Back to School
Simple ideas for parents to get kids organised, ready for school and out the door everyday.
Simple ideas for parents to get kids organised, ready for school and out the door everyday.
Simple ideas for parents to get kids organised, ready for school and out the door everyday.
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Get Them Ready to Take On the Day
Ah, the fall season and back to school — summer fun slips away, replaced by new learning adventures and possibilities. Start the school year off right with some tips for getting your household organised and some ideas for helping kids be ready for the day. With just a little extra planning, you can be sure your kids will step out the door with everything they need.
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Night Before: School Projects Station
Create a mobile station to store homework, books and materials for school projects. A small cart with wheels works well or even a small box that’s easy to carry. Stock it full of supplies like Scotch® Magic™ Tape, Scotch® Double-Sided Tape, markers, notecards, calculator and Scotch™ Precision Ultra Edge Titanium Scissors. Kids can move the station from room to room, but designate an area like the kitchen or your office to be home base. Each night before school, it’s your little one’s job to return the station to home base and make sure everything she needs the next day for school and activities is there.
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Organised Home with Melissa of The Fauxmartha
In the morning before school, time seems to go faster and things have to be set. That’s why we worked with Melissa of The Fauxmartha to bring you four solid ideas for making sure your household is in order and ready for launch. Melissa is a home cook, wife, mom, designer, blogger and home organisation expert. Learn more about Melissa and our partnership with her on her blog.
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Family Calendar
For Melissa, The Fauxmartha, a family calendar is key to keeping everyone on track. Check out her free calendar printable (PDF, 603 KB), and use it to help all family members remember birthdays and dates of school activities. Be sure to schedule fun things too, that your family can decide on and do together. Melissa calls these bucket list ideas, and they don’t have to be fancy or over the top. They can be as simple as going to the movies or taking a hike.
To get started with your calendar, download and print The Fauxmartha's free calendar printable (PDF, 603 KB). Laminate it using Scotch™ Thermal Laminating Pouches and write on it with a permanent pen or marker. Melissa created illustrations made from Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape to highlight bucket list ideas and key dates — so fun!
When you’re done planning and creating, use Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape to tape the calendar up in a well trafficked area, like the mudroom or the inside door of your pantry.
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Label Everything
Melissa says this time of year she picks up a unique colour of Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape to label everything. Using the same colour tape on everything helps both her daughter and her daughter’s teachers identify her stuff.
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Create a Craft Box
A craft box is fun to create and can easily be stored and used around the house. Stock with easy-to-use items like Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape and bright and colourful Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape. A clear plastic container works well and makes it easy for preschoolers to see what’s inside.
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Kids’ Artwork Gallery
To keep art projects from taking over the house, use Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape to create a kids’ artwork gallery on a door or wall. When kids bring new projects home from school, help them choose which projects to display and hang them up! Scotch™ Wall-Safe Tape is easy to remove from both the wall and your child's artwork, so swap out old projects for new ones as often as you like!
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Encouraging Independence with Clever Kate
There are lots of things you can do to encourage independence in kids, at just about any age. And getting out the door in the morning is a great time for kids to practise this skill. The out-the-door tip below is from our partner, Clever Kate. Kate O'Reilly was a stay-at-home mom for eight years before starting her consulting business, Clever Kate, and lifestyle blog, Living Modern Life Well. She is unstoppably curious and constantly creating and sharing new and easy ways to make daily modern life better for all. Learn more about Kate and our partnership with her on her blog.
Out the Door: Clock Worksheet
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No matter the age or ability of your children, getting them back into a routine for back-to-school can be challenging, both in the morning and after school. Kids often need to be reminded to finish daily tasks, like brush your teeth, get dressed, pack your lunch and snack, and remember your water bottle for after-school sports.
A simple solution is the Clock Worksheet (PDF, 727 KB) next to an existing clock in your home. It provides a visual guide, so it can help kids rely less on verbal reminders.
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Apply the worksheet to your everyday school routine, and then you may want to make more clock drawings for sports or clubs. You can even create clock drawings on the fly for days with big events or multiple stops. The drawings can help kids feel more capable and parents feel more at ease, leading to smoother mornings and weekends and a successful transition to your family’s back-to-school routine.
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Creating Your Clock Tips
Create your illustrated clock by printing out the Clock Worksheet (PDF, 727 KB), cutting out each tip and using Scotch™ Expressions Washi Tape to create the clock’s hands. Then, use Scotch™ Wall-Safe Tape to hang them on the wall.
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