How Many School Supplies Does Your Child Really Need in Idaho?

My youngest child graduates from Canyon Ridge High School and CSI this year. We are proud and happy parents. 13 years of hard work are paying off. She took care of everything along this path. I was an encouraging spectator. Well, a spectator with a wallet.

I’m happy to have supported my daughter in her scholastic endeavors. I bought books and supplies every year. I donated countless extra boxes of tissues, crayons, paper, glue, and pencils to her classrooms over the years. I meticulously purchased the list of school supplies every year, but I have 1 small problem now.

My closet is currently full of old school supplies. I think there is a fire hazard in there somewhere. There are partially-used bottles of glue in a bin with glue sticks that have never been used. I have innumerable #2 pencils in a tote with colored pencils by the gross. Don’t those erasers dry out and just streak the marks instead of erasing them eventually? Markers and crayons roll around free because they are no longer held back by constrictive boxes. The folders that are still mostly good sit on a shelf with dozens of partially used spiral notebooks. I don’t even want to think about how many different sizes of 3-ring binders I have.

How Many Pounds Does a Full School Backpack Weigh?

I think it may be time for teachers to coordinate with each other. Future parents don’t want to buy 8 different spiral notebooks and only use 6. Can’t I reuse ones from last year if they are only going to use 20 pages of that 80-page notebook? Is there a reason for a 3-ring binder for every class? Can we consolidate them into folders in 1 big binder? When kids walk home with a backpack that is heavier than the children themselves, should we consider a wheeled backpack? Is there secondary occupational therapy and chiropractor coverage available?

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I know my daughter didn’t use half the stuff I bought her over the years. I’ve slowly been using up the pencils, crayons, and notebooks, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what to do with the rest. There are only so many art projects my grandson can do with these things. Am I wrong to think that school supply lists should be more thoughtfully considered? Maybe I could drop off my excess at the school and let them deal with it.