Want to know the back to school must haves this year for you and your kids? Here is a list that will keep you and the family on track, in style and organized for the next school year.
Let’s face it going back to school is daunting and at the end of the first week you just want to crawl in bed and hide you are so exhausted. This year we’re going to make a pact to be conscious and organized with our kids and ourselves! I’ve got some great ideas for your kids from lunchtime to homework time as well as for you to keep yourself on track and up to date with everything!
ECOlunchbox specializes in the ultimate “FREE lunch” – free from all the bad stuff we don’t want in our lunches! The eco-mom company’s stainless steel ECOlunchboxes and artisan cotton ECOlunchbags are waste-free, plastic-free, lead-free, BPA-free, PVC-free, sweatshop-free, and vinyl-free. First, these are dishwasher safe and will last for years. They are also perfect for portioning out the right amounts for your kid’s lunch. Try the ECOlunchbox Three-in-One and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Order $50 or more and get Free Shipping!
Want something a little more flexible? Replace your disposable plastic baggies with these durable fabric sandwich and snack bags with a waterproof nylon lining that is PVC and BPA free. They have a velcro closure and can be easily washed. Just be sure to buy 2 or 3 sets in case you can’t get them washed before the next day. These will last for years so, in the end, you will be saving quite a bit of money!
While the embroidered ones are adorable if you want to spend a little less money buy these reusable, environmentally friendly snack sacks. The set includes two machine-washable fabric pouches with stain-resistant nylon lining and one see-through snack pouch made from FDA-approved EVA. They are BPA-free, phthalate-free, lead-free, and PVC-free Machine-washable fabric pouches.
Most schools will now allow you to have a water bottle at your desk to hydrate during the day. Make sure your kids stand out and don’t get their water bottle mixed up with friends with the back to school must haves.
Mabel’s Labels are my favorite labels to buy. Labeling everything is a must especially if your kids wear uniforms! They are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and washing machine durable. Use them to label your ECOlunchbox, shoes, backpacks, lunch box’s, clothing, and even pencils! They have designs for little kids and big kids alike.
The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo Pack can be customized with your child’s name and favorite design. It includes
- 40 Mini Custom Name Stickers: Perfect for small items (1-1/2″ x 5/16″)
- 50 Tag Mates™ Stick On Clothing Labels: (13/16″ x 3/8″)
- 16 Custom Shoe Stickers: (1.3″)
- 2 Personalized Mini Dog Tags: Perfect for book bags and lunch box’s (1-1/4″ x 3/4″)
They also offer allergy labels to keep your kid safe. Choose from: Dairy, Egg, Fish, Gluten, Peanut, Shellfish, Soy, or Tree Nut Allergy or make a custom allergy label.
Script and Scribble Custom Notepads and Money Envelopes are perfect for writing your teacher or note or send in a doctor or sick excuse. Their Money Envelopes are perfect for making sure the school know’s who and what the money being sent in is for so there are no errors.
Custom Binder Inserts are all the rage, and you can get lots of great designs to make your little scholar be in style. Printed on both sides and covered in durable plastic just slip them inside for a custom binder cover. You can also buy spiral notebooks and journals to match!
Teaching kids to get organized can be a challenge and the best way is to start them off around second grade with a homework planner or calendar. These cute fanciful designs with their name printed on the front will beg them to open up and log their assignments each day. Now you’ll have no more missing assignments when they come home and pull out their homework agenda and get to work.
Speaking of calendars and organization it’s also time to get you on track! Franklin Covey is the expert in organization and planning. I am a total fan after taking a class from them years ago. They have a list or form for just about everything including your grocery list! Having a central wall calendar for the family is essential so everyone can see what’s going on. I love this big grid calendar because it has plenty of space for multiple family members and activities. Get it now because it starts with the month of August so you don’t need to wait untill January to get started!
Now that you have everyone else set go ahead and make yourself a custom planner to fit your needs. It’s easy just click here to walk through designing your own custom planner. You can add list making pages, meal planning sheets, meeting planners, and project management forms for things around the house.
The final thing on my list of back to school must haves is Grammarly. I use Grammarly is every day whether it’s on my blog, writing an email, or in making a word doc. It’s the #1 grammar, spelling punctuation, and plagiarism checker available. If you are bad with grammar you will actually start to learn once you begin using it. For kids in middle school through college, it’s essential to check for plagiarism before turning in a report. It’s something I will never live without again.
I’d love to know what your back to school must have is this year! Leave me a comment and let me know.