The first day of elementary school was always exciting. After running around and calling friends to see who was in the same class and what teacher they had, we set off on a fresh new adventure. Most of what we started each new school year with was very different from what kids today use, but some favorites have stood the test of time.
Think back… do you remember these when you were in Elementary School?
Go Back in Time to Your Elementary School Days
Grocery Bag Book Covers
We loved these as kids, they were a blank slate for our artistic expression. Our moms thought otherwise, as they struggled to get them cut just right and then fit snugly around varying sizes of books.
The Crayola Box of 64 with the Built-In Sharpener
This one is still a favorite. The smell of a new box of crayons is the smell of childhood school days. The new points on each crayon, the perfect paper wrapping around each crayon, and the nice clean sharpener waiting to turn flat tops into pointed ones once again.
Paste
Who can forget the big jars of paste? It smelled good, it was messy and fun, and there was always that one kid who ate it. Did it really taste that good?
Lunch Boxes with a Thermos
One of the best parts of back to school shopping was picking out a new lunchbox with our favorite character on it. Some of us grew up with metal lunch boxes, which then changed to plastic. It didn't matter what it was made of, it was our testament to whatever characters we were in love with that year.
Safety Scissors
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Those small rounded scissors weren't just cutting utensils, they were a rite of passage – being allowed to use something that could was sharp. When you went up a few grades you got the pointy ones, a nod to your maturity and big kid status. That's also when you started hearing “Don't run with scissors!”
Wall Mounted Pencil Sharpeners
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Those things were tanks. They could take a brand new pencil and have it pointy for perfect cursive writing in a matter of seconds.
They were loud, but that was ok because you were away from your desk for a glorious couple of minutes. Bonus points for being allowed to sharpen a pencil during a test. That was like getting a coffee break.
The Best Classroom Helper Job Ever
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We didn't have smart boards. We had chalkboards. With that came felt erasers that accumulated a good amount of chalk dust during the course of a day.
Being the one who was assigned as the helper that clapped the erasers was an honor like no other! You got to step outside to create a massive cloud of chalk dust, making sure they were clean and black as coal. All while milking the outside time of course.
Elementary School Nostalgia From the News
Every now and again, you may come across a news story that looks back into the past instead of the turbulent times of the present. Such is the case with Daily Beast's January 2023 coverage of the hit show Abbot Elementary. This article covered a nostalgic episode of the series that is sure to bring back memories for many.
The episode included the Scholastic Book Fair, scented pencils, and a pizza party. All of these should bring back some great memories! Daily Beast's article goes into detail about more elementary nostalgia; it's a great trip down memory lane. This episode of the series is a great one to check out if you're looking to spend some time reliving some precious memories, even if you don't want to watch or haven't watched the rest of the series.
Keep an eye on your local news cycle for coverage of events in your local schools' history. Many news outlets do “blast from the past” type articles to commemorate certain anniversaries. You may also find this type of content directly from a school's web pages, or from their social media.