STYLE
11 more cool school supplies
2022 edition
By Melissa Thibodeau
Other than unhappy kids, a new school year also means a fresh roundup of supplies (you can read our 2021 list here). Beyond the standard duo tangs, highlighters and the other mandatory supplies, I love to source a few super-cool items to personalize my schoolkids' back to school experiences too.
1. Healthy lunch snacks
I discovered these tasty treats by Bear Snacks last year and as I suspected they would be, they were a huge hit in my house. Perfect for school lunches, they also come with collector cards. You’ll find them in most supermarkets, but if you don’t, they’re also sold through Amazon.
2. Journal
Having a growth mindset means being able to view struggles as chances to learn and grow. Life Journal offers science-based journals for kids, to help them grow their confidence and resilience. I can’t think of a better time to begin than at the start of the school year.
3. Lip balm
I like to send my girls to school with tubes of lip balm in their backpacks. Kiss Naturals DIY kits are always a hit because kids can make their own. The ingredients are natural and enough can be made to share with friends.
4. School bag
I stopped buying new backpacks every year because I found this to be a wasteful tradition. In my opinion, paying a little more for a better-quality bag is worth it, considering how much wear backpacks could get. I’ve raved about So Young’s lunch bags for years, but their backpacks are my new faves.
5. Notebooks
I’ve had a number of Ecojot notebooks and sketchbooks over the years and recently I gifted a couple of sketchbooks to my girls to draw in. Carolyn Gavin’s art that’s featured on the collection is so joy-filled and inspiring.
6. Enamel pins
I remember rocking all sorts of pins adorning my school stuff and jackets (I thought I looked so cool.) I won’t hide that I enjoy the fact that my girls are into pins and buttons too. It just another way for them to express their styles, passions and interests. I adore these enamel pins from Little May Papery.
7. Caps
Every school kid needs a couple of good caps. As my husband would say, one could never have enough good caps. If this is the same for you and your littles, check out Ambler Mountain caps. They’re so unique and sustainably made locally and oh so stylish.
8. Lunch notes
I recently started tucking little notes into my kids’ lunch bags. Had I known how happy these would make them, I would have started sooner! Sometimes, I just used coloured card stock and a black sharpie, but other times I use these adorably illustrated DIY scratch notes, which pair 2 things kids love: scratch cards and notes from mama or papa ❤️.
9. Raingear
This is an obvious one, of course, but I added Hatley Splash Jackets to the list because my own kids outgrow theirs nearly every fall and the longer length of the Splash makes it their perennial favourite style. And because these raincoats still have years’ worth of wear in them, they can be resold or handed-down many, many more times.
10. Reusable sandwich bags
I have a bit of Stasher bag obsession. It started when my kids entered elementary school. I wanted to prepare litterless lunches for them but I couldn’t stand the idea of using single-use plastic baggies. The Stasher Sandwich and Snack Bags are the best. My biggest tip is to wait for a sale: they’re always on sale somewhere, you’ll see!