I can’t believe in just one month Hanna is going to be back in school. This summer is flying by way too quickly! I figured I’d get a head start on school supply shopping and I was excited to get to Bag It Forward again this year. If you aren’t familiar with the Bag It Forward movement, it’s a simple way to make a difference by picking up some extra school supplies and donating them to a deserving child or teacher. Last year I was glad to be able to give school supplies and a new backpack to a friend’s child and this year we decided to donate to Hanna’s art teacher. I figured the “specials” (as they call them at her school) teachers are often even more forgotten than the regular teachers are and as much as Hanna loves art it would be nice to give something back to her. So, when I headed to Walmart with Hanna’s school supply list in hand I also had a mental list of things I wanted to get for Mrs. M.
When I got to the store Elmer’s had these great stands filled with school supply lists! Elmer’s, being the official sponsor of the first day of school, has this great new 1st Day app too. To make it easy for you, Elmer’s put a QR code right on the supply list stands so you can download the 1st Day app quickly while you’re at the store. With their new app Elmer’s helps you capture and share your kid’s first day of school memories. I downloaded it and gave it a try with Hanna’s Kindergarten pics from last year. You can make a folder for each kid and then folders for each year (or however you want to organize them.) And, I loved that for every picture I upload Elmer’s is going to donate one product to The Kids in Need Foundation! It’s a pretty neat app for keeping track of your children’s first day of school each year and giving back at the same time.
While I was at Walmart I found almost everything on Hanna’s supply list and a ton of great things I thought Mrs. M would like to have in her classroom. Once I got home Hanna and I laid it all out to see what all we had. She is so excited about her new school supplies (I love that; I remember feeling the same way as a kid!) But, she was even more excited about making a basket to give to Mrs. M.
We picked out some pretty tissue paper and I found a great basket at Walmart to put everything in. Elmer’s has some awesome art products that I think Mrs. M is going to have fun with (I know I would!) I found some Colored Glue Sticks, Glitter Glue and of course Elmer’s School Glue and Glue Sticks. I filled in the rest of the basket with a variety of markers, colored pencils, dry erase markers, erasers, crayons, water color paints, disinfecting wipes, and facial tissues.
Hanna’s school is pretty empty right now but we have Mrs. M’s #BagItForward basket ready to go! We’re looking forward to dropping by in a few weeks and surprising her with it before school starts. I hope she really loves it and there are some things she can use in her classroom this year.
Walmart has so many great deals that make school supplies affordable and don’t forget that they will price match all of those other back to school ads too. I hope you’ll think of a child or teacher that you can Bag It Forward to this year while you are out shopping for your own children’s school supplies and pick up a few (or a lot of) extras to donate!
To get some great ideas on how you can spread the Bag It Forward movement be sure to check out Bag It Forward on Pinterest. If you would like to connect with Elmer’s be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and and Elmer’s. #BagItForward #CBias #SocialFabric As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I bet the teacher will be thrilled!
JDaniel4′s Mom recently posted..Taking Time to Play- The Golden Gleam
That is awesome. You did a great job! What a great project you did to help out!
mel recently posted..Little Tikes TikeStix Clubhouse Review-Giveaway
What fun!!!
Omgoodness, back to school – already?!?!?! AHHHH.
Super cute basket of stuff – and that QR code/app is awesome!
Emily @ Baby Dickey recently posted..I got pampered at a moms night out with Residence Inn by Marriott downtown Chicago!
That is a really great idea. I bet your girl will be so proud to take those supplies to her teacher.
Jennifer recently posted..Project 365, Week 30
What a fun project! We picked up school supplies yesterday at Walmart, great deals
Jess recently posted..Hevea #babyshower #giveaway
What a great idea to give it to the art teacher! Im sure she will be very appreciative!
Diane recently posted..Somnapure – A Natural Sleep Aid
It is so wonderful that you provide supplies for a child in need. I worked for an Agency that received donations like this and the kids were so thrilled when I got to drop off their full backpacks before the school year.
Margaux at YoungNesters recently posted..Road Trip Photo Journal: Days Four through Ten
This is so great! You got so much!
What a great donation!! I’m jealous of the colored glue sticks though. We never had those around when I was little.
RJ recently posted..Look at The Stars, How They Shine For You
What a great basket! #bagitforward is such a wonderful program!
Trisha Grimes recently posted..EverydayFamily.com Parenting Community
What a wonderful program to help kids in need. How do I get involved with this, would love to contribute? Your basket turned out so cute!
Thanks Sarah! Contributing is really simple – all you need to do is pick up some extra supplies while you are out shopping and choose a child or teacher to donate them to. If you aren’t sure who might be in need I would ask at your local school, church or shelter and I’m sure they could help you Bag It Forward to a deserving recipient. If you’d like more ideas be sure to check out BagItForward.org too.
I love that you decided to Bag It Forward to a “specials” teacher! I am certain she will truly appreciate your thoughtful gesture! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope your words and actions inspire many to Bag It Forward this back to school season!
Terri recently posted..Must Have Fab: Unique Leather Chanel Tote Give Away
How awesome r u! That is going to make a lot of kids happy!
Veronica FULTON recently posted..Back to School Blast Sponsor Spotlight: Hallmark
What a great basket! I bet the teacher is going to love that! I read somewhere that the average teacher spends $400 of their own money on supplies for their classroom.
Tabitha recently posted..TheBump.com and AMC Theatres Present: Bring Your Baby Matinees!!!
I can’t believe you have a child in school, it blows my mind every time!
I know, right?! Wait, I’ll blow your mind some more… I’m going to be *30* next month. I’m old, huh? LOL
that’s a cool basket!
That teacher is going to love this! I love the idea… as parents you forget sometimes that the teachers often don’t get much to spend on supplies so I am sure they love all the help they can take. I will have to remember this!
That is a fantastic supplies basket for the teacher. It’s like Christmas