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The new school year has arrived and it pays to be prepared with our collection of deals on the best homeschool supplies. The upcoming academic calendar is sure to look very different, so having the right supplies on hand can make all the difference.
Laptops, tablets, and desktops are all seeing steep discounts at Lenovo in preparation for the new school year like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus at Amazon or the Lenovo T490s at Lenovo.
Besides just computers, online learning sites like Udemy are offering the majority of their library for 95% off for first-time users. There are also a variety of entertaining and informative kits for the young and young-at-heart like the Kano Star Wars coding kit available at Walmart for $39.99. Pupils and parents alike will also appreciate the steep discount being offered on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II noise-canceling headphones at Amazon.
Whether you're planning to keep learning or teaching within the safety of your home make sure to read our Ultimate guide to online learning at home before perusing our collection of deals for the best homeschool supplies.
Tablets are a fantastic way to get access to a multitude of apps for work or play without forcing you to commit to a full-fledged laptop. The ubiquitous Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus tablet is currently available for $79 ($40 off), providing an accessible and inexpensive entry point to the world of remote learning. This 8-inch tablet may not include a genuine Android OS, but still supports a litany of helpful apps, courtesy of the Amazon app store, including Zoom, Disney+ and Spotify.
The fastest Fire tablet to date, the HD 8 Plus features 3 GB of RAM for supporting multiple applications simultaneously, as well as a 2.0 GHz processor for snappy responsiveness. The 8 Plus sports all-day battery life, with up to 12 hours of operational capacity, and with USB-C charging, it can top off in just under 4 hours. The tablet can also pair with Bluetooth enabled keyboards for a true typing experience, making the Kindle HD 8 a versatile tool for learning at home or attending a virtual classroom.
While it's certainly possible to handle assignments without using paper, sometimes having hard copies of activities, worksheets, and coloring pages is the best option. Currently, you can save $40 on the Canon Pixma MG3620 at Best Buy. This compact and versatile printer is an all-in-one model that allows you to print wirelessly in color from your phone, tablet, or computer. This printer is the perfect companion for at-home learning or anyone working from home.
If you need to clear off some space at the kitchen table, this Jonti-Craft kid-sized desk is the perfect workstation for your at-home student. Normally, this robust piece of furniture would cost upwards of $280 but is currently on sale for a little over $200 at Wayfair ($80 off). This pint-sized wood desk features casters to easily move it when not in use, as well as rounded edges to prevent accidental injuries. A split level design brings the keyboard to a usable height while keeping the monitor at a comfortable level, and a separate shelf for a tower desktop allows you to move the entire workstation as a unit.
This modestly sized laptop packs an impressive amount of performance into its diminutive form factor making it an ideal option for the at-home classroom. The Lenovo ThinkPad T495s typically costs around $1300 but is currently available on the Lenovo website for just $750. This unassuming 14-inch laptop is the perfect learning companion, with its 2.1Ghz Ryzen CPU, 512 GB SSD, and an integrated HD webcam.
The T495s weighs in at just under 3 Lbs and is less than an inch thick making it remarkably portable. The laptop can also last over 13 hours on a single charge, which makes sure you never have to remain tethered to a wall outlet for long.
Good noise-canceling headphones are the lifeblood of any at-home learning experience, especially in a shared space. Currently, you can grab a pair of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II wireless headphones for $299.00 ($50 off). These stylish headphones provide an excellent wireless listening experience and allow you to focus on the task at hand. The memory-foam earcups provide a comfortable fit for extended sessions and lend a solid amount of noise-isolation. The battery allows for up to 30 hours of continuous play and can achieve a full charge in less than an hour over a USB-C connection.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 ultrabook is being discounted at Best Buy as part of their Back to School sale, available for $550 ($50 off). This iteration of the sleek tablet turned laptop from Microsoft provides an excellent ultrabook experience and manages to compress it into a portable form factor that weighs just over 19 ounces. This model can be equipped with the Surface type cover, providing a true typing experience, or by using the on-screen keyboard on the 10.5-inch touch screen. The Surface Go 2 also features a USB-C port for charging and peripheral connectivity, as well as an SD card slot for supplementary storage.
Kano coding kits are a fantastic way to teach kids the basics of coding and logic instruction. This interactive STEM kit is available featuring characters from the Star Wars or Frozen franchises depending on your child's disposition and is currently available at Walmart for $39.99 (50% off). These kits provide step-by-step instructions and challenges across a variety of coding subjects including connecting blocks of code, JavaScript, loops, and logic. The kit just requires some mild assembly and pairs easily with tablets or computers and is even compatible with Amazon Fire 10 Tablets.
Whether you need a better way to keep tabs on your kids, organize schedules or just provide a fun distraction, the latest iteration of the Apple iPhone SE is a tried and true smartphone that's currently available at Walmart for $350 ($50 off). Featuring Apple's fastest chip ever, this version of the iPhone SE delivers unparalleled performance. The SE has 64GB of memory which provides ample space for educational apps and games, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity means faster downloads and streaming. This prepaid phone is perfect for anyone using the device primarily on a home network, especially if you have other accounts that are tied to the Apple ecosystem, enabling you to share purchases across multiple devices.
The Jimu BuilderBots series kit comes equipped with all the parts necessary for 2 types of robots and requires no tools for assembly. This versatile kit is currently available at Walmart for $49 (%50 off). More than just a fun construction project, this kit is designed to be used with the Jimu Blockly coding platform, a free app that lets kids program these robots to perform a whole variety of tasks. Besides just offering freeform coding opportunities, the BuilderBots kit allows kids to test their skills against coding challenges.
Online learning site Udemy is currently offering many of its classes for 95% off for new users. This internet academy features courses in business, design, photography, or even personal development, all taught by industry experts. Fill out your extracurriculars by taking courses ranging from sketch drawing to time management for as little as $16.99. Each course you purchase provides you with extensive previews of the covered curriculum and grants you lifetime access through Udemy's website and app, allowing you to learn at your own pace.
With so many users on your home network clicking on god knows what, having a VPN is an invaluable addition to any at-home learning experience. Right now, as part of their end of summer sale, you can grab a 2-year version of NordVPN for a whopping 68% off. That boils down to just a little over $3 a month for unparalleled internet security. A VPN provides you with a secure and encrypted tunnel for all the data you get through your home network, keeping your browsing history and data away from prying eyes without impeding internet connectivity.