Every teacher has heard it, and maybe you have even said it…

“The school supplies list is so specific! It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

It matters, a lot. Teachers spend great deal of time on school supply lists. It is so much more than a shopping list! It is a toolbox, it impacts how we teach, and what we must invest your tuition and our precious classroom time on.

Think for a minute if you are sent to make a cake. Simple enough. You even have a boxed mix, so it is really easy! But, instead of giving you a cake pan, you have a skillet. It will work, but it is not really the right tool. And there is no oil, you can have apple sauce instead. Apple sauce is a great oil replacement, but it is not what the directions call for and maybe you don’t even know that is a possibility or how to use it. Your boxed cake is starting to be a little more complicated.

Now, let’s go back to the school supplies and for an example we will talk about the crayons for our preschoolers: 3 boxes, 8 count Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable crayons. That is specific and there is a reason, so let’s break it down.

“3 boxes”, littles break their crayons, often, and they are coloring, a lot. Those crayons become broken nubs very quickly. Have you ever tried to put small piece together with big winter gloves on? That is what working with crayons pieces is like for a child that is developing their motor skills. So, if we want to build confidence and independence; we set them up to be successful and independent while they are learning. We will spend several weeks learning to take out and put away our crayons independently and we make sure they are in good condition so they can do it well all year long!

“8 count”, more is not always better. If you drop a bit of that cake batter, it is not a big deal to clean up, right? But if the whole bowl is dumped it is going to be a much bigger mess to clean up. Same goes for our crayons and we want to set our students up to be successful when the whole box is, inevitably, spilled on the floor. The other really important part of limiting the number of crayons is to give students a positive learning experience, that makes them want to learn more! When the teacher asks you to color the ball blue and you open that BIG, beautiful box of crayons, pull out what looks like blue, only to discover it is not blue like the paper wrapper shows, it colors purple. It gets really frustrating and really confusing, really quick; and just like that we have lost the positive learning experience.

“Ultra-Clean washable”, because learning to clean up and be responsible for your space, work, and activities is so important. These “Ultra-Clean” crayons mean students are able to see the results of wiping up their space with the safety of a simple baby wipe or wet cloth and teachers spend time teaching not scrubbing tables or chairs.

We recognize the value of giving students the right tools for their learning experience and we appreciate your support creating a positive and effective learning experience for your student.  Thank you!