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10 Super Cool Back-to-School Gadgets and Gizmos |
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by R J Evans, Aug 16, 2008 |
Are you in need of some bright ideas about what to equip your kids with when they go back to school? Or are you young at heart and are looking for those gadgets and gizmos for yourself? Either way, here are 10 super cool back to school gadgets and gizmos which won't break the bank but will put a smile on a certain face. |
Stop Keeping an Eye on the Clock
There are lots of time keeping devices out there which are designated “cool” by young people! The kids may have been given some homework to do, and they must do it within a certain amount of time. You nay even want to limit the amount of time they spend on their Nintendo or Xbox and this saves you from having to scream yourself hoarse when the time comes. The tracker gives off different warning noises (which you can set) that aurally let the whipper snappers know how much time they have left and when something is coming to an end. Keep it Hot, Keep it Cold
Just an average lunch box will simply not do anymore. There are a huge amount of new wave Thermos “funtainers” around at the moment that will please you children and make them an object of lunchtime interest. Of course, the great thing about a thermos is that it will keep things either super cold or super hot. This could be the end of boring old soggy sandwiches and a packet of crisps! Make Math Fun
This looks to me like one of the old Cylon fighters from Battlestar Gallactica and as such would have got me doing math for about ten hours a day! It works more or less like an electronic flash card, so if you are used to holding these up in front of your kids' uninterested faces, then go and watch some TV and give them this! It is fairly basic math that is involved, so we are talking from around six years old to ten. The great thing is that it can be timed, to give it a competitive edge and there are eight levels to choose from. Better still, it can be switched to ordinary mode, so your child can have the coolest calculator at school! Variations of this can be found everywhere! A Rainbow Maker
This is an idea that takes on of the oldest lessons in any curriculum and gives it a new twist. With this in their hands, all your child will need is a sunny day and a couple of would-be buddies to whom to show off. You stick it to a window and the crystal at the base refracts light to throw rainbows around the room. How to make your kid the most popular and talked about (for the right reasons) at school? Here you go! Fraction Tower Cubes
Some kids find learning fractions a nightmare. That nightmare can often be passed to the parents, whose last experience of the dreaded things was at school. A fraction tower can be the answer - especially if your child is a visual learner. The individual cubes click together in any combination, so you can see, for example, how much a half and a quarter is by clicking them together and holding them up next to the one cube. This could be used by kids at any age, really - a super learning aid. Water-Powered Calculator
Kids today are green, green green - and I am not talking about their state of innocence. They are very keen to save the planet (bless them, they think it's still possible) and there is fierce competition at school to see who can be the greenest. Batteries as we all know are a major source of pollution in today's world and so what better to get them a calculator that runs on simple water. The battery in this calculator is filled with water and it powers the calculator for two to three months, depending on how much math you r offspring is doing, When all the water evaporates, you just fill it up again and carry on. A fantastic idea for your eco-centered child! Chair Pad Bag
Sometimes, something comes along and you think to yourself “why on earth wasn't this invented fifty years ago?” This is just one of those things. It's a bag in which your children can take all their books to school and fix it to the back of their chair. It also has a flap that will extend over the chair to cushion their bottom a little more than they are used to! Considering the chairs I had to sit on at school, I want one of these now, as a retro comfort thing. Issues, me? No! Eco-Stapler
Until staplers are classified as a deadly weapon (only a matter of time, surely) and barred from schools, kids will ask for one as part of their everyday educational paraphernalia. However, it is only a mater of time before they run out of staples. An eco stapler attaches four pieces of paper together by a swift cutting and folding action (I call it “magic”). No chance of homework cascading around the lounge anymore and no staples which as your child will tell you, is very good for the environment! Self-Contained Mini Eco-System
Variations of these can be bought virtually anywhere and they work as a great bribe, I mean gift, to your child's new teacher at the beginning of the school year. The whole class can watch as a complete, self-contained eco system forms. A great device to teach kids about the circle of life and something you will be grateful for on parents' evening! Banana Guard
Everyone else in school will pester their parents for one of these as soon as they lay their eyes on it. Banana Guards are available everywhere but are still things that many parents overlook, leaving their precious progeny with blackened and bruised bananas by lunch time. Cheap and cheerful, these are a back to school must!
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