I love reading posts about people’s favorite homeschool tools—it’s fun to see what other people find indispensible or helpful, and I get a lot of great ideas from them. Of course, I have my own favorite tools. These are items I use regularly. Naturally, I use my laptop, internet, and printer on a regular basis, and they’re an absolute necessity. Seeing how those items are so obvious, I’ll leave them off the following list and focus on other things. This list includes basic tools, not subject-specific, so I’ll save those for another post. I’ll include links if I remember where I got items, and if I know they’re still available. These are listed in no particular order (just the order in which I thought of them):
1. Long-arm stapler: I have a regular stapler as well (which is good to have), but I have been so pleased with this long-arm stapler. It’s very useful for making books in school, which we do often.
2. Samsung tablet: I often wish l had an iPad because there are some really cool apps people review on blogs, and I can’t get them on an android tablet. Aside from that, I really love my Samsung tablet. I use it sometimes for showing YouTube videos at the table, but we also regularly use a stopwatch/timer app and a voice recorder app (great for spelling/dictation tests and making your own storybook recordings complete with “turn the page” signals). I also found a few free apps that really help the kids on practicing math facts. Finally, my tablet has Kindle, so I’ve been able to get several books and even curriculum on Kindle for the kids.
3. Teacher tool box: This is new this year, so I haven’t really used it yet…but I will! Last year, I kept all my teacher tools in little baskets on top of our workbox shelves. Needing more space for other things and wanting my stuff in one spot, I decided to condense everything into one toolbox…the kind with a tray inside. Sweet! (Oh, and I decorated it with stickers!)
4. Hanging pocket chart: This chart has just enough pockets for each of my 3 children to have 4 apiece—perfect for sorting papers they need for a week. I make copies a week in advance and sort them by day of the week, Tuesday-Friday. Monday’s papers go straight in their workboxes. When I need to fill Isaac’s boxes for Tuesday, for example, I have everything in the Tuesday slot ready to go. I think I got this at Target.
5. Large magnetic board: I got this at IKEA, and it’s been very helpful for our All About Spelling tiles. I sort of wish I had an even bigger board, but there wouldn’t be room for it anyway. 
6. Wall maps: We were given a large laminated world map, and I use it all the time. It hangs in our entry hall. I also have maps of the British Isles, Europe, and the USA. We use them regularly.
7. Accountable Kids: While this isn’t necessarily a homeschool tool, it sort of goes along with it. It helps in getting the kids ready for school in the morning—starts their routine. They have morning, day, and night chores to finish in order to earn tickets, which allows them to play Wii, computer, or watch a movie. You can read my review HERE. It also assists in discipline and teaches responsibility. This works super well with my son, but I am still trying to tweak it to work with my girls. They don’t really get it yet, but I am very hopeful. Find out more at the Accountable Kids website.
8. Book/magazine rack: I found this at a charity shop. It’s great for holding books I want them to look at, whether they’re books on a topic we’re studying, or whether they’re related to a season or holiday.
9. Worksheet Extenders: This is a tool we’ve used so much that they’re wearing out! These are very useful for using with printables and SOME curriculum . There has been a lot of discussion in the homeschool blogging world about copyright laws and reusing books that aren’t meant to be reused. I try really hard to buy only books that specifically allow copying or reuse. If I buy consumable books, I choose cheap ones. SO, just saying, worksheet extenders are great, but use them legally.
10. Small dry-erase boards: I don’t have space for a large dry-erase board, and these work just as well. We use them for math, spelling, language, illustrations, etc. The lined ones are nice, but the lines don’t last long.
