Chronicle vacation days and create a book of warm memories to share in any season.

Whether your child’s heading off to camp, taking a family vacation, or simply enjoying what your neighborhood has to offer, collecting and preserving summer mementos will give her a sense of time, perspective, and history. And assembling a scrapbook with your younger child will help you connect over shared experiences.

Focus on What Your Child Loves
Before you begin your project, ask your child to choose a theme. Scrapbooks don’t have to be decoupage and photo-filled extravaganzas, though your child may enjoy assembling one of those. Try to tailor the project to his interests — particularly if he’s more active than crafty — be it sports, travel, or bugs. If he wants to gather objects that won’t tuck into a book, consider alternate ways to preserve the collection, such as a shadow box he can hang on his wall. Here are a few theme ideas:

• All About Me
• Exploring the Great Outdoors
• My Team’s Spectacular Summer (As an Athlete or Fan)
• Backseat Adventures
• What I Learned This Summer
• A Visit to…
• My World Travels (Real or Imaginary)
• Camp Life
• All the Good (and Bad) Things I Did This Summer
• Summer Is…
• My Family, Friends, and/or Pet

Stock up on Supplies
With the enticing array of scrapbooking supplies available, you can create a museum-quality masterpiece. However, try to be realistic about the scope of the project. If you spend $2 a sheet on hand-made paper, how will you feel when your 6 year old dumps a bottle of rubber cement on it? You can assemble a scrapbook with supplies you probably have around the house, like a three-ring binder, computer and construction paper, and magic markers. But to construct something more durable, you’ll probably want to buy a few basics. Choosing acid-free paper for anything that will touch valuable photos or mementos is a good choice since it protects them from yellowing. A few simple supplies include:

• The Book
  You can purchase a memory book, choose a binder you can cover with fabric or paper, or even use a blank book that’s already assembled. (This will make manipulating the pages more challenging.) Or, you might consider choosing extremely strong cardboard your child can decorate and bind to the pages with ribbon.
• The Pages
  Choose sturdy, neutral paper and be sure to check that the holes are in the right place for your book. If not, you may need an office- or scrapbook-style hole-punch to assemble your project.
• Glue Stick
• Double-sided Tape
• Decorative-edged Scissors (Pinking shears can work.)
• Drawing Tools like markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Colored and/or Patterned Paper (Wrapping paper can be a cost-saving option.)
• Glitter, Stickers, Rubber Stamps, etc.
• Ruler
• Photo Corners (They aren’t necessary, but can add a lot to the look.)
• Photos and Mementos (Offer your child a disposable camera to capture the kids-eye view.)

Save Everything
Just about any object can be something to treasure. Designate a box or basket in your house that your child can fill with everything she wants to preserve. Here are a few suggestions:

• Photos
• Stamps
• Brochures
• Tickets
• Postcards
• Invitations
• Letters and Cards
• Luggage Tags
• Receipts
• Travel Guides
• Maps
• Flyers
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Leaves and Pressed Flowers
• Drawings and Writing Practice
• Worksheets
• Notes
• Checklists
• Scraps of Fabric (From a memorable t-shirt, etc.)
• Journal Entries
• Quotes and Jokes
• Facts about Your Child and Home

Laying out the Pages
There are a million different ways to arrange a scrapbook. Help your child choose an order that makes sense with the theme, whether it’s chronological, by person or place, or by subject. Try to work through the project one page at a time, since that’s how he’ll experience it in the future. You can find ideas in craft books or on the Internet, but here are a few general pointers to keep in mind:

• Be selective! Don’t feel like you have to include every summer photograph.
• Consider matting photos and mementos (particularly flimsy ones) to set them off from the white page and keep the glue from seeping through.
• Write captions on construction paper before putting them in the book.
• Vary shapes and colors, and utilize pictures and patterns, on each page for visual interest.
• Don’t be afraid to employ odd angles, clip photos, and overlap objects.
• Consider adding a title to each page and finishing it off with a border.
• Preserve a little “white” space on each page so it’s not too busy.

Putting it Together
Though adults may prefer to collect everything and assemble their scrapbook later, your child may enjoy creating it throughout the season. This will also focus the project on the process, rather than the end result. If she doesn’t want to make a page permanent in case she wants to make changes, she can always lay out the pages without adhesive and then glue everything at the end of the summer.

If you’re helping your younger child with the project, try to designate a couple of hours each week when you can collaborate on your project. Involve your child in as much of the process as possible and don’t worry if the book isn’t “beautiful” — the memories it preserves will be! 

 

When parents talk about school safety these days, they’re usually referring to the surge in violence at schools. But research shows that school-age children are actually nine times more likely to sustain an unintentional injury — whether on the playground or in school — than to be the victim of violence while at school. In fact, an estimated 2.2 million children ages 14 and under are injured in school-related accidents each year, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

 

Accidents can be prevented if parents are on the lookout for potential hazards. To help you keep your kids free from harm, here are some safety tips from SAFE KIDS, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

 

Traveling to and from School

 

Plan a walking route to school or the bus stop. Choose the most direct way with the fewest street crossings and, if possible, with intersections that have crossing guards.

 

Walk the route with your child beforehand. Tell him or her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where there aren’t many people around.

 

Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don’t know well or don’t trust.

 

Be sure your child walks to and from school with a sibling, friend, or neighbor.

 

Teach your kids — whether walking, biking, or riding the bus to school — to obey all traffic signals, signs and traffic officers. Remind them to be extra careful in bad weather.

 

When driving kids, deliver and pick them up as close to the school as possible. Don’t leave until they are in the schoolyard or building.

