Top back-to-school products for Chicago families

Looking for the latest in back to school products? Click through our favorite items that will help your child make the grade.

Looking for the latest in back to school products? Click through our favorite items that will help your child make the grade.

Pilot is out with some new
pens your kids will love this year.

We found the smooth writing quality and the comfortablegrip make it worth the extra money. Two of the best thisback-to-school season: Bottle 2Pens (made from recycled water bottles) and
the Light Frixion
erasable highlighters. Our editor and her girls especially
love the purple ink pen. Prices vary, in stores and
online.

Penmanship


Make it easy for your student to rock their school in style withthe Chooze backpack’s two reversible designs and
comfortable straps. $40 for small backpack, $44 for large. choozeshoes.com

Choose your look


Write down life’s big ideas and thoughts at any timewith Post-it‘s new
mobile, studying and dispenser collections, adhesive paper rolls
and big note pads.

Condense and personalize your space with these creativeand playful note dispensers (we like The Karate Dispenser and JAXDispenser).

Taking notes on the go is easier with Post-it’s Mobileproducts, $3.29-$6.99. Some of the collection’s best items: the CarVisor Clip Pop-up Note Dispenser and Attach and Go Pockets. Post-itBig Pads, $7.99-$19.99, are perfect for study group or organizingfamily activities.

Post-it proudly


Mead/FiveStar has some great stuff this year to keep the kids’ lockers
and papers under control. We especially like the cloth
Hanging Locker Shelf, $14.99, with two extra
strong pockets, so kids can organize their materials by morning and
afternoon classes, and the magnetic Neo Storage PocketLocker Organizer, $7.99, that sticks right to the locker
door to keep small things all in one handy place. Mead’s 7Pocket Expanding File with Zipper Closure, $9.99, also is
a sure bet.

Of course, the folks at Mabel’s Labels can be
counted on to keep things organized. This year’s offering,
Write Away Labels, $12, comes with cute pictures
and the labels are waterproof and microwave and dishwasher
safe.

Oh so organized


We know some kids study best with a little background music. Wefell in love with the Divoom: Bluetune-SOLO when
it arrived. The portable speaker, compatible with any smartphone,
combines great stereo and a hands-free speakerphone. $49, divoomusa.com.

The beat goes on


Make time out of school just as productive as inside with gamesfrom Learning Resources. We like the critical
thinking games, $19.99-$29.99: iTrax, which beefs up
problem-solving skills, and Mental Blox, where kids stack, pattern
and match multicolor shapes, to make learning fun. learningresources.com

Out of the box


Send your child off to school with a nutritious meal in aStephen Joseph Lunch Pals lunchbox, knowing that
$1 from your purchase goes towards Share Our Strength’s No Kid
Hungry campaign, which provides kids with nutritious meals. $17.99,
stephenjosephgifts.com

Leave no one hungry


It’s easy to have the bottle reflect your personality withthe customizable features and variety of designs fromSigg Bottles, including the new
glow-in-the-dark monsters and Hello Kitty collections. Prices vary
by design. mysigg.com

Drink it up


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