The basics
While Covid-19 has changed the way we socialize, recreate and dine out of the house, it hasn't changed the most basic list of stuff kids need to do school right.
This means parents should stock up on staples such as pens, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, erasers and scissors — both for kids who will be learning from home and for those who will be learning from school.
Ashley Fry, a sixth grade math teacher at West Jackson Middle School in Hoschton, Georgia, recommended that kids who will attend any in-real-life instruction should keep these items in a washable pouch. She knows that sharing likely won't be allowed.
"Middle schoolers are known for forgetting supplies, which is normally fine because they just borrow from each other or from their teacher," she said. "Now, however, it will be potentially dangerous to do so with the current pandemic going on."
The new basics
Two other must-haves for school in 2020: hand sanitizer and face coverings.
While these items are more important for students attending school outside the home, they're important for virtual learners, too, since these kids will spend parts of their days out and about.
Students should buy or make 10 to 15 masks they are comfortable wearing, Fry recommended, so they can have two or three face coverings available every day. That's because masks can get sweaty or dirty, and kids need to have a backup mask, just in case.
"Having (multiple) masks will make it so parents don't have to wash masks each evening," Fry said.
CNN Health
