At the start of a new school year, one of the most exciting adventures on which parents, teachers and kids embark is shopping for school supplies. From backpacks and binders to glue sticks and art supplies for kids, your shopping cart needs to be filled with the school essentials.

You also need inspiration for launching the creative spark in your students. Supply your home or classroom with glitter pens, construction paper and felt sticks to create holiday crafts, or get the paint supplies your children need to dress up their drawings and canvas creations. Keep reading to find inspiration and the must-have school supplies you need for your classroom, your child, or that next big art project.

Fun and Fancy Construction Paper

Construction paper serves as the basis for a variety of arts and crafts for kids. For example, you can help them make a colorful bouquet in preparation for a family dinner or a school event. Your children and students can also make sun catchers, paper doll chains, snowflakes and animal shapes with construction paper. Encourage their creativity by sprucing up the selection of cool school supplies.

Although white construction paper offers young people a blank canvas to express their creativity, why not inspire them even more with fun-colored options? Create art projects based on holiday themes, with lime-colored construction paper for St. Patrick's Day or shocking pink for Easter and spring. Opt for a light or bright orange package of construction paper for fall projects.

Storage Solutions for School Supplies

It is no secret that classrooms can get messy. Keep your art supplies organized and tidy with storage bins and file organizers. Color-code your bins to host markers, colored pencils and crayons in a designated area of the room. Add a basket or bin for glue sticks, scissors, and magnetic strips. Magazine files are also useful for storing construction paper for easy access during an art lesson.

Parents can organize those art supplies at home as well. Opt for plastic bins and buckets for your playroom or your child's bedroom. Keep crayons and colored pencils intact while teaching your child to tidy up the room with plastic bins that are easily stored under a bed or in a closet. Storage solutions provide easy access to art and school supplies while eliminating the mess.

Must-Have Art Supplies

In order to spark creativity of your students or children, supply them with cool school supplies for creating the most unique art projects. Opt for a package of round wiggly eyes to dress up a drawing, or choose one colored modeling dough. Let their imaginations take over when they have the school supplies they need to create masterpieces. If you're looking for some inspiration for new and innovative art projects, experiment with activity boxes. For example, celebrate the 100th day of school with a 100-piece activity box that includes assorted sizes and colors of pom poms, sequins and spangles, short plume feathers, and paper crowns. Kits also include enough paper collage boards, 100th day certificates and paper glasses for a classroom of eager students.

Don't Forget Basic School Supplies

When compiling your back-to-school shopping list, don't forget your basics. Your students and children need to be armed with age-appropriate scissors, glue sticks and wet wipes for art projects, but they also need rulers, pens, pencils and calculators for the core subjects. Toss in some tape, white-board markers, boxes of tissue, notebooks and folders so that they are prepared for an exciting start to the school year.

As a parent or teacher, you have the honor of inspiring creativity within your children or students on a daily basis. Ensure they have the school supplies, resources, and essential arts and crafts tools they need to express themselves and spark imagination in the classroom and at home.