Freshly sharpened pencils, shiny new textbooks, a new class schedule; it’s that time of the year again. Back to school! Between getting eco-friendly school supplies, planning your vegetarian lunches for the new school year and learning the new routine, there is so much to do before you head back to school. The key to a successful school year is in the planning. Making sure you have a place for everything will keep your home neat and save you time for a great new school year. Take a deep breath and start by organizing your home with some simple DIY ideas for back to school.
1. Organize your supplies
“Mom! Where are my scissors?” Does it ever seem like you have disappearing pens or scissors? You’re not alone. School supplies seem to fall into the cracks quickly as the hustle and bustle of the school year progresses. Create a clearly indicated location for each different item by using a hanging shoe organizer. Mark each pocket for a different item and teach your family members to return items to their indicated location. Hang the organizer on a door or wall near homework areas and check out other easy DIY organization projects featured on Buzzfeed’s 26 clever organization ideas.
2. Mobile homework stations
Need to watch your kids doing their homework while you are making dinner? Back to school means multi-tasking for most parents. Creating a mobile homework caddy to store supplies allows you kids to transform your dinner table or kitchen island into a homework station. You can recycle a shower caddy or use cereal boxes to create your own unique homework station.
3. “Mom! I’m hungry”
After a long day of learning, most of us come home hungry! Instead of scrambling to find snacks or letting your kids fill up on junk food, pre-select healthy snacks to keep at home and organize them in moderated quantities. Keep your kids happy with ready to go pre-packaged after-school snacks they can pick from. Fill baggies or containers with healthy snacks that won’t spoil their appetite before dinner. After-school snacks just got easier!
4. Ouchies and booboos!
There are bound to be a few bumps and bruises when going back to school. Make sure you prepare your kids or your backpack with a DIY first aid kit. Fill an old Altoids tin or a travel soap box with bandages, alcohol wipes and age-appropriate medication. Teens can keep their box in their locker for any back-to-school emergencies.
5. I have nothing to wear!
If you don’t have uniforms, and choosing your personal style each day is slowing your routine, plan ahead by pre-selecting your outfits. Picking your back to school outfits for the week beforehand will save you a lot of time and energy. For younger kids you can even pre-package these outfits and label them with the days of the week.
These simple DIY ideas will keep you and your family organized when going back to school. Look for fun ways to recycle or reuse ordinary house items for back-to-school purposes instead for buying new ones.
What are your secrets to an organized back to school? Leave your ideas in the comment section below and have a wonderful back to school!