Online School Supplies List: Virtual Learning or Homework Station!!! - Parent Vault: Educational Resources, Lesson Plans & Virtual Classes

Online School Supplies List

Everyone in the Parent Vault Facebook Group has been working on getting our homework stations and virtual classrooms set up at home, as part of our How to Setup a Home Classroom series! Today’s topic is the BEST online school supplies list (one of my favorite things)! There are TONS of hot deals on these items that we are posting in the Parent Vault Deals group, so make sure to join it, if you haven’t yet! Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on the bargains because the prices are crazy good!!!

This epic list contains all of the “small” items that your kids will use on a daily basis to do their online schoolwork. These items should be organized near the desk or table that your children will do their schoolwork at. For more ideas on how to set up their space, check out this post about How to Make a Homework Station!

Online School Supplies List_ Virtual Learning or Homework Station (1)

1. Rocketbook

Teachers and students swear by Rocketbook Reusable Notebooks! You will never need to buy another notebook because you can wipe the pages clean over and over again. Plus, you will save tons of paper (our environment thanks you!) Everyone’s very favorite part though is that ALL of your notes get saved electronically to the cloud so you will NEVER lose your notes again! There’s even a special AI technology that allows you to easily search through your digital notes. The Rocketbook comes with one FriXion pen (which is the type of pen that you use with these notebooks), but you can grab this pack of colored FriXion pens is even more fun for notes and drawing diagrams!

2. Pencil Sharpener

I am definitely a pencil sharpener snob. All pencil sharpeners are NOT created equally!!! One of my favorite electric pencil sharpeners, the Bostitch QuietSharp 6 Heavy Duty Classroom Electric Pencil Sharpener, is DEEPLY discounted today. Why do I love this pencil sharpener so much?

Quiet – the name doesn’t lie, it is much more quiet than most electric sharpeners!
Six holes – to perfectly fit a wide variety of different pencils. It even works with jumbo pencils and Ticonderoga Tri-Write, which is the BEST first pencil for little ones because it promotes a proper grip.
Perfect point EVERY time without “eating” your whole pencil!
7 year warranty

3. Whiteboard/Dry Erase, Lap-Size Boards

Everything is more fun, when using a whiteboard! Whether you have younger kids who are practicing writing their letters or older kids who are working out math problems, a lap-size whiteboard will make it more exciting! Plus, you won’t waste as much paper (the environment thanks you!) Tons of people in our Facebook group suggested grabbing one of these for each of your kids. Here are the ones that were most recommended!

Clipboard with Stand

Here’s why this lap-size white board is my absolute FAVORITE!!!

There’s a clip attached to the top, so it can be used as a clipboard as well!
It has a built-in easel stand so that it can stand on its own!
Contemporary and chic (LOVE the style!!!)

Double Sided (Blank/Lined)

This whiteboard is perfect for early writers because it is lined on one side and blank on the other!

Larger Size 11″x14″

If you are looking for a bit more space, then you will love this larger size whiteboard. It is small enough to be used on your lap, but has more writing “real estate!”

4. Dry Erase Markers, Eraser & Liquid Cleaner

Make sure to grab these supplies for your whiteboards!

Fine Point Dry Erase Markers

I like having various colors of Fine Point Dry Erase Markers because the colors are great for diagrams and organizing thoughts. Fine point markers tend to be easier to hold properly and to write with, but you can get broad markers as well!

Whiteboard Eraser

You definitely want a good whiteboard eraser. I love these magnetic ones that stick to whiteboards because they don’t get lost as easily! They are also the perfect size for children’s’ hands.

Liquid White Board Cleaner

A liquid cleaner to erase the marker and clean the whiteboard is vital! This one works wonders for removing stains, especially from the red dry erase markers!

5. Clipboard

We use clipboards all the time, especially when we go outside to do lesson plans or move from room to room throughout the house. Kids love the change of scenery and the storage section keeps worksheets, pencils, erasers, etc. organized! It’s available in a bunch of colors, so get each child a different color (that way they won’t get mixed up!!!)

6. Math Manipulatives

Here are some of my favorite math manipulatives for kids to use!

Base Ten Cubes

If your child is learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or decimals, then you need Base Ten Cubes! They are very useful for visualizing math. It has been shown that hands-on learning for math results in a 75% increase in retention!

Money Math Coins/Bills

Teaching kids about money is very important! In fact, I even wrote this Money Lesson Plan that was featured on CNBC because I’m so passionate about kids learning about money!

Fraction Towers

Learning about fractions is so much easier with Fraction Towers because they help kids to visualize what fractions actually mean.

Dice in Dice

There are TONS of math games to play that involve dice (like this awesome list of math games!!!) What is so fantastic about Dice in Dice is that there is a small white/black dice inside of a larger translucent dice. So no worrying about flying dice or losing dice, because each kid gets ONE!

