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Post by sues on Jul 30, 2014 20:45:44 GMT
We used to do this thread every summer on 2Peas. There were always great ideas, so I thought I'd start one here.
What are your best ideas, to organize your kids for school, get them off to a good start, etc.?
My dd is going into HS this year- so a few things I used to do won't apply anymore. BUT- these were things I did every year.
The 'Great Big Book of Everything' binder. (LOL)
I have a 3" binder with dividers in it, and many page protectors in between each divider. As papers, permission slips, notices, come in during the summer/school year, I put them into a page protector immediately, within the associated kid's divider. No searching through piles of papers later or wondering if I threw out an important paper. This has saved me more times than I can say. Friends too. They know I do this- and I'm often the one they call for copies or info they've misplaced. At the end of the year, I pull everything out and recycle most of it, anything worthy of keeping goes in a keepsake folder.
Labels- a long time ago I bought a box of those really small sticky address labels. I use them for printing out a gazillion name tags at once, for labeling folders, notebooks and school supplies. Fast and easy- and a sheet has a ton of labels on it.
The school supply cabinet- we have a bookshelf in our family room, with a cabinet underneath. Every year when supplies are super cheap- I buy a BUNCH and stock the school supply cabinet, Folders, comp books, spirals, pencils, pens, makers, crayons, sharpeners, glue, etc. I leave the sheet of name labels in this cabinet, so it's easy to label replacement supplies during the year.
At the end of the year, any supplies brought home that can be reused- calculators, scissors, rulers, etc. get cleaned up and put back in the cabinet. I usually do an inventory at that point, to clean up, reorganize and make notes of what needs to be purchased before the new school year.
Check reading lists for the new school year. I usually have some lead time, so I can request required reading from Paperbackswap or check local used book stores and the library Recycled Reads section. This year I saved $50 on books (so far) for dd's English class alone.
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Post by sues on Jul 30, 2014 20:50:45 GMT
Also- check Dollar Tree and grab those cardboard display thingies and poster board kids need for projects. They don't always have them- and they can be expensive in other stores. I usually buy a few and tuck them under my couch for safekeeping. It's saved me from the dreaded 'I forgot I need a ...!' on a school night long after anyone wants to be leaving the house.
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Post by nepean on Jul 30, 2014 22:02:39 GMT
The school supply cabinet- we have a bookshelf in our family room, with a cabinet underneath. Every year when supplies are super cheap- I buy a BUNCH and stock the school supply cabinet, Folders, comp books, spirals, pencils, pens, makers, crayons, sharpeners, glue, etc. I leave the sheet of name labels in this cabinet, so it's easy to label replacement supplies during the year. At the end of the year, any supplies brought home that can be reused- calculators, scissors, rulers, etc. get cleaned up and put back in the cabinet. I usually do an inventory at that point, to clean up, reorganize and make notes of what needs to be purchased before the new school year. Check reading lists for the new school year. I usually have some lead time, so I can request required reading from Paperbackswap or check local used book stores and the library Recycled Reads section. This year I saved $50 on books (so far) for dd's English class alone. I do that also, it has saved me more times than I can count, whether it be items for a project, or replacement pencils, pens, markers, crayons etc. I too buy them when they are super cheap. I frequent the local goodwill store and check their bookshelves for any books on reading lists at my school. |
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Cheesy
Full Member
Posts: 135
Location: The cornfields of Illinois
Jun 26, 2014 16:49:38 GMT
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Post by Cheesy on Jul 30, 2014 22:47:30 GMT
This tip is for anyone with highschoolers.
Save anything that pertains to academics, such as report cards, standardized testing scores, academic awards. Also any extracurricular activity information, especially if they held an office or were honored in some way.
We will need this for college applications, scholarships, National Honor Society, etc. I save everything!
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Post by mdoc on Jul 30, 2014 22:48:03 GMT
We also have a school supplies closet that gets stocked when school supplies are on sale during the summer. I also keep poster board, foam board and report covers on hand for those "emergency" projects that I don't hear about until the last minute. I also have a binder where I keep papers that come home from school, a list of passwords for the various school websites (Naviance, Powerschool, Edline, etc. - I wish they'd consolidate all that stuff!), the school calendar for the year, the school directory and other stuff like that.
