As the summer term draws to a close and we say farewell to another school year, most of us will be thinking about September. The summer holidays are a busy time and before you know it, you will be sending your children back to school in their shiny new shoes and smart new uniform.
Personally, I start quite early with the back to school buying. I don’t like panic buying at the last minute and prefer to take my time now, when there is a better selection.
So this month, I am dedicating my monthly review feature to getting ready for the new school year, with a selection of ideas and products that I have tried and will be using.
Uniform
One thing that I have discovered over the years is that it is well worth shopping around for school uniform and when it comes to the basics that don’t need a school logo, it is worth trying different brands to see which of them wash and wear well and you might be surprised to find that buying uniform from supermarkets and other budget brands will save you money and the uniforms often wash and wear really well.
Matalan
Matalan have come to my rescue on more than one occasion and I will be posting a full review of their uniform later on this week. They have a fantastic range of uniform at great prices and the uniform that I have had from Matalan in the past has been a good fit and has worn and washed really well.
Step2wo
Step2wo have a fantastic range of designer children’s shoes and I will not be showing my daughter the site for a few years as she already has a shoe fetish aged 5. One thing I have learnt with my years of buying school shoes is that it is worth paying more for them as cheaper shoes often don’t last long and so it is false economy. Step2wo have a range of school shoes that look amazing. Many of the shoes model adult trends and are made in Italy or Europe, using some the finest materials available.
I have been sent a pair of Step2wo shoes for A to review and I will be posting my review later on this week, but in the meantime, here a just a few of the styles available.
Forest School
Forest School has been one of the highlights for all of my children. They only do it for the first two years on a regular basis but they have all loved their weekly outings and have come back filled with exciting tales of the different activities they have enjoyed.
Forest School usually carries on whatever the weather and so you will need;
- wellies
- waterproof coat
- waterproof trousers
- small rucksack (for drink and a snack)
I have found that it is better to have a thin waterproof coat that can be folded up and put away if necessary and if worn with a fleece top, you have covered all eventualities.
Muddy Puddles
I regularly work with Muddy Puddles both on this blog and on their blog and I am a big fan of their clothing and accessories. They are the go-to site for all things Forest School with a fantastic range of lightweight waterproof trousers and jackets which fold away and are 100% waterproof, wellies, fleeces and more. My daughter was thrilled to finally have her own waterproofs last month (she has been using old ones that belonged to her brother before that) as you can see from the photos.
If you are looking for waterproofs, coats, beach gear or even ski wear, Muddy Puddles is the site to visit, I have been very impressed with the quality, design and durability.
Peacocks
Peacocks is my mother’s favourite shop and she is always raving about their clothes and accessories and often picks up a few nice things for the children from there and they also have a fabulous Back to School range.
I was impressed by the range of styles available across the uniform range and particularly liked some of the accessories and outdoor clothing ideas. With Forest School in mind, I love the Pack Away Kagoule. I had something very similar to this for the boys when they were younger and they are so useful. The kagoule folds into its own pocket and zips up for easy storage and makes it easy to stow away in a bag or the car so that you never get caught out when there is a sudden downpour. We also used them for water rides at theme parks too.
My daughter loves the kagoule, it is lightweight and she is able to get it out and fold it back up easily too, so I know that I could put this in her bag to use on her own. At £6 it is a bargain too and there is also a similar kagoule for boys too.
Next on the list was a rucksack. Usually a Forest School trip takes place in the morning, so the children are asked to take a snack and a drink with them and a small rucksack is the perfect thing. The Older Girls Butterfly Backpack from Peacock is the perfect thing. It is a good size with two front pockets and the pattern is perfect. A loves this bag and we have had quite a few ‘discussions’ about it being used in September and not now. I suspect she may win and use it over the holidays. At £10, this is a really handy bag with a pretty, eye-catching design. (It also goes well with the kagoule).
I recommend taking a look in store or online at Peacock for their Back to School range, they have a huge selection at really low prices.
Welly Warehouse
Welly Warehouse have the biggest range of wellies that I have ever seen and have wellies to suit every style and budget. We were sent a pair of Bog wellies by Welly Warehouse to review and they are brilliant. Great quality, gorgeous colour, comfortable and with handles to help pull them on and off, they are my daughter’s favourite footwear at the moment and she is one person who has been happy to see some damper weather this weekend so that she can get away with wearing them.
Read the full review here and check out the Welly Warehouse website to find out more.
Everything Else
Once the uniform is bought and hung in the wardrobe you can relax and take your time thinking about all of the other things you need. Bags, pencil cases, lunch boxes, drinks bottles, PE bags, the list goes on but I have downs some great sites which will hopefully inspire you.
