droolicious : school supplies

Monstrously Cute Pencil Case from Barry's Farm

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:10:00 GMT

From cupcakes to robots to keytars (!), Barry's Farm offers a ton of kooky spins on the traditional laptop carrier, but with this Monster Pencil Case ($12), kids finally get a Barry's tote to match Mom's or Dad's Furry Monster Laptop Sleeve.

All of Barry's products are handmade at -- you guessed it -- Barry's pad in Chicago, so be sure to factor in a few days for your monster to come to life. While you're waiting, check out the whole line at Barry's shop -- those monster buttons would make great door prizes for a birthday party, don'tcha think?

Carry Valentines in this Piggy Backpack

Lisa Estall — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:45:00 GMT

Will this little piggy go to the market? This Pig Bag has enough room to store toys, snacks, and lunch money but not a standard size folder, according to the description.The inks and paints are non-toxic so safe for kids. It's also...

made of lightweight nylon so easy to carry. With its felt purple ears and smiley face with hearts, how could you leave this indoors?

Priced at $19.95 and sold at Oompa.

Concentrate Lunch Box Lets Kids Have Their Fruit and Eat It, Too

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Put an end to dented apples and overheated oranges with the Concentrate Fruit Friendly Lunch Box, which promises to keep fruit bruise-free while indicating (via a color-changing thermo-spot) when your produce has gotten too warm to eat. I'm especially digging the pull-out lidded cups, which slide neatly into the lunchbox's bottom and hold whatever loose snacks you'd rather didn't mingle with the main course.

£9.75 (around $14 U.S.) from John Lewis. [Via Mighty Junior]

Hey Southpaw, Need Scissors?

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:23:00 GMT

I have now learned that left-handed scissors are not that easy to find. Sure, office supplies carry them, but apparently my neighborhood is ripe with lefties because I can find the place where the scissors would be but aren’t. I’ve never wanted to find Ned Flanders’ Leftorium more in my life.

I ended up finding Little Leftie Scissors at Anything Left Handed in the UK for £4.95 (aka $9.65). This pair for lil guys feature 2 and 1/4 inch safety blades and soft rubber grips. Other things right-handed parents may have taken for granted until having left-handed children: writing guides, pencil sharpeners and non-smudge writing utensils.

Fleurville Kid’s Messenger Takes Packs Off Backs

Heather Kuldell — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:25:00 GMT

I dunno if messenger bags for kids are a parental preference or a rite of passage to show you’re old hat at the whole school thing. Fleurville Kid’s Messenger Bags are smaller than most adult bags (10 inches by 12 inches by 4 inches) for comfy carrying by the elementary-school set (ages 5-10).

Each bag features two exterior water-bottle pockets, organizational pockets, and comes with a reusable lunch bag. In case homework gets too heavy, the bag also has stowable backpack straps for a more agronomic haul. As with most Fleurville products, the materials are lead-free, PVC-free and Teflon-free.

Available in black with camo skulls, pink with “ogo” print, and brown with “ogo” print from Fleurville for $50.

Think of Hello Kitty’s Office Suite as a Secretary of Sorts

Heather Kuldell — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

I wish I could say Lisa’s Hello Kitty watch post that put the famous feline on my brain, but the truth is that I’m just fan. (We share the same initials and we’re both Scorpios, so, yes, I’m a dork about it.) Naturally I’ve added the Hello Kitty Office Suite to our back-to-school list even though I have no intention of actually sending it out of the house. I mean, there have to be forms I’ll need to staple and return, right?

The suite features a wholesome outdoor theme: The stapler resembles a seesawing log, the paper clip holder looks like a pond and the tape dispenser is shaped like a slide. Each piece can be purchased individually for $16 at fredflare.com.

Big Deal: Modern Kids Lunch Tote for Less Than $6

Heather Kuldell — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:35:00 GMT

Only a few months left in the school year and -- if your kid is like mine -- most of those shiny school accessories bought last fall are barely holding together. Lunchboxes seem to take special abuse, though I'm not sure if it's from the funk that grows if I forget to clean it out Friday or the vigorous scrubbing that follows. Either way, a third-quarter replacement isn't so bad when it's on sale. MoMa marked down the Modern Kids Lunch Tote from $18 to $5.95 ($5.35, if you're a member). The inside of the EVA tote features handy mesh pockets for stashing food or utensils without having items spill out. A large clear pocket on the outside allows kids show off a little personality by displaying a postcard, photo or their own artwork. The trade off for the bargain price is that the only option left is bright green accented with orange zippers and shoulder strap.

Ohashi & Haneda Animal Rubberbands: A Cute Twist on Utility

Mir — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:01:00 GMT

I don't know how they do it, but I guess I don't need to. These animal rubberbands from Ohashi & Haneda work like regular rubberbands, but retain their adorable little animal shapes. While sheer cuteness would be justification enough, apparently the designers' goal is to bring longevity to items traditionally thought of as disposable. Waste reduction and little animals, coupled with the classroom cred your kid will enjoy by having these in her pencil box? Sign me up. $7.50 for a set of 24 (choose either zoo animals or pets) from Unica Home.

Back to School Drool: Traditional German School Cone

chrisjordan — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:03:00 GMT

On the first day of school in Germany, children are given one of these traditional school cones, filled with school supplies, candies and other surprises. I think I feel a new tradition coming on.

The school cone ($7.95), available at Magic Cabin, measures 19 3/4" long and comes unfilled.

Back to School Drool: Start Them on Multi-tasking Early

Karen — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Crayola's new "Write-Color" pencils allow kids to write with one end and colour with the other. The grips can be moved to sharpen the pencil. $4.99 at the Crayola Online Store. Also, if you spend $15 or more at Crayola, receive a free Silly Putty egg. Enter code TOOLS07 at checkout.

Back to School Drool: Maybe It's Time

Karen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:06:00 GMT

Maybe It's Time's school supplies are completely girly and available at Office Depot. There are plenty of snazzy items on their home page and I did find the "Paper Jam" construction paper at Walgreens online ($3.99).

The company itself is owned by women and very environmentally conscious. I would advise they add a page to their website to list where we can buy their goodies though - my search had me in a web jam!

Back to School Drool: Don't Let Your Kids See This Post

Karen — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:02:00 GMT

They are the hottest thing to hit school supplies this year: Sound Gear by Mead. Your kids can plug their mp3 player into their binder (shown here) or pencil case, add 4 AA batteries and be distracted from learning. Personally I think the product is a bad idea, but I'm sure teachers will hate them even more. Kids however? Well what do you think?

$29.99 at Mead Online.