Though I enjoy the convenience of online shopping as much as the next person, there’s something about back-to-school season—especially school supply shopping—that propels us in-store every August. And given that we routinely get our school supplies at Staples, I’m thrilled to partner with them to share about our back-to-school prep rituals and also something cool that is happening this week at the Brighton store!

OUR BACK-TO-SCHOOL RITUALS

Every year since we started in the public school system, our ritual in mid/late August has looked like #1 to #3 below. I’m also tacking on a couple new rituals this year!

1. Await teacher assignment + print class supply list

A lot of anticipation builds around teacher assignments and wondering about friends in classes! I can already feel the impending flurry of texts and Facebook messaging! Once the girls find out who they have for teachers, we hop online to print class supply lists.

2. Have a school supply scavenger hunt at home

Once the kids have their school supply lists, I actually start by sending them on a scavenger hunt in our house. Because the reality is, some years we end up overbuying on different items, or they already have a big pile of no. 2 pencils. The activity serves both as a decluttering exercise and a fun activity! #winning

Violet is all about rainbows, animals, and emojis! Also, would it be weird if I started carrying a sloth lunchbox or llama backpack? SO AMAZING.

3. Have a school supply scavenger hunt at Staples

After the home scavenger hunt is complete, we take their lists to Staples. Jon and I also invariably end up buying a bunch of office supplies too. (Because walking down the pen aisle and not buying some fun new pens = IMPOSSIBLE.)

4. NEW THIS YEAR: Comparison shopping!

This has been the summer of life skills for Laurel and one thing I taught her about while we were shopping for baking supplies (for a couple of commissioned baking projects she was doing) was to price compare based on unit prices. I know Laurel already has a color palette she is shopping for this year (SERIOUSLY, see below) so I think it will make for a really good comparison shopping discussion re: style vs. standard items.

Laurel is all about white, gold, and pastel pops of color. Staples even has a mint colored scientific calculator. #dreamlife

5. NEW THIS YEAR: Snack stock up!

Every year I tell myself I’m going to buy a ton of snacks in bulk and most years I never do it! It just occurred to me that this year when we head to Staples I’m going to load up on snacks. This is top of mind for me because Violet will always need a daily snack and Laurel will probably need two since she will be staying late after school every day for sports and other activities.

Now I want to tell you about 3 super cool things to think about as you head to Staples for your back to school shopping!

3 Cool Things At Staples

1. Head to the Brighton location on Friday, August 10!

Bring your back-to-school shopping list to the Staples store in Brighton (1660 Soldiers Field Road) this Friday (August 10) at 9:30am. Staples is partnering with Paul Pierce (yes, THE PAUL PIERCE) to kick start the new school year’s possibility for learning, creativity, self-expression and discovery. Families can meet Paul Pierce and who knows, you may get a chance to have him help you pick out school supplies!

2. Enter to win the Staples for Students sweepstakes

If you purchase $25+ worth of school supplies (THAT WILL BE ALL OF US, YOU GUYS!), you can enter the Staples for Students scholarship sweepstakes to win one of five education prizes: a $50,000 grand prize scholarship or one of four $25,000 first-prize scholarships. All the details are at StaplesforStudents.com.

3. Pay it forward in your community

Another cool thing you can do (in store and online) is donate to classroom projects in your local area at Staples stores, and Staples will match donations raised during the back to school season. Staples has continued its partnership with DonorsChoose.org, and together they have funded more than 700,000 classroom projects for teachers and positively affected more than 18 million students across the country. SO AWESOME.

Disclosure: This post reflects a compensated editorial partnership with Staples. All thoughts and opinions about back-to-school rituals and my obsession with teaching my kids to price compare are, of course, my own.

Back-To-School Rituals