Kamel's School Essentials

I know that school is not even close to starting but I thought that since all the stores are in full back to school mode right now that I should do this post now. These are some of my favorite and most used items that I use year after year for school that have held the test of time. I would recommend these things for any middle or high school aged kid, and some of these are great for elementary school kids as well.

Backpack 

I love Land's End backpacks, they are the most durable and sturdy backpacks I have ever tried. Once I got my first one I have never looked back and have been using the same one year after year.
I talk more about my back pack and school locker essentials in this post, What's in Kamel's locker?



landsend.com/products/digital-classmate-medium-backpack

Rubber Edged Binder

You know how on regular binders the edge always is the first part to break? Not with these binders, they have an extra durable coating on the edges to prevent that exact problem. When I had regular binders I would have to replace them every year, but since I got some of these I have used the same binders for 4 years.

Staples-Better-2-Inch-D-3-Ring-View-Binder-Blue

Reinforced Filler Paper

The reinforced part of this paper makes it really nice so your papers won't start to rip out of your binder, this means if you take notes on this paper you can pop it right on your binder rings and keep them nice and orderly. Filler paper in general is nice so that you don't have to tear paper out of a notebook every time you need just one piece of paper and you don't get all the scraggly stuff that is left on the edges (teachers hate that).

Reinforced-Filler-Paper

Plastic Folders

Before I discovered plastic folders I would have to replace my folders every new trimester because the old ones would be tearing out of my binder at the holes, or the bottom would be falling apart and my papers would fall out. These don't have those problems because they're made out of plastic, I only just discovered them in 10th grade but I have not had to replace any of my folders since then. Make sure you get the ones that already have binder holes in them, I learned that the hard way :)

Staples poly folder

Five Star Notebooks

These notebooks are awesome because they have their own built in folder (though they are paper so you can't use this feature for more than one or two trimesters). They also have a sturdy metal spiral, a durable plastic cover, and perforated pages. Make sure you get college ruled to make your English teacher happy ;)

Mead-Five-Star-Wirebound-Notebook-2-Subject-College-Ruled

Scientific Calculator

This calculator is my best friend, what more can I say? I have used this calculator a lot in math and science but I have also used this in many other random classes for its more advanced functions. This calculator was especially useful in my high school and college chemistry classes, and my chem teacher even recommends this specific calculator, so it must be a good one.

Texas-Instruments-reg-TI-30XS-MultiView-trade-Scientific-Calculator

Graphing Calculator

As much as I dearly love my scientific calculator there is one thing that it doesn't do, graph. This is mostly important for math classes (and maybe physics?) Once I got into 9th grade math we started using these graphing calculators, but since they are on the pricey side I didn't get a personal one until 11th grade for the ACT. Before I was using online calculators at home or coming in early to class to use a classroom set one, but having your own is sooo nice! I would recommend getting the same brand that you use at school so that you already know what buttons to use, and your teacher can help you if you have trouble.

Texas-Instruments-TI-84-CE-Color-Screen-Graphing-Calculator

Ruler

This is a household staple for anyone you can use it for art projects, in the kitchen, for house projects and so much more. But a ruler is especially useful for hand drawing graphs. If your teacher hasn't had you do this in math yet just wait, one of them will trust me. These are the best not only for linear graphs but also just to get your axis straight and to evenly space your labels on the axis. I don't have one specific brand that I like but I would recommend the clear ones so you can see what's underneath your ruler.

Westcott-reg-12-Acrylic-Ruler

Graph Paper

This is for the same reason as above, hand drawing graphs. Graph paper is nice because you already have straight lines for axis and evenly spaced lines for coordinate points. Your math teacher will probably give you some of this if they assign you to graph something but it is always nice to have some at hand just in case. There is one other thing that graph paper is really good for...Interior Design! Graph paper is perfect for drafting and is your templates are made to fit graph paper, just make sure the squares are 1/4 in.

Reinforced-Filler-Paper-Graph-Ruled-4x4-8-1-2-x-11

Writing Utensils

All of the writing tools below I use because they are the most comfortable, smooth, easy to write with, and reliable of all the other contenders that I have tried. I am right handed so I can't say anything about any of these for lefties but I think that most of these are good for both types of people.

