If you go to high school as an 11 or 12 year old, it is usually quite exciting. Many young people think they are the only ones who find it exciting, but that is not true at all. Almost everyone finds it exciting and many young people walk around with all kinds of questions and thoughts, often half of which are incorrect. The most important thing to realize is that you can just be yourself and that you are good enough.
Preparations
When you go to high school, it is nice to prepare well. That causes a lot of stress and tension less. You will often have already received information from your new school about what you need before the summer holidays. Make sure to purchase this during the holidays. This way you start well prepared for your first day of school. There is no need to buy a lot. At stores such as HEMA and V&D you often have lists of what you need. Many things on this list are often not necessary. Most importantly, you have the basics. Make sure you stick to the list you got from your high school, you probably need these things.
Different types of shops
You can buy school supplies at all kinds of shops. These stores also have different price ranges. Below an explanation of the most famous stores.
Bookstores
You are certainly at the right place for your school supplies at the bookstore in your town or village. Often the stuff here is also a bit more expensive. You have diaries from the most famous brands, but also very cheap diaries so something for everyone. You also often have everything in the field of notebooks, pens, adhesive tape, calculators, scissors, markers, folders, fasteners, dictionaries, and so on. The quality is usually good at the bookstore.
V&D
The V&D is perhaps the best-known store where you buy school supplies. Most V & D’s have a special department for this: the school campus. This can often be found in the basement of the store. Of all stores, you probably have the most choice at the V&D. They have all kinds of agendas (just like in the bookstore). From the well-known brands but also very cheap. They also have all other necessities for sale, often even school bags. So you can be ready in one go at the V&D! The V&D is often the same as the bookstore in terms of price range.
HEMA
HEMA has its own style in terms of school supplies. You can’t buy the school supplies you see at HEMA anywhere else. The school supplies are not tied to a brand. This also means that the items at the Hema are often a lot cheaper. The price for an agenda at HEMA is often between 5 and 8 euros. But also at the Hema you can buy very simple agendas for a few euros. The price is usually a bit lower than at the bookstore. The items are generally very basic without too much luxury, and the style is of course typical HEMA.
Action
If you don’t feel like spending tons of money on your school supplies, you have to go to Action! This is probably the cheapest store for school supplies. Everything in the Action is often very basic. You won’t find the hottest and coolest agendas there. The Action does have very nice cover paper and notebooks from time to time. The range of the Action is constantly changing, so it is difficult to say which items the Action does and does not have. But often the Action has a large number of school supplies that you will need.
Idea: make your own school diary!
- Step 1: Buy a cheap diary from Action.
- Step 2: Find all kinds of fun pictures, photos, stickers and tape that you like.
- Step 3: Look for inspiration on the internet, for example via Pinterest
- Step 4: Paste this in and on your calendar. Let your creativity run free.
- Step 5: If necessary, put a layer of plastic foil around it so that your agenda remains extra protected. Ready!
Your own style
School supplies come in all shapes and sizes. The most important thing is that you buy things that you like. For example, buy a diary from your favorite brand. Often you have matching cover paper, stickers, pens and notebooks. It can be fun to buy everything from the same brand / type. But that is not necessary at all. Just buy what you like. You can put some of your identity and creativity into this.
Belong
You really don’t have to have the most expensive and hippest agenda to belong. Choose something that makes you feel good and that is typically you! This way you can show some of who you are. This is the most important thing. Are you creative? Let your creativity run free and pimp anything that can be pimped! If you don’t like too much fuss, choose things that are a bit quieter without too much fuss. This is fine too! You will see, if you are just yourself you will be accepted for who you are.