Specific Brands on My Son's School List

The brands they listed... are good products.
I have found them all, here in my city.
But those products are not on my kids' school lists. These are products I have just bought myself.... for my own home/kids, because these are good products versus the cheaper off brands, that are not as good.

Prang watercolors, are way better than the Crayola.
Uhu Glue sticks, are better than the Elmer's glue sticks, for example.
Friskar's, are a good scissors, which they make for kids and even for Sewing. For adults.

Glue sticks are requested, because it is easy to work with.
But my daughter is in 4th grade now, and her Teachers requested Elmer's Glue, in the bottle. Standard stuff.

You do not HAVE to, buy these brands.
These are merely suggestions.
A Teacher/school, cannot force you to buy these brands/products. They are merely suggesting, what they ideally, want. Because, after years of using it, they 'prefer' these products... because of its performance.

Next, simply call the school and ask them.
Because, for most people/families, cost is an important concern when buying school supplies. And they cannot make... a parent, buy something that when another brand is on sale... that is the better buy, cost wise.

Simply, call the school and inquire.
It is what they are there, for.

I think the paintbrush that comes with the Prang is much better and a different size brush than the Crayola, too.

Brand specific lists are usually because they will be pooling all of the supplies into one closet. They want uniformity so that one kid doesn't get the weird stuff. I homeschool, but all of my friends have complained of the same thing. I find it personally irritating and not respectful of preference or family situations that may prevent people from buying expensive supplies.

Maybe they have figured out which brands of school supplies really work and which are trash. Im not familiar with the UHU glue sticks, but had some off brand that never worked right. It had hard bits of stuff in it, that scratched and tore the paper, and didnt make anything stick. Fiskars make great scissos. I would want them. And Prang art supplies are very well known and good quality. You might even find these brands are cheaper than some others.

While I get that some products work better than others, I bristle at being told that I need to get that brand name for my child, especially with no preamble. I've had my share of run-ins with teachers who think they know more than we do and treat parents like annoyances (MOST do not, but it seems like once a year....).

If you have a concern that the teacher will not allow the other brands in her class or will give your kid a hard time, I'd contact the school. Otherwise I'd take the brands as a suggestion. If I cannot afford Prang, my kid will be going to school with Rose Art and sorry to the teacher who thinks that's worthless. My mom was a single mom on a teacher's salary and if a teacher put crayons on the list, we got what was on sale.

I also dislike the current trend of pooling supplies. It started off with a box of tissues and now it's become common that you supply the whole class with glue, #2 pencils, paper, tissues, bandaids, etc. It's gotten out of hand in my opinion.

Hope your son has a great year at school. The list has the preferred brands on it as a guide of what to buy. You don't have to buy what it is on the list, but it is strongly recommended. Many brands of glue sticks don't work or tear the paper or dry up very quickly. I am going to look into UHU glue sticks because I seem to have to throw other brands out very often. Fiskars scissors are great and that is a good idea-they cut well and are safety styled. Do you want the kid next to your son having an unsafe pair of scissors with a sharp point on them?? Prang is a great brand of art supplies and is a step up from the other brands- it is my guess that the teacher feels that the materials are better, it will be easier for the kids to work with and produce better results so she has recommended it.
I know that back to school time is a time when most parents are strapped for cash. The school lists are going to get longer in the future as they get into the higher grades. Maybe planning extra in your back to school budget is a good way to plan for these extra needs.

OH NO!!! Don't tell me northshore is going the way of shoreline! <shudder> We had the most horrendous list ever a few years back with shoreline, including pounds of coffee, staplers, and underwear. All branded. All with specific amounts. And the list had to be checked off before the kids would be 'allowed' to start school. The list was 2 pages long of single space items with specific brands and counts and condition (like 5 20 packs of sharpened #2 pencils -forget the brand- that DIDN'T come presharpened. Um. I don't own a sharpener. I use mechanical pencils!) The sum total for the "list" (none of which my son got to keep, anything for your own child you had to buy extra) was more than our monthly food budget at the time. Ugh. Don't do it, Northshore! Don't do it!!

We used to get specific lists, too. Our teachers love Ticonderoga pencils. Well, those are spendy pencils and the heck if i'm spending over $20 on pencils. They wanted 48. Double that because I have twins.

I understand the schools don't have the budget for all the necessary supplies. I don't mind contributing. I do have issues with paying for name brands. Even though they may work better.

This may sound harsh, but I'm tired of teachers trying to keep everything fair. They may have some students who want certain colors, but for the most part, when I volunteer in the classrooms, I don't see bickering over pencils. The kids are even quite good at sharing colors. And no, not every buys the specific brand. My younger sister is on a very limited budget and it ticks me off that the school stresses the importance of brand.

What is that teaching our kids? Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine. We shell out so much over the school I don't think it's right to ask for certain brands.

What's funny? Our school started a new back-to-school thing. Instead of giving the parents a list of supplies, we now pay $20 to the teachers and they order the classroom supplies. Guess, what? There weren't many name brand items when they had to budget.

i would guess it is to eliminate glue envy.

From a mama who does a lot of crafting brands totally matter in this instance. For one having a good glue stick is the difference in a little goes a long way and using it up on one or two projects. Fiskar scissors are much more superior that the two dollar Walmart scissors as well. They hold up well and can be used frequently and still remain sharp. As for crayons and markers, spending a little more means a better quality product cheap crayons are waxy, their colors aren't as bright and they get used up faster. Cheap markers run out of ink more quickly as well. So yes, spend the extra money and get the requested brand.

Two, perhaps the teacher is thinking that having the same brand will erase some competition in the class.

Unless you absolutely can't afford it I would go with it you are getting better quality products and your kid won't feel like she/he is left out when everyone else has the brand stuff.