Paper Mate Clear Point Mechanical Pencils

I don't know about you but I use my eraser a lot! I never used ordinary mechanical pencils because of this, I knew that they would only last as long as my eraser did so I would be wasting my money. That is until I found these, they are more pricey than your regular mechanical pencils but they have extra long erasers that you screw up when you need more, and a couple refill erasers. Lot's of other people like these too, in any class that I'm in I can always spot several other people using this exact same pencil.

Paper-Mate-reg-ClearPoint-reg-Mechanical-Pencil-Starter-Set-0-7mm-2-pk

Cap Erasers

Speaking of erasers these cap erasers were my jam back in elementary school. I actually put these on brand new pencils because I knew that I would need one any way in a couple days. These extend the life of your pencil by a lot. Remember how it was cool in elementary school to have a pencil that you had used so much that it was only an inch or two long? That wouldn't have happened without cap erasers :)

                    

Cap-Erasers-Assorted-Dozen

Pencils

Even if you have made the transition to mechanical pencils I would still have a couple of regular pencils at hand in case you run out of lead. You really need these if you are taking any kind of bubble test on paper because if you don't use a number 2 pencil the machines can't read your answers correctly (its something in the lead I think). I know for certain that the ACT is still on paper and the SAT probably is too. Plus regular pencils have all sorts of really cute designs, so this is a good way to get your personality into your school supplies.

Dixon-Ticonderoga-Presharpened-2-Pencil-Yellow-18-Pack

Pentel R.S.V.P Red Pen

A lot of teachers will have you correct your own or someone else's paper (because it saves them so much time) so you will definitely need a red correcting pen. These pens write so smoothly it is amazing and the grip is super comfy too. They come in many different colors like black, red, blue, green, and purple.

Pentel-R-S-V-P-Ballpoint-Pens-Medium-Point-Red

Colored Pencils

I know that you might think these are just for elementary school, but I have needed colored pencils for lots of classes in high school, even in math! Colored pencils are the best to use because crayons break too easily in back packs and markers are bulky and smelly, plus colored pencils won't run out of ink or leave crayon shavings everywhere.

Crayola-Colored-Pencils-12-Box

Bic Round Stic Pens

It might be how smoothly they write or the perfect size of the line or how it feels in my hand I don't know, but I love these pens!

BIC-Round-Stic-Ballpoint-Pen-Black-Ink-Medium-Point

Fine Point Sharpies

Sharpies are another household staple that everyone should have. Fine point sharpies are especially useful for labeling your things and for outlining/writing on posters. I always use these in art class and for drafting in interior design.

Sharpie-reg-Ultra-Fine-Point-Permanent-Markers

Paper Mate Felt Tip Pens

These pens have beautiful color payoff and they have a very fine point. I think these would have been useful to have in geography when we were coloring in a lot of little countries in our world maps.



Paper-Mate-reg-Flair-reg-Felt-Tip-Pens-Medium-Point-Assorted-12-pk

Sharpie Highlighters

I'm going to be honest when I say that I don't use highlighters all that often, but I like this one because it is slim and has a thin chisel tip so you can underline and highlight if you want to.

Sharpie-reg-Highlighters-Narrow-Chisel-Tip-Yellow

Pencil Sharpener

I really like having my own personal sharpener with me at school because you don't have to get up to use the teacher's sharpener and they are quieter than the electric ones so you aren't disturbing the class when you need to sharpen your pencil or colored pencils. Plus you are a hero when the pencil sharpener is broken or the teacher doesn't have one :)

Staples-reg-Dual-Dome-Pencil-Sharpener

Big Eraser

I don't usually need these because I just use my pencil's eraser, but I will use one when I have to erase a big area. For example I use this a lot in art or after I have outlined something in sharpie and want to erase the pencil lines.

Paper-Mate-Pink-Pearl-Elastomer-Compound-Eraser-Medium-3-Pack

Glue Sticks

A glue stick is the best thing to use to glue paper to paper, which is usually the only type of gluing you will do at school.



