The Organized Student – Kids, Backpacks and Papers, Oh My!

I’m a busy mom with school-aged kids, so it goes without saying that we experience hectic school day mornings. If your mornings are chaotic like ours, follow these get-organized tips to ensure a smooth to and from school routine.

• Make mornings flow smoothly by getting everything ready the night before.
• Have school bags packed and placed by the door and tomorrow’s outfits laid out.
• Organize your kid’s departure and arrival spot (I call this the launching and landing pad). Declare a home for backpacks close to the door they leave and arrive. Install hooks at a kid-friendly height. My kids have a square wicker basket close to the door that they enter and leave for school where their backpacks go and other school related items. We place everything that needs to go to school in that basket. When they get home, everything, including shoes get placed there so they don’t get strewn all over the house.
• Keep school shoes by the door to eliminate the mad morning rush to find two matching shoes (this also cuts down on cleaning since kids leave dirty shoes at the door when they come in)
• Pre-pack the non-perishable parts of school lunches, so you can simply pop in a sandwich in the morning. Prepare for breakfast the night before by getting out cereal bowls and cups.
• Create a Kids’ Morning Routine checklist so no essential task gets overlooked, like forgetting to brush teeth or comb hair, and post it on the fridge and/or bathroom mirror.
• Likewise, create an “Out the Door” list of items they need to take to school, and post it on or near the exit door. Include items like homework, lunch, library books, gym shoes, instruments.  Include the time they need to be downstairs for breakfast and when they need to exit the house to meet the bus. This builds their time management skills rather than just waiting for your yelling “the bus is coming” to prompt them. I’ve included a  sample checklist that I created for my oldest daughter when she entered first grade. This made a huge improvement in her ability to stay focused and on task in the morning.

Place a clock in strategic locations in your children’s morning routine , like the bathroom, kitchen and their bedroom. Both my daughters have missed the bus at least once through the year by losing track of time while primping in the bathroom when there was no clock in sight.

 

After we adopted these strategies in our home, our mornings were much less chaotic. And my kids haven’t missed the bus since and gone are the days of mid-morning phone calls from a frantic child begging me to bring their homework or packed lunch they left at home.

To learn more family management strategies like this, my Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms ebook is now on sale for $9.99 and can be immediately downloaded.

My Daughter’s Morning Schedule (in 1st grade)

Upstairs: Wake up at 7:00am

        Get dressed …

• Put on clean underpants
• Shirt & pants
• Socks – to match outfit
• Shoes – to match outfit
• Brush teeth & tongue
• Comb hair

** 30-45 minutes to get dressed – be ready to come downstairs by 7:45am **

Downstairs: be downstairs by 7:45am

• Come downstairs to kitchen to eat breakfast
• Check backpack to be sure everything has been put in
• Put on coat, gloves, hat
• Walk out door for bus at 8:05am

Originally posted 2009-10-26 22:05:38. Republished by Old Post Promoter

The Organized Student – create a designated study space for school success

After you’ve considered and established your student’s daily routine, it’s time to create an efficient study space to maximize your child’s study routine.

If you want to raise successfully organized students, you must give them the tools they need to succeed. A proper study space, that is both comfortable and fully stocked with school supplies, is essential to get kids motivated for after-school studying.

Start by deciding where your kids will do homework. Involve them – ask where they prefer to study, considering their age and independence level. Do they like the privacy and quiet of a desk in their bedroom? Or do they want to be near you in a centrally located area such as the kitchen or family room? It’s also important to consider your child’s learning style and ability to focus. Given the choice, my daughter would study in front of the TV, but I know that doesn’t work for her with all the added distractions. Whether she likes it or not, I know that for her to be successful, she needs to do her schoolwork in a quiet area with minimal distractions. Students need to understand that although parents will consider their preferences, the parent may make the final decision on the most effective study space.

Once you decide on the best study space for your child’s learning style, maturity level and routine, make sure it’s well stocked with supplies. If your child has a desk, you may choose to organize supplies inside the drawers or in containers on top of it.  Make sure to categorize, containerize and label items (such as writing utensils in one area, paper in another) so the desktop and drawers don’t become chaotic catch-alls.

 For those that study outside their bedrooms, create a portable office. This will allow them to work anywhere inside (or even outside) your home. A tackle box or any type of small storage box (even a shoebox) will do. For storing school papers, like graded tests, handouts, etc. I like small desktop file boxes like the Show Off by Sterilite. Notice the lid with handle that allows for easy mobility.

