LOUISVILLE (WAVE) - It's back to school time again and the rush is on to get those school supplies. But what's hot this year? We talked to the experts to find out what's the latest fads for the 2011 - 2012 school year. According to Jessica Phillips, Manager of the Staples store on Hurstbourne Parkway, the big trend this year is old school.
"A lot of 80's trends are coming back..so we're seeing a lot of neon's and the animal prints are really big and the glitter. Just the bling factor is way up this year."
Folders are sometimes still being used, but for the most part, flash drives are now taking their place to help students keep their studies organized. Phillips says the drives now come in all kinds of shapes and patterns.
"We have flash drives in the shapes of animals, so we've got the cow flash drives we've got turtles..those have been really popular among the kids (and) they're only $13 so it's not a bad deal and they're four gigabytes so they have a lot of space."
Books, however, are still the norm. And to help keep them organized, many teachers are now asking for one more thing on their supply list and that's book socks.
"it's a pre-made book cover made out of fabric and you just stretch it around the book and it's reusable so you can use it year after year," says Phillips.
Lunch boxes may now be a thing of the past as small coolers have slowly made their way onto students back packs. Phillips says they carry all different colors and the lunch coolers come equipped with straps that help you connect them to your back packs. They're washer safe too!
As far as back packs are concerned, Phillips says they're becoming larger this year.
"People are putting a lot more in them but they're a little bit more friendly to the shoulders, so there's a lot more conforming as far as to the body goes."
One thing that hasn't changed over the years much is the number two pencil. Parents should still plan on including those in their child's school supplies this year as they'll need them for certain 'bubble' tests.
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