{Organizing School Work}

How do you handle the mound of school work that comes home? I have only one kiddo, and I know I'm in the minority, so I always like to see what others do. There are tons of really cute and sensible ideas out there, so I thought I would share how we handle storing and keeping our school papers.

I start the year by keeping nearly EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. Unless it's a note for an event, it goes in this box:

It's a 12x12 scrapbook box that I got on sale for around $4. Don't worry...it's not the finished product. Although if you have ZERO time and 5 kids, it would be perfect...just cumbersome. :)

But I'm off-topic...so here's what I do next.

I keep everything in the box all year. At the end of the year, I go through everything and throw away A LOT. I keep about 25-30 important pieces of work or projects. All the newsletters and extra paper that has a blank back, we stash in our scrap paper pile in our office. 

Then I gather these supplies:

legal expandable envelopes with velcro or a cord

packing tape

computer/paper

I make up some labels listing the school year, my kiddo's age, the school, the teacher, and the location. You can use large labels for this, but honestly ours are stored in the attic. (We have a really cool walk-in attic that we go in and out of weekly, so we can access these anytime. Not a traditional attic.) I have found that labels in attics (over time) tend to peel with the variations in temperature, so I always use cardstock and packing tape instead. It just works better for me.:) It looks like this:

I add all the work I'm keeping, adhere the label, and file them in this nifty tote.

I love crate ideas...but that just means dust and crud to clean off for me, although they are so cute. A file box is another great idea, but maybe I keep too much, but we would fill that rather quickly. So this is our method, and it works great!

Thanks for stopping by,

{Teacher Gift: First Day of First Grade!}

My baby is heading off to first grade in just a few days, and to say I'm beside myself is putting it lightly. I've been home for 7 years, centering my world around her, and it seems unreal that she is suddenly going to be in someone else's care for the entire day, every day. I was a teacher for several years, I always held myself to the highest standards in educating my students, but now...as a parent...it seems absolutely ludicrous that we put all this energy, thought, and time into giving our kiddos the very best start in the early years..........all to just send them away, essentially with strangers, masses of influences that I have not pre-screened, and the stresses of a standardized education. Ugh. I know there are others who feel my pain. 

But on a positive note, we have an absolutely wonderful teacher this year, which is a relief to my heart needless to say. Her classroom reminds me of my own, and for that I'm grateful. Engaging, positive, and brain compatible. So we're going to soak up that joy this year and I know that my kiddo will grow in all aspects as a result.

So I wanted to share the "little something" I made for her teacher for the first day of school. Inexpensive, very simple, and a positive gesture. There are tons of super cute back-to-school ideas out there in blogland, that's for sure, but here's what we did!

You need:

a plastic container from your recycling bin (mine is a Hillshire Farms deli turkey tub)

scrapbook paper or card stock

supplies to fill your tub

Here's what we chose to give Mrs. B:

hand sanitizer, rubber bands, band-aids (kid-friendly of course), Chapstick, candy, sticky note pads, hand lotion, & Crystal Light To-Go lemonade packets

First you need to trace the inside of your lid. It took me a few tries to get it just right. I used heavier scrapbook paper. I considered using mod podge to adhere it to the lid, but honestly, it's recessed into the lid a bit and I just didn't see the need. I used Sticky Strip instead. Then embellish any way you want! I printed the sentiment on cardstock and distressed the edges, then die cut the scallop with my Nesties. (I used smiley monster for my font).

I added a small note card that we put on the inside.

 

Really cute and simple I think! 

I'm taking Kleenex donations for the first day of school (for ME, of course!). I just have to make it out the door without tears, then I plan to cry the entire day! (Us Mama's are like that, aren't we?)

For those of you in a milestone year, how will you be coping on the first day of school?

Have a good one, regardless!