Club Supply Lists: Robotics, Chess, Debate, and Academic Teams
The engineering notebook is a judged deliverable. Debate attire is a real cost. A guide to what after-school clubs actually need, and how to tell families in one link.
Most after-school clubs need very little, which is why the few required items catch families off guard — a judged engineering notebook for robotics, business attire for debate, a display board for science fair. A short shared list handles it better than an announcement at the first meeting.
Club advisers are usually volunteers running the program on top of a full job. Writing the supply list once, as a link, is the version of this task that doesn't have to be repeated every September.
Robotics teams
Competitive robotics programs have requirements that surprise new families.
- Engineering notebook — in many programs this is a judged deliverable, not a personal study aid. Judges read it. Check whether your program requires bound and numbered pages.
- Safety glasses — required in the pit and often in the build space
- Closed-toe shoes — enforced around tools
- Team shirt — usually team-ordered
- Laptop, if the program needs one, with the specific OS requirement named
- Basic hand tools, if students build their own kit
The notebook line is worth explaining rather than just listing. A family that buys a spiral notebook for a program requiring bound pages has to start over.
Chess club
- Notation book or score sheets, for rated play
- Pencil
- A board and clock, though clubs almost always provide these — say so, because sets and digital clocks are not cheap and families buy them unprompted
Debate and speech
Debate has the largest hidden cost of any academic club, and it isn't equipment.
- Business attire — required at most tournaments. For a family that doesn't own a blazer, this is the real expense of joining, and it belongs on the list in plain language with a note about any school clothing closet or loaner programme.
- Evidence tub or expanding file, for policy formats
- Laptop and charger
- Timer, or a phone with one
- Water bottle, since rounds run long
Science fair and academic teams
- Tri-fold display board — specify the size the fair requires
- Printing and mounting materials
- Project materials, which vary completely by project
- Notebook for the logbook, where required
- Buzzer systems and reference materials are nearly always club-provided
Why a link works for clubs specifically
Clubs have no captive audience. There's no back-to-school night for chess club, and the adviser often communicates through a single email and a sign on a door. A link survives both — it goes in the email, on the sign as a QR code, and in the school's activities page, and it stays correct when something changes.
ClassGear is free for this: paste product links, add notes explaining requirements like the bound notebook, and share one page. Families open it on a phone with no app and no account.
Building one
1. Create a list at classgear.co named for the club and school year. 2. Add required items with links, and notes where a requirement needs explaining. 3. Mark everything the club provides — for most clubs this is the majority of the equipment. 4. Share it in your first email and as a QR code on your sign-up sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClassGear free for school clubs?
Yes. Creating and sharing lists is free, there's no cost per club, and families open them without an account.
Why does the engineering notebook matter in robotics?
In many competitive programs it's a judged component of the team's score, not just a personal record. Some require bound, numbered pages, so the format should be stated on the supply list.
What's the biggest unexpected cost of joining debate?
Business attire for tournaments. It's worth naming directly, along with any school clothing closet or loaner option, since it can quietly exclude students.
Should families buy a chess set for chess club?
Usually not — clubs nearly always provide boards and clocks. Saying so on the list prevents families buying tournament sets they don't need.
How do I show what the club already owns?
List those items with a note saying the club provides them. For most clubs this covers the majority of the equipment and is the most useful thing the list communicates.
Can I share the list as a QR code?
Yes. A QR code on a sign-up sheet or classroom door works well for clubs, where there's rarely a parents' evening to hand anything out at.
Can a co-adviser help maintain it?
Yes. Lists can be shared with other editors.
Build your club's supply list
Write it once, share one link, reuse it next year.