Originally Posted by
doubledip1
Hi Fran! I'm sorry your grandkids' teachers are asking for so much. It definitely shouldn't cost $200. I aim for $25 spending with prices I check in March when there aren't any sales. I think $25 is a reasonable amount for an entire year of educational supplies (remember, learning is their job), but with smart shopping I'm sure you could half that.
I'm sure Katie will chime in, but yes, lots of things are shared! Kids go through a TON of pencils. Every kid forgets their pencil, and they've got to get one from somewhere. Trust me, 144 isn't a crazy amount, it's a little more than one pencil per day, but you can't use the entire pencil anyway.
Crayola vs. Rose Art, I personally do prefer Crayola, and they last much longer. They are better made. I'd rather you pay once and have a stronger crayon that holds up better to the poor motor control of school-age children. Kids press way harder than adults. Kids forget to leave the cap off the marker for longer. Yes, Crayola's markers hold their pigment better than Rose Art. They're sturdier for when your kid puts the cap on by absolutely pushing the edge of the marker into the desk. That said, 6 of them is excessive. 1 box of 24 crayons and 1 pack of 12 markers is fine with me.
Little kids snot! A lot! Each kid probably wipes their nose once a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but once a day per kid evens it out. Let's say I have 25 kids in my classroom. 25 kids * 1 a day * 180 days of school = 4,500 tissues. There are 200 sheets in a box of Great Value brand tissues. That's 22.5 boxes for the school year. I ask for tissues.
Some schools don't pay for paper in the classroom. Mass copies should definitely be run in the copy room, and 2 reams is a lot, but you do need printer paper in your classroom to make originals and print one-off documents. 1 ream per student would be fine for me.
You would be surprised at how small the budget is to buy classroom supplies ;-)