Back To Learning Essentials

This post is sponsored by Pottery Barn Kids, all opinions are my own.

To Back to School or to not Back to School, that is the question! While we’re all in the same boat awaiting the how we’re going back to school, all our kiddos will be heading back to learning. In any case, there’s a beautiful ritual and sense of routine that I’m sticking to in order to get them excited and get back in the school mentality. I want to share some ergonomic, beautiful and customizable picks by Pottery Barn Kids that have made our school years stylish and more organized. Here’s the back to learning essentials including backpacks, lunch items, and more!

Backpacks to stay organized

A new backpack is always an exciting way to get back to the routine. These beautiful rollers keep books, notebooks, homework holders, pens and computers all in one place. With ample room to stick in water bottles, stuffed animals and more, these kids are psyched! My boys prefer the roller backpacks because they enjoy rolling it, and since they hoard stuff, they’re perfect. You can see here for non roller backpacks of all sizes that will satisfy the most discerning tastes! Another great perk is that you can personalize any style so that they will always know who it belongs to, that’s pretty key in this household.

Must have back to learning essentials

Along with the backpacks, you can get matching pencil holders & homework holders! These  work really well especially with at home learning where things can easily get out of place. The homework holder has space for work in progress, finished homework and notes. The pencil holders easily fit all the writing tools, erasers and pencil sharpeners they’ll need. I can’t tell you how having a place for everything has helped our messy household! Systems like these are key whether you’re heading to school or home schooling.

Lunch Time Fun Must-Haves

Everyone looks forward to lunch! With Pottery Barn Kids’ durable and practical lunch accessories, my boys can lug their lunch wherever their day might lead. Some days, we like having lunch outside if the weather allows, and the serving size containers are helpful for me too to make sure they’re eating enough.  We chose these stainless steel bentos to store different meal items without the mess.

For our lunch bag fix, our pick is the cold pack lunch pack (with their name of course!) and matching water bottle. We have both the large and small water bottle and it’s the one water bottle that wasn’t lost last school year. I believe this was due to 2 reasons 1) they loved it so much they never forgot it, and 2) it had their name on it! 🙂 We chose the cold pack lunch pack vs the “classic” because my kids love yogurt and other items that have to stay cold, so it was an easy choice!­­­

Sports and Activities Back to Learning Essentials

Before Covid-19, Matteo and Henrick had soccer, karate, swimming and piano! While we’re probably not going back to all of these activities, I know that we’ll modify and keep them busy with a new way of doing extracurricular activities. I’ll update you soon on what and how we end up doing it. Having a dedicated “activity bag” is a game changer! We fill it up with change of clothes, equipment if needed, our snack containers and water bottles and we’re ready for those long weekdays. It’s also a nice overnight bag when they visit grandma. These duffel bags come in really fun patterns, are customizable of course, and best of all easy for them to carry! The comfortable cross-body shoulder strap helps my little ones feel independent and organized. See wet bag and toiletry bag below too!

 The Backpack that Goes Everywhere

Beach, carry-on’s, golf….this backpack goes everywhere they go! It’s easy for them to roll and bring their toys, change of clothes and snacks with them. We love this roller so much, the hardest part for them was deciding which pattern they wanted! See some of the options below.

Our lives have changed, and for the time being it’s hard to picture things going back to “normal”. I think some of the things that have helped us forge ahead are developing new routines. Combining them with old happy rituals and traditions help! Therefore, getting geared up for another school year is one of those happy traditions that I know my kids love. The good news is that kids are usually far more adaptable than us adults! If we keep a positive attitude and find ways to navigate the new normal, our kids will be alright. For more back to school ideas with Pottery Barn Kids offerings, see this post here. For tips on working from home with kids see here and mom guilt here. Please visit my instagram for a current giveaway with Pottery Barn Kids through 8/15! Love, Z