What are some Amazon classroom essentials?
The time has come! Time to stock up on all of those teacher gadgets and tools to make a smooth start to the school year. Whether you are just starting out or have been in the classroom for years, this is for you! Here is my ultimate list of my favorite classroom things from Amazon:
Jump to a Classroom Category: Organization • Teacher Supplies • Bulletin Boards • Whiteboard • Student Supplies • Gadgets
Organization
I have used this cart by my small group area to hold supplemental materials, by my desk to organize supplies for the day, and by the whiteboard to hold various teaching tools like teacher manuals and read-alouds. It comes in all kinds of colors but I love how clean this one looks and those perfect pencil/supply holders.
I know… another rolling cart… but this one is for a totally different purpose. THIS is the ultimate paper organizer. On one side, label the drawers with the days of the week and include any copies you need for that day. On the other side, give each drawer a purpose like papers: to grade, enter in the grade book, hand back, send home, extra papers, absent work, etc.
This is for the supplies I need at the ready - pens, pencils, post-its, paperclips, scissors, notepad, nurses pad, etc. Cute, functional, easy to use.
THIS organizer is for all the backup supplies, or at least those you don’t use quite as frequently: thumbtacks, stamps, binder clips, extra writing utensils, etc. TeachersPayTeachers has dozens of labels for this DIY Teacher Toolbox to fit practically any theme. I’ve even spray painted the shell of mine gold because I could only find a blue one in stock at the time and it worked like a charm!
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve seen these zippered pouches. They can be used to organize anything from puzzles to small group materials to math Manipulatives. The sky is the limit. They also come in black.
I use a hanging pocket chart like this to organize the papers students need easy access to - like out Book Reports, extra notebook paper, etc.
Teacher Supplies
This particular style of backpack is all the rage and for good reason - the top has such good structure when you unzip it - like a doctor bag - so it is easy to get papers in and out. I especially like these vegan leather versions to dress them up a little.
Are you a lanyard person or retractable ID person? I go back and forth but I used this lanyard this year and it is super inexpensive but held up all year so, no complaints!
I finally invested in one of these after teaching a few years (and by invested, I mean spent $5 on this one) and it is SO helpful when toting papers back and forth from school to home and keeping track of what you’ve graded and what you still need to go through without the papers getting all bent out of shape.
Do I even need to sell you on these? These pens have the perfect thickness for teacher grading and notes, in my opinion. They don’t bleed through like a sharpie or marker but still give a little more umph than a pen. You know what I mean? I buy a new pack every year. Treat yo self.
The glory of this twist top mechanical pencil is second to none. The lead legit never breaks on me, very rarely smudges, and the eraser actually does something. The BEST mechanical pencils on the market. Try to convince me otherwise.
OK, I know I just dogged on them in the Flair Pen section, but Sharpies definitely have their place (labeling, name tags, smudge-proof notes), so of course I need the full color pack.
…but also, like, I always end up wishing I had more plan black sharpies (labeling stuff), so… yeah.
I bought these labeled clips on a whim my second year teaching (They also come in “Days of the Week” and “Subjects”), and I couldn’t live without them now. I’m not sure how I every survived with just plain binder clips. Worth every penny. (Which isn’t a ton a pennies so… extra worth it!)
So much better than those flimsy plastic green scotch ones.
You can never have too many sticky notes. The brighter the better when it comes to post-it notes for me.
Because those kid scissors don’t always cut it. Make SURE you put your name on these!
I personally find the regular silver paper clips produce a similar sensation to fingernails on chalkboard. (You’re welcome for planting that in your brain.) So, I have to stick with the vinyl-coated ones. Also, they’re cuter!
…because sometimes the paper stacks get a little out of hand.
Seriously, you will want a good one. Make sure it is one that opens flat, like this one, for bulletin board purposes.
Bulletin Boards
I love this option for displaying student work without tearing it up with staples. I have also used clear sheet protectors so you just slide in the student’s work.
Your building may have some butcher paper that you can use as the background of your bulletin boards. I suggest if you have any boards that are in direct sunlight and you might want to leave the background up from year to year, invest in this brand (Better Than Paper) for the background or fabric because it won’t fade like your cheaper, more traditional backgrounds. I also vote for solid or very simple backgrounds.
You can buy borders in rolls or strips and I find they both have their pros and cons so just go with whatever design you like best. Try to limit the patterns where possible. (So, if you go with patterned borders, stick to a solid color for your background.)
These were gifted to me by my cooperating teacher and they make removing staples without tearing up paper SUCH a breeze.
Your district most likely will supply you with anchor chart paper but in a pinch, I liked using this style that already has the adhesive at the top. Not a necessity but sometimes convenient.
Contrary to their appearance, most do not buy these markers for the scents (although the students do enjoy that). The chiseled tips plus the vibrant colors make them my favorite chart markers by far.