Elmer-s-Disappearing-Purple-School-Glue-Sticks-3-Pack

Stapler

This stapler is the mother of all staplers. It is spring loaded so it is super easy to press down and it has a lot of power behind it so you can easily staple a lot of papers together. I have never had a problem with this stapler jamming or getting stuck. If you are in the market for a new stapler this one is a good choice.

paperpro.com

Copy Paper

Last but not least is copy paper no matter who you are, you are going to need some of this especially in today's day and age where every one wants a typewritten paper instead of a handwritten one. You will definitely need some of this if you have English and history classes because you will undoubtedly be typing and printing up some essays for those classes. This paper is also good for coloring on ;) 

Multiuse-Copy-Paper-8-1-2-x-11-8-Ream-Case

I know I'm forgetting things but hopefully this list gave you some good ideas or at least a good start. Let me know some of your favorite school supplies below in a comment.
Good luck in your learning!
Kamel

What's in Kamel's locker?

I know that around the end of summer when it is getting close to school beginning again there are lots of tutorials on how to make your locker all cutesy, plus office supply stores are selling a lot of frilly toys to put in your locker. So I decided to do a post on what I put in my locker that I feel is actually worth having. As this will be my last year of high school and having 5 years of locker experience behind my back I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what is practical or not. Of course everyone is different with differing needs so keep that in mind as well.

Locker Shelf

First and foremost the one thing that I believe all lockers should have, even if you get nothing else, you should have a locker shelf. I use this item every single school day! With this shelf I will put my lunch box underneath to keep my lunch from being squished then I can put my textbooks on top of it. This leaves the locker hooks near the top free for my backpack and my jacket/coat. If I have an umbrella that day or an extra tall water bottle I can also put this underneath, next to my lunchbox. The past couple of years I have been sharing a full sized locker with my friend (our school is too overcrowded for us to have our own) and this has been absolutely essential. This is because while we have plenty of vertical space we have very limited horizontal space and these shelves help to solve this problem.

Durability: I have used the same one for all 5 years and it is holding up great.

Sizes: There is both a 12 inch and a 8 inch option, I personally have the 8 inch one and it works great for me but if you want to put your textbooks underneath the shelf I would get the 12 in one.
                                    

Lunch box

Speaking of lunch boxes my all time favorite lunch box has been one of those vintage looking metal ones. This site has a ton of cute ones, I personally got my Pinkie Pie box from Hastings. After a couple years of using it there is some rust starting to form but that is probably from some of my water bottles leaking inside and me not drying it out ;) As long as you keep these boxes clean and dry they should last you several years.

 

Coat

My favorite everyday winter coat is by Andrew Marc, I actually got mine at Costco a few years ago but the one in the link is a very similar style. The down makes it extra warm without all the bulk of a regular coat, plus it comes with it's own cinch sack that you can squish it down into. I have not tried washing it, and because of the down I would not suggest doing so but so far I can just wipe off any spills with a wet cloth and it does okay due to its darker color.

               

Umbrella

Obliviously there are hundreds of umbrellas out there to choose from that are all both adorable and functional I personally have a mini umbrella from Totes and it is just the right size to put in my locker and they have tons of cute patterns to choose from.

                                    

Backpack

I love my backpack! During elementary school I always had to get a new back pack every year because my old one would be falling apart by the years end. However for 7th grade my mom decided to get me a backpack from Land's End and I am still using it into my senior year of high school. These backpacks are amazing I have never had a problem with my zipper getting jacked up, my shoulder straps breaking off, or even the bottom wearing through on my backpack. Though they are a bit pricier than the kind you can buy from the store these backpacks pay for themselves in the many years that you can use them.

They no longer make the exact backpack that I got all those years ago but this is pretty close.

                                     
                                   

My little brother Tyler got this backpack from them this past year.
                                     
