Finally, we have said goodbye to 2020 and welcomed 2021. You are recovering from the chaos of festive season and diving into another chaos i.e., back to school. If you have two or three children, the first one starting school, Deidaa has back to school tips and tricks for you.
Back to school - wardrobe
Lay out the clothes the night before or during the weekend at least for the first three days of school. You can wash and iron the clothes. Put them on a clothing rack. Place the rack in your children's bedroom. If they are old enough to dress themselves, let them do so. Check for rips, stains, and missing buttons. You have heard of the old adage - a stitch in time saves nine. If you see some unpicked stitches, a broken button or two, repair these right away. You will add life to your children's school uniform.
Small accessories - hair bands, scarves, hankies, and socks can go into drawstring bags. Unlike plastic bags, drawstring bags last for a very long time. They are non-toxic and eco-friendly.
Place the school backpack on the bottom shelf.
When you are buying a backpack, look for features like tabs or pulls for the zips. Without zipper pulls or tabs, your child may not be able to open the backpack with ease. Ensure the bags have outer compartments for juice and water bottles. The backpack should have a small outer compartment for things the child would need frequently. This would minimise the need to open the main compartment, and potentially lose things.
Put clothes, accessories, backpacks, jumpers and shoes on one stand. Use pocket bags to pack windcheaters, jackets and shoes. Use the big pocket for packing hoodies and the small compartments for shoes. Your entire school wardrobe should be on one rack. Teach your children to pick up things from the rack. When they come home they can place everything back on the rack. This would minimise post-school mess.
Back to school - lunch box
What is a mums worst nightmare? At the end of the day, the lunch box that you had packed with so much care comes back to you untouched. What can we do to make lunch boxes a little more appealing? When you're preparing about five lunch boxes, two or three for your children, one for yourself, another for the hubby it can get to be a little too much. What can you do in advance to plan lunch boxes? Use two or three tier tiffins for meal preparation. Prepare sandwiches and store in the bottom tier of the tiffin.
Use the top tiers for nuts, berries and fruits. Pre-wash and pluck the cherries. Cut the top part of the strawberries. Another tasty alternative is pre-mixed nuts. Store nuts, sunflower seeds roasted chickpeas in an Indian spice box. Make your own pre mix of nuts.
We have to be mindful of the different allergies You may have a child who is allergic to nuts. You can bake mini muffins. Buy the gluten free, nut free, low in sugar mixes. Pre-bake muffins and store in a calico bread bag.
You may pack whole fruits as snacks. You can use the mesh bags to store whole fruits like apples, pears, and peaches. Fruits remain fresh and crunchy for a long time.
Use steel lunch boxes steel for packing lunch on the day. Steel is biodegradable, non-toxic, sturdy and lasts for a long time. You can use the big compartment for your sandwiches or for any other wholesome food you may have prepared. The mini box is good for the pre-prepared fruits and nuts. You can sneak in healthy options like a sprout salad, now and then.
Get your children involved. A five or six year old, dressed in a Deidaa's kids' apron, can help in the making of her school lunch.
Back to school - have fun
When a child goes to school for the first time, he or she may be scared to go to school. If you associate going to school with fun activities, the child will get rid of the initial anxiety associated with going to school. Wooden learning toys teach you size, the basic shapes, and a sense of proportion. They sharpen your numerical skills. Learning becomes fun.
Make the entire activity of going to school fun - something that your child would look forward to.
Share your Back to School tips with Deidaa. Post comments at https://www.facebook.com/deidaaecogiftsonline/, #regram @deidaaecogiftsonline.