Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling! This edition of the carnival is dedicated to one of my favorite things: school supplies.

Narrowing down my top ten favorites required some thought. What does my family use frequently? What do I wish I purchased earlier? What would I miss the most? Items we take for granted have probably been skipped, so consider this a sample.

I hope you find helpful ideas and inspiration in the articles submitted this week. If you enjoy a post, please leave a comment and let the blogger know.

Renae’s Top 10 School Supplies

photo: Stewart

Bookshelves- I haven’t heard of a homeschooler who doesn’t need a few bookshelves. We have a total of ten scattered throughout the house, and I still dream of a room full of shelves.

• Percival Blakeney Academy alerts us to Books Under Seige.
• Home is where you start from shares The Odyssey of Homer- several different approaches.
• Recession Depression Therapy lists Essential Cookbooks for Kids.
• The Expanding Life reminds us reading to our children is important, but we also need to Talk to Them.

photo: MGShelton

Library Card- Even with ten bookshelves we don’t have material for every subject and lesson. One card equals books galore. The library is also the perfect place to find picture books and fiction I don’t necessarily want to buy.

• Homeschool Confidential shares her opinion of Discovering Great Artists in her March is for Art, Giveaway.
• Ramblings from the Crazy House announces I’m Running a New Contest! Win the E-book Turning Points!
• A Pondering Heart presents a review and giveaway of The Auto Upkeep Kit. (Giveaway ends March 10th at 11:59 p.m. PST)
• Homeschool Bytes has helpful ideas for Teaching On a Budget: For Teachers, Homeschoolers, and Moms with Kids.

photo: Orin Optiglot

Craft Table- For years, we did our crafts on the kitchen table. That works, but I enjoy having a place we can leave works in progress. Creative pursuits glittered with paint and glue.

• Fine Craft Guild presents Free St Patricks Day Crafts Templates: Prancing Leprechauns.
• A High and Noble Calling has Resources for Celebrating Purim.
• Teaching Your Children is teaching her family about Pi Day.
• Once Upon a Family shares Salt Dough and Creations.
• Song in My Heart encourages us to make stuff even if it’s messy in Colonial Life/American Revolution Part 3: Candles and No Running Water.

photo: BeccaG

Electric Pencil Sharpener- I wish I had purchased this sooner. Now it only takes seconds to sharpen pencils, and we get to the business of writing.

• Inklings shares a simple tip to impact your children’s writing in There Is Always a Better Verb.
• Adventures on Beck’s Bounty wonders where this unique homeschool lesson fits in For The Record.
• The Reluctant Homeschooler shares how her children take notes and give Oral reports.
• New Beginnings explains Toastmasters is a Great Speaking Group for Graduated Homeschoolers.

photo: Luza

Colored Pencils- Crayons end up in pieces. We still have a box or two, but colored pencils last longer. Some of our pencils were mine from childhood. (Yes, they are ancient.) Amazing things happen when we let our children color what interests them.

• The Thinking Mother makes a good point about trying to turn everything into a lesson in A Self-Directed Learning Moment.
• Barbara Frank used her daughter’s interest in paychecks to discuss The IRS and the Tax Project from Life Prep
• Sometimes I’m Actually Coherent says By All Means, Leave Your Books Out In The Open.
• Reading Circle Books shares how to open the door for our children to learn in Teach Them to Read and Let Them Go!

photo: niseago03

Hole Punch- Before we started homeschooling, I asked my dad for his old paper punch. I planned to fill binders with paintings, timelines, and notes. We use our 3-hole-punch almost every day.

• The Creative Homeschool presents 25 Creative Notebooking Ideas.
• Virtuous Children teaches children about percentages in the article Coupons and Math.
• The Tie that Binds Us enjoyed a week of school with her little ones. She shares it in Limbourg Brothers or the Limburger Cheese Touch?
• Ms. Julie’s Place explains a unit study about knights and castles based on an art lesson in And the Winner Is…

photo: DRB62

Storage Containers- My favorite containers are plastic bins with drawers and square baskets. We store stamps and craft supplies in the drawers and files and math manipulatives in the baskets. Since I enjoy organizing, it’s just another good reason to homeschool.

• Why Homeschool shares Some of the Things I Love about Homeschooling.
• Learning at Home reminds us that we don’t have to face The worst day ever to be a teacher.
• On Wisdom’s Path discusses Qualifications For The Parent-Teacher.
• Home Spun Juggling answers the question, “What about college?” in Home Spun comic strip #328.

photo: Tanya Ryno

Computer and Internet- Lesson plans, educational videos, audio adventures, printable crafts, important ideas discovered. Friendships made.

• Dad’s Homeschool Blog found a tool with a plethora of resources Find Home School Info on the Web You Never Even Knew To Look For- Use StumbleUpon!
• Petticoat Government wonders if Teaching to the Middle = Discrimination Against Boys.
• Corn and Oil wonders What do Illinois Education Lawyers do?
• Principled Discovery discusses An undergraduate research group’s report to lawmakers on homeschooling.

photo: timsamoff

Digital Camera- A camera isn’t something I purchased for school, but we use it to photograph all our adventures. In school they are called field trips. We call them memories.

• Our Curious Home had a wonderful trip to the Boston Children’s Museum.
• Carolina Mama ponders the joy and challenge of the The Homeschool Hustle and a Winner.
• This Side of Eternity shares what her children learn when they don’t sit at a desk in her post Heart of the Matter.
• PrincipledMom looks at all the plans and decides Finishing Is Where It’s At.

photo: anselm

Tent- An item from my first years of marriage finds new life in our backyard. My children haul stacks of books outside and read all afternoon pretending they are in the forest listening to the wolves. Nature gives flight to their imaginations.

• Hayes Happenings takes lessons outside in Spelling Hopscotch.
• HowToMe presents How To Make Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots.
• Wonderland Academy shares a craft and project in Lenten Ember Days~Trees.

Thank you for visiting the Top 10 School Supplies Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling. Next week’s carnival will be hosted at The Homeschool Cafe. Here is how you can submit a post.

What are your favorite school supplies?