Summer Organizing Is In the Bag!

How would you like to end the school year and start the summer feeling organized? 

You can….it’s in the BAG!!

Don’t dread the big paper bag full of school stuff that is coming home.  Go through it with your child right away and make a special time out of it by talking about the year’s memories.  

• First, throw away all the beat up supplies that you won’t use again. 
• Next, quickly go through papers and toss the ones that are not important and keep the ones that are.  Papers that you plan to keep should be special (stories your child wrote, exceptional art work, special notes from your child’s teacher or friends).  
• Store your child’s papers in a file folder and label it with the grade they just completed.  On the inside of the folder have your child print and sign their name, write their teacher’s name and who their special friends were during the year.  Have them jot down some of their favorite and least favorite activities and a goal for the following year. 
• Pick out a nice plastic bin or a memorabilia box that can hold multiple folders and place the folder in the box.  Make this a tradition.  You will feel totally organized and your children will have their memories at their fingertips when they need them.  My kids love their memory boxes and they have come in very handy at graduation time when they are preparing for their senior presentations.

Create To-Go Bags.  Whether you will be heading off to the beach, going to the park, or taking a road trip; To-Go Bags are very handy.  Simply gather up some of those extra totes you have lying around the house and designate them for a specific purpose. 

• To create a “Beach To-Go Bag” grab some sunscreen, extra beach towels, sand bucket and shovel, flip flops, extra sunglasses, a few water bottles and you are ready to go. 
• For a road trip or those long errand days with the kids create a “Car To-Go Bag”.  Include colored pencils (crayons can melt in the car), color book, reading books, flash cards, snacks, action figures, Mad-Libs, and maybe an electronic game for really long car rides.  
• If your kids are planning lots of summer camps or over-nighters, plan ahead and make up some “Toiletry To-Go Bags” with mini toothbrushes and paste, little shampoos and soaps you have kept from hotels, and other essentials.  When it comes time to pack it will be a breeze. 
• “Emergency To-Go Bags” are always a good idea to keep in the car.  Include a flashlight, snacks with a long expiration, water, Tylenol, and a first-aid kit.  One of my clients recently made up a couple for her cars and put them in back packs.  A very good idea if you will need to leave your car and walk any distance.

Whether you are emptying or filling your bags, the trick is to think ahead on how you can be more effecient and organized.  Be CREATIVE and have a fun summer!