The Ins and Outs of Top School Supplies – Part 1

An efficient, well-run classroom often comes down to the smallest details – the supplies. While it’s tempting to stock up on the most affordable supplies, veteran teachers know that top brands are often worth a slightly higher price tag.

In addition to brand, there are other product-specific features to consider when shopping for school supplies.

To start, we will cover the top two writing utensils – pencils and pens.

Pencils

From preschool through high school, pencils remain the most used school supply. Laptops and tablets have reduced the need for pencils in higher education, but many students prefer to take notes the old-fashioned way. In fact, studies consistently show that students retain more new information when notes are taken by hand.

Here are some things to consider when shopping for pencils:

• Lead Hardness – The number found at the top of most school pencils indicates the hardness of the lead. The higher the number, the harder the lead and the lighter the marks the pencils makes. No. 2 pencils are popular for test taking because they are dark enough for grading machines to clearly read but not too soft to leave messy streaks.
• Mis-Lead – Pencils actually don’t contain any lead at all. Though the name has stuck over the years, the material inside of pencils is made from graphite, a safe, non-toxic material that is often mixed with clay. While the inside of pencils has never contained lead, the paint used on the outside of pencils was once lead-based.
• Diameter – Little hands are just learning the fine-motor skills it takes to use a pencil, so many educators prefer to start with a fatter pencil barrel. The starter pencils allow for better coordination and can be swapped out with traditional pencils as students mature and more refined writing is needed. Older students sometimes prefer thin mechanical pencils with rubber grips over traditional pencils.
• To the Point – Unsharpened pencils are more affordable but teachers much prefer students arrive to school with sharpened pencils. Attempting to sharpen 25-plus pencils at the start of class is no fun or easy task.
• Top Brands – Some of the top brands teachers mentioned on our Facebook page included Ticonderoga, Dixon and Staedtler.

Pens

Young students should mostly use pencils in class to encourage effort and practice over correctness when working on assignments. Older students and teachers often prefer writing with pens because of the smoothness and bold lines that are easy to read.

What should you think about when shopping for pens?

• Ink Type – There are three main types of ink/tip combinations used in standard pens – gel, ballpoint and felt.

o?Gel ink is water-based ink suspended in a gel material. Gel pens are known for smooth writing and a fun variety of colors. They also do not leave indentation marks on paper like some ballpoint and felt pens can make.

o?Ballpoint pens typically use oil-based ink that dries quickly and cuts down on smudging. Ballpoint pens last longer than most gel pens because of the quality of the ink. Some people find ballpoint pens to be less smooth than gel ink.

o?Felt pens come with a variety of ink types, both permanent and non-permanent. The pens come with the bold, dark markings of a typical marker but with a finer tip for writing. Felt pens smear and smudge more than traditional pens and are best suited for marking papers and jotting down edits.

• Pen Point Size – When shopping for pens, you’ll see a decimal number on the package. That number refers to the point size. Some people prefer very thin lines as they write while others want a darker, thicker line. Typical pen point breakdown includes:

o?Extra Fine – 0.5mm and smaller

o?Fine – 0.7mm (most common size)

o?Medium/Bold – 1.0mm and larger

Since different brands have different breakdowns, check the packaging before purchasing.

• Top Brands – The favorite pen brands mentioned by our Facebook followers include Pilot, uni-ball, BIC, Sharpie, Integra and Paper Mate.

In Part 2 of our School Supplies Ins and Outs, we will talk about markers and crayons. Which are your favorite brands?