Elmer’s #BagItForward Teacher Pick Me Up #Cbias

Elmer’s Bag It Forward

Summer is flying by here at our house. It’s like I blink and suddenly it is Thursday or Friday of each week. Students go back to school the last week of August so they have about 7 weeks left of summer! Teachers go back a week before so I have about 6 weeks left.

When I turned the corner at a local store last week and saw the school supply displays, I was surprised. No, let me be more honest. I was shocked. School supplies at the beginning of July! No way! Then I calmed down and realized that there was a great opportunity staring back at me.

Elmer’s and Champions for Kids are once again sponsoring the Bag it Forward  campaign. The mission is to donate school supplies to kids in need or teachers. Perfect for me!

Quality School Supplies at Walmart

I enjoyed participating in the #BagItForward campaign last year so I was ready to do it again this year! I was on a mission this year with a certain teacher in mind. I also knew what I wanted to get for her but I decided to check out the school supply lists before I got down to shopping.

The school supply list holder was simple to find. It was right down the center aisle when I walked into my Walmart! Talk about easy! Elmer’s has a new app this year to help you capture all of the memories of that 1st day of school this year. It was extremely easy to download the Elmer’s 1st Day App by scanning the QR code on the display. I love technology!

Elmer’s 1st Day App

The Elmer’s app is a FREE mobile app that helps parents capture those amazing “1st day” moments year after year. It also offers teachers a platform to share photos of their classrooms, school projects, and more with family and friends. With the app you can easily take photos, organize them, and share with everyone! What a great way to celebrate a brand new school year!

And to continue the giving, Elmer’s will donate one product (up to 200,000)  to the Kids In Need Foundation for each photo uploaded to the 1st Day App!

Must-Have School Supply – Elmer’s Glue Sticks

The teacher I planned to donate school supplies to is a close friend of mine. We taught first grade together and she is still teaching first grade in the fall. She had a challenging year last year so I wanted to do a little something special for her. The great thing about teaching is that you get to start fresh each fall. I was hoping to help her feel a little bit of that excitement even though it is only July.

So I was on a mission at Walmart. I loved the great variety of Elmer’s products that were available but I was after one thing in particular.

Elmer’s Glue Sticks.

They are a must-have in a first grade classroom and there can never be enough! Although our students do bring some glue sticks as part of their school supplies, there is always a need for more. We also teach in a school where many of our students come from low-income families so you cannot count on getting school supplies from everyone. So I knew I wanted to help her start building her stock of glue sticks! You can check out my entire shopping experience and the great Elmer’s products we saw in my #BagItForward Google+ album!

Affordable School Supplies

For less than $25, I was able to put together a fun pick me up pack for my friend. Now is the time to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers without having to spend much money! With crayons for 50 cents a box and glue sticks at 10 cents each, you can stock up. For $20 you could get 40 boxes of crayons or 200 glue sticks!

When January rolls around and school supplies are running low in local classrooms, you can continue to make a difference with the school supplies you stocked up on. You might save a teacher from having to stock his or her own classroom when the school supplies have gone up in price! The giving can continue all year!

Teaching Giving from a Young Age

Although W may not really understand what we are doing, I like to get him involved in giving to others. He enjoyed helping me organize all of the glue sticks we bought to give to my friend. The box I found only held 25 glue sticks but I have a feeling W and I will be back at Walmart picking up some more. They go quickly when they are so cheap so I need to shop early too!

Getting kids involved from a young age is a great way to teach about generosity and giving. Make it fun and they will want to participate! I cannot wait until W is older and we can do even more to help our community!

Bag It Forward with Elmer’s and Champions for Kids

By taking a little time out of your day to go shopping or just adding a few items to your grocery list on your next trip, you can put together school supplies that will make a difference! It’s a simple and cheap way to make a difference for the students and teachers in your community!

To learn more about the Bag It Forward project, visit BagItForward.org. You can also visit Elmer’s on Facebook and on Twitter at @Elmers. I also recommend checking out Bag It Forward on Pinterest and downloading the 1st Day App.

How could you make a difference in your community with the Bag It Forward project?

Formula Mom 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 Elmer’s. All experiences and opinions are 100% my own. #BagItForward #CBias