For many families, the start of August marks the countdown to school. A buffet of feelings surround this reality, but it’s safe to say that every kid is hungry to eek the last few ounces of summertime fun out of these first weeks of August. Here are a few ways to shoo away those nasty Adultitis-inducing back-to-school blues…
Just You & Me Day: This is an idea from my creative sister-in-law who has made wonderful back-to-school memories with her school-age kids. She schedules a day to take each one out individually for their own special outing. They get to pick out all of their school supplies and shop for new duds. Lunch is the child’s pick, along with a special activity of his/her choice. This year they went mini-golfing. The kids really look forward to it, and I know their mom does too. Even though the vibe would feel much different, this idea would work great for older kids too. Maybe catch a matinee together.
Shocking Locks : The start of a new school year is a great time to suggest the idea of doing something extreme with your child’s look. How about a cool new style, cut, or color for that kid that needs a little pick-me-up? Sometimes changing something physically that you have control over can help the transition of change that is happening externally that is out of your control. So, support the new ‘do. It’ll always grow out, and it sure beats a tattoo.
First Day Feast: Add a little fun to the first day of school by surprising your kids with something out of the ordinary. Greet them in the morning with a fancy breakfast. Decorate their chairs with helium balloons and fabric. Adorn them with paper crowns. Put linens on the table, along with a vase of fresh flowers. Light a candle, have music playing, and of course serve their favorite breakfasts. When your seven-year-old drinks her orange juice out of a wine glass, she’ll definitely have a smile on her face, and a fun story to share with her new teacher. For high schoolers, you can still have their favorite music playing, but maybe surprise them with an iTunes gift card under their juice at breakfast and their ultimate dessert waiting for them when they get home.
The Last Hurrah: Pick a weekend in August before school starts to do something special that your kids love. Have a backyard camp-out, go to a museum, take a big bike ride, visit a water park, host a slumber party, or spend the day at the zoo. Once the busyness of the school year starts these sorts of festivities get pushed off. So, live it up big… just remember big doesn’t have to always mean expensive.
P.S. Here are some organizational tips to help your school year start stress-free.
We did an afternoon of bowling and video games on the Friday before school started. Saturday was spent visiting several department stores and office supply stores to see how cheaply we could get all the school supplies. Making it a game encouraged our kids to participate in the bargain hunting.
We found paper for $0.01 each for up to 5 packs, pencils for $0.10 a pack, binders at $.079 each, and some other great deals. We still managed to spend over $50 for supplies however. We never did find a red tabbed folder with pockets, so substituted hot-pink instead.
This weekend’s art projects include personalizing the folders and binders. Remember how we used to write all over the denim notebook covers? We’ll probably make some brown paper book covers and decorate them too.
Tender thanks you looking for details. It helped me in my mission