Going back to school means getting back into learning mode, but that can be both fun and fashionable!
Hands up, who owns the classic picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle? I’m betting most of you do, since on average, every thirty seconds someone in the world buys a copy. Nearly 50 million copies have been sold since it was first published in 1969. As our kids head back to school this month, we love that Little Goodall collaborated with the famed artist to create a line of clothing inspired by the World of Eric Carle. From Strawberry Leaf styles to Two Scoops and Lemonade it’s the sweetest way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beloved book.
Capturing unique art in clothing also lead Little Goodall to a collaboration with Willa Heart. The most darling designs with a vintage flair became the Buffy & Muffy collections as well as the Aldrich and Madame De Bleu — dresses, rompers, coats, hair bows, and even decorative pillows. Your little one is sure to turn heads when she steps on the schoolyard.
Some of the best items are born out of need, and when the person problem solving has a background in childrenswear, toy design and fine art, you know you’re in for something special. Which is why I love the story that started it all for Little Goodall. Nearly a decade ago, Molly Goodall was frustrated when her two year old son refused to wear the hoods on his little boy coats. Molly (who fortunately for her son, and all of us, holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons the New School for Design) got creative and turned his hood into an animal head by making him a wool felt lion coat. The engaging design made wearing a coat fun for a little boy! And, we’re thrilled Molly hasn’t stopped designing whimsical and unique coats. From bunnies to unicorns, rainbows, butterflies, llamas, lions, dinosaurs and more. It’s clear the attention to detail in the Little Goodall Coat Collection.
When it comes to fall and fashion, the tension between what you want your kiddo to wear and what they want to wear can sometimes be as finicky as the weather. One day it is hot and another day it is cool. That is why we love Appaman. They have a great selection of effortlessly cool and classic styles for Back to school like plaid button ups and jeans. Our kids love their fun and funky graphic shirts like the boombox and lightning bolt pencil. It gives them a sense of expressing their own fashion style. Those cool fall nights often call for layers and Appaman has so many great options like puffy vests and coats. And we love that all of their items can withstand the wear and tear of the playground and park.
While all the students may be learning the same curriculum, kids can still stand out by reflecting their personality in their style. Pippa and Julie has the perfect fashions for babies through tweens and we especially love their collaboration with Disney. These styles let girls wear their favorite characters from Minnie, to Simba and of course all the princesses! One of the keys to their clothing is they want kids to have fun and explore in their outfits yet still include the carefully considered details to admire. In fact, most of their clothing is easily washable at home, so you can always encourage your little ones to get out there and play, even in what might seem like the fanciest dresses.
Shoes not only complete an outfit, but it’s important that they support heathly foot development during these pivotal years for growth. From sneakers to sandals, and boots to dress shoes, pediped® footwear offers more than 120 designs for boys and girls between its three lines, Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex® ensuring a style for any child’s needs. The sizing starts at newborn and goes through youth (EU sizes 17 to 38 and US newborn to 6 Youth). Aside from cool colors and classics, the brand pediped® footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for the promotion of healthy foot development making it an excellent choice for parents who want their children’s feet to develop naturally and healthily.
Looking the part can definitely bring confidence in the classroom, but nothing can boost esteem more than actually having the skills needed to excel in school. Our family is always looking for ways to bridge learning with play and Magna-Tiles innovative magnetic building sets are amazing when it comes to fusing math, science and creativity. It is so fantastic that at such a young age our littles are learning design and architecture, engineering, pattern recognition, problem solving and more. There are endless ways to build and it can be solo, or interactive with the whole family. In fact, my husband and I both love building, and one of our favorite things to do is create giant structures when the kids have gone to bed so when they wake up in the morning, they come running downstairs to see what was constructed! It sparks ideas in their day of building and also crosses over adding outside toys, figurines and dolls to their new multi-level magnetic clear colors castle, fort or liar!
It makes perfect sense that Magna-Tiles® were invented by a Japanese mathematics teacher who wanted to create a better hands-on experience when learning geometric concepts in school and at home. Educators all over the world use Magna-Tiles in the classroom and you can even download lesson plans from their website!
As parents, we are constantly searching for resources for our children to continue what they are learning at home. We first discovered Osmo when we were researching items that would help prepare our child for preschool and kindergarten. The Osmo Genius Kit is used in conjunction with your iPad, iPhone or Fire Tablet. Geared for kids ages 6-10 it comes with five hands-on learning games that help children with spelling, math, and problem solving. We love that everything is STEAM-based learning and the kids love the engaging characters and that it is fun. We find it as a great outlet for positive screen time too.
The best part is that the recently debuted the Little Genius set for kids ages 3-5. Osmo partnered with Marbotic to create four games that help children with pre-reading, storytelling and fine motor development. All of the games are hands-onto spark their imaginations and learn critical skills. Our favorite game is Stories, where you use creativity and critical thinking to problem solve and the characters bring your decisions to life.
And we can’t forget the little siblings when we are talking about Back to School resources. In addition to their partnership with Osmo to create Little Genius, Marbotic also has Smart Kit, an interactive wooden set of letters and numbers to use with your tablet. It is inspired by Montessori learning and uses seven apps to help little ones learn how to read and discover math. The wooden pieces are perfect for little hands and durable enough to withstand the woes of toddlerhood. I loved that little sister was able to have something of her own to work on that is geared just for her level.
One of my favorite memories growing up around Back to School time was picking out a backpack and lunch box. Some years it was based on my favorite color and other years it centered around a favorite cartoon or character. Backpacks and lunch boxes are often a way for kids to express themselves. We love Tula backpacks and lunch boxes. They come in a variety of stylish prints and patterns from floral blossoms to dinosaurs and sharks. You can mix and match the patterns or you can get them in matching prints. The material is water-resistant, making it easy to clean and the lunch boxes are insulated and even have an inner pocket for an ice pack.
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We were given items from Little Goodall, Appaman, Pippa & Julie, Osmo, Marbotic, Pediped, Magnatile and Tula. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