When trying to set up a classroom, it is SO helpful to have a cordless hot glue gun. Depending on the type of wall you have (and the type of principal…), sometimes you can just hot glue decor right on the cinderblock walls and it will come off without damage!
Whiteboard
This Marker Organizer is magnetic (so you can store them up high out of kiddo hand reach) AND makes it easy to store markers upside down while still seeing the colors.
These have been my long-time-go-to choice. Lots of color options and pretty dependable (especially the black). My one complaint is some colors don’t erase well, so…
…I’m going to try these up-and-coming dry erase markers that are all the rave on TeacherGram. People say the colors are vibrant, they erase easily, and are adorable. With over 14,000 five-star reviews, definitely worth a try!
This shelf is maybe my FAVORITE whiteboard find. These are awesome for current class read-alouds, cute decor, supplies, etc. It has great magnet strength and simple design.
These rods are great for pairing with binder rings and using to display anchor charts, paper rolls, the date, and more! (I personally like all of my whiteboard materials to primarily be white or clear to keep the board looking neat and clean but these are available in different finishes, including a pretty brushed gold.)
I use these to put extra copies of assignments we are working on or newsletters/spelling lists/etc. Way better than my old school way of trying to balance a stack of papers on the pen ledge and hope they didn’t avalanche all over the floor.
With that said, I still love my magnetic clips :). I use these to hold up single anchor charts I’m working on, passes, announcements, etc.
This is AWESOME to make something magnetic in a jiffy. I’ve used this on the back of my schedule labels if I knew things would need to change around (like which specials my kids would go to that day).
This is great when you need to tape something to the wall, mark areas on the floor, or even on the whiteboard. Comes in all kinds of colors!
Student Supplies
Ticonderoga is simply the BEST pencil… like the box says. My hatred for cheap pencils runs deep. This is the only brand that consistently has solid quality and won’t automatically break. I buy a box of 72 PRE-SHARPENED every year so I have extras on hand as needed.
These are pricey, but worth it in my opinion. Crayola has class sets of markers, crayons, and colored pencils that are all divided into boxes like this. They have lasted me YEARS. It’s way simpler than students digging through huge tubs of reject crayons or having to lone out boxes that inevitably always lose the black and blue crayons. I built up my class sets by buying one each year with my school classroom budget.
If you buy the class set, the skin tone options are woefully limited so these are a nonnegotiable in my room along with this set of markers, this set of colored pencils, and this set of construction paper.
I’m not sure if they eat them or what but we ALWAYS need some extra glue sticks on hand.
Great for carpet or desk practice where you don’t want to eat up paper. Also just fun! I like that this set already comes with erasers and markers.
These dry erase sleeves are great for all ages. For younger grades, slip in a page for name/handwriting practice. For older grades, slip in fluency math practice or use for small groups. The opportunities are endless.
Gadgets (and cheaper backups)
This adorable timer comes in a lot of color options and is a great way for students to be able to visually managed their time.
A silent option that can be great for students taking a break or small group work.
Although this would be hilarious to actually use as a doorbell, you can also use it as an attention getter. Clip the small button onto your lanyard and just hit the button to play an audible sound. Easy and voice-saving!
This is a cheaper option for a non-voice attention getter. It’s also great to use at circle time and have students listen for how long it takes the chime to stop ringing.
I was first introduced to these this year and my mind has been blown since. It has a button and legit sounds like a regular whistle. Huge bonus - you can leave one for substitutes and guest teachers!
These are my go-to. Let me tell you, they feel cheap… like a birthday party toy treat… BUT I like that because I hate how metal whistles feel when they hit my teeth and I prefer wearing this around my arm over a lanyard. It’s the little things.
Chances are, your building has a shared laminator you can use, so what’s the point of having a personal one? Well, it saves steps… but the bigger reason is that you can choose the weight of the lamination on the personal one. So, if there are items you want pretty sturdy (think: library card sturdy), this wins hands down.
This does not require a laminator to be used. You can definite use this to laminate things but I used it yearly to stick student name tags to their desks. It doesn’t leave a residue and has a nice, smooth finish.
X-Acto is THE pencil sharpener brand that you will see recommended - and for good reason. It really does work well for pencils.
However, an up-and-coming pencil sharper is this vertical option that you can supposedly also use with colored pencils (which would be awesome).
And… if we are going to go all out with sharpeners, we might as well include this crayon sharpener!
But… if an electric sharpener isn’t in your budget this year (or if the sound drives you crazy), it’s not a bad idea to have some of these on hand for students to use when you need quiet (or sanity).
Ok, I don’t have these but they look awesome. Each button is connected to the main piece so when a group pushes the button, it lights up! Okkk!
Here’s a cheaper alternative to the group buzzers above. Answer buttons with sounds. Easy peasy.
Helpful to control your computer and Smartboard from afar. And super cute :)
The cheaper option… walk over and click :)
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