Back to School Countdown: 7 days, 7 ways to make the most of the final week

7 Days, 7 Ways to Get Set for the New School Year
By: Kati Chevaux, organizational expert and editor at Cozi.com

Day 1 – Refresh the calendar

The school year is chock-full of calendar events: school functions, athletic events, classroom parties, library due dates, gym days, music lessons and parent-teacher conferences. Get a calendar to record everything so you aren’t tracking down flyers, paper schedules, emails and notes from school for your day-to-day planning. Cozi makes it easy with an online calendar that the whole family can access either online or via their mobile phone (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry) so families have their to-do lists at their fingertips no matter where they are. Even better, you can sync your Cozi calendar with school district event calendars and your home calendars.Cozi lets you send reminders and agendas to keep everyone on the same page.

Day 2 – Inventory the kids’ closets

You don’t have to go on a huge shopping spree, but make sure each child has enough clothes for the first few weeks of school. Go through the kids’ closets, dressers and storage bins of clothes. Then make it fun by having a “fashion show” to find out which clothes fit which kids and who needs to buy what. This saves money and time since you aren’t heading out to buy new outfits for a child who can now wear an older sibling’s jeans that are still in good condition.

Day 3 – Create a morning checklist for the kids

Ever get frustrated that you have to remind the kids of seemingly basic tasks (brush your teeth, get dressed, get your backpack together) every single morning? Thought so! Put it all on a list and hand it over to the kids to use each morning. You can stop nagging because the responsibility of completing the list becomes the child’s. Just don't allow play time or TV time until the tasks are done. (Here's our morning checklist on Cozi: http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/school-morning-checklist)

Day 4 – Set up the time-to-go area

This is for backpacks, homework projects, shoes, coats, lunch sacks and anything else besides the clothes on their back needed to get out the door. Have the kids ALWAYS store these items in the time-to-go area and make sure it’s all there before they go to bed. It might take some time to get everyone in the habit, but getting out the door without a last-minute scramble for the hat your son can't leave without is well worth it.

Day 5 – Set up the homework routine

Will there be a dedicated homework area? When will homework get done – right after school, anytime before bed or in the morning before school for early birds? Letting the kids know what you expect for where, when and how homework gets done means fewer daily struggles over the task.

Day 6 – Make a list of favorite family meals

With summer’s end comes more structure to the evening schedule. One of the best things you can do to make the daily dinner decision easier is to keep a list of go-to meals that are easy to make and the whole family loves. Go a step further and plan out two weeks of family dinners so you don’t have to decide each day what’s for dinner during those busy first weeks of school. And you’ll end up with a treasure chest of ideas for the future when 5 o’clock rolls around and you haven’t a clue what to make.

Day 7 – Decide what you’ll do with schoolwork and art

Otherwise, you might end up with huge bins of papers and art projects that you couldn’t bring yourself to throw out the day they came home. Some ideas: keep one piece of art or school item for each child each week, use one container for the year and limit what you save to what fits in the container, display new art as it comes home in easy-to-use frames or with clips.

About CoziCozi is a free Web and mobile service that simplifies busy family life. With Cozi, families have the tools to manage schedules and activities with an online calendar, track grocery lists,shopping lists and to do lists, organize household chores, and share family moments with relatives and friends—all with one solution. Families can access Cozi from any computer at home or at work, and can get their grocery list, shopping list, to do list, schedule andmessages on any mobile phone. Located in Seattle, Wash., Cozi was founded by veterans of Microsoft, Expedia and Amazon with a vision for creating technology tuned to the family. Cozi has over 3 million registered family members, and is available for free at www.cozi.com.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews? Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Tips to Enjoy the Outdoor Activities this Summer!

REI (a national outdoor gear and clothing retailer), is partnering to host the National Wildlife Federation’s 7^th annual Great American Backyard Campout®. The Great American Backyard Campout, encourages families to open the door and sleep under the stars in their backyards or a local park. Over 180,000 families participated in REI’s Family Adventure programs last year, so this is a great way to jump in on the fun this summer.

 

In honor of the Great American Backyard Campout, REI is sharing a helpful list of camping tips by its' very own Green Vests (outdoor activity experts).

CAMPING TIPS:

Before an Overnight Trip:

• Practice camping at home: If your kids are outdoor newbies, pitch a tent in the backyard or even inside your home. Let them hang out in it and sleep in it so they become comfortable with a new sleeping environment.
• Take a trial run: Before your overnighter, try a family day outing at a close-to-home park. Spend a half-day or so at a lakeshore or park and see how your kids react to extended outdoor excursions.
• Take notes: Write down reminders for future trips: "Pack more sunscreen." "Bring long pants." "Leave bongos home."

