The Ultimate Back to School Guide for Families

The dreaded Back to School sale signs appeared in stores, the employees setting up those box displays to hold the masses of pencils, crayons, and glue. Hand sanitizers line the shelves like little soldiers, prepared to battle enemy germs, and boxes of tissues, ready to wipe away the inevitable cough and icky, gooey snot teeter in piles. There appears to be no escaping the Back-to-School net that is tightening around families like a castanet around shiners right before the fisherman hauls in his catch. Yup, Back to School season is here!

Things You Should Do Before the New School Year Begins

Reset their clocks

My kids are older now, but when they were younger, I would slowly reintroduce bedtime schedules back into their lives. We always stayed up late in the summers, so for four nights we would set bedtime at 10, the next four nights would have a bedtime at 9:30, the next four at 9 and so on until we reached the appropriate bedtimes. Wake-up times would correspond with the bedtimes, getting earlier and earlier. Very handy for elementary school aged kids (and beyond!)

Clear out their wardrobes

Before rushing out to buy school clothes during all of the school sales (or even those tax-free days), I have the kids go through their clothes. We discard the beyond-help threads and pass the out-grown clothes to little friends, family or local the thrift store. It’s easier to see exactly what the kids need for the coming school year when the closets are clean.

Attend a local Back to School Bash

This is held in your local community by charities. There they give away backpacks stuffed with school supplies and offer FREE screenings- vision, hearing and sometimes even dental and free immunizations. The school supplies are all new, donated by the charity or community (usually both). If you need school supplies and are on a tight budget, check your local paper or online city resource for their Back to School Bash. If you have lots of school supplies, you can always donate some to them as well for other kids. Your child’s school will accept school supply donations too.

Get a haircut

This time of year all of the hair places offer back-to-school haircuts. Great Clips sends out a flyer for $7 or $8 cuts (I’m waiting for one to come our way.) Ask about a Back to School or student special at your local favorite. And when getting your child a haircut, (from experience), don’t go for a drastic change. Not just before school. This is from personal experience. I had very long hair and cut it completely short- 1st time ever. And I cried. For a week. Kids are stressed enough from the newness of everything, so stick to a trim. If they want to try out a drastic new style, tell them at Christmas/spring break or the beginning of summer even.

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Shopping for School

Shop at home first

If your kids have been attending school for a while, you probably still have crayons, scissors and notebook paper from the previous year.
Have a clean out and gather all of last year’s school supplies together to take an inventory of what you already have.
Pick up one of those handy Back to School Supply Lists they have at your local Walmart or Target.
Together with your child, pack a bag with the items they need on the list that you have from home.
Next, make a list of the items you need to buy. (Do this with each child to keep them involved.)
A note on those item lists though: before you run out an buy the rest of the things they need on that list, wait for the Meet the Teacher day at school. The teacher usually has a different list- sometimes longer, sometimes a whole lot shorter (bless you, guys!) and a lot more specific. So wait- (unless you see 10cent pencils, of course, then stock up on those!)

Use the Tax-Free Shopping Days

Take advantage of those Tax-Free Shopping Days. School Supplies add up- especially when you have more than one child. Florida’s Tax-Free Shopping Days are this weekend from the 4^th of August until 6th of August. (If you live in a different state, you may have different tax-free weekend dates – they are usually contingent on the school starting dates) Use those days to stock up on those pencils, stash a few extra bottles of glue, crayons & colored pencils for your home as well.

Buying school supplies

This time of year stores offer great discounts on school supplies, though I suspect those 20-cent a box crayon days are long gone. Investing in a Sunday paper just to find the sales is a good idea when hunting for school supplies. Walgreens and CVS tend to offer some fabulous deals (like those 10-cent pencils) that the bigger stores won’t. Also, places like Office Depot offer ridiculously good deals as well. The Dollar Store is a surprisingly good place to pick up things like hand sanitizer and tissues.

Clothes shopping

Out with the old and in with the new. Our friends tend to do the same as us, and we do get handed clothes from other friends (thank you!). So we shop at home first, then check out what’s on sale before heading out for new clothes. Don’t let those tax-free sale days fool you though, as clothes tend to get marked down AFTER the tax-free days (hmm). And if you are minding a tight budget, places like Ross, Bealls Outlet and TJ Maxx can offer some good clothes at cut rates. Thrift stores like Plato’s Closet (for teens) are great places to get gently used trendy-labels at lower prices. Other local thrift stores sometimes offer $2-$5 a bag deals. Worth a look!

