Back to School Organization by Rachel Webb

From a relaxing summer with no definite schedule to tight schedules - often the whole back to school experience becomes a juggling act for both kids and parents. In my crazy household it all stems from un-organization. Here are some preventative medicine and time saving tips that may help you avoid hearing "Mom, where is my homework?" 


1. Mark the Stuff! 
Put your child's name on the back of everything...most of you probably figured this one out and already mark the backpack, books & jackets but what about their shoes? Last year my 7 year old daughter wore 4 different pairs of shoes home that were not hers and couldn't figure out why they didn't fit right! I gave up trying to figure out how that could possibly happen and just started writing her name on the bottom of the shoes! 

2. Notes from Home
A friend of mine who is an elementary school secretary, spends most of her morning sorting through a "ga-zillion" unmarked notes and wads of lunch money. She suggests that before the school year starts, pre-mark envelopes with your child's name and grade on it. You may want to get a rubber stamp made up or order personalized address labels. Get Free labels at http://www.FreeAddressLabels.com You can use them for lunch money envelopes, identifying books, returning fieldtrip permission slip's, etc.