Stuff We Like: Back to School, Back to Cool

As Labor Day approaches, our kids will prepare to trade in their bathing suits and flip flops for backpacks, notebooks, and spiffy new fall outfits. It's officially back-to-school season, when our young students will flock back to classrooms for another year full of learning. Here, a few things to make the transition from summer freedom to school days a bit more fun.  

Caped Crusaders

These new backpacks from SuperMe($39.90) combine the functionality of a school carry-all (lightweight, sturdy, machine washable) with the whimsy of imaginative play: built-in capes and masks encourage your child’s inner superhero to reveal himself! Additional shield patches ($5 per patch), which attach with Velcro, are also available.    

Shaping Up for School

No cookie-cutter styles here—these reversible puffy Pop Out vests(kids’ sizes 2-16; $78-$85) may look like someone took a cookie cutter to them, but they’re as unique as it gets for fall transitional outerwear! Designed by two moms, the fun-loving collection will charm your kids with vibrant color combinations and shapes including guitars, hearts, unicorns, crossbones, and more that reveal their clothing layer below.    

Too Cute!

When your little lady steps back into the classroom, make sure she does so in style with these back-to-school themed hair accessories from Adelaide NYC. Made from the highest quality acrylic and adorned with Swarovski crystals, the new collection includes a too-cute ruler & pencil double ponytail holder ($16), Adelaide No. 1 pencil clip ($12), and one for the teacher’s pet—a precious red apple clip.    

Take Note

While some schools have begun pilot programs distributing iPads for student use, most kids still take notes the old-fashioned way: pen on paper. But voice recorders offer a suitable alternative, especially for some children with special needs who may benefit from the ability to listen to a classroom lecture again or to take written notes at a slower pace later (note that some schools may require written permission to tape teachers’ presentations). The Olympus VN-7200 digital voice recorder ($39.99) not only holds a massive amount of data (2GB, which translates to 823 hours of recording time) that can be simply transferred to a computer via USB, but it also has a calendar search function so users can search for recordings by date, and a built-in “kick stand” that reduces noise when the recorder is placed on a desk or table.