I only have one school-age child left at home, and before school starts I make her set up her study area so that everything is organized, her supplies are at hand, her printer has ink, the desk lamp has light bulbs, etc. She's going into high school and they usually start fast, with homework and assignments from day 1. With everything ready to go, she has no excuse for putzing around looking for supplies and not getting started right away.
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ddly
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,019
Jul 10, 2014 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by ddly on Jul 30, 2014 23:43:21 GMT
I teach at ds' school and he'll be a junior. There isn't much organizing for us. He has a shelf in y room and because our school is so small and I am the special educator I always know most of the assignments everyday. We also have Power School so he can check assignments before leaving. This is our first year at the same school and homework is his weakness, so I'm hoping he'll be more on top of it with me being around.
Lisa D.
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Post by rst on Jul 31, 2014 0:46:05 GMT
Another handy item to pick up and keep in your school supply cupboard is those poster letters -- they're die cut alphabets, maybe 5 or 6 of each letter suitable for posters. Those have saved the day more than once for us.
One of my tips -- when you have teachers or coaches who give you contact information such as emails or cell [HASH]s for reaching them, get them into your computer address file or cell contact list right away. And if you are likely to have frequent contact with a teacher (I have a special needs child who has an extensive IEP and 1:1 para supports) -- email the team members early on so that your contact info will be handy in their accounts.
If you have a lot of schedules for extra curriculars and sports, consider using Evernote and photograph the schedule and address lists -- having that in your phone can be a life-saver if you need to set up transportation or make appointments when away from your home calendar.
One of the best things we ever did for our kids' organization was to have hooks and cubbies for them to routinely put their stuff into when they got home. Sweatshirts/coats, instruments, backpacks, lunchbags, water bottles, sports equipment, all in one space. They also each have a "wall pocket" where I stash paperwork -- dates for SATs, permission forms, medical forms, concert dates. They have to clean it out once a month, but it gives me a predictable place to put things.
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Post by melanell on Jul 31, 2014 1:44:27 GMT
I'm making a school year "control center" of sorts in the kitchen. I have a hutch with glass doors on top, solid doors on bottom, and nothing in the middle. It's in the kitchen, and I typically keep a few glass bowls on the middle open portion.
But I've decided to do away with the mostly decorative bowls and use that area to corral school supplies instead.
I'm going to hang a cork board across the back and attach calendar pages for each child, plus one family page, all in a row.
DS [HASH]1 is in one school, while DS [HASH]2 will be attending 2 different schools, and each have a few other activities throughout the year as well. So I figure if I line up all 3, I can easily spot times when things might overlap.
Then I can keep tins of pens, pencils, markers there, some other essentials, like a ruler, protractor, calculator, etc., and a small bin for each child's school papers.
I hope it will help.
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mnm_y2
Shy Member
Posts: 16 
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Post by mnm_y2 on Jul 31, 2014 3:06:29 GMT
I'm currently in the process of revamping our command center for papers coming in as well as homework supplies they might need and making everything simple to use because it just makes sense. I have hooks in our entry behind the door - for backpacks and sweatshirts. I don't like the backpacks in their rooms. I like them ready the night before so that in the morning they are ready to go. I have a thirty-one hang up organizer that I'm trying to incorporate but haven't figured out if I'm going to be using it for my boys (6th, 4th, K) or for myself and the household stuff.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 31, 2014 5:04:34 GMT
I agree with buying extras of supplies while they're cheap and keeping a stockpile.
Great tips everyone!
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Post by wandawoman on Jul 31, 2014 12:22:18 GMT
Don't forget to start changing their wake/sleep schedule if needed so they will be able to get up without too much complaining.
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Post by sues on Jul 31, 2014 15:58:27 GMT
When my kids were little I bought a cute photo storage box and stocked it with homework supplies; pencils, sharpener, calculator, crayons, glue, etc. They knew if it was in that box, it was only for homework time- so things tended not to go missing. It was easy to grab the box and sit at the kitchen table right away to get their homework done.
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Post by lbp on Jul 31, 2014 16:10:25 GMT
Reading this thread wistfully and an little teary eyed as I no longer have a child in school...I loved buying school supplies.
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