use it to measure circles. Everyone put them away now.

Chaya123

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:51 am

thesaurus! My daughter said she used it ONCE last year! I really wish the schools would provide supplies at a minimal cost. Much easier for parents!

ra_mom

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:55 am

The separate binders.
Please don't ask for two 2" binders, a 1", and a 1 1/2"inch. How in heavens name are little kids supposed to juggle bringing home and bringing back to school all these bulky binders, in addition to their supplies, folders, notebooks?
Please! Just one large binder with divider tabs!!

amother

Forestgreen

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 11:58 am

If you want to make friends, price everything online, then collect the full amount from parents and order for the whole class. Have the PTA make it a fundraiser for next year.

amother

Beige

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:03 pm

Ds needed a green spiral, blue spiral, red spiral and yellow spiral...why so specific on colors?
A pkgs of expo markers.
Four looseleafs with filler paper and dividers for a third grader

singleagain

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:04 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

Ds needed a green spiral, blue spiral, red spiral and yellow spiral...why so specific on colors?
A pkgs of expo markers.
Four looseleafs with filler paper and dividers for a third grader

Probably so everyone will have green for math and blue for history, red for English etc

mha3484

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:06 pm

A smock for 4 year old nursery. Really the whole supply list is ridiculous for the almost $5000 that the program costs. No aide offered for this year. Somehow the three year old groups are able to pay for supplies and are way cheaper then this.

amother

Silver

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:12 pm

Out of curiosity, how much would it be worth for you to have the school provide the supplies and charge a supplies fee? My school does this, it is mandatory at $65 per child. I have 5 in elementary school ka'h and I find it a big expense. I'm a frugal shopper and I don't think I'd pay quite that much if I were to buy it myself. That being said, it is super nice not to have to shlep around to multiple stores to buy each item for 5 separate lists, kids in tow, during the back to school craziness that happens this time of year. (BTDT). I bought school supplies for my toddler in a separate gan and that was annoying enough.

The most annoying thing on my toddler's list - a roll of pennies for tzedaka. I really wish the Morah would have just asked each child for a dollar and gone to the bank herself and bought the pennies for everyone - really, each parent has to shlep to get it separately??

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:14 pm

Anon bec I've ranted on fb about this.
4 dozen pencils (to share of course) & then repeated requests to send in more pencils. Ummm where's the 4 dozen I sent in?
Index cards & holder- came back unused & brand new.
8 pocket folder .
A steno notebook (used for regular class notes- why?)
Or a Hebrew handwriting machberes that was so much more expensive but was just used to glue in sheets- can u not use a 50 cent marble notebook for that?

4 glue sticks & 2 liquid glues.
Colored pencils, markers, highlighters & crayons.... really?! Banging head

Some stuff are obscure, some are excessive most are unnecessary.

amother

Pink

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:14 pm

mha3484, why is a smock for pre school ridiculous? You want your child to ruin her clothing with paint at school??

mha3484

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:17 pm

My older child has the option to buy his supplies from the school and it cost me 27.00. It was worth every penny.

amother

White

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:17 pm

$65.00 sounds like a bargain
it must be cheaper to buy in bulk

Chayalle

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:17 pm

Chaya123 wrote:

thesaurus! My daughter said she used it ONCE last year! I really wish the schools would provide supplies at a minimal cost. Much easier for parents!

In high school, English teacher made DD get a really expensive special edition Oxford dictionary, because she likes it and thinks everyone should own one.

For the work they were doing, a standard edition was more than sufficient. But we have this expensive huge dictionary gracing her shelves, because it makes Mrs. X happy.

mha3484

Tue, Sep 03 2019, 12:18 pm

amother [ Pink ] wrote:

mha3484, why is a smock for pre school ridiculous? You want your child to ruin her clothing with paint at school??

Its ridiculous because a pack of 24 smocks on Amazon is 13.99. There is no reason the school can not spend $14 and buy smocks for the whole class.

Page 1 of 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next