Where can I find inexpensive teaching supplies/resources?

Question

I work in a private school and have no budget for supplies or resources. I don't want my classroom to look or feel like it's on a budget. Do you have a favorite place to buy things that are not overpriced?

Answer 1

Cornucopia listed some great websites. I use a lot of thsoe for curriculum and teaching ideas.

Classroom direct is good. cheap shipping!  

I ran across one the other day -- which looks pretty good. (and cheap!)

www.teacherstorehouse.com

www.teachersparadise.com has some good prices

Also try to think outside the box too.  Use things that aren't necessarily 'teacher' related for your classroom.  

For bulletin boards -- use bright material.  I bought bright purple material with some stars.. it never fades, and you can buy cheap $1/yard material at WalMart. I always try to find material at garage sales/thrift stores.  Just an example.

I buy the big pack of "bright" paper and cardstock at Office Depot or you can probably find soem online even cheaper. I laminate a few of each color and mount them across one wall. I attach a "stikki clip" (the wax on one side and little clip thing on the other) at the top. These are colorful on the wall empty, and a place to hold a display paper -- spelling test, drawing, etc.) from each student. I use the paper/cardstock for everything..... Signs on my door, Name plates on the desks, etc. It adds a lot of color to the room, something that simple.

Hobby Lobby has lots of cool stuff -- in every department almost -- that can be used in the classroom.

If you want/need a rug, you can find a local carpet store. Most are willing to donate. Also... look at the students' parents in your classroom. Find out where they work, and maybe you can score some donations like that.  Also, in a parent newsletter, you could list some things that you need. (markers, playdoh, etc.) A lot of parents will donate some stuff if they just know what is needed.

If you have a Dollar Tree nearby, they have some teaching materials that are obviously cheap -- and they are cute! I think you can also check: www.dollartreedirect.com

Answer 2

If I had your location I might be able to help.

Answer 3

You can buy them for cheap from

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&...

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Target's dollar bins have stuff.  Also, I bought some of my project supplies at Ikea:  rolls of paper (for making posters), crayons, etc. -- all very cheap.

I also used to take all my doctor's pens whenever he left the exam room.  (He got those things free from pharmaceutical companies anyway.)

Answer 5

classroomdirect.com

I work at a church and we buy from them so much cheaper than office supply.

Answer 6

www.schoolspecialty.com

It's smartest to buy bulk items from here...like pencils, whiteboards, watercolors, etc. It's reasonably priced for other items like classroom organization and decoration. What is really great about it is that they have everything you would possibly need.

www.teachercreated.com

This is my favorite stuff for classroom decoration and ideas. The prices aren't "cheap" but are reasonable, once again.

You may also want to visit your local Target (if you have one). At my local Target, they currently have tons of teacher items and school supplies in the 99 cent bin. I know WalMart does similar promotions so you may try them as well.

As for books and resources of this nature, I like Scholastic. I use the points I receive from book orders that students place to purchase resource books, books for my classroom library and other materials for classroom use.

www.scholastic.com

Half Price Books is also a great resource if you have one your area. They have an education section in which there are many used resource and idea books for teachers as well as a children's section with tons of books for every age at very low prices.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Are you in the UK?

(If you put specifically what you're looking for I'll come back and give some better recommendations.)

eBay is great. Do you have a Staples store near you?

They sell fairly cheap whiteboard pens, decorative coloured paper and overall decent stationary.

If you're looking for furniture - like an additional book shelf or whatever it may be, try Ikea.

Answer 8

half price books and orientaltradingcompany.com and dollar tree as well, even office supply stores, walmart and target have teacher isles as well as arts and crafts stores (hobby lobby is my fav!!!)

Answer 9

Is there a Target or a Wal-mart near you? There are lots of stores such as this that have, especially this time of year, great deals on school supplies.

Answer 10

Everything is free at www.alternativeeducationbible.com which has some resources and ideas for teachers.  It's a site for teachers, by teachers... and the site seems to have a good sense of humor as well.

Answer 11

Teaching Resources

http://www.pbs.org/

http://www.learnnc.org/

http://www.wacona.com/

http://www.2020site.org/

http://www.abcteach.com/

http://www.4teachers.org/

http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/

http://www.btinternet.com/

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/

http://www.englishforums.com/

http://www.schoolexpress.com/

http://www.sitesforteachers.com/

http://www.4teachers.org/archive/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.ht...

Internet Activities Standards-Based For Students

http://www.cps.k12.il.us/sbirg/index.htm...

--------------------------------------...

Welcome to Eduseek - Thousands of Links to Educational Web Sites

Eduseek is a portal and search engine for educational web pages. All Eduseek's web sites and pages are reviewed for quality, and only good web pages are included. We recommend using the search box to find the sites you are interested in, but if you wish, you can navigate our large directory of sites by clicking the "Topics" tab below the Eduseek Logo.

http://www.eduseek.com/

--------------------------------------...

CLIPART and PRINTABLE RESOURCES

http://www.teacherfiles.com/index.html

http://www.teacherfiles.com/clip_art.htm

--------------------------------------...

Curriculum Links

http://squigglytick.co.uk/links1.htm

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/pt/curriculum/i...

http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/curr...

http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/m...

http://www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk/Curricul...

--------------------------------------...

Mrs Donn's   FREE Ancient History

http://members.aol.com/MrDonnLessons/Ide...

--------------------------------------...

Human Body Teaching Theme

http://teachers.teach-nology.com/themes/...