As summer winds to a close, families are gearing up for back-to-school sales and searching for the cheapest place to buy school supplies.
Did you know the average amount spent per student by families for back-to-school supplies is an estimated $268 this school year? That is an increase of 9% from last year, and on top of that, families will likely spend an estimated $849 on school supplies according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).
To combat increasing prices, 16 states are embracing tax-free school shopping weekends. Shoppers can take further advantage of these deals by shopping second-hand or at local dollar stores. However, as many families are concerned about safety and convenience, the most lucrative school supplies sale is just a click away with the best deals on school supplies found online.
Rocketbook Notebooks
Taking notes on a laptop is easy with free, shareable resources like Google Docs, but it’s not the same as taking notes by hand. The simple act of applying pen to paper is proven to help students retain knowledge and better recall the material.
As well, those who take lecture notes by hand, rather than digitally, perform better on tests than those relying on typed notes. Some students try to get the best of both worlds by handwriting their notes and transferring them by typing them over to their computer. However, the mind is running more on autopilot than focused on learning at that moment, and the student is likely wasting valuable learning time.
That’s why the Rocketbook smart notebook has become a popular tech item when it comes to taking notes by hand while enabling the student to have instant digital access. All that is needed is a smartphone to send the notes to the cloud or a simple tap of the smart tag at the bottom of each page that links up with sites like Google Drive and Dropbox.
A reusable notebook like the Rocket notebook affords a tactile feel and is good for the environment as no paper is wasted once the class has been completed. Just erase the notes and reuse it! Make the notes look more vibrant and polished with a simple edit or crop.
School Backpacks
Did you know that students carry backpack loads of 10% to 25% of their body weight on average? In one study it was found that some students lugged around up to 40% of their body weight. This can have a very negative impact on a student’s body so care must be taken in selecting a quality backpack that holds up against weighty textbooks.
Shopping for the best deals on bookbags come with many considerations these days. Backpacks for teens can be just as heavy as a college backpack. A sturdy leather or faux leather backpack with several pockets is a sturdy and stylish choice for the intellectually driven. However, these styles of backpacks tend to have thinner straps that may not evenly distribute weight, so a well-made fabric backpack with padded straps provides great support for the shoulders.
It’s important to pick the perfect bookbag based on design for support and not just style. Aside from this, wearing a backpack properly reduces the likelihood of shoulder pain, neck, and back injury. Both shoulder straps should be worn, not distributing the weight over one shoulder. The bookbag should also sit high on the shoulders so it does not sway side to side. A bookbag worn low puts too much pressure on the shoulder and upper body and can lead to injuries. So, selecting a sturdy backpack should always come before style, but luckily, you can get both for a great deal online.
Laptops
Perhaps the greatest school savings come with back-to-school laptop deals. A laptop is one of the best investments a student can make as the right selection will last for years and can easily take the academic from high school to college.
Some universities and colleges prefer that their students opt for specific operating system laptops, as this helps their technical support departments concentrate on a single platform. It also helps cut down on any issues with software compatibility. Other institutions do not care what operating system is used as long as students are able to log into their college email inbox and online classes. So, it’s up to the student as to whether they prefer Mac, Windows, or Linux.
Students will find it easier to carry a laptop that is light as it is mighty, and for that reason, many users are fans of the Mac OS. Traditionally, Apple has carried the lightest laptops on the market, from MacBook Pro to MacBook Air, with a 13-inch to a 14-inch screen as the preferred size.
Still, PC laptops are providing comparable competition in both aspects of being lightweight and mighty, such as the omnipresent Chromebook where a student is ready to use the computer instantly with their Google account. Trusted names like Dell and Lenovo are also developing lighter models that still have a strong RAM for completing long papers and student scientists running both video streaming and analytics.
A 5-pound laptop with a 17-inch screen may do a designer more justice, but it is heavy to lug across campus. A lighter laptop will reduce the burden on the student’s back and make room for their books, but a smaller display can also create greater eye strain. Keep these pros and cons in mind while laptop shopping.
Educational Toys
Summer had the kids outside playing sports and inside enjoying endless binge-watching of their favorite shows and movies. With school on the horizon, getting the kids back in the swing of learning can be done with the encouragement of a few educational toys. So, add a few educational games and learning games to the school shopping list.
Students can explore history through memorization of important places and names with trivia games. They can also go on “digs” as an archaeologist or become an artist overnight by applying colored pencil to paper.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educational toys focus on learning, curiosity, and education. These toys are designed to help kids develop pragmatic skills in which the most profound and prolific industry is growing a need within. For example, STEM building toys allows a student to think creatively and like an engineer, promoting the benefits of STEM learning which could lead to a STEM career. Educational toys build a child’s curiosity about the world but also teaches them to search for practical solutions in innovative ways, preparing them for the future.
As August begins, families are looking for the best back to school deals, but that also means shopping with a student’s future in mind, as well as their present. From bookbags to tech and everything in between, this guide is guaranteed to get kids not only ready but excited for school to begin.
We hope you found this guide on back to school deals useful! Are you looking for the best place to buy discounted products and supplies for school online? If so, be sure to check out the assortment of high-quality options on Tanga today!
