Back-to-School Essentials for Middle School Kids

Middle school can be a bit of a culture shock for kids fresh from the grade-school playgrounds. Everything is a little more difficult, you’ve got to schlep from class to class with heavy textbooks, and everyone is acting out and acting up because of pesky hormones. Still, this dreadful time can be far easier if you send your kid off to brave sixth through eighth grade with the right back-to-school essentials for middle school kids. Algebra, biology, and deep dive into “Watership Down,” will still be a slog, but braving this new frontier will be just a little bit easier with some of the best solid tech made just for kids who would look at you funny if you showed them a VHS tape.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 13.3-Inch Touch Screen Tablet

Key Selling Point: A powerful and affordable Chromebook that doubles as a tablet, which makes it perfect for students. 

A quality computer is essential for students of all ages, whether it’s for submitting homework and projects online, conducting research, or feeding their heads with a 4K nature documentary on Netflix. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet rides the line between tablet and Chromebook, complete with a big, flashy OLED screen. It’s only about a quarter-inch thick and weighs a little more than two pounds, and there’s no school backpack on earth it won’t fit comfortably in. The speed is quick enough to jump from Google Docs to YouTube and back, and is even fast enough to game…only after their homework is done, of course.

Venque Classic Backpack

Key Selling Point: This premium backpack is built to last, not to mention, turn heads.

Like a laptop, a santoku knife, or even a mid-sized sedan, a quality backpack is a modest investment that could easily last years, if not decades. The VENQUE Classic backpack is one such premium offering, but if taken care of, can easily last your student through all of middle, high school, and even college. It’s both weather- and water-resistant, has attractive leather accents, and comes complete with a front pocket built for modern tech. It could easily store an iPad or a Nintendo Switch, making this backpack perfect for school and weekend sleepovers alike. It’s even got adjustable straps for kids of all shapes and sizes.

Clutch Portable Phone Charger

Key Selling Point: Emergency power available in a “clutch,” for both Lightning and USB-C devices.

There’s a popular meme that has some very disparaging things to say about anyone born after 1993, that all they know how to do is “charge their phone, eat hot chip, and lie.” We disagree for the most part, but whom amongst us, in any generation, isn’t met with a red low-battery notification on a smart device? The Clutch Portable Phone Charger to the rescue. It’s no thicker than a few credit cards but gives phones, tablets, and even smart watches a big hit of juice in case of emergencies. Its cable stores itself within the device, so there’s no fumbling for cords in a purse or backpack. Buy one or two, so your student never has the chance to use the “my phone battery died” excuse when they’re at school or out in the wild.

Bentgo Modern Leakproof Lunch Box

Key Selling Point: Healthy lunches travel easily in this attractive Japanese-style lunchbox. 

Have you been in a middle school cafeteria lately? Things are grim. There are far too many choices, most of them poor, from pizza to cookies, burgers to pad thai. The best thing you could do for a middle school kid is to pack them a healthy lunch in an eye-catching lunch box that keeps everything fresh for hours. The Bentgo Modern Leakproof Lunch Box is one such container. It’s got three pre-portioned compartments, and the fourth one can be personalized with a divider to accommodate all manner of healthy offerings. An airtight seal keeps everything fresh and it's virtually spill proof. It’s even dishwasher-safe.

Tile Performance Pack

Key Selling Point: Never lose an expensive or important device again, with this easy-to-use set of trackers. 

Whether it's an $800 smartphone or a set of house keys, few things inspire panic quite like misplacing important everyday items. The Tile Performance Pack makes this fear a thing of the past. These unbelievable low-profile devices attach to keys, backpacks, phones, and just about everything you don’t want to lose track of. If you find yourself unable to find something, simply power up the Tile app (available on Google Play and App Store) and it will lead you or your middle-school kid to their lost item. It’s one of the most affordable ways to lock in some peace of mind if you’re afraid of kids losing their pricey stuff.

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.