Pick safer school supplies with EWG’s back-to-school guide | Environmental Working Group
Image via WikipediaToday is the big shopping day for back to school items. I dutifully went to the school's website and downloaded the list.
KINDERGARTEN
2 packs Crayola crayons (24 count)
1 pack Crayola crayons large (8 count)
1 pack Crayola thick classic markers (8 count)
(*no neon, pastels, skinny, etc. markers)
2 Dry Erase Markers (1 black/1 blue)
1 (3 prong/2 pocket) plastic folder
2 4 oz. bottles Elmer’s white glue
2 Glue Sticks (Jumbo size)
1 pair Fiskars blunt tip children’s scissors
2 boxes Kleenex
** 1 bottle hand sanitizer
1 ream letter size printer/copier paper
Kindergarten supplies continued…..
GIRLS: 1 box 24 ct. Ziploc bags (quart size)
1 container Lysol wipes
BOYS: 1 box 25 ct. Ziploc bags (gallon size)
1 container baby wipes
Hard not to notice that almost all the product were listed as "Crayola" or a name brand. Crayola must be a huge supported of schools to have such a hold on the market. Or maybe it is because they have been around since 1903. Dare I buy non name brand crayons, markers or lunch boxes? No kid wants to be the "different" one, especially on the first day. I was surfing Twitter this morning at 5am, otherwise known as mommy-time, and conveniently stumbled on a list of environmentally safe school supplies. I will be taking this list with me to the store today. Hope that I can get away with buying a few items, especially the environmentally safe lunch-box. I bet that it doesn't have Batman on the cover.
BTW, I wonder why the girls are asked to bring Lysol wipes and the boys are asked to bring baby wipes? :-). If I chicken out on the environmentally friendly backpack, at least I can get soothe the guilt with the environmentally friendly baby wipes.
