It’s Back to School time and we couldn’t be more excited! Whether you are in a classroom, virtual, or a hybrid of both, getting back into learning-mode can still be stylish and fun! From dresses and accessories to the perfect polos and transitional outerwear, we share fashion favorites. Plus private school kiddos, we didn’t forget you… the shoes and backpacks that will help showcase your style even when wearing a uniform. And keeping your skills sharp is key, check out a few educational “toys” that you’ll love so much you’ll forget they are actually making you smarter!
GIRLS: HEADBANDS AND DRESSES (YOU CAN EVEN MATCH MOM!)
From backpacks to agendas and even headbands, we love coordinating our back to school outfits with accessories too from Lilly Pulitzer. Whether you need a lunch bag, mask kit, or backpack, Lilly Pulitzer has so many fun and colorful prints to choose from. We especially love these charging tags, which are great for students headed to high school or college. You can even coordinate with siblings or with mom! We love any excuse to match with our daughters and Back to School is no exception. We cannot get enough of the Lele x Lilly headband collaboration either. Not only can you coordinate your favorite outfit with a Lele Sadoughi headband, but you can even match your little one.
Back to School shopping isn’t just for the kiddos. We often try and pick out a couple new outfits for ourselves. We love having a casual look that we can pick up and drop off on those days where we don’t have work appointments. The Finn Tops are a fun option to match and be active together. We also like to have a couple dressier options too for parent teacher meetings or school activities. From shirtdresses to tunics, we love having excuses to wear our Lilly!
BOYS: HATS AND THE PERFECT POLOS (JUST LIKE DAD)
Boys are active! Whether at school, or breaks between home study, they are all about comfort and function which is why we’re huge fans of TravisMathew. The brand has formulated soft, lightweight fabrics designed for ultimate wearability for work and play. The premium fabric blends provide style, performance, and comfort, while their technical fabrications are engineered to perform.
Another aspect we love about their youth polos and hats are the ability to “be just like Dad.” Our boys love any opportunity to feel or look like Dad and now they can sport matching polos or caps and still do it with style and function. Plus some of their favorite athletes and celebrities wear TravisMathew too.
“STEPPING” INTO THE CLASSROOM WITH STYLE
Growing up, I always remember the special shopping trip to go and pick out our schools before school started. One year, we happened to be visiting my grandma in New York and we got to go to Macy’s. It was like being in shoe heaven. I still remember to do this day picking out a pair of pink high tops with velcro on the top. I wore those shoes on the first day of school with so much pride. Now, with our kids we love letting them pick out their shoes and Macy’s is a great option. Everyone loves getting a new pair of shoes! From Nike and Puma to Converse and Skechers, they have lots of great options for your kids’ back to school shoe needs. Especially for students at private schools it can be a fun way for them to express themselves. These Adidas x Minnie and Puma Rainbow shoes are sure to make any toddler jump for joy at circle time. We love these Nike Tanjun shoes for our boys. While we love going into the Macy’s store to try on shoes, we also love the ease and convenience of shopping online for back to school too.
BUNDLE UP! IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR
One of the aspects we love about the Fall is the change in weather. The air gets crisper and the leaves start to change so we don’t want to forget to bundle up as head to class and our favorite outerwear is from Appaman. Crazy temps won’t slow you down, especially with the variety of offerings from their fur trimmed Denali Down Coat (which is one of Appaman’s warmest and also has sherpa interior) to puffers, vests and one staple in our closet, the Turnstile Jacket because you can remove the sleeves as the day warms up, or if your classroom temp varies considerably from the outside temp.
The girls have even more jacket and coat options including fashion-forward bombers, metallics, furs, denim and animal prints. A metallic rainbow puffer vest not only brings a huge smile to our girls’ faces, but it guarantees they will look cool while keeping warm this fall. The Nikki Bomber Jacket comes in two styles but the Black Luxe is the perfect transitional piece from classroom to holiday event.