Fill the portable supply box with supplies such as pens, pencils, sharpeners, crayons markers, highlighters, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, tape stapler, paper clips, ruler, calculator, sticky notes, paper, and any other supplies that your child frequently uses. Keep an age-appropriate dictionary and Thesaurus handy. Also consider keeping small stock of rarely needed but important project accessories, such as report covers and poster board.

At the end of each study session, remind your students to put away any home supplies they used and pack up their school materials so they’re ready for the next day’s use. Teach them to make a list of items that need replenishing. Maintain consistency but allow for flexibility for happy and confident kids!

Suggested tools:

Task clips:

Informative File Folders:

To Do Notepad:

Originally posted 2009-09-04 16:29:10. Republished by Old Post Promoter

The Organized Student – school success starts with routines and habits

News Flash … we are not born organized. Organization is a learned skill. Just as children are taught to do long division, hit a baseball, or play a musical instrument, they learn organizational skills, like how to organize their space, time, and tasks. As the adult in their lives, it’s your important job to pass along helpful tips for organizing success. Here are a few ideas: 

• Help create a habit of doing homework in the same place, at the same time, every day.  
• Teach time management skills. Encourage younger students to look at the family calendar each day so they know what’s coming up. Middle and high schoolers can  use a planner to track assignments, large projects, upcoming tests, extracurricular activities, and appointments. Help them see that some things will take a long time to accomplish, while others will only take a few minutes.
• Help them prioritize tasks each day, focusing first on assignments with the most urgency or earliest due dates. Teach them to use high-energy times to their advantage: It’s often best to do the hardest task first, rather than saving it for the evening when they’re tired. Or have them start out on a good note by tackling one quick, simple task first to get momentum going, followed by the hardest assignment. Older students will benefit from creating to-do lists: Teach them to use two task groups: an urgent, “To Do today” list and less timely ” do it this week” list.

 

Now let’s consider how to establish school year routines and habits.

Morning wake-up time:
It is FAR better to have a little extra time in the morning to get ready rather than a blurred rush out the door.  For most children, about an hour is needed to get up, get ready, eat, etc.  If your child must be at the bus stop for 7:30am, wake them up no later than 6:30am.  If your child tends to be a bit of a slug in the morning, you will need to wake him/her up earlier and/or put them to bed earlier at night.

Morning routine:
There are certain tasks that only take a couple of minutes that can (and should) be taken care of first thing in the morning.  For example, have your child learn to make his/her bed before leaving his room in the morning. In addition, have them put their dirty clothes in the hamper and wipe the sink out when they are done brushing their teeth. For younger children you may want to set-up a timer and give them a certain amount of time to wake up, get dressed, do their morning tasks, and come for breakfast.  You can make this a game with a prize if they make it to the breakfast table all week long before the timer goes off.  A good prize would be a board game with Mom and/or Dad.  Rewards should not always be monetary…get clever and be creative!!

After School:
Homework truly should take precedence over anything else.  Sit down with your child and come up with a workable time block for homework.  This time block does not have to take place at the same time each evening, just try not to have this be the last thing that they do before going to bed.  In addition, it is not always a good idea to simply say they have to do their homework before they can go outside/watch television/etc, because that is just asking for them to rush through their homework.  A good idea is to set aside a certain amount of time and tell your child that this is schoolwork time.  Homework time should not be a race to get done.  If they get done ahead of time they can read a little extra, or you may want to come up with another educational time-filler (word finds, crossword puzzles, etc).  It is really a wonderful idea if you can sit down at the table with your child while they do their homework.  Use this time block to do any paperwork that you need to get done as well. As odd as this may sound, my kids look forward to our homework time when we sit quietly together at the table and work on our own stuff.

Before bedtime:
Before bedtime is a great time to get prepared for the morning rush. Have your child lay out clothes the night before.  Personally, I like to have all the clothes for the week picked out on the weekend, but I know that is not for everyone.  Mornings are not the time to find out that Suzy can’t find the shirt that goes with the pants that she just NEEDS to wear today!  Have your child not only lay out the clothes, but also their underwear, socks, accessories and shoes. If you have a younger child who wants to be able to pick out his/her own clothes I have a fun idea for you.  Assemble an outfit including clothes, socks, shoes, etc. and take a picture.  Do this with several other outfits.  Using the pictures, allow your child to choose her ensemble and then she can get her clothes together fairly easily using the picture as a guide.  Keep adding to the photo collection and soon you will have a full wardrobe of pictures.

