UAE back-to-school purchases ranging from necessary to neato

Balloons wall decor: What’s better than a delightful bunch of wire-mesh hot-air balloons to bring a spot of colour to the kids’ playroom? The transformation is instant – the installation is lightweight and easy enough to hang on a nail and, once in place, the balloons look exactly as though they’re floating up in the air. Dh119, Home Centre. Courtesy Home Centre

The Happy Box: Filled with themed activities, these monthly kits from The Happy Box are a hit with kids. The Back-to-School box for September helps boost your child’s sense of self. The eight activities inside include a handprint kit, supplies to make a personalised memory box and a “mini-me” body cutout. The boxes are customised to meet each child’s age and gender and are delivered throughout the UAE at no additional cost. Get a one-month delivery for Dh250. Sign up for three months or more to receive a discount. Order online at [/URL]

Football lamp: Got a little Ronaldo fan at home? Light up their room with a football-shaped lamp, perfect for hanging over their bed, reading corner or their sports posters and fan memorabilia. Dh119, Home Centre. Courtesy Home Centre

Boogie Board: This nifty little invention, an electronic “slate and chalk” of sorts, is the kind of thing that will keep the kids occupied whether they’re 2 or 12. The plastic reflective LCD screen is pressure sensitive and allows for hours and hours of doodling and practice with the stylus that’s included. A little button at the top lets you delete and begin a fresh drawing. It’s also easy to haul around — it weighs only four ounces (113 grams) and is a mere eighth-of-an-inch thick. Also in the box are four self-adhesive magnets — stick them on the back to make a cool, paperless memo pad for your fridge. Dh200, available in black, green, pink, cyan, white and red from Virgin Megastores. Christine Iyer / The National

The Stanley Food Jar: It isn’t cute and it was probably designed for camping, but we don’t care. The Stanley Food Jar reliably keeps food hot or cold for up to six hours. For kids who won’t eat cold leftovers, this offers a way to pack lunches that stay warm until lunchtime. The top doubles as a bowl; there’s a dry-food compartment to keeps dry bits dry (such as croutons for soup); and it comes with a spork. Dh165; available at the CamelBak kiosk near the food court in Marina Mall or order on Amazon. Delores Johnson / The National

Start to Cook: Start to Cook, by Usborne, is an excellent starter cookery book. It’s packed with helpful tips that go way beyond the obvious. There are more than 100 recipes and it’s serious business – these aren’t cutout sandwiches or caterpillar-shaped kebabs. The instructions and bits of advice throughout are masterfully written in a way that respects kids, but doesn’t talk down to them. You’ll see no instructions to ask an adult for help in this book. Aimed at kids 8+. DH90, available in bookstores throughout the UAE and on Amazon. Courtesy Usborne Publishing

Tweety Bird trolley bag: Help your little ones take a load off with a little message from the adorable Looney Tunes character Tweety Bird. Dh159 at Babyshop. Courtesy Babyshop

Lunchbox Gourmet: Right Bite Nutrition and Catering Services has come up with a way to help parents ensure their kids get nutritious (and tasty) lunches. Right Bite’s Lunchbox Gourmet is a programme that offers prepared healthy school lunches that include a main meal, side dish, choice of dairy beverage and fruit snack. Prepared by the Right Bite chefs, the meals are delivered to your door during the school week. You can also opt to add an afternoon snack to the package. To learn more about Lunchbox Gourmet, call 04 338 8763 in Dubai, 02 443 0909 in Abu Dhabi or visit [/URL]

In honour of school starting up again, here’s our list of back to school gifts to get your child.