Well, our little guy starts school on Tuesday, and it is totally freaking me out! (Luckily, he seems relatively unfazed, and only becomes agitated when I try to get him to read, write, or do anything that even resembles education! Hopefully his teacher will have better luck!)
With so much back to school "junk" out there, it's tough to restrain ourselves sometimes, much less our children. As I may or may not have mentioned, while I don't shop alot on a regular basis, when we're going away, getting ready for a project, change, trip, etc., I have an almost compulsive need to "stock up" on all sorts of gear that is almost never all necessary. This seems especially true of children's products- going all the way back to my own extremely important Trapper Keeper , the "must have" item of the early 80's, and the soup Thermos that matched my lunch box (even though I don't recall ever bringing soup, or anything resembling it, to lunch!) The same goes for the pencil cases (never really understood those, since I think I started carrying a purse when I was 8), and the various and sundry other "must haves".
Amazingly, it seems it's even worse now, and certainly more expensive, what with the computers, etc. that kids have to have now... Anyway, while we do have some also back to school stuff in, or coming in (you knew there was a plug coming, right? I mean, this is connected to a store), TRY to restrain yourself and/ or your kids with the purchasing of this stuff. The school will probably give you a list (frankly, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for a list so I could do my classic "gatherer" routine, only to discover that the supplies are all provided by the school, and $150 is charged to our account...there had better be a rockin' Trapper Keeper in there!) but don't go crazy. Get what they need, and wait on the rest. Sometimes, it does seem like in the effort to include everything that someone might need, they end up with a list filled with stuff, most of which no one needs.
Within the next week, check back here, or come in the shop for awesome, hip, recycled notebooks, the completely awesome Laptop Lunch Systems, or fun and funky Sigg Water Bottles (unfortunately unavailable online at the present time due to overwhelming demand worldwide, but still available in the store), O'Bon Pencils made from recycled newspaper, Crazy Crayons, and Vy & Elle Tri Media Folios, great for school, presentations, or any sort of note taking. Not only arethese products just great for their ability to either reduce or recycle, but they also will hopefully start the conversation with other children, and their parents, to create a bigger circle of involvement and awareness.
Please feel free to post any great ideas for back to school DIY supplies, crafts, or resources.
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