Just my 2 Cents :o)

These are the brands the teacher would prefer. I have always gotten what I can afford. Especially this year with everything being so expensive. If they complain, just say you're on a budget and can't afford their specific brands. That something is better than nothing. Wait till middle and high school, they are going to need a calculator that costs $100. I asked my oldest a couple years ago, he is going to be a junior in high school, if everybody brings in the supplies they are suppose to, he said no. It always seemed that they asked for a certain container of crayons, that have so many crayons in them, and I could never find that amount. So I got what I could and no one has ever complained.

Because your child's teacher hates you! Seriously, I think they pick out the most obscure items and put them on the list. My two older kids were required to have this bound folder thingy that can only be special ordered from Office Depot.

I wonder if they are getting kickback for product placement or something. :(

As a former teacher I can tell you that the teacher probably has found that in her class she has found that her kids has had the most success with these products. Having the kids have the same products have the kids produce the same quality art projects.....a very good idea.

I do recommend the Prang watercolors. They are the best watercolors for kids. Also the scissors, they have a good cutting edge, and that makes good success in creating good projects. The UHU glue sticks dry clearly and quickly without leaving a mess, not like elmer's glue....that leaves a terrible mess and takes a long time to dry.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Check out the Children's Bookstore. Their website is http://www.childrens-bookshop.com/ and I know they have a bookstore up north, or you can look on line. That's why they give these lists out so early. You have time to look.

I agree with a lot of these responses. We moved here from California in 2009 and this was the first introduction to having to provide all of these supplies. My son was in 1st grade. I think most of the supplies like pencils, crayons, and markers he actually kept for his own use. So, it sort of did not bother me - at least they are giving me the list of everything he's going to need during the year. But specifying the brand was a little bit much for me - Black Flair pens? But then for my daughter starting Kindergarten last year, I though she too was going to be keeping the supplies for herself and I had put her name on everything and then the first day of school as they were going through the pod to their classroom they had to dump all of these supplies into the right bin with everyone else's stuff - so it was all pooled. She didn't keep anything for herself! I was really angry. Why am I supplying everything for the entire class? Plus wipes, paper towels, tissues, hand sanitizer (what happened to soap and water?), 2 reams of copy paper, AND I have to provide 4 snacks on my assigned day for the ENTIRE class each month, including plastic spoons and cups if necessary! This really has gone too far.

I always do the best I can within our budget. They can't keep you out of school if you deviate, though! This year my dd is supposed to have green pens. I'll be durned if I am going to chase all over town for green pens. BTW, I also hate when they don't specify some things...like a box of crayons or markers. I could buy 8 or 64, really. Since I know they are all getting pooled anyhow, I go with something I think is reasonable, like 24 and call it a day.

Definitely ask the school/teacher if they pool the resources the classroom for everyone to use at craft time OR if the kids get to keep their own stuff.

I know teachers who ask for specific brands because A) they know they perform better and B) because they want to avoid fights at distribution time. Seriously, my friend who's an art teacher would buy only black paint brushes to avoid tantrums and endless swapping among her students.

If they keep their own stuff, buy whatever you want.

This is ridiculous! I'm all about parents having some responsibility regarding school supplies b/c despite what many people think... teachers buy a huge bulk of those items out-of-pocket. My husband doesn't buy his own stapler, so I have no issue with that.

I would truthfully call the school and ask the reasoning behind this and find-out if this is teacher-specific or school-wide. I've heard of those brands... but as long as they "cut paper" who cares who made the scissors?

Unless this is a Board of Education "mandate", buy what you can afford and find. I'm guessing that a lot of other parents are wondering the same thing!

I'm a kindergarten teacher and put specific brands, because I think it does matter. They need to last all year. I ask for Elmers and Crayola...honestly, the brands you have named, I haven't even heard of. I ask for Crayola versus any crayon, such as Rose Art, because like anything, the quality is better!! Can you contact the teacher and ask??

My only problem with this is lots of classrooms pool the supplies so find out first. If they pool them I think it's best to stick with the list so everyone gets the same thing if they keep their own supplies buy whatever you want.

As an art teacher...there were items I asked for specific brands because they ARE a better product and are going to last longer and preform better.

But if you can't afford the name brand you can get a generic or another brand...it is just some products are better and as a teacher we know it and prefer it.

Wow, Prang watercolors...those are nice.

Some brands last longer & perform better, however that being said as far as buying those expensive brands, they can just bite my butt. At our school it all gets put into a pooled pile & I get sick of hearing we need more supplies later in the year. I bought my daughter a locking pencil box at her request because the kids switch desks for reading & math. I volunteer a lot & I know she has a valid request in wanting the locking box. I talked to my teacher friend about it, she said yes Crayola crayons do better than other brands, Ticonderoga pencils do better because they are hard wood & the rest are so cheap they end up sharpening all day. I bought the cheap stuff to put in the pile & the good stuff for her locked pencil box. Depending on how they share at your daughter's school I am sure you can think of a way to make things work.

I buy what's on sale. I use the list as a guideline of what the item is and should basically be.

Yikes Riley! I'm glad we live two blocks north of shoreline in Edmonds! We too had specific things on there, some hard to find. Our teacher explained that yes, the supplies were pooled and they wanted everyone to have the same things, that would cut down on "I want the pink/blue/green one", etc. She told me to buy whatever quantity I could find since the elusive crayola pipsqueaks came in packages of 8 not 10 like on the list :)

I'd shop around, there are some really good sales on all school supplies. Try Walmart, target, staples, start now so you have time to look each week for the best prices!

ETA: another poster mentioned the Childrens bookstore! Yes try there, it's in Lynnwood right on 44th between 196th and 200th, by the mall kinda. It's on the north end of the big complex by taco time!

Prang watercolors are my absolute favorite. :)