Plan o' attack for BTS

While talking to some friends tonight, I found myself admitting to my need to be in control. I had plans in my head about how we would spend our last weekend before 'back to school'. Well....none of them worked out, BUT we had a great weekend! With four kids, I think it is a reasonable thought to have plans. But it is just as reasonable to roll with the tide and let things happen sometimes. I have decided to post a few of my personal steps to preparing for Back To School. Last year I had these cute little hooks for each child to hang up their book bags and coats. They worked really well, until my then 5th grader broke his hook due to the 'workload' in his backpack. ; )

So, this year, I am just putting hooks up for the girls (Kindergarten and 3rd grade) and letting my 6th grader use a tubby instead. With the amount of football gear and other 'must haves' it is easier to control the clutter in a box. Here is what I have ready for the girls.

The tubbies are filled with BTS gear and supplies. Instead of them having to lug all that stuff in their backpacks,Daddy and I will carry the tubs in to their classrooms to allow them to unload it at their desks. This is what my littlest lady's tubby looks like.

Now, when my lil red-headed curly girl went through her first year of school, she hardly used most of her supplies. Her crayons, colored pencils and markers came home in May ready to be used through out the summer. BUT, her first grade year, she definitely needed to re-stock through out the year. I hate spending $1.00 for a box of crayons...I LOVE spending $1.00 for FIVE boxes of crayons!

crayons, colored pencils and markers

  

glue, glue sticks, erasers, highlighters and misc. supplies

loose leaf paper and pencils

contained and labeled

folders, wide and college ruled notebooks, loose leaf paper

Stocking up on supplies while cheap is a no brainer. Keeping it organized and easily accessible is essential. My kids know they can come home and be well prepared for any project or assignment. It gives them confidence in themselves and lets them know that we care about their success in school too. I keep the extras out of the kids area. They must come to me to get them. (this saves us from using five notebooks to 'play' school with the neighborhood friends) 

To help with menu planning, I keep a copy of the school lunch menu on the fridge. (we have two schools we deal with in our family, so the other is on the flip side of the one you can see) At the beginning of the week, I can easily reference the school menu and make our supper menu up for the week without duplicating meals. This very simple step has helped me so much! 

I hope to wrap up a few more things tomorrow and share a few links to other ideas from blog land. But, right now, I am so tired and looking forward to my bed. Hope you took an idea or two with you today. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas too! love, Emily