24 Aug Back to school

The list of school supplies incenses me somewhat. Not because I don’t want my kids to have crayons and notebooks for school, but because I don’t understand why that stuff gets repurchased every year. New. In the box. From the store. When at the end of each school year there are MOUNTAINS of it left over: markers, crayons, notebooks, etc. Sure the notebooks may have a few pages missing and the covers may be marked with someone’s name. And yes the crayons may not have shiny, sharp points, but how long do those points last anyway?

Last year as we helped my daughter’s kinder teacher clean out her classroom, we salvaged two one gallon containers of crayons. Some used, some new, some broken, some paperless too. But all perfectly great for drawing with. And in that quantity, rather inviting too. So we saved them to be presented this year to the first grade teacher. I think the key will be in the presentation. If we give them to the kids as a celebratory offering, they will see their splendor. Maybe a big glass bowl or a fish tank, or some such vessel so that their true colors can be seen.

My own kids are used to used. They loved the clothes swap at school and recycled art supplies and they are big, big fans of a thrift shop outing. I want to spread this message beyond our household though – this idea of reduce, reuse. Sometimes my kids willingly serve as ambassadors in a world where new is king but sometimes too they drag their feet and they get a little embarrassed because the message rings so loudly in some places they have to go – some places such as school. Helping them combat the constant message of consumption is a constant process.