Professional Organizing Tips by Heather Cameron

No More Teachers' Dirty Looks
Move to the head of the class with these organizing tips
By Heather Cameron

Whether your children head off to school or not, you want to make sure their days run as smoothly as possible. So why not earn top marks by getting organized?

Talk to just about any teacher — or professional organizer — about the number one tip for back-to-school and you will hear the word “routine.” Regular rhythms in sleeping and eating not only nourish a child’s body, they nourish a child’s emotional well-being. Routines provide balance and security in our sometimes hectic family lives. Implementing a back-to-school routine before the school bell rings can make all the difference in a child’s ability to learn, notes one Grade One teacher. For many of these children, Grade One is their first experience with attending school full-time. Most teachers say they can pinpoint early in the school year which children have a regular bedtime routine and which don’t by their attentiveness (or lack thereof) in class. Caroline Sheppard, who teaches Grade Four students, also preaches the value of routine. She suggests that parents start implementing back-to-school sleeping and eating routines at least one (and preferably two) weeks in advance of the first day of school. And remember, routines aren’t just for children. Many parents would likely benefit from a consistent bedtime, too!

A good calendar can make or break your school routine. While a Blackberry may be your addiction of choice, a large family calendar can be the best day timer for children in elementary school. Make sure you purchase a calendar with enough space to record a multitude of activities. My current favourite is one in which each month is printed onto the front of a folder. When I mark an activity on the calendar, any accompanying paperwork that may be required later — such as a supply list or directions to a birthday party — is tucked in the folder for easy access.

If you use a different coloured marker for each member of the family, you will be able to quickly reference each person’s information. Remember to reconcile details between your family calendar and your professional one whenever necessary. And this may be stating the obvious but…be sure to refer to your family calendar at least once a day to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything — maybe while you are making the lunches!

If you have more than one child, you will be doing a lot of school supply shopping. There are different schools of thought as to when to tackle this task — some people want to shop early to avoid the crowds and to ensure they find everything on their list and some people want to hold out to benefit from back-to-school sales. Whatever you choose, make the job a little less complicated by combining each child’s list into one master list. This will ensure you are not juggling multiple lists and having to backtrack to pickup overlooked items. If you are purchasing a new lunch kit and school bag, ensure your child can easily fit the lunch kit into the sack with room to spare for some books and supplies or that is has a sturdy handle to carry it separately. And don’t forget to make sure that zippers and claps are manageable for little fingers. Keep in mind that kids can access items in their pencil cases much easier and faster if the cases have a wide opening. Caroline Sheppard discourages the use of pencil boxes — supplies all too easily end up spilling out of them.

Label everything that doesn’t move — lunch kits, school bags, school supplies, shoes and any clothing that will be removed when indoors. Indelible markers are ideal for labelling, but there are also companies online that will produce iron-on name labels, if desired.) If you take the time to label each and every pencil, marker, pencil sharpener, calculator, etc. you can be sure your child will never be missing anything. My trick? I print out my children’s names (thank goodness for cut and paste commands) on any type of peel-and-stick labels. I then cut out each name and attach it to an item and then anchor it in place with a strip of clear scotch tape to ensure the corners of the label don’t lift or come off. Yes, every pencil, every marker, etc. It sounds tedious, but if you do it while watching a favourite program or involve your older kids in the process, your child will never misplace another red pencil crayon again and you will be able to postpone any additional supply shopping until next year. And be sure to prepare any supplies so they are ready-to-use. Your children will be wasting valuable classroom time if they need to sharpen each one of their 24 newly purchased pencil crayons!

Younger children usually need some guidance when working on their homework so be sure to designate a space as homework central. You may be able to recycle odds and sods from last year’s pencil case to complete your home supply of pencils, markers, scissors, etc. Just make sure that there aren’t too many distractions such as (television or a computer) nearby.

Designate a spot for your child’s paperwork. Homework to be completed through the week, permission forms, party invitations and whatever else that needs attention should be dropped here for mom or dad to review. Make sure your family calendar and a telephone are located nearby. You might consider keeping a stash of envelopes, blank cheques, and pens and paperclips nearby so you can process paperwork, make any necessary telephone calls and mark coordinates on your family calendar quickly and conveniently. Completed paperwork can then be recycled, filed or returned to your child’s school bag.

A little bit of planning will make the goodbyes a little easier — and could earn you an A+ for your efforts.

Listen to your local weather forecast and lay out the appropriate school clothes the night before.

Children and hangers just don’t work. Install some wall hooks — at kid level — so your little ones can hang up their own coats and school bags in the same place everyday.

Pack school bags with everything but lunch kits before bedtime to save some time and frustration in the morning.

Make lunches the night before and double check that ice packs are in the freezer.

Try to plan your lunches for the week before you hit the grocery store. Be sure to get an idea of what your child’s favourite foods are (at least for this week) so you can add those special items to the menu.

Why not try your hand as a sous chef? Pre-cut a weeks’ worth of items like carrots and melon at the beginning of the week so you can quickly package up lunch items as you need them.

Honour your children’s natural rhythms when planning homework time, notes Professional Organizer Laurene Livesey Park of OrganizeMe101.com. Some children want to come home and tackle their homework right away and others need to unwind from the day with a snack or quiet time. Figure out what works best for the child and go with it.