Preparing for a Trip:

• Be enthusiastic: Why should kids get fired-up about an outdoor adventure if you're not?
• Involve your kids: Make trip planning a family affair. Ask kids for ideas of possible things to do or see at your destination. Take their input seriously.
• Kids as packers: Give children the responsibility to pack their own gear at home (using a list you've created). A parent should double-check a child's packing job before leaving home.
• Keeping kids (somewhat) organized: Have your kids pack every personal item in a duffel bag and encourage them to always return those items to that duffel. ("Mom, where's my paddleball set?" "Look in your duffel, dear.") Each child's duffel should be a different color for easy identification.
• Favorite toys: Let kids bring some of their favorite playthings so the campsite doesn't feel entirely foreign to them. Need ideas for new toys? View our suggestions later in this article.
• Friends are valuable: It can be fun for kids to camp with another family that has kids. Your kids may get bored with adults after a while. With playmates, they could be happily occupied for days.
• Bring bikes: Bikes are handy in a campground, so consider bringing a few along. If it's a long way from your campsite to the beach or play area, it's faster (and more fun) to use a bike instead of walking or firing up your vehicle. Bikes keep kids entertained, too.
• Check fire restrictions: Planning on a campfire? Before you leave home, make some calls to determine if campfires are permitted at your chosen campground. If not, make sure everyone in the family knows in advance. There's no bigger disappointment to a kid who has packed all the s'more fixings than to discover that a burn ban is in effect.

At the Campground:

• Exude a positive vibe: Family-camping rule No. 1: Be prepared to cope with inconvenience. Everything is in a different place. The bathroom is no longer down the hall, it's 6 campsites down the path. As an adult, you must lead by example with an upbeat, can-do attitude.
• Organize: Establish fixed locations for important items. "The forks and spoons are in the blue tub." "Flashlights are in the green stuff sack."
• Then stay organized: Remind everyone to always return items to their established locations so others can find them. If you're especially industrious, create a reference list of where-to-find-it locations. Tape it some place obvious.
• Keep everyone oriented: Help kids memorize the number of your campsite or point out landmarks ("We're 4 sites from the amphitheater") to help them remember its location.
• Make kids feel important: Kids like to feel important and involved. Assign them some meaningful camp chores, such as gathering firewood or collecting water from the pump. Recognize their contributions with praise or a treat (or both).
• Be safe: Make sure your kids always carry a whistle (teach them to blow it if they become separated from you) and have easy access to a flashlight or headlamp. Attach a lanyard to both the whistle and light and tie them to one of the child's belt loops.
• Wildlife: Ask park rangers about wildlife activity in the area you are visiting. As the adult, you need to take the lead and understand any precautions necessary (such as proper food storage or how to react during an up-close encounter) for safely coexisting with wildlife. Educate your children about the importance of not feeding wild animals (it negatively alters their food-gathering patterns) and treating wildlife with respect and caution so everyone stays safe.

When Outdoors, Be Outdoors:

• Make the most of nature: Look for wildlife. Check out bugs. Examine rocks. Identify birds, flowers, clouds, constellations. Lead kids on a rock scramble. Show interest in things that interest them. Bring a field guide to help you identify and learn about the things they find.
• Be active, stay loose: Try to keep your kids active without following a regimented schedule. If they're entertained by skipping rocks on the water, give them time to perfect the multiple-skip fling.
• Attend ranger talks: If you're camping at a state or national park, attend the ranger's evening talk. Ask staff if the park offers a junior-naturalist program or other kid-focused activities.
• Geocaching: A GPS-guided treasure hunt engages kids physically and mentally. Check our link to geocaching to see if any caches are hidden in the area you'll be visiting.
• Share time together: "Hey, mom, remember when we saw that deer?" Great memories are one of the great payoffs of a camping trip. Come home with the sort of stories that can only be created outdoors. Shakespeare must have been camping when he wrote, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

Fun Stuff You Can Bring:

• Paddleball set: At one of our photo shoots, the kids accompanying our crew couldn't put this game down.
• Marshallow launcher: Traditionally you toast them. Now you can shoot them at one other, too. Imagine: The common marshmallow, transformed into a summertime snowball.
• Animal-shaped flashlights: Leapin' lizards! Sharks, orcas and toucans, too.
• Kits, discs and flying toys: If it flies, it's probably a heap of fun. Our faves include lighted discs and Djubi balls.
• Make ice cream: Have some low-tech fun (with delicious results) with a boot-around plastic ball from Camper's Dream.
• Stream Machine: Camping in warm weather? If you can tolerate a little flying water, this is a kid's ultimate way to cool off.
• The glowing, multicolor flying disc: Whoa . . . it's psychedelic, man. Illuminated with LEDs, this disc changes colors while you play.
• Foot bags: So simple, so entertaining.
• Educational games: What? You haven't played "Pass the Pigs" or "Why Knot?" Well, why not?

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions
 
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