Families across the country have been shopping for school supplies and back to school clothing. You may feel well prepared for the new school year. Don’t forget to save up some important (and frugal) items that your child may need for school. Read this list before you recycle.

Shoeboxes
Every child needs at least one brand new pair of shoes to start off the school year. Hang on to the box those shoes came in! Shoeboxes are used in classrooms for a variety of projects. Your child may be asked to create a diorama about a favorite book or to show what he or she learned about dinosaurs. Will there be a Valentine’s Day party at your child’s school? His or her teacher may ask for shoeboxes that will be used as a place to store valentines.

Paper Bags
Ask for paper (instead of plastic) on your next trip to the grocery store. Or, if you live in an area that has a plastic bag ban, pay ten cents for a paper bag. Textbooks are expensive, and many public schools will require students to put a book cover on their school books. The purpose is to reduce the wear and tear on the book so that it can be used again next year. It is fairly easy to make a paper bag book cover.

Toilet Paper Rolls
Countless art projects can be done with an empty, cardboard, toilet paper roll. It is not unusual for a kindergarten or first grade teacher to request that every student bring in an empty toilet paper roll for an upcoming project. Normally, you would just recycle it. Instead, it can become a mini totem pole, a stamp that makes perfect circle shapes (when dipped in paint), a windsock, or a seed starter.

Gallon Sized Sealable Plastic Bags
What happens if your first grader has an “accident”? He or she can put the soiled clothing into a big, sealable, plastic bag. This will make it much easier to put into a backpack and carry home from school. Parents can use another sealable plastic bag to store a complete, clean, change of clothing that your child can wear if needed. It can stay in your child’s backpack (without getting dirty).

Newspaper
Your child’s teacher may request that parents send old newspapers to school. Newspaper can be used to make the clean up after a messy art project a lot easier. Your child can cover his or her desk with a sheet of newspaper before beginning a project that involves painting or gluing.

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