Back to School, Your Way: Books, Crystals, Decor & Little Things That Make the School Year Better
Back-to-school season has a way of arriving quickly. One minute, summer feels like it will last forever, and the next, calendars are filling up, backpacks are coming out of closets, and everyone is trying to get back into a routine.
Whether you are heading back to elementary school, high school, college, university, teaching a classroom, homeschooling, or simply getting your household organized for fall, the start of a new school year can feel exciting, busy, and sometimes a little overwhelming.
Most back-to-school shopping lists include the usual supplies: notebooks, pencils, lunch bags, clothes, and maybe a new backpack. But there are plenty of other small things that can make the school year feel more comfortable, personal, and enjoyable.
At The Bookstore in Durham, Ontario, back-to-school season is not just about textbooks and required reading. It can also be about finding a great novel, choosing a crystal for your desk, adding a fun figurine to your study area, finding an encouraging sign for your room, or simply picking out something that makes the beginning of a new school year feel a little more special.
Here are some ideas for making the transition back to school easier and more enjoyable.
Start the School Year With a Good Book
Books are always a natural place to begin.
While some students may already have a required reading list, back-to-school season is also a good time to choose books simply because you want to read them.
After spending the day concentrating on classes, assignments, work, or family schedules, reading for pleasure gives you something completely different to focus on.
A mystery can keep you guessing. Fantasy can take you somewhere completely different. Historical fiction can bring another time period to life, while romance, thrillers, science fiction, biographies, and humour all offer their own kind of escape.
Younger readers can enjoy children's stories, chapter books, classics, adventures, and books featuring favourite characters.
And because The Bookstore carries gently used books, you never quite know what you are going to find.
That is part of the fun.
Used bookstores are especially good places for students who enjoy reading because you can often stretch your book budget further. Instead of buying one brand-new book, you may be able to bring home several pre-loved books for the same amount.
You might even stumble across a title you have never heard of before.
Build a Personal Reading List for the School Year
Instead of waiting until January to set reading goals, September can be a great time to start.
Try making your own school-year reading challenge.
It does not have to involve reading dozens of books. Keep it fun and realistic.
You could choose:
- A book that has been sitting on your reading list for years
- A classic you have always wanted to read
- A mystery or thriller
- A Canadian author
- A book set somewhere you would like to visit
- A biography or memoir
- A fantasy novel
- A children's favourite from your childhood
- A book chosen entirely because you liked the cover
- A book recommended by a friend
Reading outside of school assignments helps keep reading enjoyable instead of making every book feel like homework.
Parents can do this with children too. Letting children choose some of their own books can make reading feel more like entertainment and less like another task they have to complete.
Create a Study Space You Actually Like
A study area does not need to look like a picture-perfect office.
It simply needs to be somewhere you can sit down, find what you need, and get some work done.
For some people, that might be a full desk. For others, it could be one end of the kitchen table, a corner of a bedroom, or a small table beside a comfortable chair.
The important thing is making the space feel like your own.
This is where small decorative items can make a surprising difference.
A favourite figurine, for example, can add personality without taking up much room. Depending on your style, you might choose something whimsical, mystical, gothic, spiritual, nature-inspired, or simply something that makes you smile when you look at it.
Your study space does not have to be serious just because serious work happens there.
A fun desk is still a desk.
Add a Little Encouragement With Signs and Decor
Everyone has days when motivation disappears.
That is true whether you are 12, 22, 42, or 62.
A small sign with an encouraging, funny, or meaningful saying can be a simple addition to a bedroom, dorm room, home office, reading nook, or study area.
The Bookstore carries a changing selection of signs and home decor, which can be a fun way to give a study space more personality.
Some people like inspirational messages. Others prefer humour. Some are drawn to witchy, mystical, bookish, rustic, or vintage-style decor.
Choose something that feels like you rather than trying to create a study space that looks like everyone else's.
After all, you are the person who has to spend time there.
Crystals for Your Desk, Backpack or Dorm Room
Crystals are another popular addition to work and study spaces.
Some people collect crystals because they enjoy their traditional meanings. Others simply love the colours, shapes, textures, and natural beauty of the stones.
Either reason is perfectly fine.
If you enjoy the traditional symbolism associated with crystals, different stones are often connected with different intentions.
Amethyst is commonly associated with calmness and is a popular choice for desks, bedrooms, and reading areas.
Clear quartz is often associated with clarity and intention, making it a popular choice for people beginning a new project or routine.
Rose quartz is traditionally connected with kindness, love, and compassion.
Citrine is often associated with optimism, confidence, and abundance.
Black stones, such as black obsidian or black tourmaline, are often chosen by people who like their traditional association with grounding and protection.
You do not have to carry a giant crystal around in your backpack either.
Small stones can be tucked into a pencil case, placed beside a computer, kept on a shelf, or added to a dorm room or locker where permitted.
The Bookstore carries a changing selection of crystals and stones, so there is always something interesting to discover.
Make Your Dorm Room Feel More Like Home
Moving away for college or university is exciting, but a dorm room can feel pretty bare when you first arrive.
A bed, a desk, and a blank wall do not exactly feel like home.
Small personal items can make a big difference without taking up much space.
Books are an easy choice because you can read them and use them as part of your decor.
Add a few favourite novels to a shelf, stack them beside your bed, or create a little reading corner if you have room.