SCHOOL SUBJECTS WITH A FUN TWIST
FULL “STEAM” AHEAD
Whether your students are back in person or continuing to learn virtually, STEAM is often cut out of the curriculum due to time and resources. Did you know the U.S. Labor Department predicted the 10 fastest growing occupations and nearly all of them are S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. careers? And, unfortunately, America has fallen behind other nations in science and math education (and COVID didn’t help at all, the education gap has been steep) so there is a definite need to motivate young kids to pursue these subjects in order to keep up with the rest of the world. We love the Quarto STEAM club. Quarto curates book and toy recommendations chosen by a panel of STEAM experts. They do all of the hard work so that you can just enjoy doing the experiments with your kids! From ice dyeing to Tiny Science we love these kits too that include a book and materials. It has been fun watching the kids experiment and then go back on their own and explore the books to learn more.
Our kids have loved the Animal Exploration Lab for Kids. There are 52 activities that help children learn about the animal kingdom and it is written by Maggie Reinbold Director of Community Engagement at San Diego Zoo Global! The activities are things that you can easily do and there is a lesson, “Science Behind the Fun,” alongside each activity.
ABCs AND 123s, “BUILDING” BLOCKS TO SUCCESS
Our families favorite toys, that also happens to be super educational, are CreateOn Magna-Tiles. The have taken the super-strong magnetic blocks to the next level with their structures and character collaborations. These double-sided Magna-Tiles combine building fun and familiar characters with learning letter sounds, numbers, money counting, problem-solving, and more.
They have so many sets perfect for back-to-school including the ABC Schoolhouse, with one side of the tile featuring letters that encourage sounds and words, and the other allowing for a multi-level schoolhouse structure. Or the 123 School Bus where the front of the tiles have all the bus pieces and the second side has numbers and symbols so your child can learn basic math skills. They have Chalkboard sets, Dollar and Cents sets and a brand new Doodle Tiles set that we are so excited about! From problem solving to art, your kids can color their own world, then bring the designs to life through 3D building. But, when creativity strikes, they can wipe away old designs with a damp cloth and start all over again! The outcomes are endless.
CreateOn also has some really fun collaborations with Sesame Street, Eric Carle and most recently Dr. Seuss! Who doesn’t want to be introduced to opposites or learn sensory and emotions while building the Grinch to be Naughty or Nice… awarded for Education Excellence, your family is sure to be inspired and imaginative through this non-screen based play.
PATH TO MATH
Math at any age or grade-level can be challenging. As parents, we are always looking for fun ways to have our kids practice math. We love things that are hands-on and can’t get enough of the Wonder & Wise Path to Math set. We often use it alongside different worksheets to help our kids count and work through the problems. We may not be professional educators, but we definitely understand the power of tactile learning and the importance of the brain and hand connecting as they solve the problems. We love Wonder & Wise for all things creative play. One fun way to practice math is to set up a shop. We use the 3-1 play stand, cash box and playfood.We couple it with the math activity or lesson for the day and have them practice their problems through running their store. We also love using Wonder & Wise’s Teepees and Playhomes to create reading nooks. Our kids love curling up and looking at books in their special space.
BACKPACKS & LUNCH
Backpacks are one of the most constant material items in a kids life. It’s an extension of your personality and it can become a companion, or even a status symbol. We head to Macys for literally hundreds of backpack options. They have popular characters from beloved franchises from Marvel and Disney. The have sequins and animals, canvas and leather, traditional bags or even roller bags… they have it all.
And whether you are in a classroom or at-home learning, lunch is a favorite time of the day and the way it’s packed makes a difference. We’re big fans of the Bentgo Kids durable and stylish lunch boxes. It’s a one-of-a-kind, leak-proof lunch container that features a compartment for fruit, veggies, dip, an entrée, and dessert. With so many perfectly portioned compartments, it organically inspires parents to pack a more wholesome, balanced lunch for growing kids who are always on the go. We use ours at the park and in the car too!
