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Backpack Reminders
Rated by 1 member
At 3:45 on Friday, the kitchen counter braces itself for the weekly double-dump of school papers. There's the usual -- lunch menus, a slew of completed math, science, and spelling worksheets, a permission slip for a field trip to the Desert of Maine (yes, there is such a place), a plea for help with the Fourth Grade Farewell.
But there's also something new. A big hastily written note from Caitlin that reads: "Dear Mom, Mrs. Earle needs you to please help me remember my sneakers on Wednesdays and Fridays. Love, Caitlin."
I ask Caitlin about it. Apparently, she wrote this sitting on the floor in her socks while everyone else had played Jedi Knight. There's an instant surge of guilt. I let Mrs. Earle down because my kid was unprepared. I let Caitlin down by not making sure she had the right gear for the day.
Frankly, getting three kids going off to school every day feels vaguely akin to launching the Queen Elizabeth 2. I'm lucky if I remember what day of the week it is and who gets the peanut butter and jelly versus who gets the plain cheese with no butter, never mind about footwear. And hey, shouldn't a 9-year-old have some personal stake in packing a bag?
But it's my job to help her do this, so I decide to come up with a plan. Caitlin, Ellie, and I sit down and build a little chart. I've seen complex versions of these -- you know, with rotating wheels and sliding parts that indicate the day -- but my motto these days is to simplify.
With my trusty black Sharpie, I list their names down the left column and the days of the week across the top, and rule out a bunch of lines. They pick a favorite color, and write in the must-have gear in the box for the corresponding day, which boils down to recorders for music, library books to return on library days, and of course, sneakers for gym days. It hangs on the fridge; we check it every morning after breakfast. Simple. And a few weeks later, it still seems to be working.
Then, just an hour ago, I got an email from Caitlin and her teacher: "Dear Mom and Dad, I should have asked you to sign my reading log. I will try to ask you. I am reading each week but I need my log filled out for Friday. -- Caitlin."
Good thing we left space on the chart for additions.
Member Comments On…
Backpack Reminders
Our school has a 6-day rotation of specials, and a snow day pushes everything back a day! When my oldest was in 2nd grade, I got one of those magnetic picture holders and put 6 index cards inside. Each one is labeled for a different day with it's corresponding special. Then when my daughter started school I simply added her name beside his, with pictures representing each special so my pre-reader could understand. Now we just flip the cards each evening to see what's coming up.
Since both my kids are on the autism spectrum and need visual reminders, I created our "Wall of Responsibility." I used vecro clips to attach circles to the wall, green on one side, red on the other. Each is labeled with a different task; when they complete a task, they flip the circle from red to green. We can all tell with a glance if they are ready for school the next day.
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In an ideal world, we have the kids' stuff packed up and ready to go the night before, but that's not always the way it works, is it? I wake my kids up by getting in bed with them and talking about what we have coming up for the day, like, "It's Tuesday so you have orchestra today" or "You have Brownies after school." Sometimes I just ask what's going on at school that day. It gets us thinking about what we need to bring AND gets the kids excited about fun activities that are coming up. Everything then goes right next to or in front of the front door so it's impossible to miss as we're walking out. So far we've only forgotten the trombone once since September.
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We have something similar on our refrigerator, just a chart on some cardstock. My boys are in kindergarten so they still need a lot of help remembering what they need when. I always check the chart in the afternoon when they get home and when I'm emptying that days papers I put in whatever they need for the next morning. Then in the morning all I have to do is put their lunches in and we're good to go.
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I have 2 children, a boy and a girl, both with different activities during the week. Our system is backpacks, different bags for each of their activities. We hang them in our garage with hooks that reads MWF, TTh (color coded). So ballet, gymnastics, tball, football, and karate gear all fall into their own places. We have also expanded into little cubbies to help keep the rest of the family organized.
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Well we aren't rushing out the door, since we homeschool. I can only imagine the craziness of trying to get 4 children out the door! Charts and white boards are always a good thing. Do assist your children in ways that will help them in remembering the items they need each day, don't save them by running the item, let them learn the consequences of forgetting important things themselves, a little consequence now speaks volumes as they grow.
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Great article! We do something very similar at our house. The only exception is we get everything packed up the night before. Mornings are always hectic and doing it the night before helps out alot. I never know when I'll be ironing another shirt because someone spilled their milk! Another thing we do at night is pick out our clothes for the next day. Mornings go smoother, well as smooth as a morning with two little girls can go! Thanks!
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Tracy, I could kiss you right now. This idea might help my son survive the sixth grade. :o)
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