Back To School Organizing & a Link Party!

It's that time of year again.  Back. To. School.

Wow, when did that happen?

We actually have one last week before the kiddos head back, and although I have all sorts of end of summer activities planned for the kids this week, I also have oodles of organizing to do to ensure we are prepared for all things school related.

So I thought it would be fun to dedicate a few posts to "Back To School" organizing this week, and also have a super awesome link party to share all of our Back To School organizing posts in one happy place.  You in?!

To kick start the week, I am compiling all of our favorite school organizing tips and tricks into one post.  So without further ado, here are some of the things we do to ensure we have as successful of a school year as possible:

Since summer is winding down, our daily routine and schedules will be shifting.  That means, a more structured morning and bedtime routine.  Our charts have been printed and are back on the fridge to offer friendly reminders of all we need to accomplish in the A.M. and P.M.

 {You can download yours for free here}

We try to pack the kid's a lunch as frequently as possible, to be sure they are eating healthy and to save a little moolah.  Having a lunch station inside the fridge allows us to quickly snag one basket and select from all of the lunch making options in one swoop.

We do the same thing for snacks.  This way, they can grab a healthy, pre-portioned snack when they get home from school or toss one in their backpack to they have a quick bite to eat before an after school activity.

Another way we ensure a smooth start to the day, is by selecting attire in advance.  The kids and I pick out outfits on Sunday and hang them in a special spot in their closet.  Then, they can just roll out of bed and quickly get dressed in the morning.

When it comes time to get their study on, I found that giving them each their own "Study Box", really helped keep things simple and orderly.  The box is easy to pull to the table and contains everything they need to work on their homework.  We also use it to store daily papers and adore that each kiddo has their own place for all of their school information.

When the boys bring their own personal books to school, I like to toss a label inside the cover to help the book make its way back home safe and sound.

When they bring home those precious art creations, we gave each boy a place to keep them on display until the next one comes home.

And when creating those art projects at home, a simple caddy to hold their basic everyday art supplies, always comes in handy!

The rest of their art supplies are stashed away here.

When it comes to the mounds of completed schoolwork that come home on a daily basis, the piles are sorted down and only the most special and memorable items are saved and filed away in pre-labeled school folders.

And don't forget to pop over to How Does She to print off the cutest back to school photo cards so you can snag a photo of your kiddo on the first day of school.

We are working on some other projects for back to school time, that I will be sharing throughout the course of the week so stay tuned for more!



And a button for you!

<a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="IHeart Organizing" src="http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad14/iheartorganizing/Blog%20Images/BackToSchoolPartyButton.jpg" /></a>

Or share your back to school success stories in the comments below!