Household Hints By Rosemary ~ More Back to School Hints

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Okay, so the children are on the bus and safely on their way to school, here are some more hints to make the school year easier for you and the little ones.
Have a designated in-box for school papers and communications, make sure it's in a convenient place and remind the children to put their daily papers in it.
Keep an extra box of supplies such as erasers, coloured pencils, markers, lined paper, geometry sets, at home for homework. Handy if the school supplies have been forgotten in class and also keeps down the amount of weight and items the children have to carry.
Save a couple of 35mm canisters to put in change for lunches, and extras, easier to find in a backpack.
Punch a couple of holes in a plastic zip bag and place it in a three ring binder for school supplies such as glue sticks, pencils, pens, post-it notes, etc. It won't hold a lot, but is handy and easier to carry specific supplies to class.
Hang a check list at the front door with reminders for lunch, the homework for the days classes, gym clothes, signed permission slips, etc. In the same area hang up the school calendar schedule so they, and you, can review what will be needed and done that day. Get the children in the habit of reading it before they leave home and maybe this good habit will continue into higher grades.
Under the check list and calendar at the front door put up pegs to hang the back packs on, make sure they're well anchored for the weight; keeps them tidy, handy and easy to grab on the way out in the morning.
When packing lunch for the children tuck in some wet wipes, enough so that they can clean their hands before and after eating.
If possible have a separate hamper for school uniforms, gym clothes and anything that needs priority laundry attention. Have the children change to play clothes when they get home.
Special art projects that the children are very proud of and want to keep can be stored in a cardboard paper towel or wrapping paper tube. All other projects can be displayed in a frame, or on the fridge for a week, then tucked into an under-the-(child's)-bed container. At the end of the school year review the papers with the children and decide which artwork or paperwork is to be kept in a scrapbook or photo album for that year. Everything else, even if you wish, the special projects, can be scanned on the computer, giving you the choice to reduce them to a specific size, then saved on a compact disc. Every now and again a piece of work should be given special attention or praise, in which case it can be framed and hung in their room until they decide to change it.
I hope any or all of these organizing and time saving hints are helpful and you can use any or all to make school days easier.