Back to School Supplies - Back To School 2014

School is a week away for most of us, meaning that I'm continuing with the back to school posts. I've really enjoyed doing them so far and I really hoped they've helped you as well. This one is all about school supplies, stationary in particular. Depending on whether you're starting high school, finishing high school, in college or university, you'll need different things. I'm going to cover as much as I possibly can. Just a disclaimer, sorry about the lighting in the photos, England doesn't have the best of weather and it kept changing from sunny to cloudy.

First of all, you'll need a bag. This is necessary as you'll have books, stationary, homework sheets etc. and they all need somewhere to go. For me, the most suitable option seemed like a satchel. It fits A4 work, so I don't have to fold up worksheets or carry around books that won't fit. Satchels also help you be more organised, as you can see everything that's in your bag, opposed to a backpack or a handbag.

You will also need blue or black pens, and lots of them. For me, good pens produce good work. You don't want one that will be scratchy when you write, or one where you have to constantly scribble in the corner of your page to get it to work. You need a good pen that will work well, write smoothly and the ink will last you for a long time. Make sure to buy a pack of them as well, in case you lose one or a friend needs to lend one. The pens I recommend are Bic Roundstic's as they're all of the qualities above and more. I'd also say to get both colours, as quite often teachers might ask you to show your corrections in a different colour.

If you're doing a subject like art, where you will be drawing often, or maths and science, where there will be countless amounts of graphs and tables, you're also going to need pencils. With pencils, you get what you put it, meaning if you opt for cheap pencils, chances are they won't be very dark or may break a lot. Any pencils will do, but I'd say to get HB or 2B. To go along with these, you'll also need a good rubber that doesn't smudge and a pencil sharpener.

Key for almost every subject is a ruler. Whether it's underlining titles, drawing graphs or measuring, you will need one of these. Make sure the one that you buy is quite good quality, otherwise you could be at risk of it breaking or the numbers rubbing off. If you're doing maths and science, I'd also go ahead and get a few other measuring tools, such as a protractor and set squares (the two triangular rulers), as well as a compass and scientific calculator.

If you've got all of this stationary then you're going to need somewhere to put it all. Some people might just put it all in their bag or blazer, but that's hardly organised. Instead, you should get a pencil case that is just the right size. You don't want one that is so small that you constantly struggle to get your pencils in, yet you don't want one that's too big to go in you're bag. Try and get one with different pockets, or if you can't, look for tubs that you can separate things with. My pencil case is actually a makeup bag, which I prefer as it is bigger and better quality than a pencil case.

If you're preparing for your GCSE's (or equivalent) or are in college, you may need other things such as plastic folders and ring binders. I'd say to get a folder that you can carry around every day with you to store your homework and other worksheets that you currently need. Your ringbinder can be kept at home and used to store any of these that you don't need to be carrying around, as well as revision notes and practice tests. I'd also buy some dividers so that you can separate it for each different subject and locate them easier. You can either hole punch papers or put them in plastic wallets.

My school supplies each pupil with a journal, or you might call it a planner. If you're not given one, it'd be really handy to go out and buy one. You can write your timetable in it so you never forget what lessons you've got, as well as record homework, tests and anything else you might need to remember. It may seem like it's unnecessary, but having one will stop you from getting into school without a certain book or piece of homework.

If you've got important tests this year, you might want to buy some revision tools, such as index notes, coloured pens and highlighters. These make revising so much more interesting and enjoyable, which will make you want to learn. You could also get some coloured pencils and use them to make revision posters fun and colourful. These would also be handy if you're doing art or technology. If you're wondering where I got my pen, I was given it for being a reading activist.

Two things which are often overlooked are hole punchers and staplers. You never know when you might have to staple lots of revision together, or when you need your paper to have holes in so it can go in your ring binder. Make sure you get them both in, as you'll be prepared for when you do need them.

The last thing that you will need are notebooks. I bought an A4 spiral bound notebook which I will use for neatly writing up pieces of homework, revision and assessments. I also bought a set of these A5 shorthand notebooks which I painted black to match the bigger one. I plan on carrying one of these with me and using it for jotting reminders and writing notes in class.

So they are all of my stationary necessities. Obviously there are many more items that you could buy, and some that are specific to certain subjects, but these are what I think every student will need at some point. Thanks for reading and I'll see you on Thursday with a back to school makeup tutorial.

Love from Daisy x