Welcome to the 10th stop on the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLOG TOUR! I have the privilege of talking about staying organized through the new school year, but truth be told I am so not an organized person! So, how do I plan to organize my school year? Well, I’ll get to that, but first let me tell you about a book that should be on everyone’s bookshelf this school year – The Scholastic Children’s Dictionary:
The 2010 edition of the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary features more than 1,000 full-color photographs, simple sentences, illustrations, and diagrams as well as newly commissioned maps of the world, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. There are hundreds of new and expanded entries written by a prominent lexicographer as well as thousands of additional sample sentences to illustrate word usage. The dictionary includes guides on grammar, punctuation and idioms and simplified pronunciations created with real kids in mind! The new Scholastic Children’s Dictionary is an essential resource that belongs in every home, classroom, and library.
My tips for staying organized this school year:
- Create lists — This may seem like a no-brainer, but this mama is not a list-maker, so I must remind myself to keep my thoughts organized with detailed lists. I have begun a list of school supplies needed, organizational materials I must purchase, books to buy, subjects we’re studying this year, and extra-curricular activities planned.
- Label everything — With so many kiddos I tend to stay on the simple side, but everything from craft bins to binders must be labeled. There are some great companies that specialize in creating custom labels (watch for a giveaway, coming soon!), but a Sharpie will do just fine in a pinch.
- Everything must have a home — Those Sharpies need a special bin, far out of reach of the little ones, and the reference books need a special place, within easy reach for individual research. Find the best place for everything and keep everything in it’s place when not in use.
- Keep record — This is an important part of organization for us, as a homeschool family, but I believe that it applies to any family with school age children. Keeping a record of the books your children read, the tests they pass, and any other accomplishments fosters a love of learning and enthusiasm.
To help you get organized so you can kick off the new school year with ease, enter to win a Scholastic Children’s Dictionary and a $100 Target gift card to purchase essential organizational tools! Just leave me a comment here with your best school year organizational tip. A random winner will be chosen on August 31st and notified by email shortly after.
Be sure to check out MomDot’s Back-to-School post tomorrow!
Post and giveaway sponsored by Scholastic
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Make all lunches the night before.
Post everyone’s schedule on the back of the front door, including after school lessons and tests
making lunches night before
amy16323(at)gmail(dot)com
Before going to bed on Sunday night, pick out clothes for the week and hang together with accessories to make mornings easier.
Sarah´s last [type] ..Less Sunscreen Mess- Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes
Have your childs school projects ready to go by the out door that they have prepared the night before along with their personal items in a row like umbrellas, boots, coats etc
we pick our clothes the nigh before, backpack is also packed, we wake up early to have a good breakfast
All outfits laid out the night before-what’s laid out is what my daughter wears-no changing of her mind. Buy all lunch items for ahead of time.All papers,permission slips are signed the night before-I learned all of this the “hard way”
My best organizational tip is to have backpacks by the door and clothes laid out the night before
Select the little one’s school clothes the evening before!
I’ve always gone by preparing everything a night ahead to keep organized.
Have this ready the night before so it will be easy in the morning.
a large bulletin board always comes in handy for tacking up notes or TO DO lists
We pick out clothes and pack backpacks and lunch bags the night before.
I get all clothes out and back pack packed the night before so everything is ready and goes smooth in the morning.
The best way is to have a really good list of everything you need and have things done early ahead of time.
tishajean@charter.net
We post a weekly schedule on the fridge – everyone goes in the fridge at least once a day so it’s a convenient space for it
ktgonyea at gmail.com
Thanks for the giveaway…we have a well lighted, distraction-free study area for our kids, and they each have ample storage space for all their study materials. printer needs, etc.
senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com
For easy organization, we keep a white board calendar on the fridge that we can all update, so the kids can add things like their after-school meetings, due dates for projects, school events, and even things like requests for their lunch box treats. It really helps us all keep on track, especially at the start of a new school year!
I try to plan ahead. I make a very detail schedule, and I never sway away from it.
Have a special nook, peg rack or just a designated area near the front door (or whatever door the kids use to leave in the morning for school,) and have them….NOT YOU….put all that they will need (bookbags, coats, umbrellas, etc.) there the night before. Also let them know that their clothes for the next day of school MUST be laid out the night before to avoid the drama of “I don’t have anything to wear!” in the morning.
LISTS! Make lots of lists and stick to them!
Chrysa´s last [type] ..Best Deal Magazines Deal of the Day – Fitness- Womans Day- Consumer Reports & More
Figure out what absolutely needs to be done morning, noon and night (brush teeth, fix hair, gather homework, DO homework, etc), then make index cards for each necessary task. Your student goes through the cards until everything is done for that time period. This helps in the morning, when things are rushed, and in the afternoon and evening when you have more time to accomplish tasks.
Book bag ready to go and lunch box backed all done the night before. We also have a big chart on back of his bedroom door highlighting in different colors if it is a gym day, music,art etc. So he know’s when he gets up and and can grab the right shoes and the right clothes that are also colored coded and set out a week in advance.
The Cozi Calendar is a great and FREE tool I use to stay organized.
I love that they have email and even text reminders for the whole family.
We color code a lot of things, so each class for the kids is a different color notebook, folder, etc.
I have preschoolers who go to Mother’s Day Out. We do everything the night before…make lunches, pack bags, lay out clothes.
Ditto on having a place for everything–without that our house would be a mess! I love your tip about keeping track of your kids’ accomplishments.
Lori Z.´s last [type] ..Weekly Worth A Listen- Truffle Shuffle
Pack lunches and bookbags the night before so nothing is ever left at home!
select there clothes the night before ty.
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