Tips and Products
for Back to School
Almost every kid is a little apprehensive about going back to
school. No matter who they are or what their circumstances, the
idea of trading the lazy summer days for early mornings, heavy
backpacks and homework is sure to create a certain amount of
anxiety. And to make matters even worse, retailers start to put
up the Back-to-School Sale signs in August! This is sure to make
even the most chipper youth a little down. As parents, we may
have a little different attitude. We have all seen the
commercial where the jubilant dad skips through the isles of a
major retail store, singing happily and tossing back-to-school
supplies in the cart while his sullen children shuffle along
behind him. While we may not have quite the same level of
exuberance for the back-to-school routine as that happy dad, we
do know that the key to a successful school year for our kids is
organization and a positive attitude. Office has provided a few
tips to help kids get ready for the new school year:
Get Ahead Before You Get Behind: Start the year off with great
organizational habits from day one. According to a recent
survey, 52% of parents feel disorganized. Get the year off to a
smooth start with a PDA or planner. PDA’s are great for both
moms and kids. Office Depot offers PDA bundles under $200 that
act as an address book, calendar, appointment book, calendar and
notepad all in one little gadget. Office Depot also offers an
array of planners by At-A-Glance and Carolina Pad, which will
get kids excited and organized for school.
Prepare for Finals the First Day of School: It’s no secret that
teachers prepare final exams based on the previous test and quiz
questions. Start planning for the final exam file with an
accordion file like the Wilson Jonesâ Big Mouth Filler ($7).
Each color tab can represent a different subject where tests and
quizzes can be stored as soon as your children bring them home.
When it's time for midterms and finals, you will have a study
guide already prepared – without the last minute crisis. And,
you won’t need to dig through drawers or the bottom of backpacks
looking for old exams.
Double the Task and Eliminate Half the Work: Planning ahead is
often the most difficult part of getting organized. While
shopping for back to school supplies, buy two of everything. You
can take advantage of low seasonal prices and be prepared when
your child’s backpack needs to be replenished. It’s also a great
way to avoid the inevitable late night emergency need for
printer paper. Your school will also benefit from your bulk
purchases because at Office Depot, 5% of your school supply
purchases go back to your school of choice.
Create a Mobile Homework Station: For moms and kids who are on
the go, a mobile study station is essential. You can create one
perfectly suited to the needs of your child with the variety of
“mini” products Office Depot offers the Pick up a Smart Lap Desk
($15) you can stash in the car and fill with items your child
needs for homework assignments. The durable lap desk has a
compartment for storing markers, calculators, staplers and more.
Call a Family Meeting: Even the most organized parents cannot do
it alone. Sit down with your family and identify the two or
three organizational issues that could use some improvement.
Brainstorm ideas for processes that can help eliminate the chaos
and reduce the clutter. For example, install family IN and OUT
boxes in a high traffic area of the home to ensure that
children’s permission slips and important school papers are
signed quickly by Mom or Dad. Don’t set out to do everything,
implementing just one or two ideas can make a big difference.
Hottest Products for Back-to-School 2005
Pre-K through 6th Grade
Here they are- some top picks younger kids will want, and need,
to go back to school and succeed this year. Not only are these
items “cool,” but they’re also necessities for heading back to
the classroom.
1. Scholastic Crayons, Colored Pencils and Markers: Offered
exclusively at Office Depot, Scholastic – the leader in
educational products – has created its own line of crayons,
colored pencils and markers. Packaged specifically for kids,
Scholastic's new line offers 12-count and 24-count colored
pencil sets, thick and fine tipped crayons and markers, and an
assortment of colors. Priced at just $.25 for a set of crayons.
$.79 for colored pencils and $2.29 for markers.
2. Mead Scholastic Subject Specific Notebook: Gone are the
days of sloppily labeling spiral notebooks with a black magic
marker. At under $3.00, these great notebooks are color-coded
(one color for each subject) and labeled by subject. Available
for Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts, the
notebooks also have subject-specific reference information
inside. Office Depot is the only office supply store to carry
them!
3. Liquid Expresso Porous-Point Pen: The Expresso pens by
Paper Mate have exceptional ink flow, are economically porous,
but have the feeling of a fountain pen. Some of the pen’s
attributes include: medium point/extra fine point option,
reinforced tip and a translucent barrel, all of which add up to
less mess, sure strokes, precise lines and a visible ink supply.
This fine pen is $1.74
4. Miss O & Friends Notebook, Personal Book and Memo Pad: Made
for girls, by girls. Miss O & Friends is all about girls
developing into strong, smart and independent teens. More than
just a product line, Miss O & Friends is a brand parents can be
proud to have written on their children’s notebooks. The Miss O
products are decorated with the four tweens that represent the
product. Priced between $1.00 and $3.30.
5. Elmer’s Fun No Run Glue: Elmer’s has once again created the
coolest of glue products. Offered in blue and red, this washable
glue also has a no-run formula. Offered in a 5 oz container, the
glue also includes a convenient glue stick. And just remember,
no run means no mess! Priced perfectly for back-to-school at
just under $1.00.
6. It’s Academic 12” Metallic Flexi Ruler: Every student needs
a ruler for going back to school, but who says rulers have to be
boring? It’s Academic has pushed the ruler even further with
this new flexible yet metallic colorful ruler. It still does
everything the typical ruler does, but looks that much cooler!
Priced at under $2.00.
