A shoe is an item of footwear  intended to protect the human foot. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time, and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function. Additionally fashion has often dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes have very high heels or flat ones. Contemporary footwear varies widely in style, complexity and cost. Basic sandals may consist of only a thin sole and simple strap. High fashion shoes may be made of very expensive materials in complex construction and sell for thousands of dolla

a pair. Other shoes are for very specific purposes, such as boots specially designed for mountaineering or skiing.

Shoes have traditionally been made from leather, wood or canvas, but are increasingly made from rubber, plastics, and other petrochemical-derived materials.

Until recent years, shoes were not worn by most of the world's population—largely because they could not afford them. Only with the advent of mass production, making shoes available very cheaply, has

shoe-wearing become predominant.

The foot contains more bones than any other single part of the body. Though it has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in relation to vastly varied terrain and climate conditions, the foot is still vulnerable to environmental hazards such as sharp rocks and hot ground, which shoes can protect against.

School Shoes for Boys

The other day I was talking about the vast selection there is in school shoes for girls, and of course, I want to give equal time to the boys. Granted, there aren't nearly as many shoe styles geared at boys as there are at girls, but still, there is much more variety than there used to be.

Maybe kids' lives have become busier in recent years, or as children, perhaps my own generation was just poorly-dressed. However you slice it, shopping for school shoes today doesn't seem as easy as it was for our parents. Then again, our parents didn't have the web to assist them in such matters.

If you're wondering which shoes your son is going to need for the upcoming school year, have a look at this article about choosing school shoes for boys to help you narrow down the list of options.

  School Shoes for Girls

  When I was little there were two things I absolutely loved about going back to school: shopping for school supplies and, of course, shopping for shoes.

I don't remember there being quite as much of a selection in girls' shoes as there is today -- which is probably a good thing. If there had been, I'd probably still be standing in my hometown shoe store trying to decide which mary janes I wanted for fourth grade.

But whether or not your own little girl is a miniature shoe diva, the fact is, she'll likely need at least one pair of shoes for the coming school year, and possibly more.

To help you sort out the which shoes your daughter will need, be sure to have a look at this article on School Shoes for Girls, in which I've highlighted several of the most popular girls' shoe styles and provided suggestions on how she might wear them.