Finding the Perfect Backpack

Those backpacks they sell by the school supplies are great for the elementary school aged kids, but once your child reaches middle school, you need to leave the lightweight stuff behind. We learned the hard way, after going through 3 backpacks in a six week period, it was time to think like an AT hiker and headed to the camping section of the store to find a heavy duty backpack. The backpack weight loads are listed on their tag, and with trial an error, found that a pack that can hold up to 35 lbs was the best for middle schoolers. Yes, my children are weight lifters! I can’t wait for the day when they just issue a laptop or tablet with all of the books already loaded onto it! But for now, they have durable packs that can double up for any of our backpacking adventures. Before you decide to save your child’s back by purchasing a rolling bag/pack, check out the school guidelines, as many schools do not allow those. *I’m happy to announce that by investing in durable backpacks last year, they don’t need new ones this year! Woohoo- mom win!

Consider a water bottle

A regular at our kids’ elementary school, I got to witness first hand the little kids and their water-fountain antics- from mouth over the water spout (metal part) to snot dripping into the fountain- yes, totally grossed me out, so I always told my kids: Don’t drink from the fountain! And sent them with water bottles to school. Some teachers allowed them, some did not. But buying a case of water every couple of weeks is not economical, and refilling that water bottle is probably not too hygienic either, so investing in a reusable water bottle might be a better option. Again, by-pass the school-supply section and head for the camping area in the store (or just a camping store) to find better quality, more durable water bottles. While I wouldn’t send a YETI with my kids (haven’t tried them yet and can’t afford them myself), the stainless steel waterbottles with screw on tops seem to work best for our kids. The ones with push down to side spouts tend to leak. And forget the ones with that chiller pack in the middle: they are just taking up space that could be filled with drinking water! Just put ice in the water bottle, top with water and that will keep it cold all day. Also they are great for any travel adventures. I love multi-purposing things

Right Before School Begins

Have a Pre-School Run

Yeah, I’m not talking about pre-school, but a before school trial drill. This is especially good when starting a new school and if you are driving your kids or car-pooling. It enables you to gauge just how long it will take for you and your kids to get ready and to the school. When my son entered Kindergarten, it was on the Sunday before that I had a drill run. We all woke up, got dressed and ready, got into the car and drove to school. Then we went out for a pancake breakfast. My son still remembers that breakfast!

Tour the school

Most schools won’t mind if you take your child around to explore before school starts. Do it when the teachers go back & be sure to check in at the front office to avoid getting in trouble for trespassing. Then show your child around- it helps if you know an older kid who can show off his/her school- where the library is, how the cafeteria line goes & of course those all important bathrooms! When my son started high school, the ninth graders were invited to a day at school in the summer and given a tour by the older kids.

Attend the Meet the Teacher Event

If possible- attend your child’s meet-the-teacher event. This not only allows you to see who your child’s teacher/teachers will be, it also allows you to connect with them (some you may never meet again, others you will interact with more regularly. It also allows you both the opportunity to explore the school- the cafeteria, gym, art room, etc.

Hold Your Own Back to School Bash

This is especially important if your kids have been away a lot this summer, or not well connected with their friends. Have a party at your house or a local park or swimming hole and invite their friends- bring frisbees, water guns, snorkels & masks, soccer or footballs and let them PLAY! It helps them re-connect with their school friends. Bring drinks, snack foods like chips and keep it casual.

An Adventures of Mom Tradition

The Last-Day of Summer Photo

All of my friends always post those First Day of School photos on Facebook. Every year. Without fail. The kids are beautiful. All dressed up and looking really nervous. Yeah, I confess, while I love their photos, we are usually too rushed on that first day that I tend to forget to take that first day pic. How about a last day of summer photo instead? This year, right after school ended, I took my kids and their friends to a swimming hole and we all went swimming (and promptly caught colds lol), but I still have photos from that First Day of Summer. We’ve done some cool wilderness-culture experiences this summer, and I have the niggling words of Tinkerbell from that movie Hook in the back of my mind, where she says she can “Smell Peter” because he still smelled of adventure. Do we have the lingering essence of adventure on us- or is that just body odor? The kayaking, the mountain hiking, the waterfalls and rivers crossed, the hidden springs uncovered, the salt air from the sea? Over the school year, yes the kids do grow, taught by one or many teachers and friends and by the end of the school year they are usually sick of school, but what about summer, when you are their sole teacher? Have they changed? I am curious on this and this year am implementing the End of Summer photo. I encourage all parents to take a snap of your kids at the end of summer and compare. And even ask them. How have they grown this summer? What was the best thing they did this summer? What would they have done differently? And then if you wish, go ahead and do that First Day of School photo.

That First Day of School

Have your kids lay out their outfits the night before.
Have them pack their backpacks the night before.
Make their lunches the night before.
Give them plenty of time in the morning.
Start the morning with a good breakfast. Nix the cereal today. To be honest, it will be stressful for everyone. Pancakes? Bacon & eggs? What’s your family’s favorite breakfast?
Arrive at school early if you are taking your kids- today is a hectic day at schools.
For elementary school kids, don’t send all of the teacher supply list items on the first day- portion it out to send throughout the week.
**Hugs go a long way today!

How do you plan for the beginning of school?

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