7. Timers

A mom in our Facebook group said “We’ve been using Time Timers at our house. It was recommended to me by an educator and really helps my young one who doesn’t have a clear concept of time yet. I’ve started using it to pace my own work as well.” This is the perfect way to give your kids a concept of time, so that when you say “we are going to work on this workbook for 20 minutes” they can visually see what you mean. The red section of the clock disappears as time goes along.

Another timer that parents swear by is the Miracle TimeCube Timer.

8. Answer Buzzers

You can turn quizzes and memorization into a fun game with Learning Resources Answer Buzzers! Perfect for practicing spelling words, math facts, and more!

9. Erasers

The #1 best seller for erasers is always the Paper Mate Pink Pearl. They are fantastic erasers and don’t smudge text!

10. Pencils

The gold standard for pencils are Ticonderoga! They write beautifully, sharpen nicely and erase perfectly, which is why they are always recommended by every teacher!

11. Pens

I am picky about pens! I have tried ALL of the gel pens (because who doesn’t like pretty colored pens!?) Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens are the absolute BEST! The 15k+ glowing reviews back up my verdict too!

12. Pencil Box

I love Homecube’s Pencil Case, because it is so well thought out. It has a large capacity, so can fit 50-60 pencils or pens along with a graphing calculator and earbuds! There are detachable compartments to customize it. Plus, it looks great sitting on a desk!

13. Supply Caddy

The Learning Resources Create-a-Space Storage Center has over 2k glowing reviews and is the perfect way to organize your school supplies. The carousel spins, making it easy to access everything and the containers are even removable!

14. Notebooks

You can never have enough notebooks!

15. Construction Paper

You know that we are going to do LOTS of arts and crafts projects this year, so you may as well stock up on some construction paper to keep on hand!

16. Glue Sticks

Another item that we go through like water are glue sticks, perfect for schoolwork and arts and crafts projects!

17. White Glue / Gel Glue

You will also want some liquid glue, either white glue or gel glue (my kids prefer gel glue!)

18. Scissors

Another necessity are a few pairs of kids’ scissors!

19. Index Cards

Make your own flashcards to practice spelling, math facts, and more. Keep a few packs of index cards around at all times!

20. Crayons

Tired of broken crayons? Crayola Twistables are MUCH less likely to break (and if they do, it is only the very tip!) AND they never need to be sharpened! These are a favorite around our house!!!

If you have younger kids (who may be prone to drawing on your walls, for example!) you may want to opt for these Ultra-Clean Washable Crayons instead!

21. Colored Pencils

Another great option, especially for more detailed drawing or writing, is Colored Pencils.

22. Markers

A school supply list wouldn’t be complete without a few packs of markers (ultra-clean are the best… you will thank me when doing stain removal on your kids’ clothing later!)

23. Highlighters

Whether highlighting books or highlighting the answers on worksheets, highlighters are a must!

24. Ruler

This ruler isn’t JUST a ruler! It is clear AND has a magnifying strip, which makes it much easier to get accurate measurements. My brother has severe Dyslexia, and he used to have difficulty using a ruler, until he got one with a magnified side. Even for kids (and adults) without Dyslexia though, this Westcott Magnifying Ruler makes it SO much easier to line up and measure things. It’s also higher quality than standard “kids rulers,” which tend to be flimsy.

25. Lined Paper

We go through A LOT of lined paper every school year. Definitely keep a healthy supply of this in your home!

26. Printer Paper

You will print out tons of worksheets, schedules and other materials. Make sure you have a healthy supply of printer paper!

27. Stickers / Stamps

Teachers use stickers for reward charts and to mark worksheets because kids love it! So why not continue doing this at home? Anything to get our kids excited and motivated is a win!

Another option is to use stamps like these!

How to Setup a Homeschool Room for Your Online School Supplies List

You guys and gals send me the best messages (thank you! I LOVE getting to know you!!!) You’ve made it clear that you want help getting organized for whatever this school year may bring, which is why I put together this online school supplies list. Whether you are starting your school year off this fall with distance learning or not, you want to be prepared for if / when our schools go virtual again. Distance learning is not easy. Virtual online school is a challenge for kids, parents, teachers… EVERYONE! Therefore, this week we will continue focusing on how to setup a virtual learning space or homeschool classroom. Here are the posts we have done so far on this topic:

Below are all of our previous (free!) virtual camps, in case you missed any:

Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to see our live classes and to let me know what you think of this online school supplies list! Also, follow us on Pinterest, so you won’t miss a thing! You definitely need to follow Hannah at Inspired Sparks too, because she is posting all kinds of awesome videos to teach kids about science, crafts and cooking.