Does your home look like school exploded all over it?
The new school year brings backpacks overflowing with books and folders bursting with papers.
You can claim your home back from the school chaos by picking up a few tools to tame the academic beast.
Create a landing space
Give students an alternative to the stop, drop and step over stuff routine by providing a designated area for their belongings. Place hooks and/or shelves by the door they enter most often, if possible.
The bottom line: students need a consistent spot where to put their stuff. Not only will this help keep the house less cluttered, but it will also make mornings easier when a tired student needs to grab his stuff in a hurry to catch the bus.
Set up a mobile supply hub
“I can’t find a pencil!”
“Do we have any paper?”
These questions can interrupt a students’ homework groove when they are trying to finish a project or assignment. Keep a well-stocked center of basic school supplies in on hand in so students can help themselves as needed. Making it portable allows them to bring the supplies to where they work best and reduces multiple trips.
Keeping up with the paper chase
Your high school student can’t find a field trip permission slip, while your fourth grader has misplaced a reading log due the next day.
There are many tools families can use to stay ahead of the paper parade. Some families like in and out boxes, others use binders for each student.
Again, the idea is having a go-to place where students know where to put all the papers when they get home and where the parents can easily find them to sign.
Archiving art masterpieces
The struggle is real for parents who have to sort through stacks of artwork lovingly created by their children. There’s only so much room on the refrigerator and getting caught tossing something in the trash can be a tragedy.
Take advantage of both traditional and modern storage solutions to keep the young artist in your life happy. Specialized folders, wall hangings and boxes can be purchased to keep the projects tucked away neatly.
For tech lovers, options include scanning artwork into a computer for digital storage or taking photos of the artwork to display them in a digital photo frame.
Take advantage of kitchen conveniences
Finding time to prepare healthy, delicious meals can be a challenge with jobs, homework, sports practice, and all kinds of extra curricular activities.
Even if the family can’t always sit down together at the dinner table, it is possible to prepare meals that are ready to go when everyone gets home, no matter what time.
From slow cookers and pressure cookers to countertop grillers and food processors, today’s kitchen conveniences can cut preparation and serving times to something more manageable and even enjoyable.