Last Day of School
When school is finished, the kids bring home all their school work and artwork. What should you do with it?
Here is a list of things to keep:
- Report Cards. You must show proof of education when you move. As adults if your children live in another province (or country), they must show proof of education in one language (either English or French) if they want to send their children to school in that same language.
- Photos. It’s a good idea to keep a photo of your child for each of his school years. Also, keep the class photo. Help your child write the names of all his friends on the back of the class photo.
- Certificates, awards for school work and extra-curricular activities (swimming lessons, piano lessons, etc.). Your child can look back on this and be proud of his accomplishments.
- Examples of school work of which your child is proud: journal, tests that received high marks, projects on which your child worked extremely hard. If the projects or artwork is very large or too delicate to store for a long period of time, take a picture of it and note the details on the back of the photo.
School Supplies
Sort through the school supplies that your children come home from school. Get rid of anything that is broken or unusable. Keep those items that your children may be able to use the following year such as rulers, scissors, pencil cases or duo-tangs. Put everything in a bin labelled “School Supplies”. In August when you receive the list of required materials, “shop” in your own bin before heading to the store.
Creating Limits
The amount of clothing your children have should be limited by the amount of space they have in their drawers and closets. If you notice that the drawers are too full to close, take a few minutes and assess what’s in the drawers. Donate clothing that is too small or seldom worn. If you think that the winter clothing will fit them next year, keep it somewhere else such as a shelf in the top of a closet.
Teach your children to tell you when their drawers are too full and to put clothes they’ve outgrown in a basket in the closet or the laundry room. When the box is full, it’s time to make a trip to the donation bin.
Organize an activity for those who organize
Children don’t want to be cleaning their rooms all summer. Organize and activity for them as a treat for tidying up. For example if they organize their rooms in the morning, take a trip to the community pool in the afternoon. Remember, your house doesn’t have to be perfect, just functional. Enjoy the nice weather!
