Where Beijing's Teachers Get Their Back-to-School Class Supplies

I love the week before the kids come back to school! It’s a highly energetic, productive, and creative time as we get organized, rethink projects, refine lesson plans, and design our classrooms. 

Being an expat teacher often means we have access to some really fun and interesting local teaching tools, but it can also be difficult to find the more familiar tools and products we loved back in our home country. 

Many of us used to use trips home to stock up on our favorite art supplies and classroom materials but this year we all need to make do with what we can source locally. Here are a few places to find your favorites right here in Beijing:

Taobao: This one feels obvious, but it can be hard to know where to go and what to type into the search tool to find good quality and decent prices. I polled a few Taobao Queens, and have listed their top shops for specifically hard-to-find items below.

This is where my creative teachers shine! A great bulletin board makes your classroom feel personal and welcoming. This store carries bulletin board paper, cellophane sheets, and borders, among many other classroom supplies that aren’t always easy to find!

I love a book nook. I think encouraging children to view reading as a fun, cozy activity is vital to lifelong learning, so sprucing up a corner of the room with a place to cuddle up in with a book is super important. Bean bag chairs at this shop are as inexpensive as RMB 42, so you won’t mind if you only get a year or two of use out of them.

Getting good-quality English picture books and early readers for your classroom library can get expensive fast. This particular Taobao store has hundreds of titles, including books by Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss, as well as a good selection of Caldecott Medal winners at reasonable prices.

Teacher’s House Shop: This is a WeChat resource that was recently recommended to me. They have everything from classroom materials to games and books and organizational solutions at reasonable prices. Bonus: The whole site is in English, which makes it easier for those of us still struggling with Mandarin.

Teacher2Teacher: This is an online marketplace for teachers to buy and sell lesson plans and class materials, and it is a rich resource for printables and instructions on making great class activities and decorations.

Website:

Buy and Sell Groups: A lot of teachers are moving on and cleaning out their classrooms as well as their homes. Check out any of the second-hand groups in WeChat like live LIGHTER, live BETTER!! or 2nd Hand Beijing Bargains. You never know what might show up!

Back-to-School Swap: You have tons of teacher friends and they have teacher friends too. Set up a coffee date or happy hour where everyone brings their unwanted teaching materials and trades their items. It’s a chance to clean out your class closet, get inspired with new products, and also get in some networking!