Skip Hop
The Skip Hop range of coordinating products for children is eye-catching and functional and I often see them out and about. They have a brilliant range of zoo themed Back to School products that are perfect for little ones.
The range is just gorgeous and I love the fact that everything co-ordinates and has been designed with parents and little ones in mind. With Skip Hop Zoobrellas, Zootensils (fork and spoon sets), Zoo Straw Bottles, Sandwich and Snack Bag Sets and the Skip Hop Zoo-let which is a rucksack with a removable rein, a lot of thought has gone into the design and ease of use of the whole range.
The Zoo Lunchies caught my eye as I know that my daughter would love these. Available in 17 bright designs, these insulated lunch bags are hard-wearing and easy to clean and even have a mesh pocket inside to keep utensils or an ice pack separate. Each Lunchie has a handle and a write on name label( RRP £14)
Find out more about the Skip Hop range and where to buy, visit the Maguari website.
Born Gifted
Born Gifted certainly have Back to School pretty much covered with their gorgeous, brightly coloured Back to School collection. I absolutely love the idea of the My First Day at School photo frame and wish I had though of that for all of mine, such a special day and a great way to remember it.
Sistema
I absolutely love the Sistema lunch and snack boxes, they are all in gorgeous bright colours and feature the Sistema Klip system which secure the boxes closed but are easy enough for small hands to open.
Many of the latest range from Sistema are designed with making lunch and snack containers with different sections and compartments which is just perfect for children’s lunches and snacks. I particularly like the Snack Attack box as this is the perfect solution to the hummus problem. My daughter absolutely loves hummus and breadsticks and this is a great way to transport it to school safely with a small compartment for the hummus and a longer compartment for breadsticks or crackers.
All of these Sistema containers are BPA free, stackable, safe to use in the freezer or microwave and can be washed on the top shelf of the dishwasher. I know from Sistema lunch boxes that we have had before that these boxes last well and the kids love them too. Find out more about the Sistema range of lunch products on their website.
Puzzle Club Magazine
From the creators of Puzzler magazine comes Puzzle Club which is a brand new magazine by Pearson for Key Stage 2 children. Aimed at children aged 7 – 11, Puzzle Club is filled with a variety of puzzles which are visually appealing and fun whilst helping children to develop their core skills of literacy, numeracy and science.
L is nearly 10 and he was straight into the Puzzle Club magazine and has really enjoyed working his way through the puzzles and it is interesting to see how these puzzles are making him really think. There are crosswords, riddles, mazes, wordsearches, logic and visual puzzles and a whole lot more. Some of the puzzles aren’t my son’s thing but there are so many different ones to do, it doesn’t matter if the odd one doesn’t appeal.
We have been really impressed with Puzzle Club and anything that engages children in a fun and educational way is a real bonus. I would definitely invest in Puzzle Club magazine for L again. There are 7 editions per year and it costs £3.99.
Hedrin
One of the things that I dread every school year is the return of the head lice. Whenever I get the text, I itch at the very thought but it is one of those things that is unavoidable and I did pretty well to avoid them myself until a couple of years ago.
Hedrin is my go-to brand when we have any unwanted hair visitors. Having tried a few different brands, Hedrin was the one spray that got rid of the lice in the end and I would use it again in the future. I was pleased to see that they now have Hedrin Protect & Go which is a preventative spray which you spray into the childrens’ hair twice a week and it breaks the lifecycle of head lice and will stop an infestation from taking hold. I think this is such a great idea and with a scent of orange of mango, it smells amazing too.
It is really easy to use and can be sprayed onto we or dry and hair and combed through. This is a product that will definitely be part of our routine when everyone goes back to school in September alongside a bottle of Hedrin Once Spray Gel, just in case.
Milton
Milton was a regular in my shopping basket when the children were babies but their products are still on my shopping list even though they are older. Milton have a great range of products that you an use on a daily basis and that I regularly use to keep both the children and my house clean and germ free.
The Antibacterial Hand Gel is a handy size to keep in your bag or even in the car and I always have one on hand to give a small amount to the children if they need to wash their hands and there isn’t any water available. It rubs in quickly without leaving any sticky residue and kills up to 99.9% of germs. The Antibacterial Surface Wipes can’t be used on hands but these are great wiping surfaces such as bags, mobile phones, keyboards, toys and making sure that they are all germ free.
Milton products are widely available in most supermarkets.
All items in this review were sent for the purpose of reviewing. All images and opinions are my own.
