Hard to believe but I have been doing the back to school routine now for over 11 years This year Maxi will be going into year 11 (his GCSE year) and Mini into Year 10. After all these years being a school mum I have some excellent tips that make the back to school routine easier for all involved.
This back to school season has left me feeling rather different than previous ones. Not just because I will have a child in year 11 doing his GCSE’s but also as it has been over 5 months since either of my children were in school thanks to lockdown.
After the last five months of homeschooling, I have learned that things that you never would expect happen, can. So I have become more aware that my children will be leaning using computers and screens. So even though I have no idea what back to school might look like or if some home education will be coming again, I do know that my children’s eye health is so important and have learned about blue light exposure and to consider investing in kids’ blue light glasses.
I cannot believe that my boys go back to school today. The school holidays have flown past; my boys will be going into year five and six and in the next few weeks we have to go and look around senior schools for Maxi!
My boys go back to school this week and will be going into year six and year five. I know that waving them off at the door (they no longer want me to walk to school with them) will be a bittersweet moment for me and also for lots of other parents.
School shoes are often the bane of parents lives. I know that I have had my ups and downs with them over the years. I want to share with you what to look for in a pair of boys school shoes.
Now is the time to get your kids school uniform for next year. Over the years my boys have tried and tested pretty much all the school uniform out there and one has always come out best value time and time again. So read on if you want to find out how and where to get the best value school uniform for your kids…
I know, I know, school hasn’t even finished yet in most of the UK and I am talking about planning for going back to school. But trust me on this one, you really need to be planning for going back to school now.
School shoes. I have to admit that I find hunting for school shoes with the boys a chore and it isn’t because they never like what there is to offer, but down to the fact that they wear them out in no time at all. Last year Mini’s second pair of shoes lasted six weeks, yes six weeks before they had a hole in them. I have tried expensive shoes, less expensive shoes and everything in between my, but we are lucky to get more than 12 weeks out of a pair of shoes. My boys only wear them for school so 8pm to 3pm, 5 days a week. When you more »
It’s time to get organised and make sure you get the new school year off to as good a start as possible. The return back to school after the fun-filled weeks of the summer holiday can be a struggle for the whole family, but with careful planning and emotional awareness the transition can be smooth for everyone. Think about buying everything you need now and start preparing for the year ahead. Buying New Kit
I love the school holidays. I love spending time with my little darlings (are you getting the sarcasm here?), no really I do love spending time with Mini and Maxi, they are actually becoming great company and are fun to be with and I miss them once school starts again. So I try to make sure I spend quality time with them once the school term starts. Do not overschedule kids
Going back to school takes some acclimatisation. Not only for you as a parent but for your children too. I know that I need to cut them some slack and make sure that we are all a little gentler on each other.
The school that the boys goes to have a school uniform policy and they are pretty strict with it. Grey or black trousers, red or white shirts or polo shirts and a red jumper or cardigan. They have to wear black shoes and PE kit is red shirts and a white T Shirt. I am a fan of school uniform for the following reasons: Uniforms cost less overall There is no worrying about what to wear each morning Children are easily identified as belonging to that school Encourages discipline Uniforms can be recycled and passed down. But I also feel that a uniform can detract from a kids unique identity, So I more »
For me and the boys the hardest part of going back to school is reestablishing a good bedtime routine and time after the more relaxed days and nights of the holidays, however, I find that with some planning and preparation I can ease the transition back to school with the ideas below. This makes going back to school so much easier for the kids and therefore, me.
Just because my kids eat school dinners doesn’t mean that they don’t need a packed lunch occasionally and I have been a fan of Grace at Easts Amazing for a long time. Her lunches looks fantastic and really aspirational, however, as you can see from the fab post from Grace below they are easily achievable with some planning using what you have in your home. Allow me to introduce myself – I’m Grace, mum of two boys, and I usually blog over at Eats Amazing, where I share ideas and inspiration for presenting healthy children’s food in new and exciting ways. I’m probably most well-known for the creative bento-style lunches that more »
I am a huge believer in school meals. My boys have both had school lunches since they started school and I firmly believe that there are huge benefits for kids from eating school dinners. Free school meals for infant aged children in England As from this September all infant aged children in England (reception, year 1 and year 2) are entitled to free school lunches. For me this would be a saving of over £900 (although my boys are older). This was piloted in Durham and was a big success. Children in the pilot areas quickly moved ahead of their peers elsewhere, by almost a term. Hungry children can’t concentrate and more »
Do you love a good Twitter Party? You know we do and we’re excited to host a party about your back to school lunchbox ideas. On Friday 29th August at 1pm BST, please join us for the#CapriSunSchool Twitter Party where we’ll be discussing juice drinks and how they can be incorporated into your back to school routine and healthy lunchboxes, and giving you a chance to win prizes!
I have blogged previously that we are not big fans of homework here in the mad house, however, I am aware that it is going to become a necessary evil for my boys in the years to come and we have made the decision that from this year (year 5, aged 9/10) we are going to encourage Maxi to learn at home and do any allocated homework.
How to you record your kids first day of school. Since mine have been small I have taken a picture of them all decked out in their uniform with a list of their likes. I love capturing all that first day excitement with my boys and it is a great way to see how much they have changed year on year. So I have put together a great roundup of ways to record that first day at school.
Along with Cass from Diary of a Frugal Family I am hosting a back to school link up for the next three weeks. We would love for you to join in with us and link up any back to school posts you may have over the coming weeks. At the end of the series we will be sharing with you are favorite posts and also pinning them to our back to school and all things school pinterest boards. We have a great selection of posts over the coming weeks to help you in the build up to the first day of school. If you do join in we would love for you to more »