Heather Cameron operates Edited Interiors, an Ottawa-area business that offers professional organizing, home staging, and interior decorating/redecorating services. You can contact her at 613 831-6398 or visit www.editedinteriors.com.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Due West/Due East magazine, a publication of Coyle Publishing Inc.


organizing, decorating and home staging solutions

	No More Teachers' Dirty Looks Move to the head of the class with these organizing tips By Heather Cameron Whether your children head off to school or not, you want to make sure their days run as smoothly as possible. So why not earn top marks by getting organized? *Reading* *, ’riting, and routine* Talk to just about any teacher — or professional organizer — about the number one tip for back-to-school and you will hear the word “routine.” Regular rhythms in sleeping and eating not only nourish a child’s body, they nourish a child’s emotional well-being. Routines provide balance and security in our sometimes hectic family lives. Implementing a back-to-school routine before the school bell rings can make all the difference in a child’s ability to learn, notes one Grade One teacher. For many of these children, Grade One is their first experience with attending school full-time. Most teachers say they can pinpoint early in the school year which children have a regular bedtime routine and which don’t by their attentiveness (or lack thereof) in class. Caroline Sheppard, who teaches Grade Four students, also preaches the value of routine. She suggests that parents start implementing back-to-school sleeping and eating routines at least one (and preferably two) weeks in advance of the first day of school. And remember, routines aren’t just for children. Many parents would likely benefit from a consistent bedtime, too! *Day primers* A good calendar can make or break your school routine. While a Blackberry may be your addiction of choice, a large family calendar can be the best day timer for children in elementary school. Make sure you purchase a calendar with enough space to record a multitude of activities. My current favourite is one in which each month is printed onto the front of a folder. When I mark an activity on the calendar, any accompanying paperwork that may be required later — such as a supply list or directions to a birthday party — is tucked in the folder for easy access. If you use a different coloured marker for each member of the family, you will be able to quickly reference each person’s information. Remember to reconcile details between your family calendar and your professional one whenever necessary. And this may be stating the obvious but…be sure to refer to your family calendar at least once a day to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything — maybe while you are making the lunches! *Shop class* If you have more than one child, you will be doing a lot of school supply shopping. There are different schools of thought as to when to tackle this task — some people want to shop early to avoid the crowds and to ensure they find everything on their list and some people want to hold out to benefit from back-to-school sales. Whatever you choose, make the job a little less complicated by combining each child’s list into one master list. This will ensure you are not juggling multiple lists and having to backtrack to pickup overlooked items. If you are purchasing a new lunch kit and school bag, ensure your child can easily fit the lunch kit into the sack with room to spare for some books and supplies or that is has a sturdy handle to carry it separately. And don’t forget to make sure that zippers and claps are manageable for little fingers. Keep in mind that kids can access items in their pencil cases much easier and faster if the cases have a wide opening. Caroline Sheppard discourages the use of pencil boxes — supplies all too easily end up spilling out of them. *The name game* Label everything that doesn’t move — lunch kits, school bags, school supplies, shoes and any clothing that will be removed when indoors. Indelible markers are ideal for labelling, but there are also companies online that will produce iron-on name labels, if desired.) If you take the time to label each and every pencil, marker, pencil sharpener, calculator, etc. you can be sure your child will never be missing anything. My trick? I print out my children’s names (thank goodness for cut and paste commands) on any type of peel-and-stick labels. I then cut out each name and attach it to an item and then anchor it in place with a strip of clear scotch tape to ensure the corners of the label don’t lift or come off. Yes, every pencil, every marker, etc. It sounds tedious, but if you do it while watching a favourite program or involve your older kids in the process, your child will never misplace another red pencil crayon again and you will be able to postpone any additional supply shopping until next year. And be sure to prepare any supplies so they are ready-to-use. Your children will be wasting valuable classroom time if they need to sharpen each one of their 24 newly purchased pencil crayons! *Homework central* Younger children usually need some guidance when working on their homework so be sure to designate a space as homework central. You may be able to recycle odds and sods from last year’s pencil case to complete your home supply of pencils, markers, scissors, etc. Just make sure that there aren’t too many distractions such as (television or a computer) nearby. *Inbox* Designate a spot for your child’s paperwork. Homework to be completed through the week, permission forms, party invitations and whatever else that needs attention should be dropped here for mom or dad to review. Make sure your family calendar and a telephone are located nearby. You might consider keeping a stash of envelopes, blank cheques, and pens and paperclips nearby so you can process paperwork, make any necessary telephone calls and mark coordinates on your family calendar quickly and conveniently. Completed paperwork can then be recycled, filed or returned to your child’s school bag. A little bit of planning will make the goodbyes a little easier — and could earn you an A+ for your efforts. *Routines that make the grade* Listen to your local weather forecast and lay out the appropriate school clothes the night before. Children and hangers just don’t work. Install some wall hooks — at kid level — so your little ones can hang up their own coats and school bags in the same place everyday. Pack school bags with everything but lunch kits before bedtime to save some time and frustration in the morning. Make lunches the night before and double check that ice packs are in the freezer. Try to plan your lunches for the week before you hit the grocery store. Be sure to get an idea of what your child’s favourite foods are (at least for this week) so you can add those special items to the menu. Why not try your hand as a sous chef? Pre-cut a weeks’ worth of items like carrots and melon at the beginning of the week so you can quickly package up lunch items as you need them. Honour your children’s natural rhythms when planning homework time, notes Professional Organizer Laurene Livesey Park of OrganizeMe101.com. Some children want to come home and tackle their homework right away and others need to unwind from the day with a snack or quiet time. Figure out what works best for the child and go with it. Heather Cameron operates Edited Interiors, an Ottawa-area business that offers professional organizing, home staging, and interior decorating/redecorating services. You can contact her at 613 831-6398 or visit www.editedinteriors.com. This article originally appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Due West/Due East magazine, a publication of Coyle Publishing Inc. home \| about \| professional organizing \| interior decorating \| home staging \| portfolio \| articles \| tips \| contact
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