Back To School, Supplies, Sales

Back To School: For Kids And College For Parents, Supplies, Sales

Back To School

Back To School College For Parents

The kids are older and you are older.  Now you find that you have more time on your hands and you decide that it’s time to go back to school and finish your degree.  Now what?  There are several choices to consider.

First, you’ll need to research the schools in your area to find what works for you and your time.  There are courses you can take in the evenings, weekends, or even online.  You can take the traditional route and attend day classes.

Evening and weekend classes are more informal and often smaller in class size.  You’ll find older students, parents, and grandparents.  Online courses can be worked on your own schedule but usually have a heavier homework load and harder tests.  You have to have a lot of self-discipline and motivation.  Day classes have more action.  Most students take classes during the day and the classes are larger.

Next, you have to enroll.  This involves admissions and orientation.  You might want to meet with a counselor to discuss your class options.  You’ll need to find out class requirements and schedules.  If you know what your major will be, you can meet with a counselor in that department.  They will tell you what you should take and answer most of your questions.

Registration can be confusing.  You have to work out the classes you want with what is available and fits in your schedule.  Once you get registered and know what your classes are, find your books and get ready to start school.  If it’s been a long time since you’ve been to school, expect that things will have changed a lot.  Enjoy the chance to learn new things and expand your mind.  And try not to roll your eyes at the giggly girls in your classes.

Back To School For Kids

New Teacher and new rules. Oh, the first day of school.  The excitement and anticipation, the butterflies twirling in the stomach, and then you get to your class.  The teacher comes in and writes classroom rules down on the board.  Then he sends home information on the class discipline policy.

When kids begin school, it can be an adjustment to get used to a new teacher.  We can help them make this time period easier by staying positive and making sure our comments are appropriate.  It might be an adjustment for us as well.  It’s important that you do not say anything negative in front of your children.  They will need to believe that it will be okay, and you don’t want it repeated back to the teacher.

Help your child by reviewing the rules with them and talking about them.  Make sure they understand what the teacher is saying.  A teacher had a rule that the children could not go to the office to call their parents if they were not feeling well.  Kids were afraid that if anyone got sick, would have to stay at school.

What the teacher was trying to say is that if a child gets sick, they need to go to the nurse’s station.  They can decide from there if a parent should be called.

If there is a rule that no gum is allowed in school, make sure your child is not chewing gum on the way to school.  They might forget to spit it out.  If they can’t wear a certain type of shoe, remind them to leave them at home.  We should help our children remember and obey the rules.  These rules will help them learn that there are boundaries and guidelines in school, and in life.

Back To School Supplies

In years past, schools have always handed out the school supply list two days before school started.  This drove parents crazy.  For one thing, it only gave you one day to go get what your kids needed for the first day, and for another thing, the school sales were over.

So you should start stockpiling school supplies.  Once you have had your kids in school, you get a feel for the supplies that the school generally needs.  Elementary schools are very big on glue sticks.

Gone are the days when you took a bottle of Elmer’s glue and had it refilled when you got low.  Glue sticks are the way to go, less mess, easier to use, and no big globs of glue that take two days to dry.  You can buy a big pile of extra glue sticks when they are on sale.

Watch whatever items your children use.  These are good items to find on sale and pick up before school starts.  The summer before school starts is the only time when school supplies are on sale so make sure you take advantage of it.

Some schools and teachers accept donations for other items used in the classroom.  You can check with the teachers and find out what items they are in need of.  This is a great way to help out the teacher.

When the kids come home with their supply lists now, you sit down and go through your stash and check off the things you have, and what you still need.  If you keep your supply filled, there shouldn’t be a need for a quick dash to the store on the day before school starts.

Back To School Sales

Back to school shopping.  The stores love this time of the year.  They load their shelves with products – full of color and covered in cute patterns and popular pictures.  They tease us with the newest and best products available, guaranteed to save us time and make things simpler.  Your children run up and down the aisles in the school section, hoping you will buy them the decorator erasers.

You can be more sensible when purchasing school supplies.  Go with what items you used last year.  Your daughter might want the big, shiny trapper keeper, but did she use one last year?  Did she find it easier to keep subjects in individual folders, or did she like a binder system with folders?

When purchasing supplies, also consider how much of the items will need to go back and forth from home and school.  When you add in books, do you or your children want to be carting around that much weight?

Decorator pencils are very cute.  However, the average yellow pencils work just as well.  The same idea applies to other supplies.  Determine what items you need and use, and decide if you will allow a few of the cuter (and not necessary) items to slip into the cart as well.  Packing school supplies to take on the first day of school is part of the excitement,  and that striped eraser just might make someone smile wider.

 

Related: Back To School Tips

 

Back To School Items

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