11. Workbox station: I have been using Sue Patrick’s Workbox System for several years now. The set-up I have is probably my number one favorite homeschool tool. I call it a station, because it holds tubs for all 3 of my kids (8 each) in one place, and it’s quite big. This is one area where I splurged. I couldn’t find the suggested shoe racks and boxes in England, so I shopped around and found this piece of furniture and tubs that fit perfectly (I got all of this from IKEA, but I’m having trouble finding them on the website—they may not sell them anymore). It’s actually 3 pieces put together. I used all my birthday money to buy these, and I even put them together myself (handy me). I love the tubs because they’re big enough to hold all their books. Also, there is plenty of room at the top for supplies and space on the bottom for Gabriela’s learning toys and play dough. Because we use it in our dining room, I also wanted a piece of furniture that looked nice. Luckily, we had just enough room for it.
12. Hanging file box: A friend gave me this box recently. I’m using it to get ahead in my printing. I’ve printed everything I need for the first 10 weeks of school at least, and I’ve filed them by child and box. I also plan to keep forms, various logs, and lapbook templates in it.
13. Staple remover: This is a handy tool from my public school teacher days. I got this Stanley Bostitch staple remover at a teacher supply store years ago, but you can find a similar one on Amazon. It’s WAY better than the pinch-style staple removers, and this particular brand is far better than a cheaper version I used to have.
14. Supply caddy: I have been using an old dishwasher utensil holder up until this year. It was ugly and full of holes (a problem, even though I put paper in the bottom). This year, I saved my money and bought a new desk organizer from IKEA.
15. Letter trays: I have 3 of these, one for each child, and it’s where I put their finished papers to be sorted into notebooks at a later time.
16. Learning Resources Calendar & Weather Pocket Chart: This chart is big, sturdy, and easy to use. It includes seasons, weather, holidays, and places to tell what day is today, yesterday, tomorrow. This is great for the younger ones.
17. Two-hole punch: I have a 3-hole punch in storage in the US, but England has 2-ring binders, not 3-ring. We do a LOT of notebooking, so this is a must.
18. Bulletin boards: We use this large board to display some of the kids’ projects. I think the kids like to see their work up there, and we have a lot of people in our home often, so it’s a nice way to show others what the kids have been doing in school. I think one benefit of having school in the dining room is that all our friends and other visitors have seen first-hand what we do, and I have yet to meet anyone who has criticized our homeschooling after being in our home (fingers crossed).
19. Snack basket: New this year is a snack basket they can spend some of their AK tickets on (see #8). Challenge: Finding healthier snacks that are cheap.
20. Date stamp: I use this for dating our work. 
21. Craft Trays: I got these from Oriental Trading Company. I used them a LOT when Gabriela was in Tot School and Preschool, but I still plan to make her a few activity trays for Kindergarten, and we also use them for playing with play dough.
22. Display books—These have plastic pages you can slide pages into. I’ve used them for years to make the kids their assignment books. I’ve also used them to make my own teacher guides and even my own recipe book. I get the ones with 20 pockets, so I can put in up to 40 papers, front/back. You can even write on the pages with dry-erase pens. For those of you in the UK, I got these at Ryman.
23. Laminator—This is the second laminator I’ve owned, and I’m really pleased with it.
24. Learning Resources tabletop pocket chart—I’m planning to use this pocket chart quite a bit more this year, for Moriah’s writing program and also for Gabriela.
25. Shelves and book holders—Every homeschooler needs dozens of shelves! Okay, I probably have just over 1 dozen—no room for more! I also love these cardboard magazine files I got from IKEA—to organize my collection of children’s books. I do have hundreds of books, and I use them all the time. Having my books organized is a huge help!
There are a few things I’m still looking for (and saving money for), like a good electric pencil sharpener! I need one that’s affordable, works well, and can be purchased in the UK.
Many people include a library card on their lists of homeschool tools. We do use our library several times a year, but we don’t go regularly. One reason is that I own hundreds of children’s books already. The other reason is that I’m not overly happy with the selection offered by my local library. It’s okay but not good enough to make it worth walking there often (you have to pay to park, and it’s about a 10-minute walk, which isn’t too bad if it’s not raining and you have time).
In my next post, I’ll list our most essential school supplies for the kids.
In the future, I’ll make lists of my favorite subject-specific tools, such as science, social studies, math, P.E., music, art, and more.
What are your favorite school tools?
