Back to School Basics
Well most of the kiddos have probably gone back to school as of this week. I had planned to post this in August… but well… that thing called life threw a curveball into my schedule.
This was an interesting statistic: The Benefits of Life-Long Learning: A study by Pew Research found that 73% of adults consider themselves lifelong learners, and those who engage in continuous learning report higher satisfaction in their personal and professional lives.
Back-to-School Checklist for Healthy Kids: 15 Tips to Prepare (carecredit.com)
https://www.carecredit.com/well-u/health-wellness/back-to-school-checklist-for-healthy-kids
Planning for Back to School time
I don’t know about how it is going for you, but it seems summer has gone by in the blink of an eye. The other day I received reminders that it’s time for back to school prep.
BacktoSchool means textbooks, backpacks & new clothes.
https://nextphaseparenting.com/best-college-back-to-school-care-package
Billy Madison was a hilarious movie. Billy’s back to school song has always been one I have had playing in my head every fall as I try to create my checklists of things to tackle to prepare for a smooth year.
I don’t know about how it is going for you, but it seems summer has gone by in the blink of an eye. How is it one minute it is the end of a school year and bam then its the end of summer and its time to think back to school again?
Back To School Shopping Guide Essentials For A Successful School Year Giveaway | SheSpeaks
Must Have Snacks for The Back To School Season | SheSpeaks
3. FREE –Make Healthy Snacks Fun
Turn snack time into an enjoyable part of your day with these creative and healthy snack ideas. Your kids will love the fun, and you’ll love how easy it is!
5. FREE Routines for the Win
Establish smooth after-school routines with this handy free printable. It’s designed to make after-school time easier for both you and your kids.
1. FREE – Enlist the Kids…to Use Lists!
Empower your kids to stay on top of their tasks with fun, engaging to-do lists. These printables are perfect for helping them develop great habits and stay organized.
Besides the checklists for shopping and calendar updates I’d be sure you plan out some sort of a routine to make your morning go smoother. One big way I find that helps me is to prep things the night before to save time in the morning. The nights I feel too tired and skip it I end up paying for it in the morning.
School Time Transitions (Routines & Schedules)
Back to School not only means textbooks, backpacks & new clothes. It also means a time of adjustment for everyone. This leads to emotional moments and mood swings. How to make the transition easier on everyone…
- Start easing out of your summer routine and back into the school routine at least 2 weeks before school starts. Your child’s body clock and teacher will thank you for taking time to transition before school starts and prevent that first few weeks of school being an extra difficult emotional roller coaster ride due to an overnight change in routine. Start with easing bedtime back from summer bedtime to school bedtime a little bit at a time.
- Talk about it to ease your child’s anxiety ahead of time. Start discussing the bus ride or classmates that they will be happy to see again.
- start cutting back on screen time a little bit each week
- Maybe you need to invest in some room darkening curtains to help block out the late summer light and make the bedroom more sleep inducing.
- Don’t worry about being supermom or compare yourself to what other moms are doing. You do not need to keep up with or appear to keep up with the Jones’s as the saying goes.
- It is important to be on a mealtime routine similar to the school schedule to help your child prepare. A hungry child is going to have difficulty learning and concentrating in school.
- Let your child help pick out some of the things for the new school year
- Start making a meal plan to make back to school week less stressful
- Find out schedules for school start time and buses. Update your calendar at home wiih the school calendar for the upcoming year.
- try to arrange a play date with a few children that will be in your child’s class.
Recommended Reading:School Time Shopping: don’t let it break the bank
Tips & Tricks
- check on Facebook marketplace or swaps for local gently used items
- sell your child’s gently used outgrown items and use the funds to buy new or gently used for back to school
- watch the sales and comparison shop. Every penny saved adds up.
- School snacks… instead of buying all individual stuff buy a big bag and portion out in reusable containers marked with your child’s name.
- Within a few months of buying new school clothes for fall it is time to buy winter gear… Keep that in mind when you are budgeting. Most kids go back to school and it is a hot August day keep this in mind when shopping for first day outfits.
