Back to the Backpacks and Notepads

Article Synopsis Practical items with bold graphics are this year´s trend. Study aids help kids play and learn. Hot lunchboxes keep meals cool.

With back-to-school season looming, a wide variety of school supplies can lure children back to class without a hassle. Though colorful and inventive, many products remain practical.

Backpacks, lunch boxes, notepads, book covers and pencils seem to be the most popular items, but the ones that stand out have a theme, innovative design or feature that helps kids get organized. Other items for the coming school year also aid learning and studying.

“We want to make products that help children in the classroom,” says Ivan Reed, senior manager of campaigns at Office Depot. “This season we’ve moved away from things that distract kids … like troll pencils or scented erasers. Our unofficial slogan is ‘tools, not toys.’”

This season, Office Depot will carry a number of products that are both practical and educational, such as Grab-and-Go Study Aids, an Office Depot exclusive, and LeapPad learning aids from Leap Frog. “Parents today have less and less time to spend at the kitchen table helping kids with their homework,” continues Reed. “These study aids have an educational element, but at the same time it’s like playing a game.”

New lunch totes are “cooler” than the old clunky metal boxes parents lugged around as kids. Not only do they look better, they’re actually mini-coolers that keep kids’ lunches fresh.

“With younger kids, they like anything with bright colors,” says Michelle Stringer, assistant manager at a Staples store in Los Angeles. “Lisa Frank items, like datebooks and backpacks, are popular with girls. And Mead, of course, is always in stock at our store every year at this time.”

What follows are just a few of the back-to-school items that kids will be grabbing off shelves in the fall.