Yes, amazingly, the long school Summer holidays are coming to an end. I have loved this Summer despite the sometimes rainy weather. No school run, Olympics, my lovely kids – what’s not to like. Well, going to work when my children are on holiday actually but at least that spurred me on to make as much as possible of my time off.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings – here are my top tips for that mad back to school rush:
1. Uniform
You still have a few days to get that uniform so go NOW if you haven’t already got everything. Remember to get your children to try on their uniform from last year including shoes – you never know, some things may still fit.
Take your uniform list with you to the shops and write down which sizes you buy for each item. Sizes never seem to be consistent across different manufacturers so you can’t assume that your child will have the same size cardigan as dress for example. Writing down the sizes makes it soooo much less stressful when an item is lost as you can nip to the shop and get a replacement without having to drag your child along after school or at a weekend.
2. Labelling
Label uniform and shoes as you get it rather than leaving it all to the night before. I hate sewing in labels but it does mean that occasionally some lost item gets returned which saves money and time in the long run. I have given up on iron–on labels because they usually wear out and you can’t get them off easily if you want to pass on the uniform to someone else. But that’s just me.
Since I went back to work though, I have stopped labelling socks !
3. Stationery and stuff
Check whether your children need any more stationery, pens, pencils etc for the new term. If your school has a list, go through it. You may need something different when they go up a year. I nearly forgot the fountain pen for this year…
4. Picnic lunches
If your child has decided they want a picnic lunch this year, start thinking about what to put in it and add to your shopping list for the end of next week.
For my son, I have a checklist in my head of sandwich, crisps or similar, carton of juice, cake or biscuits (usually homemade tea loaf!); ice pack. He only has a few sandwich fillings that he likes but I do try and vary them from day to day.
Your child may have more adventurous tastes but you do need to plan ahead for the week.
Also make sure you have a chill bag and small ice packs to keep the food cold. And have spares in case the bag gets left at school or stolen,
Happy back to school to all!!!
