Assignment No. 1: Buy school supplies

Aiden McDonald was so excited to start second grade that he asked his grandmother, Lynn Newell, to take him to buy his school supplies. It was July 9, roughly six weeks before his school, Harrisburg Elementary, was set to begin.

“Look, Grandma,” said Aiden, 7, surrounded by notebooks, crayons, binders and pencils. “This is exactly what I wanted.”

He handed Newell, an Indian Land resident, a pack of neon erasers that fit on the end of pencils.

“He just loves school,” Newell said. “It’s just so exciting for him.”

Aiden is not alone in getting a head start on school shopping. Nearly one-quarter of families were shopping at least two months before school started, according to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation last year.

This year, back-to-school spending is expected to increase. The association estimated that families with children in K-12 grade spent nearly $670 on clothes, shoes, supplies and electronics for school last year.

Though they vary by school, grade, subject and sometimes even teacher, schools publish a supply list online to help parents buy what is needed before the first school bell rings. The lists are also available at major retailers.

Here is a general look at what Fort Mill and Indian Land students and schools need:

Kindergarten

Required supplies:

▪  Backpack

▪  Colored pencils

▪  Large crayons

▪  Small crayons

▪  Markers

▪  Student scissors

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Three primary-size pencils

▪  Pencil box

▪  Primary composition notebook/journal

▪  Composition notebook

▪  Three-ring, two-inch binder

▪  Erasers

▪  Personal ear buds

Requested donations:

▪  Wet Wipes

▪  Tissues

▪  Liquid hand soap

▪  Gallon, quart and snack-size Ziplock bags

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Disinfecting wipes

First grade

Required supplies:

▪  Backpack

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Crayons

▪  Colored pencils

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Markers

▪  Student scissors

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Pencil pouch

▪  Pencil box

▪  Erasers

▪  Plastic folders

▪  Primary composition notebook/journal

▪  Personal ear buds

Requested donations:

▪  Liquid hand soap

▪  Disinfecting wipes

▪  Gallon, quart and snack-size Ziploc bags

▪  Box of tissues

▪  Hand sanitizer

Second grade

Required supplies:

▪  Backpack

▪  Crayons

▪  Colored pencils

▪  Student scissors

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Plastic folders

▪  Marble composition notebooks

▪  Binders

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Spiral notebooks

▪  Ruler

▪  Highlighter

▪  Personal ear buds

Requested donations:

▪  Gallon, quart and snack-size Ziploc bags

▪  Hand sanitizer, tissues

▪  Colored copy paper paper

Third grade

Required supplies:

▪  Backpack

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Notebook paper

▪  Crayons

▪  Colored pencils

▪  Highlighters

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Binders

▪  Marbled composition books

▪  Student scissors

▪  Plastic folders

▪  Pencil box

▪  Erasers

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Personal ear buds

Requested donations:

▪  Sharpie markers

▪  Lysol or Clorox wipes

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Tissues

▪  Paper towels

Fourth grade

Required supplies needed:

▪  Backpack

▪  Marbled composition books

▪  Binder, subject dividers with tabs, wide-rule notebook paper

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Highlighters

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Erasers

▪  Scotch tape replacement rolls

▪  Colored pencils and/or crayons

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Student scissors

▪  Folders

▪  Personal ear buds

▪  Spiral notebooks

Requested donations:

▪  Tissues

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Post-it notes

▪  Quart and gallon Ziplock bags

▪  Color copy paper

▪  Clorox/Lysol wipes

▪  Clorox/Lysol spray

▪  Paper towels

Fifth grade

Required supplies:

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Red pens

▪  Wide-rule paper

▪  Large squared graph paper

▪  Colored pencils and markers

▪  Scissors

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Folders with pockets and brads

▪  Three-ring binder

▪  Highlighters

▪  Spiral notebooks (one-subject)

▪  Composition book

▪  Index cards (3x5 lined)

▪  Scotch tape

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Post-it notes

▪  Personal ear buds

Requested donations:

▪  Poster board

▪  Gallon, quart, sandwich Ziploc bags

▪  Clorox wipes

▪  Hand sanitizer

Sixth grade

Required supplies:

▪  Binders

▪  One-subject spiral notebooks

▪  One-subject graph paper spiral notebooks

▪  Three-subject spiral notebook

▪  Tab dividers

▪  Zippered pencil case/pouch

▪  Pocket folders with holes

▪  Page protectors

▪  Colored pencils

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Index cards

▪  Ruler

▪  Glue sticks

▪  Highlighters

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Loose-leaf paper

Requested donations:

▪  Paper towels

▪  Extra pencils and paper

▪  Markers/colored pencils

▪  Tissues

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Colored copy paper

Seventh grade

Required supplies:

▪  Flash drive

▪  Highlighters

▪  Markers or colored pencils

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Three-ring binders

▪  Subject dividers

▪  Loose-leaf paper

▪  Cap erasers

▪  Index Cards

▪  Composition notebooks

▪  Page protectors

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Folders

▪  Pens (red, black, blue)

▪  Book covers

▪  Calculator

Requested donations:

▪  Tissues

▪  Notebook paper

▪  Pencils

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Scotch tape

▪  Anti-bacterial wipes

▪  Paper towels

Eighth grade

Required supplies:

▪  Binders

▪  No. 2 pencils

▪  Composition notebooks

▪  Spiral notebooks

▪  Folders

▪  Pens (blue, black, red)

▪  Pencil pocket

▪  Book covers

▪  Index cards

▪  Highlighters

▪  Flash drive

▪  Graph paper

▪  Dry erase markers

▪  Calculator

Requested donations:

▪  Tissues

▪  Hand sanitizer

▪  Paper towels

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Assignment No. 1: Buy school supplies."