                                                

Extras

The following are not at all essential but are fairly useful to have around at school.

mirror

This is good for after lunch to check your teeth or to quickly fix your bow that is falling out. You don't need a huge one just a small hand held one will work (think compact size) and having a magnet on the back is useful so you can stick it on your locker wall.

mints/gum

This is also useful for after lunch, or maybe after eating something with onions in it from foods class (I speak from experience my friends!). Just be careful not to forget about your gum if you go in the computer lab or have a language class, it is hard enough to speak a foreign language let alone with gum in your mouth :)

Extra's Polar Ice is delicious!

                   

tic tacs & Altoids are also good choices

     

hair ties & bobby pins

You never know when you need these, especially for cooking and art projects.

perfume

I like the kind from Bath & Body Works.

                                

hand lotion

I cannot tell you how many times one of my friends has asked me if I had any lotion they could use. I also have to use this for my poor dry hands during the harsh Utah winter. I like to use Gold Bond lotion when they are really dry, remember the stinging means your hands are healing!...and that you need to use lotion more often :)

                   

                                                                  

I hope that this guide was informative and useful to you. Let me know if you think I forgot anything in the comments. Good luck in your learning!

Kamel

Breakfast Shop Cutaway

This Lego creation is of a breakfast shop cutaway. It might look like it's not finished, but when I build complete buildings I usually find that I am limited on space and do not have enough bricks of the right color. I feel that cutaways give me more creativity with less limitation.

This breakfast place is based off of breakfast shops that I have been to. This is just the counter area of the breakfast shop it also has a cooking area, and some storage space.

This is a picture of guys waiting to get some food. The person behind the counter is taking their orders giving these to the chef. The guy on the far right is holding a menu.

This picture shows the cooking area more clearly. On the far right there is a sink to probably just rinse off used plates and silverware before they go in the dishwasher, or to get water for the coffee machine. Next is the coffee machine it is quite large and only makes one cup o' joe at a time. After that there is a cutting board/counter for prepping food and then a grill and a skillet right next to it. Lastly there is a cash register, and there is a feature behind it in the storage room.

You can push a plate and that makes money come out of the cash register. In the cash register there is a place to swipe your credit card. In the storage room there is a crate with some plates and a bottle of olive oil. Even though I haven't shown it the dishwasher would also be in the storage room along with other cooking utensils.

This picture is sort of cut in half. The right half is the out side of the building, the left half is the inside, and the middle is the wall. On the inside half you can see where employees can walk through the kitchen area and access the counter, farther along there would probably be a door to the storage room and on the other side there would be access to the front door and waiting room.

This is the outside, you might have noticed the inside floor is black suggesting that it is maybe black tile and on the outside beside the paved walkway their is the asphalt road. The outside wall of the building looks kind of crazy but is also supposed to look artistic. The multi-colored glass gives it an original feel and the sidewalk is a combination of flat and bumpy Lego pieces. There also may be a mural on the dark gray wall, you can see the ventilation system and an air vent on the roof.

Perhaps this blog post has made you hungry for breakfast food and I hope you enjoyed.

Sincerely,

Tyler

Cache Humane Society News

Here is some exciting news to some of my closer readers.

Now through to the end of July Cache Humane Society is having a special on micro-chipping due to all the fireworks. It is $25 and includes a lifetime registration, so there is no annual fee. Getting a microchip for your furry friend is a good idea no matter what time of year is is because collars easily fall off. Plus if an animal is microchipped then the pound/shelter is not allowed to put that animal down (for overcrowding reasons).

During the month of August all adoptions will include a brand new memory foam pet bed, and there are quite a few sponsored animals to adopt so if you are thinking about adoption now might be a good time to look.



For all of my not so close readers you can participate in this fundraiser too!

As it says on the flier you can either donate at the shelter, by mail, or on the shelter's website. This really is one of the most worthy causes you can donate to because every penny goes to help save an animal's life. If you can't donate don't worry there are other ways to help like volunteering at your local shelter or helping to spread the word about responsible pet ownership.































This is a link to a flier giving the full details to being a Cache Humane society Champion.
And... if you do this at the shelter you will get this awesome water bottle as a free gift :)

Thank you for all of your support! Make sure to hug your pet for me :)

<3/Kamille

What does Kamel pack for girl's camp?

