CrateWays To Organize for School

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My husband, Jack is “Mr. Prepared For Everything”. He is almost obsessive about being prepared the night before for “whatever” you might be doing the next day.

As you might be able tell from my tone, I am more of a “leave to the last minute” kind of person. I truly believe that I work best when under pressure. (good excuse, huh?)

Like many parents, we want our children to be the best of our best…if not better.

Consequently, we try to teach our girls the importance of being prepare and organized so that they will be able to function at their best.

Basically, all this boils down one thing: Having everything ready the night before helps tone down the sheer lunacy that often takes over our home on any given morning before school!

My Solution…The Crates.

I get them at Walmarts. It’s important to get the kind that you can put hanging folders in. Two or three per child is plenty.

Obviously, hanging folders are part of the equation, too. An optional item is a small white board. Being the Dollar Store Queen, I got the mini white board there but I am sure you can pick one up at any stationary store. (Walmarts does carry them but they don’t always have the smaller ones)

Put it all together and what do you get…instant organization!

I did a little video so you could get a better idea of how I use these simple tools to save my head from spinning off every morning. Take a look!

HINT: if you go to all the trouble to buy all the items and putting this together…USE IT! Teach you children to USE IT too!

The only reason I say this is because I am notorious for brilliant ideas that I never put to use. I have the theory, the materials and the good intentions. But somehow I never complete the transaction. Consequently, my garage is full of some very interesting things!

This one I actually use and it is has been a lifesaver.

We have only been through about 10 days of school and I already have a stack of papers 12 inches thick! This gives you a way to organize and filter through that mess.

Using more than one crate really helps keep everyone organized and things easily accessible. I use one crate just for clothes for the day, gym stuff, lunch boxes, art smocks, special afterschool items (ie clothes for soccer practice), and any other items that the kids may need to keep track of.

Keep the crates in a visible place if possible. Get your children in the habit of emptying their back packs as soon as they get home into the crate. Hence no excuses that you didn’t get the notes because they are still in the bottom of a backpack 6 weeks later!

If they are old enough, they can file the papers accordingly. If they are younger, try color coding ie. Red folder for Math, Blue folder for Reading, Green folder for Mom Notes, etc.

Typically, I get my girls involved in the process. They label their own folders and empty their back packs out.

5 ‘MUST HAVES’ in the crates:

1. School Calendar. This can have a separate folder or be hung on the front of the crate very easily with string.

2. Teacher’s Information/Contact Information. I have a separate folder for this info. All of the girl’s teacher’s names, contact information and their requirements are in this folder.

3. Your child’s schedule. I hate having to ask…”do you have gym today?” If you keep a copy of the schedule readily available and the gym clothes in the crate their are no worries 10 minutes before the bus arrives.

4. Extra school supplies for homework. Loose leaf paper, pencils, markers, a pencil sharpener, etc. These things are great to pick up about a week or two after school has started or throughout the year when you’ll find they are much less expensive!

5. Contact information for friends or the class list. If your child has a question on homework or just wants to have a play date having this information handy really helps.

I keep a little white board attached to each girl’s crate just for any special notes or deadline dates that we need to remember. Make sure you have a folder designated for “Papers to be signed”. That is something that is always an issue for us.

It is a good idea to check the crates before bedtime to make sure homework is there, papers are signed, clothes are out and (my pet peeve) lunch boxes are emptied!

One thing that I have found through using the Crates is that mornings do run a bit smoother. Also, when the girls go to bed knowing that they are prepared for the next day, all of us sleep just a little bit better.

I hope you enjoyed this tip and please let me know if there is something special that you and you family do to stay organized for school!