daveh900/Bigstock.com

Fun Back-to-School Supplies

1. Beep, beep, beep! Even the most motivated scholars have a hard time getting out of bed in the

morning. Pottery Barn Teen has a great selection of fun alarm clocks from analog to digital.

Here’s a tip: Keep the clock away from your children’s reach, so they have to get out of bed to turn the alarm off!

2. If you’ve ever sent kids to school with supplies, you know that often times they don’t bring them all home. Ensure that they come home with what you bought by getting adorable custom-made (and dishwasher and microwave safe) labels. Head over to Name Bubbles to see their products and designs, and have those folders and water bottles come home every day.

3. Graphing calculators have come in ho-hum shades of black and gray for years. Get an A-plus with this fresh take on problem-solving with Texas Instruments’ bright pink TI-84 available at Office Depot . Have a freshly-coated flair for your kids as they enter middle or high school. Whether it be for entering graph values or solving tedious equations, TI-84 is still the most user-friendly multi-function calculator around. Other color options include red and blue.

4. It’s that period of the day when the teacher dismisses your child for lunch, and the ugly, non-environmentally-friendly sea of brown-bag lunches swarm the cafeteria like a colony of angry bees. Save money with a one-time purchase of one of the Container Store’s many lunch boxes made to last for years. From bento boxes to insulated tote bags, you’re sure to find one that is just right for your child for whatever you pack.

5. The usual conventional planners many public schools hand your kids are quite dull: The mascot on the cover comes with the school colors and pages of dry text. Woo-hoo. Most kids give up using it after the first week! Make your kids’ agenda feel like a narrative with StorybookJournals , which features pages of colorful drawings to accompany their weekly assignments. Themes include “The Lion King,” “Sesame Street” and Pixar’s “Brave.”

6. Write and wipe away with white boards from the selection at Bed, Bath & Beyond . The boards range in style from plain white to wacky flowers and dozens of other patterns. Make sure your kids get the memos needed in a fun way, where they can express themselves artistically or with funky or formal handwriting.

7. With fun patterns and a lifetime guarantee, these backpacks will never need replacing. LLBean stands behind every product they carry. Zipper problem? They’ve got your back. With available monogramming, their products ensure that your child will have a unique take on his or her bag this year and for years to come.

8. Make sure your kid never loses his or her keys or other small belongings with a personal keychain from Party City. Whether they want to carry around a funny emoji, a favorite Disney character or just a little something that shows off their personality, it’s a cheap choice that goes a long way for children to keep track of the little things.