I thought that since I will be leaving for girl's camp in a couple weeks that I could show you what I will be taking. Now I'm no camping expert, but I have been going to girl's camp for about 5 years now so I think that I have fine tuned what I need and what I really don't need to bring. Keep in mind though that everyone is different and has differing needs.

I'll start with the things I don't put inside my main bag, I will label these with duck tape and throw them in the trailer with the other stuff.

Camping chair

Sleeping Bag

This is actually a new sleeping bag so I have not tried it out yet. I love this bag because it has a brilliant zipper that you can unzip to let your feet out. I poke my feet out of the covers at home in my bed because I will get too hot otherwise (can anyone relate?). I also love the color of this bag and it has it's own cinch sack to store it in. I personally got my bag at Sportsman Warehouse but it is probably sold at other sporting goods stores.

Kelty Tuck Sleeping Bag

         

Duffel Bag

The camping duffel bag I use is quite large, I usually only use this for a longer vacation or camping and will use a smaller one for over night trips. I like this one though because it has roller wheels and a pull out handle so you don't have to lug it around everywhere you go. This bag  also has a lot of outside pockets which is useful for camp, I will put littler things in them so that I don't have to dig through the main compartment. For example, if you really have to pee in the middle of the night you can quickly find a flash light and your hand sanitizer :)

olympia 33 inch rolling duffel bag

Inside the main compartment I have most of my clothes and bulkier items including:

lantern

This is mostly useful for getting ready for bed in a dark tent. For the most part camping activities will go late into the night, past sunset so this is a better alternative than having a flashlight between your teeth when your trying to change into your pjs :)

Something like this from Target should work.

beach towel
pillow
cinch sack
hoodie
jeans
t-shirts
socks
underwear
PJs
swimsuit
cover-up
watershoes (or flip flops)
shoes (these should be good for hiking and just kicking around camp)
plastic plate, cup, and spork
water bottles

At camp we will be swimming, if you aren't you won't be needing the swim suit or cover-up. However I would still take the beach towel in case you get wet or wash your hair (beach towels are better than regular towel because then you won't be as concerned about getting it dirty). I would also bring some flip flops, first because you never know if your other shoes will get wet/filthy and flip flops are easier to throw on if you're in a hurry. I will use the cinch sack mostly to have a little sack to take with me hiking for snacks and a water bottle.

toiletry bag

I also store this in the main compartment in my bag and will keep my most used items in here. I would also suggest that if you don't have a lot of pockets on your bag that you have  a couple of these types of bags to help organize extra little items so they don't get lost in the mess of all your clothes. There are literally hundreds of sizes and types of these kinds of bags, Target has lots of cute options.

                      

Inside this bag I will have:

small mirror
hair brush
hair comb
deoderant
chapstick
toothbrush
toothpaste
flossersListerine strips

                            

Small container for hair bobbles (ties, bobby pins, clear elastics, etc.)

I use a container similar to this

                            

In all of the pockets on my duffel I will have:

scriptures
sunscreen (a body spray and a face stick)

  

shampoo
conditioner
body soap
lotion

I put these in travel sized bottles. I also use a small spray bottle for a dispenser of Listerine mouthwash, which works as a delicious smelling insect repellent. You can buy different colors for differentiating products or I just used some cute patterned paper and wrapped the bottles.

 

chapstick  (I love Burt's Bees)

                                

hand sanitizer

I cannot tell you how many times having a spare hand sanitizer has saved me, you just can't depend on the port-a-potty's supply. Bath and Body Works always has a ton of fun scents to try.

                                

kleenex (there are lots of cute to-go packs)

facial towelettes (Neutrogena has many kinds for any skin type) 

          

Wet Ones 

These are good for wiping down your feet and arms if you feel especially grimy or just to "wash your hands".

                  

Flash light(s) w/ extra batteries 

(Target has a  Hello Kitty one!)

                       

bandanna
pocket knife
After BiteNeosporinband-aids 

They even have an adorable  R2-D2 style!

                       

Well I think that's everything that I will be packing this year. I hope this list will help you with your camping adventures, let me know if you think I'm missing anything pertinent in the comments :)

<3/ Kamel