The little darlings are fussing about the perfect shoe for their grand entrance back to their best-friend classmates. You're fretting about the expenses and still need to buy the basic supplies. How can you spend the least where it will do the most damage?

Look no further, here's what you need to know this year: Colour counts. Brighter is better. Glitter works.

"It was inevitable: now kids are getting fashion-conscious about their school supplies — and they want everything to colour co-ordinate," says Mike Insalaco, a Staples store manager in Toronto. "The book cover has to match the notebook [and] has to work with the pencil case now."

Hot new must-haves for back to school feature bright, happy colours in everything from pencils to calculators to electronics accessories. Trusty old school lockers are being kitted out like dorm rooms with specially sized shelving, a slew of magnetic door accessories and a million ways for doting parents to empty their wallets in the annual bribe to return reluctant scholars to their classrooms.

Your outlay for this annual ritual will depend on the age of your budding genius, notes Insalaco.

Herewith, some hot goodies for each level of scholar.

For the younger set

Elementary grade supplies are relatively inexpensive and the little darlings use few items beyond the classic pencils, crayons, glue, paints and notebooks. Some manufacturers are taking things a step beyond the basics this year, though.

For example, that childhood classic, the crayon, has a new twist from Crayola: Erasable Twistables. With the Erasable Twistable, a built-in eraser allows corrections and — hallelujah — removal from wallpaper and older brother's homework. The twist-up tube keeps a sharp tip ready: $5.99 for 24 colours.

A soft-to-the-touch Bubble Calculator is practical, fun and lightweight and comes in four fashion-conscious colours: $3.64 at Staples.

Book Sox are stretchy, flexible and washable fabric book covers that slip right on without measuring or taping and, of course, come in a range of colours. Now your super-organized scholar can colour co-ordinate textbooks and notebooks for each class: $3.

Single-subject poly folders are ideal for storing class notes in matching bright colours. Average cost: $2.50.

Gel Stick Minis are minipens that come in bright colours, perfect for notes — either in class or to be slipped to friends: $1.99 for a dozen.

A music fan downloads files from a computer to an iPod. (Jacques Brinon/Associated Press)

Junior high

The middle grades begin adding electronics to the mix, with more and more students demanding laptops, printers and internet access at home for their studies. Things can start to get expensive.

"We're seeing a huge surge in laptop sales for children as young as 12 this year," notes Manik Chowdhurdy, manager of The Source by Circuit City in the Eaton Centre. "They come in with their mothers and buy just about everything we sell."

USB flash drives — also called "keychain drives" or "thumbdrives" because of their tiny size — have replaced the venerable floppy diskette as the way to take files with you from place to place. They're starting to become necessities for bringing schoolwork home from school-owned computers and their cost varies according to their data storage capacity, says Chowdhurdy. Prices have crashed in recent months and a small 16-megabyte drive suitable for text files can be found for a few dollars. In comparison, a four-gigabyte drive that can handle a slew of pictures, music and even video files averages around $150.

Many USB flash drives come preloaded with special productivity or security programs, too. The Relay 512 Mb USB 2.0 flash drive has RelayLock data-security software to protect files, notes and school papers in case someone tries to snoop or the drive is stolen. The Relay comes with a keychain loop for convenient portability — and hopefully less obscurity at the bottom of an overstuffed backpack. Cost: around $50.

Decorating your locker is fun with wire mesh accessories that cling magnetically to the locker doors. Bright mesh baskets make organization simple, have their own mirror (s-o-o-o-o vital) and space for photos of best friends: about $7. Add a magnetic notepad for reminders for $3.50. Increase the dumpage space on the bottom of the locker with an adjustable plastic shelf for $6. Hang up a stuffed animal air freshener (don't ask) for another $6.

And when it comes to locking down that locker, Staples' ingenious WordLock ($7) uses letters instead of numbers to create a combination. It has five tumblers that allow for more than 100,000 possible letter combinations and a hardened shackle for extra security. Start your children wisely on the world of passwords by encouraging them to create a secure combination using a unique combination of, say, the first letter of the first words of a favorite poem or piece of music, the first letters of the names of everyone in your family or something not easily guessed.

High school

As students move up to high school, it brings a swelling demand for other — ahem — necessities such as iPods. This year, hot accessories include carrying cases and nifty armband carriers in bright colours. They range in price from a few dollars to more than a parent probably wants to spend.

And don't forget the cellphone cover in a suitable design. Hot sellers at Traffic in the Eaton Centre are "just about anything with sparkles," says sales associate Monica Eng. Prices can range from $10 for decorative plastic to $170 for a Paris-worthy Swarovski crystal-encrusted number (bodyguard not included, summer job recommended).

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