In the USSR, school supplies included:
- School bags – usually made of imitation leather, had several compartments for books and notebooks, and a convenient handle for carrying. There were also satchels, which could be worn on the back, like a backpack.
- Notebooks – you could buy them on any corner and they were different. You could choose small notebooks with 12-24 sheets, medium ones with 48-96 sheets, large ones with 120-144 sheets.
- Pens – ink (but thick, called paste), ballpoint. I didn’t remember feathers. We had fountain pens. Several colors. For the teacher – red. In notebooks we wrote in blue.
- Rulers – they were necessary not only for measuring lengths, but also for drawing straight lines. Rulers were often used together with pencils to draw lines more accurately.
- Compasses – These were used to draw circles and other circular shapes.
- Simple pencils that were used for writing and rewriting texts. They usually did not have erasers and were not very dark. But what was written with such a pencil could be erased!
- Glue – it was used to glue sheets of paper together in various works. Most often PVA.
- Felt-tip pens – these became popular in the 80s and were available in a variety of colours.
- Watercolor paints – they were used for drawing and craft lessons.
These school supplies were used in schools of the USSR on a daily basis and were an integral part of the educational system.