A small figurine, crystal, decorative sign, print, or keepsake can help make an unfamiliar room feel more personal.
You do not need to fill every inch of the space.
A few things that remind you of your interests and personality can make the room feel much more comfortable.
And if you are sharing your space with a roommate, smaller decorative pieces are easier to work around than large furniture or wall decor.
Teachers Deserve Back-to-School Treats Too
Back-to-school season is usually focused on students, but teachers are going back too.
Teachers spend a lot of time preparing classrooms, organizing lessons, arranging supplies, and getting ready to welcome a new group of students.
A small desk decoration can be a fun way to start the year.
A teacher who loves books might enjoy a literary-themed item. Someone interested in crystals might enjoy a stone for their desk. A fun figurine or encouraging sign can add some personality to a classroom or office.
These items can also make thoughtful teacher gifts later in the year.
Instead of waiting until Christmas or the end of June and wondering what to buy, keep an eye out for something that reminds you of your child's teacher.
Sometimes the best gifts are found long before you actually need them.
Do Not Forget About the Parents
Back to school changes the household routine for parents too.
Suddenly there are earlier mornings, lunches to prepare, homework to check, practices to attend, forms to sign, and schedules to remember.
Once everyone is finally where they need to be, it might be time for a little quiet.
This is the perfect excuse to start a new book.
Create a reading spot with a comfortable chair, your current novel, a cup of tea or coffee, and maybe a favourite crystal or decorative piece nearby.
Even 15 or 20 minutes of reading can become something to look forward to at the end of a busy day.
And no, you do not need to read anything educational.
You are allowed to choose the murder mystery.
Encourage Kids to Read What They Enjoy
One of the easiest ways to make children dislike reading is to make every reading experience feel like an assignment.
Not every book needs to be educational.
If your child loves graphic novels, comics, funny books, fantasy stories, superheroes, mysteries, animals, or adventures, let them read those.
Reading is reading.
A child who becomes excited about one series may eventually branch out into other books on their own.
The Bookstore carries both used books and comics, which can be especially handy when you have an enthusiastic reader who can finish a book almost as quickly as you can buy one.
Let children browse and make their own choices occasionally.
You may be surprised by what catches their attention.
Back to School for Adults
Back-to-school season is not only for children and young adults.
Fall has always had a fresh-start feeling.
Even if you have not been inside a classroom for years, you can use the season as a reason to learn something new.
Choose a book about history, gardening, crafts, spirituality, business, cooking, travel, art, science, or any subject that interests you.
You do not need to enrol in a course to keep learning.
A used bookstore is full of opportunities to discover topics you may never have thought about before.
Sometimes a book found accidentally becomes far more interesting than the book you originally came in looking for.
Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
Going back to school can bring mixed feelings.
Some students cannot wait to see friends and get back into activities. Others feel nervous about a new teacher, new school, new classmates, heavier workloads, or leaving home for the first time.
Small routines can help make the transition feel easier.
Choose a new book to read before bed.
Put a favourite crystal beside your desk.
Add a funny figurine to your bookshelf.
Hang a sign that makes you smile.
Create a comfortable reading area.
Plan a weekly trip to the library or bookstore.
None of these things will finish an assignment for you, but they can make your surroundings feel a little more comfortable while you are doing it.
Back-to-School Gifts That Are a Little Different
If you want to give someone a back-to-school gift, you do not have to buy another package of pens.
Consider putting together a small gift bundle instead.
You could combine a gently used book with a crystal, or pair a fun figurine with a sign for a dorm room.
For a reader, choose two or three books from a favourite author or genre.
For someone moving away, choose a small decorative item they can take with them.
For a teacher, look for something fun for their classroom or desk.
For a university student, a book and small crystal can make an inexpensive care package.
The best part is that these gifts feel personal without having to be expensive.
Shop Local This Back-to-School Season
Back-to-school shopping does not have to mean buying everything from a giant retailer.
Independent shops can be great places to find things that feel a little more personal.
At The Bookstore in Durham, Ontario, you can browse gently used books and comics along with crystals, figurines, signs, jewelry, tarot and oracle decks, home and spirit decor, DVDs, CDs, and other interesting finds.
Because many items are one-of-a-kind or available in limited quantities, browsing can feel a bit like a treasure hunt.
You might come in looking for a book and leave with a crystal.
You might be shopping for yourself and find the perfect gift for someone else.
Or you might spot something completely unexpected that deserves a place on your desk, shelf, or bookshelf.
That is part of the fun of shopping in an independent bookstore.
A Fresh Start Does Not Have to Be Complicated
Back-to-school season is really about beginnings.
A new class.
A new teacher.
A new school.
A new dorm room.
A new routine.
Or simply the feeling that summer is winding down and it is time to get organized again.
You do not need an entirely new wardrobe, a perfectly decorated study room, or hundreds of dollars worth of supplies to make the beginning of the school year feel special.
Sometimes it is the little things.
A book you cannot wait to start.
A crystal sitting beside your computer.
A quirky figurine watching over your desk.
A sign that makes you laugh when homework is not going according to plan.
A comfortable corner where you can sit down and read at the end of the day.
However you are heading into the new school year, make a little room for the things you enjoy.
And if you are looking for books, crystals, figurines, signs, gifts, and a few unexpected treasures along the way, stop by The Bookstore in Durham, Ontario, or browse The Bookstore online.
You never know what you might find for the school year ahead.