Back to School Essentials: The 12 MUST HAVE Items in Every Students Backpack!

12 Things that should be in every student’s bag

After a tough 18 months of being in and out of school, students are heading back to school! But heading back to school requires serious planning to ensure you have everything you need in order to be organized and successful this school term. With Covid 19 still in our presence, many young minds will be eager to get out of the house and back into the classroom for some hands-on learning and socialization.. With this in mind, we have put together a list of essential back to school items that may help our readers be as ready as possible and for a positive back to school experience.
  1. The Backpack or Bag
    The most important item would be the backpack or bag. The tool to help hold all other tools that we need to succeed in school. There are so many great options out there for bags, that choosing the right one really depends on the student. But have you ever thought about having a backpack that can charge devices on the go through solar?! Brightworks Energy carries a variety of solar charging backpacks that take the traditional backpack and bag to the next level!. If you are going to be carrying your electronics with you all day, having a solar powered backpack is the best way to keep them charged.
    Shop our Backpacks and bags today!

  2. Masks and Hand Disinfectant
    In this new normal, making sure you have a face covering or mask available is essential to keeping healthy during the school year as well as being able to enter classrooms and study halls. Be sure to carry a backup mask as accidents do happen. As well, because you will be sharing so many surfaces with other students, having some hand sanitizer available is also essential to staying healthy. 

  3. Device Chargers
    It depends on your situation, but having a way to take notes and follow along with the teacher is essential to your educational success. Keeping your laptop and phone charged can be a critical part of your education.  If you can afford it, we recommend having a separate charger for carrying around in your backpack, plus an extra one to keep in your dorm. This way, you’ll always have a backup if you lose one of the chargers. Make sure you have pens and paper handy in case your laptop dies, or shop our collection of lightweight portable power packs to ensure you stay charged no matter where you are on campus or at home. Also, having an item like a portable AC outlet is a great way of making sure you can keep your laptop charged throughout the day.
    Shop our collection of Portable Power Packs
    Shop the AC outlet

  4. Healthy Food and Snacks
    Just like ensuring your devices are charged, making sure you stay energized is also key to your success. Make sure you pack nutritional snacks that are suitable for public places to help keep you fed and focused throughout the day.

  5. USB Drive
    Having a device that you can use to safely and securely save and store your documents is essential. 

  6. Binders
    Another Key element to staying organized especially if you are using paper for notetaking and not using a laptop. Binder organizers are a great way of keeping structure with your notes and making sure you can find the documents you are looking for. They are also key should you be required to print out lesson plans.

  7. Post-it Notes and Other Various Supplies
    It is not just about the basics but having other items to help with organization are fundamentals to keeping your bag and locker from looking like a total disaster. Items like a mini stapler, white out, scotch tape and binder organizers are a great way to keep at least this section of your life from spiraling into chaos.

  8. Lock for Locker
    If given a locker, keep your possessions safe with a combination lock for your locker! Remember to spend time studying your combination so you do not forget! A key lock could be a good way to avoid such situations, assuming you do not tend to lose items like I do! We also offer locks for your laptop as well!
    Shop our Accessories

  9. Reusable Water Bottle
    It’s common knowledge that  most people don’t drink enough water.  In order to stay hydrated throughout the day, we recommend carrying a reusable water bottle. Your backpack likely has a handy pocket for it on the outside, which makes it easy to grab when needed. Some people prefer plastic water bottles, while others like metal or even glass. 

  10. Agenda
    A bit more old school but it is so worth it. Having an agenda and day planner and using it can be such a great way to stay on top of your projects. Why this, over a cell phone, you ask? LESS DISTRACTIONS! An agenda allows you to simply keep short, precise notes and stay on top of your day and avoid all the messages, pics and tweets that our phones constantly throw at us.

  11. Smart Watch/Cell Phone
    Depending on your budget, having a smart watch or cell phone at hand can be such an incredible tool for staying organized and connected. You may want to have a mini solar battery pack on hand as well to make sure your smart device can stay charged throughout the entire day.
    Shop our Solar Charging devices
  12. Packaged Tissues
    Once again, just to stay sanitary and avoid spreading any unwanted germs. Keeping tissues on hand is just a good way of making sure you can cough or sneeze and not rely on your hand to stop the spray.
These are the items that we at Brightworks deemed essential for getting back to school. Obviously, everything is situational but hopefully this can still help in some way! Let us know if there is anything we missed that you cannot get through the day without when at school.