It is back to school time! If you are a typical parent, you have mixed feelings. On the one hand, you are ready for structure, activities to keep your child “entertained”, some routine. Then again, the morning rush, after school madness, homework and PAPERS have not been missed.
Over the course of the next few weeks we are going to share organizational tools and practices you can utilize to manage the piles of papers and the busy schedules.
Kids come home with lots of papers. Some are meaningful. Some are worthy of keeping forever. Some are informational. Some are of no value. Some have detailed information for a later date. Every day your child comes home with paper you have decisions to make. What are you going to keep? If you decide to keep it, where are you going to store it?
Create a School Keepsake box. Purchase a file storage box, one that can hold legal size hanging file folders. With some personalization ( we like to use scrapbook letters, but you could have a monogram created etc…), this box will become the place to keep all of your child’s important school memorabilia. Inside the box, you will need 13 hanging file folders. Each one will be labeled for one school year. You’ll begin with Kindergarten and label through to Senior Year. Utilizing the legal file size will ensure you can fit class pictures, some art, special projects, report cards and award certificates. The overall size of the box allows for binders/scrapbooks or other items made at school to be inserted behind the respective school year. The folders expand enough to even allow for plaques or ribbons.
If you struggle with photographs, like I do, you can even drop envelopes of pictures you have taken at field trips, birthday parties, sporting events etc… into the respective year folder. Come senior year, when you are trying to put together those slide shows, you’ll have access to school related photos.
The benefits of a School Keepsake box are many. It keeps items sorted. It is an easy system even your children can help maintain. Best of all, it limits the amount of “stuff” you keep. At the end of the year look back through that school year’s folder with your child. Let them help decide which items they really want to keep and which they are happy to let go of. Take pictures of large art projects and file the picture. If it is that great an art piece, frame it and hang it in the playroom, media room or child’s room. But don’t, please don’t just keep every item. When tempted to do so think on this: How much of your grade school memorabilia do you still have? What were your thoughts when your mom called asking you to come get all you boxes out of her attic? (be honest, we know they were not positive thoughts) Don’t collect items that just become boxes of stuff to take up space in your child’s home once they leave the next. Create organized memory boxes that hold simple treasurers, just enough to trigger memories and stories to pass on.
If you would like to order a School Keepsake box SOS: Simplified, Organized, Styled is currently taking orders. We personalize each box. You may contact us at simplifiedorganized@gmail.com. The cost of each box is $55.00. Must be in the central AR area.
SOS:SimplifiedOrganizedStyled 