tips to get ready for school

Time to grease the brain gears. Making Italian for dinner Ask your child to calculate the nutritional value of the meal, spell words such as gnocchi or penne, talk about the Roman Empire or chat about capital cities in Italy. Incorporate pop quizzes into your childs day with math facts, spelling questions, history facts or geography questions to warm up for the upcoming school year. Online brain games such as crossword puzzles, word scrambles and Sudoku are also fun ways to exercise the brain.

Begin a gradual transition from the carefree days of summer to the rigors of the academic schedule. Send the kids to bed 15 minutes earlier each night, and wake them up a little closer to the usual school start time. This transition should also find its way into the kitchen. Get back into the habit of starting the morning with a healthy breakfast, serve lunch at a regular time and get into the routine of a hearty, early dinner. Regulating your familys internal clocks will help ease the transition for both your children and you.

Every year starts with some iteration of the same time honored question What did you do this summer. You know your children will be asked, so why not prepare them now Have your children collect their thoughts, pore over photographs, jot down some notes or write journal entries so that theyre ready when the teacher pops the question.

Beat the sandwich blues by brainstorming new lunch ideas with your children. Come up with an exciting lunch menu for the first week of school and stock the fridge with all the ingredients youll need. Planning will help avoid the early morning scramble.

The first day of school is an important event on the fashion front. Collaborate with your children to find that perfect back to school outfit and set it out the night before. This helps build anticipation for the big day and saves precious time in the morning.

Celebrate the start of school with a get together maybe a classmate pizza party the first weekend of the school year. Planning a party will give your child something to look forward to, and its a great way to reconnect with peers and set the foundation for friendships that will stay with your child throughout the year.

Shuffling between two homes can be confusing and things can often get lost in the process. To eliminate the frustration that goes along with transitions, try to be as organized as possible. Talk to your ex about the homework assignments, prepare a checklist for your child and get duplicates of items such as sports uniforms when possible. Ensure that you both have their best interest at heart and that you will both help him or her learn how to transition between the two homes smoothly. If not in your divorce agreement already, plan ahead what should happen for events such as emergencies, illness, inclement weather and early release days during the school year. Make sure you bot have back up and emergency plans to avoid any confusion as well as help your child feel more secure during planned and unplanned events that may occur while they are at school.

Each school year floats on a sea of schedules. School functions. Lunch menus. Scout meetings and music lessons. What do you do when youre drowning in paper.Nothing calms school year chaos like Calendar Central a centralized site for all family calendars and schedules. Youll need a family event calendar to track after school activities, school programs and volunteer work. Add specialized calendars and schedules, and you have it a one stop shop for family time management.Form is less important than function. A paper calendar with large squares lets you enter information easily. Pre printed white board calendars are easy to revise when necessary. Color coding entries by family member helps keep busy lives straight.Paper planner fans dedicate a planner section to serve as Calendar Central, while tech savvy cybergrrrlz store the info in a smart phone or tablet and sync with multiple computers. Choose a calendar format that works for your family.Post the family event calendar in a public place near the telephone. Use magnets to attach the calendar to the refrigerator, or tack it to a bulletin board.

Before you do anything, comb or brush your hair out.
Try not to use curling irons or flat irons every day because too much direct heat can ruin hair.

Remember that there are still ways to express your individual style if you have a uniform.
Dress for the season dont wear shorts and a tank top in the winter!