The soon-to-be fifth-grader, future first-grader and I played “What’s the best deal?” as we compared packages of pencils and stacks of spiral notebooks.
I earned some “cool mom” cred by letting the kids pick out monkey-shaped pencil-top erasers, instead of regular ones that were a fraction of the cost – but only because the kids promised to give me a couple of them for my home office.
And even though our youngest son won’t start kindergarten for another year, he was rewarded for quietly sitting in a grocery cart for more than an hour with a new backpack featuring his favorite cartoon character. It’s probably not durable enough to last an entire year, but I figure it will come in handy for our trips to the library and Grandma’s house.
By the time we got in the car, the kids were totally excited about starting school again, seeing friends they haven’t seen in months, finding out who their teachers are and, in my opinion, getting back to a routine that’s built around their lives.
I know the next few weeks won’t be easy. We still have shoes and clothes to purchase, two open-house events to attend and a summertime snooze-button habit that I need to break, somehow.
Here are some expert tips to help families prepare for going back to school:
• Get a jumpstart on the school year routine.
“You don’t want to take their summer away too early from them,” said Paul Anders, principal at Washington Middle School in Olympia. “But a couple of weeks before school starts, start the school clock and get the kids to bed a little earlier and get them up a little earlier so it’s not such a shock for the first day of school.”
• Think outside-the-box for the lunches. Food allergies are a growing concern, and in some classrooms and schools, items such as peanuts and bananas are completely banned in lunches.
So what’s a parent to do?
Try other balanced snacks, such as hummus, pretzels and carrots. Switch out sandwiches with leftover fried chicken and fruit salad, or some beef jerky, string cheese and crackers.
My kids love “make your own pizza” with flour tortillas, a small container of spaghetti sauce and a few ounces of shredded cheese.
Ramona Hattendorf, government relations coordinator with the Washington State PTA, recommends packing dried seaweed. “Kids love it,” she said.
• Avoid first-day jitters with practice and positive words.
Young children can prepare for school by practicing basic independence skills such as unzipping backpacks and hanging up coats, said Katy Lehman, a behavior specialist for North Thurston Public Schools.
Let them know it’s OK to ask questions if they need help, and talk positively about school because they’ll sense your attitude about it, she added.
Many stresses older kids feel are about social issues, Lehman said.
“Go over to the school with the schedule, and find all of the classes in the order that they’ll have in school,” she said. “Find their locker and practice their combination.”
• Stay on top of your child’s school work.
“Establish relationships with your child’s teacher and the school principal,” said Hattendorf. “Make sure you have timely access to grades and can monitor when coursework is due. Know what your child is studying. If you have online access to class information, use it. And let your kids see you using it.”
• Get involved in the school.
Volunteering is a great way to invest in your child’s education.
If you can’t help in the classroom, ask your child’s teacher if there are projects you can help with at home. Or volunteer for special events, such as field trips and evening programs.
• Shop with safety in mind. Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. A filled backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 10 percent to 20 percent of your child’s body weight, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Ask for help, if you need it.
Many school districts have programs that offer free clothes and school supplies to families in need. Lacey-area students can even get free back-to-school haircuts through a program in North Thurston Public Schools.
“Families just need to ask,” Lehman said. “There’s a lot of support.”
Lisa Pemberton covers education for The Olympian. She’s also one busy mama with three children, ages 4, 6 and 10. Reach her at 360-754-5433 or lpemberton@theolympian.com.
