It's a jungle out there - with back to school shopping!

Well, my son starts school next week and we've been really organized (thanks to his school).  The school list really helped us stay on track with what they really need.  It's easy to get swept away with everything that is out there...



What's on your back to school list?

I was happy to see that there is a lot of sharing in kindergarten.  If your school or classroom doesn't it might be a great and economical idea to start, even for the older grades.

We were asked to bring one package of wipes, one box of kleenex, one large glue stick at the beginning of the school year,  for all to share...and with 25 kids in his class that's 25 boxes of kleenex, 25 packages of wipes and 25 glue sticks. 

The hardest thing to find was shoes - in his size, Velcro and no dark soles.  But I was lucky enough to 2 pairs at Target.  He will need one pair at home and one pair that stays at school. 

And of course, everything has to be labeled...even their snacks!  My plan was to simply label the snacks with painter's tape and write his name and #1 or #2 on the label.  We have all day kindergarten, so moms and dads are asked to label the morning snack with #1 and the afternoon snack with #2....It's a lot of work staying organized!

For everything else,  I purchased a back to school pack of Mabel's Labels.  They are so fantastic and the back to school pack has everything you need (great for parents who have never sent a little one to school before). 

The children also need a back pack and lunch bag again they need to be labeled.  I had my little guy involved in the selection but limited his choices.  I found great back packs and lunch bags that are the perfect size. a lot of the back packs designed for kindergarten aged children seem to be a bit too small and of poor quality.  My son chose a blue back pack with dinosaurs and matching lunch bag from Pottery barn Kids.  We even had his name embroidered on both!  This back pack will be perfect for trips to visit Oma and Opa, too!

 

The next item on the school list was pop-top water bottles, so the children can refill them with water throughout the day.  The end of summer is a great time to buy, I found a great deal at Canadian Superstore

And of course, in case of an accident we need a complete spare set of clothes to keep at school in a large and labeled Ziploc bag.  I figure a sharpie marker will be the best way to make the label big and bold!

So that was it for the supplies, but what about clothes?

Well, I wanted to keep it simple. I found some great cargo pants and jeans with elastic waist bands, so my little guy won't need a lot of help or any with his pants.  I also bought some great  t-shirts and long sleeve t-shirts, too.  Plaid shirts, hoodies and puffy vest were there, too and so many great colours!  I wanted to get clothes that were cool and easy to clean and stuff my son will wear!  I asked him to help me shop so he was totally involved in the process.  We found lots of great deals and quality items at Target.  I pre-washed everything so we are totally set for school!



Now, we just have to get used to waking up early and get the morning routine down....