Managing Without School

I find at the end of each school year that elementary age children come home with more paperwork that they know what to do with. It's amazing what comes out of those lockers and desks. Indoor shoes that no longer fit. Too easy. Into the charity box they go. Pencils that are too small to manipulate and markers that are dried up. Again, too easy. Into the trash they go. Ok, so now we've got packages of glue sticks that weren't used and erasers that are practically brand new. I have a special filing box for those items that goes up on a shelf until the end of summer when we start to think about stocking up for the new school year. If I'm given a list of supplies needed for the following year I post that on the outside of the box and check off the supplies I already have. At a glance I can check my list against the store flyers and buy only what we need.

Now is the tough part; what do we do with all the artwork and science projects that are left in that dwindling pile from school? One simple solution is to make a big colorful display and videotape the collection before recycling as much of it as you can. You can also photograph the "art exhibit." Relatives that live out of town and are too far away to see your child throughout the school year will enjoy a copy. Take the time to study each piece as you set up the display, discussing your child's technique and note improvement you see from the start of the year till the end. Allow your child to keep the best work rolled up in a wrapping paper tube for easy storage or find a suitable container to store the item(s). Some families have memory boxes to keep special work. Just remind your child (and yourself) that too much of anything amounts to clutter.

It can hard for some children to part with anything from school, especially if he/she is worried that friendships will be lost over the summer. Make sure to collect school friends' phone numbers as well as snail mail and email addresses. Old artwork can be recycled and sent snail mail to friends with a letter written on the back.

As adults we know how fast the summers can go so lets try and enjoy the sunshine with our kids. Handle all that stuff that is coming home these last few weeks of school as soon as it enters the house. Have a plan ready to set into action and don't forget the sun screen when the job is done.

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