6. maybe you want to Buy a backpack that has a longer life span or a guarantee like LL Bean or some other brands that are durable. For elementary we let them get Walmart backpacks of their favorite print… when we found we were replacing them all too often. like around 4th grade we invested in LL Bean bags and they lasted throughout the rest of their schooling years.
7.If your schoolteacher provides a supply list of things your child needs use that list. In past years I bought bunches of notepads, pencils, pens every year. Guess what I tended to overbuy what we needed, and we ended up with an overstock. This can be great to donate to teachers who are helping students that aren’t able to bring in the supplies they need. But if you are on an extremely tight budget make sure to prioritize that list and not buy some of everything “just in case”.
8.Having invisible chronic health issues, I find having to run around different stores to pick up supplies to be difficult. I have often been known to make a list and go shop what we need for a back to school order on Amazon or other stores. I recommend shopping around by comparing prices at the different stores online.
Back to School time Projects for Children in Need
This the time of year that there are a lot of back to school fundraisers going on and if you have the desire it is a great thing to donate to. Also, school snacks for food pantry
Positive Back to School Messages
[bctt tweet=”Dr. Seuss “You’re off to great place, today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!”” username=”@harmony2001″]
[bctt tweet=”Emma Watson “I’m not going to school just for the academics. I wanted to share ideas, to be around people who are passionate about learning.”” username=”@harmony2001″]
I came across a few articles today that will help prepare for back to school
A big piece of education is literacy Cara Harvey has some great podcasts and blog posts I’ve linked a few here. She also has a lot of information on planning, routines, goals etc..
Cara Harvey Create a Culture of Readers in your home and Getting Ready for Back To School
I am an independant consultant for Usborne Books and More and they have quite a selection of books that are educational and high quality. This link leads to the learn at home section. However if you look at the category listing you can find books for seasons or many other topics.
https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/20-more-teacher-inspired-ideas-for-the-first-day-of-school
https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/the-6-best-back-to-school-blog-posts
https://organisemyhouse.com/back-to-school-top-tips
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/back-to-school-ideas-and-advice
https://momsmeet.com/blog/back-to-school-tips-from-the-moms-meet-team
https://www.cubesmart.com/blog/about/6-best-back-to-school-posts
https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/the-6-best-back-to-school-blog-posts
https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/20-more-teacher-inspired-ideas-for-the-first-day-of-school
I think one of the greatest things we can teach our kids these days is good old financial literacy.
I’d like to tell you how Annuity.org – a free financial web resource accredited by the Better Business Bureau has made this easier.
In a time of economic uncertainty, student loan crisis, and record credit card debt, it really makes sense to teach kids financial literacy.
To help parents who are unsure of where to start, Annuity.org recently published an educational guide for parents full of tips, as well as lessons and activities for children aged 3 and up. Please take a look:
annuity.org/financial-literacy/how-to-teach-kids-about-money/
With normal winter colds and flu’s you will want to be sure your essential oil cabinet is restocked. Revives Back to school Essential Oil resources
Be sure to check out their product category back-2-school and also the back-2-school-diffuser-blend DIY recipes.
https://www.revive-eo.com/product-category/shop/back-2-school
https://www.revive-eo.com/back-to-school-diffuser-blends
College Level
Textbooks for the College Student
Going back to school yourself? When I was in college a few years ago I found I often saved a lot of money checking out online textbook sites and buying used copies instead of ordering direct from my university. Then when I was done I used Amazon textbook trade in to get some money back on them. I usually opted for Amazon store credit for a maximum return. Shopping for dorm room essentials?
With my daughter just having started college I had to go back and find the useful various shopping sites for affordable college textbooks. BigWords was my first stop. Then I ended up having to buy from 3 different places which was so easy to do through bigwords. textbook price comparison bigwords.com
…or just… BIGWORDS.com
please Share this post and Comment below what topics you’d like to see me help you with this upcoming Fall/Winter season?
Do Not Forget This Important Thing
[bctt tweet=”Unknown “Sometimes we’re all too quick to count down the days that we forget to make the days count.”” username=”@harmony2001″]