In addition, prior to bedtime set the timer for 15 minutes and have a big “15-minute clean-up.”  Have everyone run through the house with grocery-sized bags and collect items that don’t belong in certain rooms and put them away.  Finally before sending your child to bed, make sure backpacks are filled and ready by the door.  Once again, you can come up with a fun reward if these tasks are completed throughout the week!

Here are some great tools to help both you and your  older students get organized for school:

Sticky Sets - sticky notes that help prioritize whatever they’re stuck to

PaperConnect Home Command Center – for holding all those school lists and such

 

 

 

 

Find more unique organizing products at The Simplified Home.

Originally posted 2009-08-24 23:34:09. Republished by Old Post Promoter

16 Back-to-School Dinner Planning Tips

Is school really just around the corner? You know what that means – early morning scrambles, after-school tizzies and ragged nerves at dinnertime.

It’s still possible to have pleasant family mealtimes even after school has begun. Check out these back-to-school dinner tips for busy Moms:

1. Have a meal plan.

The most important key to having relaxed family dinners even on school nights is having a meal plan. This will simplify both food shopping and meal preparation, and help you save money to boot.

If you need help, check out Dine Without Whine’s meal and grocery planning service.

2. Try freezer meals.

Cut down on cooking time by cooking large batches and then freezing them for future use. There are many books about freezer cooking from which to choose.

3. Simplify your schedule.

With school comes extracurricular activities that could have you running – or driving around – like a headless chicken. Keep things to a minimum. Overloading children with too many after-school activities is not good for them. They need downtime too.

4. Get the kids involved in cooking.

Get some help by mobilizing your own troops – your husband and children – as your kitchen helpers. Cooking is an important life skill and now it’s bonding time as well.

5. Have an emergency plan.

No matter how well you plan in advance, something always comes up. Plan for that as well. Always have emergency supplies in the pantry so you can throw together a home-cooked meal at a moment’s notice.

It could be a frozen dinner you prepared during the weekend. Mine is pasta, a can of tomato sauce and whatever vegetables are in the refrigerator.

6. Post your family schedule.

Keep a large calendar on the wall where you can see every family member’s schedule at a glance. It will also help you plan activities around your family dinner times.

7. Set a routine.

Decide on an earlier dinner time, bedtime and wake up time and start following them a few days before school officially begins. This way, everybody’s adjusted when the real thing comes.

8. Stay flexible.

Sometimes you just can’t afford disruptions to your meal times. An occasional missed family dinner is no big deal – when you know you’ll have more throughout the week.

9. Consider school schedules.

Take note of school events and other activities in your family calendar – so you can plan your family dinners with them in mind.

10. Cook once, eat twice.

Every so often, cook a double batch of meals that can easily be transformed into another entree or side dish. For example, roast 2 chickens. Have one for tonight’s dinner. Chop up the other for chicken salad for later in the week.

11. Organize your kitchen.

If you haven’t done so yet, now’s the time to take stock of your kitchen. Make sure the items you use most often are accessible from your food prep area. Replace the tools that are broken, and get those gadgets that will help you get dinner ready faster.

12. Have a special meal.

Make Friday night Teen’s night – which means they plan and prepare the meal. That is, if you have teens or any child old enough to prepare meals. They’ll learn how to cook, you get the night off (from cooking), and everybody has fun. The only condition is: everybody has to eat what’s prepared.

13. Make it educational.

This idea is for preschool-age kids. Make or buy a special placemat with letter or numbers. Laminate it with Con-Tact paper so it becomes a wipe-off board. Use it only for dinnertimes.

14. More mealtime learning opportunities.

Plan some meals to coincide with specific topics your child is studying in school. For example, on the night after a field trip to a pioneer town, have a pioneer-style meal.

15. Celebrate school successes at dinner.

Celebrate school successes with a special family meal. Prepare the child’s favorite meal and prepare a nice dessert. It’s more important to have a meal that’s relaxed and delicious, than one that tool hours to prepare.

16. Nurture school relationships.

Get to know your children’s closest school friends by inviting them to dinner once in a while.

Follow these tips to make family mealtimes simpler, easier and more fun. For meal planning and grocery shopping help, go to Dine Without Whine.

Your monthly subscription includes a weekly meal plan with recipes for main dishes, side dishes, 2 desserts and 2 brunches.

You’ll also get a weekly grocery shopping list of everything you need to create the recipes. The list is categorized according to grocery sections, so your shopping will be easier and faster.

. For a limited time, you can try Dine Without Whine for a penny. Click here to find out how.

Originally posted 2009-08-18 19:40:00. Republished by Old Post Promoter