School Supplies Addiction: You better read this today

In the last few weeks I have shared some of my true addictions with you (left out coffee and it's a big addiction). Now I am sharing just a few of my super, duper favorite, can't do without school supplies since we are heading back soon... shhhhh  The office supply stores are already starting their sales. I am not there in my head yet. These supplies are ones that I buy whenever I am out and about and cannot ever resist. When they are on sale I go "ape" and purchase too many and just remind myself (little voice in my head) that I must have them to face the next day. So lets go through these and I will explain why they are more important than food or shelter from the rain!

1. Mr. Sketch Markers: These are available in most office supply stores and are really reasonable in price. Why am I so addicted to these? Each marker has a delicious smell that does not give yo a blazing headache when you take the cap off. When you are writing on a large pad of paper they do not leak through the next ten pages and ruin the entire pad. I love them soooo much. I keep them in containers under my easel and the kids love using them to interact with the Morning Message. I never make them available at any other time.

2. Twistables: These rocked my world when I first discovered them. Do you know about these? Honestly, I became addicted to these and never use regular crayons. Parents love them as much as I do and were willing to send them in with their students. Woohoo! What's the big deal? When the tip wears down you just twist it up and voila- it works again. Yes, the children go crazy when they first get them into their sweet hands but like everything else you have to make a huge,dramatic point about using them appropriately or THEY WILL DISAPPEAR FROM THE TABLES NEVER TO RETURN. If you work in a school where parents cannot afford to buy these (bit pricey) I suggest you pick up a few sets and use them for projects during small group instruction. You will thank me for this. You can also head to Target with a sob story and see if the manager has a heart and wants to support your classroom and become  a superhero. Work it.  These are worth the money and come in a variety of sets. Now have I mentioned that the teacher will love having a set of Twistable colored pencils and might not even be willing to share them with her own personal children. Yup, they bring out the selfish in you! They are fantastic for coloring in small pictures and the results are so much nicer. Do you need to get in touch with your coloring lust again? If you have a little doodle at home and want to grab something special- this is your ticket. You will get a lot of kisses for this one. Just sayin'. Only buy the Crayola brand (trust me on this one) and I am not a fan of the washable version. No. I know what you are thinking. I am not getting a kickback from Crayola.

3. Sharpie Pens: This is the best product to come out since peanut butter. You read that right. Seriously. They have a nice tip for writing and do not bleed through to the next page. They don't smear and are permanent. Does it get any better? AGAIN, NO SMELL TO BRING ON A MIGRAIN AND KILL ALL YOUR BRAIN CELLS. I certainly can't afford to lose any. I worship these pens and have them in all kinds of colors. I have been know to obsess on them a tiny bit... If you have not purchased any go... Now come back and leave a comment thanking me for changing your life in a significant way. I take all PD notes using these and teachers are always asking me if they can try one out. Trust me, this is a serious keeper!

4.Avery Tabs: I tab everything in sight and these are my favorite kind by far. I have tried them all. They are well priced and you can write on them easily (I hate the plastic ones that smear). I buy these for my teachers when they tab their Common Core binders and they love using them. They come in tons of colors, even purple and turquoise. Avery also makes tabs with the months of the year already printed on them. They go on sale all the time because no one knows what to do with them- except a teacher! Use your imagination!
Who's in love with adhesive dots? I know... I get it. Now they come in a billion colors and sizes and the cuter ones are made by sticker companies. Teacher supply stores have loads of them and they often hit the clearance bins. Dots in all colors and sizes make me super happy and dollar stores have them in neon colors. I color code everything in sight and use them on name tags so kids know what group they are in. I use them to group kids for instruction, group them for field trips, on their materials so they can find them, etc.I use they to sort my books too. Kids love to use them in their artwork if you are willing to let them. Someone should write a book on 100 Ways to Use Adhesive Dots.

5. Scrapbooking Chalk: I have talked about scrapbooking chalk before but I had to include it in this list cause it is such an easy way to fill in big areas with beautiful chalk. It has super intense pigmentation and 
is easy to apply with a cotton ball, rubbing it lightly in a circle.It makes my Thinking Maps, Anchor Charts, and Pictorials look beautiful. Often I will add a touch of blue chalk to the background of a child's artwork and it makes it look so special. You can buy this at Michael's Craft store but make sure to download their app so you can use the 40% off coupon. 

That's it for today. I just got back from Colorado and the laundry is calling me. If you can add to this list and tell me about something you can't be without we can grow this list. I might need one of your suggestions and not even know it exists-EKKKKK. Thanks for stopping by. Now go shop