Whenever a new school year comes around, students have lists of supplies to buy for their upcoming classes. This typically leads to families rushing over to the nearest store selling all the materials their kids will need in the last few weeks of summer vacation. But, as I’ve learned after twelve years of schooling, there are plenty of things that aren’t on those supply lists that could really come in handy to have on your person at school. Here’s a list of items that you should consider getting while on your school supply shopping spree! 

What you will need:

• breath mints or gum
• tissues
• bandages
• lens wipes
• phone charger
• menstrual products
• books
• card games
• snacks
• water bottle 

Tissues

Afraid of having the whole class hear your sniffling? Bring a small package of tissues with you to school! Constantly clearing your sinuses is not an attractive sound. Drippy noses can be fixed easily with some tissues on hand. 

Hand Sanitizer

There’s no good opportunity to wash your hands before going to eat lunch. But, it is so important to have clean hands because who knows how many germy surfaces you’ve come in contact with! According to NSF, an organization for safety and public health, bacteria and viruses can live for more than two days on many surfaces. School lunch can be pretty questionable sometimes, but it would be a good idea to make sure you’re not putting any more icky things into your system.You could read about the study they conducted in a 

Bandages 

It is so surprisingly easy to get hurt at school! Papercuts, instrument injuries, and any sort of unfortunate cases of locker finger smashes and gym floor scrapes are . A bandage can cover up any minor injuries and help stop some bleeding, and they typically come in small boxes. Keeping the bandages in a bag without the box may wear them down if they lie under you other things like books and binders, which is why I have a little bandage case that carries a couple if I ever need them, it saves a lot of room in my bag! 

Lens wipes

This is a must for students who wear glasses! Eyeglasses are so easy to get dirty, even just putting your head down can Unless you wish to look through smudged up and dusty lenses all day, investing in some pre-moistened cleaning wipes will prevent feeling blind than you already do. 

Phone Charger

Have you found your phone having a low battery percentage and in need of a recharge? You might need your phone to text someone in case of an emergency, so bringing along your phone’s charger would help keep your devices alive throughout the day! These bad boys can be plugged into the wall outlets or computers, so that your phone will be good in no time. 

Snacks

It’s tough to get through the day without some sustenance. According to the No Kid Hungry campaign, about 3 million students miss out on getting breakfast to start their day right. On the campaign’s blog, they share how “being hungry makes them tired, irritable, unfocused. It hurts their grades, their health and their happiness.” In order to get the food they need, students would survive the school day until lunch- but some kids tend to go a long time without having any food due to later lunch periods, and some don’t even have a free period to grab a bite to eat! Snacks ensure that you’ll have the energy to get through the day!

Water

This one’s important. We all know that we need to drink eight cups of water to stay hydrated, and so it would be good to keep a bottle on you to get about two of those cups! Unfortunately, some schools were built with lead pipes and so harmful metals could be found in the water that comes out of fountains and sinks. Keeping your own bottled water is a better way to be sure of what you’re drinking. However, it’s also important to note that some brands of bottled water could be harmful as well, as they were found to contain higher levels of arsenic. This Consumer Reports article lists the brands, including Starkey and Peñafiel.

Menstrual products

Namely pads, as they’re the easiest to use and conceal in your bookbag. It’s perfect to keep on you to avoid any surprises, any time of the month. You’ll also be able to seem like an angel to a friend who doesn’t have one on them! Menstrual products are often not accessible in many high schools, and only three states require that their public schools provide for students who have periods. So, instead of taking the walk of shame to the school nurse, it would be best to supply your own pads (or tampons, if they work better for you!).

Breath mints

Bad breath is pretty unpleasant to have at school, especially if you wish to talk to friends or teachers throughout the day. Since bringing a toothbrush and some toothpaste is not ideal, the next best thing is having some sort of breath freshener. Mints and gum are the most common to bring along, but breath sprays and breath strips are also possible choices. At least the latter would be a lot harder to share! 

Books or Card Games

Something small and easy to carry around in your bag to entertain you on your free periods.It’s a lot better than having nothing to do but scroll endlessly through your media feed until the bell rings. Introverts might stick to books, and extroverts may want to share their card games with others that might be bored. A nice read or an intense game of Uno would make your free period all the more interesting!

You’ll also need one last thing: the drive to be prepared despite potentially being called the “mom friend.” Your friends will either praise you for always having exactly what they need, or poke fun at the fact that you’re so ready for anything. There’s absolutely no shame in that, though. It’s like the philosophy of an optimistic pessimist, expect the best but prepare for the worst!