Good Stuff! Back-to-School Edition

By Emily Webb

Gold Star

Get your kids excited to go back to school with play. The School Pretend Play Set from Uncommon Goods comes with a teacher’s workbook, a map of the USA, a hall pass, student ID cards, library cards, a ruler, handwriting notebook and charts – all perfect for making the playroom a classroom. Recommended for ages 3 and older. Available for $15 at uncommongoods.com.

Eco-Friendly Back to School

Make recycling stylish with Parkland Design & Manufacturing’s backpacks, lunch boxes and bags. The fabric is made from 100% recycled water bottles, and different styles of backpacks come with water bottle pockets, laptop sleeves, a writable name tag and more. Cute designs include rainbows, lemons, guitars, dinosaurs, space, camouflage and more. Items are $9.99- $49.99 at parklandmfg.com/ collections/kids.

Quench Your Thirst

Some schools are not opening their water fountains to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Buy a reusable water bottle from YETI to help cut down your kid’s carbon footprint. The 12 oz. Rambler Jr. was designed for kids, comes with a Straw Cap and is dishwasher safe. Colors include chartreuse, navy, harbor pink, seafoam, reef blue and canyon red. Available for $29.99 at yeti.com.

Transport Yourself Through Time

Combine education and entertainment with VR Quest, a virtual reality platform for students that is aligned to the American Social Studies curriculum for grades 4-12. Kids create their own avatar, construct buildings, and go on solitary quests or play with friends. Explore historical periods, such as the Roman Empire, Mayan Society, the Industrial Revolution and more. Available for $25 at vrquest.com/us.

Masks With Style

Many schools are recommending wearing masks when students can’t maintain social distancing measures. Luckily, there are tons of masks available for stylish kids of any age. For younger kids, check out Minikane’s trio set of masks for parent, child and doll to help children protect themselves and their toys. Available for $27.99 at heykiddostore.com. Older children will love the masks from Project Styles, with designs such as tigers, unicorns, emojis, monster trucks and more. Available in both child medium and child large sizes for $18.95 at projectstyles.com.

School for All

This one-stop shop offers a wide variety of inclusive and adaptive clothing and accessories to help children have a successful school year, including adaptive gaming, books, braille jewelry, protective helmets, walker gear and more. Available at pattiandricky.com.

Master of Mindfulness

Introduce your child to mindfulness with a stuffed animal with four settings: daily reset, 30 second reset, sad or mad reset and calming music. Omi the Elephant guides kids through a mindful practice, teaching emotional regulation skills and positive thinking. Available for $35.99 at mindfulbuddiez.com.

Rise and Shine

This modern twist on “Goodnight Moon” expresses the emotions young children might be feeling during the global pandemic and helps them understand the new role technology is playing in their schooling and their life. Proceeds go to STRIVE, No Kid Hungry and Project C.U.R.E. Available for $8.99 at goodmorningzoom.com.