School Supplies . . . There Really is a Difference
As I was sorting through things in my basement, I came across a school supply list from the year I taught full day preschool. On the list I asked the parents not to purchase Dollar Tree or Rose Art brand school supplies.
Some of the parents probably thought I was a snot, but honestly there really is a difference in the name brands. Trust me, after teaching for several years I had seen student after student become totally frustrated and upset because their school supplies didn’t work well. I’ve seen glue sticks come out of the tube in a clumpy mess, crayons that worked as well as candle wax, and rubbery pencils that you had to sharpen half way down to get them to work. It is insanely annoying!!!!
The point of all this is to say that it is worth the effort to purchase the better brands of school supplies. They last longer and your child won’t become as frustrated. Thankfully, now is the time to stock up on quality supplies. Today I got the 2-pack of Elmer’s glue sticks at Target for 20 cents.
Have you noticed a difference in the brands? Which ones are your favorites?
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9 opinions for School Supplies . . . There Really is a Difference
Linda
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:51 am
I am crayola snob! And yes, I was once a teacher too. And yes it does make a difference. Even as a child I remember the frustration of coloring with inferior crayons. It’s just not worth it.
mom_of_14
Jul 23, 2008 at 12:32 pm
definitely crayola brand!!! the others color like pastel candles…very waxy. crayola goes on smoothly and the colors are so rich and vibrant. i still purchase the off brands when stores have them priced ridiculously low for 2 of my 3 year olds…mainly because they can eat a pack of crayons before you can get the words “don’t eat that!!!!” out of your mouth and i don’t want them eating up all the crayola brand ones.
lindsey
Jul 23, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I was looking at my my friend’s daughter’s kindergarten list:
3 -8 ct. crayola crayons
2 - 16 ct. cray. crayons
2 - 24 ct. cray. crayons
Any idea why they had to buy so many?…and then INDIVIDUALLY label them with the students name and ID number.
They also had to pay a $25 a quarter fee for “classroom supplies” and a $3 a week snack fee.
It is a public school and I’ve seen a lot of parents lately stressing out about the money…extra school supplies, extra fees…
Also, our city is implementing a fee for the school buses as well. I think it is $100 a year for a child to ride a bus to school….outlandish.
Carol B.
Jul 23, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I fork out the extra money for Crayola brand.
And since I draw I fork out even more for pencil colors and get PrismColor pencils.
I tried Roseart. Horrible! The colors are waxy, the markers dry up too fast and the pencil colors break too easy.
Amy @ Goo Goo Buy Buy
Jul 23, 2008 at 9:19 pm
We’re just getting into art supplies at our house, but I will say that I too prefer Crayolas to the off-brand crayons. I’m not convinced the cheapo versions are actually safe, and I know they’re much harder to clean up when your toddler writes on your sofa. Crayola is safe and wipes up easily. I’m brand loyal to them, for sure!
Karen
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Mom of 14: My kids got some crayons last year for Christmas that are safe to eat. They came in a black box and I think they had a Panda bear on the front of them. I don’t know the name brand. I think they were made from soy.
Karen
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Lindsey: My guess for all the crayons is that during the year the students (especially the younger ones) use them up, break them, or lose them. When I was teaching pre-k, I gave each child an easy zip baggie with their name on it. They had one for markers, one for crayons, and one for colored pencils. Then I also put their initials on each item. Trust me, it was worth it not to hear the bickering and it also helped to know who had left their stuff out.
It is weird that they asked for different crayon size boxes though. Maybe they wanted them to have a few of the less used colors as well.
Dawn
Jul 24, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I’ve never had problems with Rose Art’s, I think by the time they get to the dollar store, they’ve been sitting in warehouses and trucks for who knows how long. So it’s like they have an “expiration date”. Dollar stores do have other good stuff like pencils, erasers and “namebrand” markers. And yes, stay away from their glues, especially the glitter glue pack. They are horrible. I always keep an eye out for sales during the summer, like Staples is always having 10-cent sales on school supplies.
Tami
Jul 24, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I am a brand snob when it comes to school supplies too. As a teacher, I used to request Crayola, Fiskars, and Elmers (the big ones) glue sticks. So I guess my parents thought the same thing. Our School District is paying all school fees and buying all supplies this year. Can’t understand where the money is coming from. But I’m not teaching so it is none of my business. My kids will just miss the fun of shopping for school supplies. We really like that. No kidding.
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