7. Grab-and-Go Study Aids: Nothing feels better than doing
well in school, and now parents can prepare their kids with
Office Depot’s exclusive grab-and-go CD-ROM study aids. They are
easy to store and available in a variety of subjects, including
geometry, algebra and English. Parents can be ready for any
question their kid may ask. Classroom confidence can now be
bought for under $5.00.
8. Pop-Up Lunch Tote: A collapsible and convenient lunch bag
that every kid will want. After lunchtime, when your kid's bag
is empty – why have it take up so much space? The pop-up lunch
tote can be crushed down flat to the size of a CD. With its
sleek design and Micro ban protection, this tote is ideal for
back to school. Priced at $8.00.
9. Fiskars 4” Control Tip Scissors: Made especially for little
hands, these scissors have 3 finger holes for extra control and
are priced at around $2.50. Available in blunted and pointed,
these special scissors work for righties and lefties, and of
course come in all the colors for back-to-school.
10. Stretchable Book Covers: Book covers no longer have to be
boring with stretchable book covers now available. A guaranteed
hit item for kids, these stretchy book covers come in solid
colors and fashion patterns, in regular sizes and jumbo sized.
Depending on the style and size, the stretchable book cover
ranges in price from $2.00 to $3.00.
Hottest Products for Back-to-School 2005
7th through 12th Grade
Older kids have different tastes than their little brothers and
sisters do. This group likes to find ways to express personal
style in all that they do. Here are some top picks for middle
and high school students to head back to school. These products
are functional and fun.
1. Extreme Sling Cross Over Backpack: It’s the new style for
kids – in between a messenger bag and a typical backpack. The
Cross Over is available in hot colors and made especially for
the tech-minded kid: compartment for a CD player and a rear
headphone wire eyelet. The padded cross over strap includes a
cell phone holder, and there are tons of additional pockets for
organization. This modern backpack is priced under $20.00.
2. Student Planners: Kids like to be organized, so provide
them with the newest and coolest of student planners – Sweet &
Sassy, Nike, Pattern Play and Max & Mini themes. At-A-Glance and
Carolina Pad have created a place for assignments, notes and
thoughts to be written – all in one place! The Sweet & Sassy Day
Runner includes an internal wheel with a t-shirt, and stickers
for kids to identify how they are feeling and what is going on
in their lives, such as “relax,” “test,” and “happy birthday.”
Priced from under $5.00 to $9.00.
3. TI-84 Plus Silver Edition Graphic Calculator: With 2x the
speed of the TI-83 Plus and 9x more memory, this calculator is
ideal for the serious student. Its features include interactive
geometry software and periodic table chemistry, along with
personal study tools and applications like the organizer, study
cards, algebra topics, area formulas, cell sheet, fundamental
topics in science, and AP biology review questions. $130.00.
4. Franklin MWD-450 Electronic Dictionary: Electronic is
what’s in and that means dictionaries as well. Why carry the big
and heavy book around when Franklin has created a database with
a calculator, crossword solver and matchmakers, currency/metric
converter, databank, seven games, as well as learning exercises
using My Word List, SAT words and more. Batteries are included.
Priced at under $30.00.
5. Dual 300 Ring Filled Zipper Binder: Finally, the binder
that fits everything! Case It has created a binder, complete
with 1.25” rings, CD-storage compartments, mesh pockets, a
pen/pencil plastic holder, and more. At $17.00, this binder is
perfect for the kids who want to keep everything in one place.
It’s like having their very own briefcase.
6. Mead Five Star Folder: Every student going back to school
needs a set of folders they can depend on all year long. That’s
why parents and kids trust Mead for the sturdiest of folders.
These basic folders come in a variety of colors and can help
hold piles of important papers! Priced at under $2.00.
7. Polycarbonate Bottle with Refreezable Stick: Students need
to drink when they are at school, and Access knows the last
thing kids want is warm water. That’s why they have created a
bottle with a refreezable stick. It’s like having ice in your
drink all day – it never melts and never waters down your drink.
Priced at $6.00.
8. Big Mouth Filer: The Big Mouth Filer is an unparalleled
organizational system that offers students easier access to
papers, homework and more. It's designed to fit easily into
backpacks but vertically formatted to prevent kids from having
to strain their necks sideways to locate documents. It holds
five removable color-coordinated folders and has a reinforced
gusset that can expand to support more that 200 sheets of paper.
Under $7.00.
9. Nike Notebook, Binder and Bookcover: All kids love Nike, so
what better way to bring the excitement of athletics into the
classroom than creating Nike school supplies? The cool
one-subject notebook has the Nike logo, as do the stretchy
binder and zippered binder. All items are priced between $2.00
and $15.00 (binder).
10. Index Card Sheets: Index cards are great for studying, but
difficult to store – until now. Mead has created an 8.5” x 11”
sheet with perforated 3” x 5” white ruled index cards that
easily fits into any binder. Students can now keep their study
aids with their notes for just $2.00.
11. Sphero Lock with Key, Lockerboxx, Magnet Clips, Wipe-off
Board: Lock your belongings up with the modern sphero lock by
Masterlock. Forgot your combination? Not to worry – use the
handy key! Lockermate has once again created the coolest of
locker accessories – all magnetized! The Lockerboxx is a large,
multi-compartment magnetic box; the Locker Friends Magnet Clips
have fun faces and strong, neo-dymium magnets; the wipe-off
board is magnetized and includes a dry-erase pen for notes and
messages. Priced between $3.00 and $5.00.
Information provided courtesy of Office Depot. All products
listed are available at Office Depot Stores nationwide or online
at www.officedepot.com
or at www.school.com.
|
