Summer Project: Getting Organized for the School Year

School can mean lots of things for kids. Learning, socializing, playing, and growing are just a few of the words I use to describe school.

But, as a mom, school means dealing with a lot of stuff!

This includes papers, homework, school projects, art projects, and report cards, etc. Inevitably, I won’t be able to keep every single item that comes home from school. But the amount of items that I will need to keep can be overwhelming.

All of this stuff became a bigger deal last year because, for the first time, I had two kiddos in elementary school. I had a third grader and a kindergartener. This meant that the amount of things that came home doubled.

I had no real plan of what I was going to do with everything and I had two little boys who felt that everything was essential.

I realized that starting the school year off on the right foot was crucial. Therefore, I knew I needed to make things more manageable and to preserve and prioritize school-related items and information.  So last summer, I decided to get organized.

I took the same approach I did with our finances and created an Organization Box for each child. This Organization Box costs about $15 to create and has made my life as a mom tremendously easier. I had several goals with the Organization Box. First, I wanted my Organization Box to be something that could last throughout their school years. Plus, I wanted to be able to find information such as report cards and field trip information without having to turn the house upside down looking for it. Here are some items I picked-up at Wal-Mart to use on my Organization Box:

 Materials for Each Child’s Organization Box

• Clear Tub
• Hanging File Folders
• Paint Pens

 Optional Sections:

• Report cards
• School pictures/Class pictures
• Grade Levels (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, etc)
• Awards and Achievements
• Field Trip Information
• Important Notes from School

Some of the sections can be emptied once the activity takes place, such as a field trip or class activity. Having a folder for these sections though helps keep the kitchen counters and refrigerators clear of school papers.

After labeling all of the sections, I used paint pens to label each child’s bin.

Your children will be amazed at how awesome you are at keeping all of their stuff in perfect condition! Plus, your sanity will be intact because you won’t be dealing with a lot of stuff. Everything will have a place in the Organization Box. This is the perfect summer project!