 

If your child bikes to school, make sure he wears a helmet that meets one of the safety standards (U.S. CPSC, Snell, ANSI, ASTM, or Canadian). Research indicates that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent.

 

If your child rides a scooter to school, make sure she wears sturdy shoes, a helmet, kneepads and elbow pads. Children under age 12 should not ride motorized scooters, according to recent recommendations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

 

Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street, watch for cars and avoid the driver’s blind spot.

 

Remind your children to stay seated at all times and keep their heads and arms inside the bus while riding. When exiting the bus, children should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, exit from the front using the handrail to avoid falls and cross the street at least 10 feet (or 10 giant steps) in front of the bus.

 

Tell your child not to bend down in front of the bus to tie shoes or pick up objects, as the driver may not see him before starting to move.

 

Be sure that your child knows his or her home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for emergencies.

 

 

On the Playground

 

Check the playground equipment at your child’s school. Look for hazards such as rusted or broken equipment and dangerous surfaces. The surface around the equipment should be covered with wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or fiber material to prevent head injury when a child falls. Report any hazards to the school.

 

Avoid any drawstrings on the hood or around the neck of jackets and sweatshirts. Drawstrings at the waist or bottom of jackets should extend no more than three inches long to prevent catching in car and school bus doors or getting caught on playground equipment.

 

Make sure that the school’s athletic director or a custodian anchors soccer goals into the ground so they won’t tip over and crush a child.

 

Teach children proper playground behavior: no pushing, shoving, or crowding.

 

Give your child some strategies for coping with bullies. He should not give in to a bully’s demands, but should simply walk away or tell the bully to stop. If the bullying continues, talk to the teacher.

 

Make sure your child’s school has up-to-date information on recalled toys and children’s products. Schools, daycare providers and parents can receive recall information by fax, email, or in the regular mail free of charge by calling the Consumer Product Safety Commission hotline at 800-638-2772, or visiting the organization’s Web site.

 

Your child may be registered for preschool, but is he ready?

 

Two Weeks Before

 

Talk about it. A brief but positive introduction is all that’s usually necessary. “Children this age tend to view going to school as a ‘grown-up’ thing to do,” notes Willer, so that’s a good way to sell it. For example: “Now that you’re big enough to use the potty (or put on your own clothes, or draw with little crayons), you’re ready to go to preschool, just like your cousin Sarah.” If your child has already been in structured childcare or a playgroup, explain the similarities: “You’ll get to play with other kids. You’ll have snack and recess and the teacher will read books.”

 

Read about it. Share some children’s books — such as Pooh’s First Day of School by Kathleen W. Zoehfeld — or watch a video that describes what preschool is like and how other kids feel about going.

 

Go for a tour. Point the preschool out casually whenever you drive or walk by, and take advantage of a formal orientation event or visiting hours, which most preschools offer just before the new school year begins. “Children, like adults, tend to fear the unknown,” notes Mary Ann Rafoth, Ph.D., chair of the department of educational and school psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “So you can relieve a great deal of anxiety — both yours and your child’s — by visiting the preschool with her and meeting her teachers and classmates.” You may even want to bring a camera to take some pictures.

 

One Week Before

 

Count the days. The average preschooler is at a loss when it comes to understanding the concept of time. So explain when preschool will start in terms your child can relate to: “Preschool will start a few days after the pool closes.” It may also help to put stickers on a calendar to illustrate how the days are passing. Or line up seven blocks (or other items) on a shelf and take one away each day.

 

Adjust sleep schedules. “If your child tends to stay up late at night or wake up late in the morning, you should start adjusting his sleep times, so he won’t be exhausted on the first days of school,” says Willer. In most cases, she adds, a gradual shift works best. For example, put your child to bed 15 minutes earlier and then wake him up 15 minutes earlier each day until he can wake up in time for school.

 

Start new routines. “Another option, for children who tend to have a hard time with transitions, is to find out when the preschool has snack, lunch and naps, so you can mirror the school day at home,” says Rafoth. But be sure to explain any changes you make. For example: “Let’s have our snack at 10:30 today, just like they do in your new school” or “It’s 12:30. Let’s rest for a while because this is when you’ll have nap time at school.” As Rafoth notes, “Learning the routine is important because children always feel more secure and comfortable when they know exactly what to expect.” This applies to behavior as well, so look for ways to practice that too. For example, put up a hook so your child can learn to hang up her coat. Serve her lunch in the lunch box she’ll be using at school so she’ll know how to open her own sandwich bags and drinks. When she’s finished playing with her toys, have “clean-up time” to teach her to put things away.

 

Most especially, talk about using the potty. If your child isn’t trained yet, discuss what to do if she wets or soils her diaper. You may also want to make the switch to disposable training pants to help her feel more grown-up.

 

Buy something special. “With my second child, Christina, we made a big deal about going to the store and buying her school supplies,” says Regina Langer, a mother in Forest Hills, N. Y. “She was so excited about using her new backpack and wearing her sparkly sneakers that she couldn’t wait for school to begin.” “Before you shop, though, check with school,” recommends Rafoth. “The last thing you want to do is buy your child something special for school that she won’t be allowed to use.” Also, look for clothes that are comfortable enough to play in, easy to wash (a good preschool program will be messy) and easy for your child to put on and take off by herself. The best choices are casual, pull-on dresses and shirts; pants, shorts and skirts with elastic waistbands; and comfortable shoes or sneakers that either slip on or fasten with Velcro straps.

 

The Day Before

 

Take it easy. Keep the day before preschool as calm and relaxing as possible. You don’t want to plan anything too exciting that might tire your child out, but you also don’t want him to sit around worrying about the big day ahead. Do let your child know what’s coming, however, advises Katz. Start with a simple comment or question: “I think we’re all ready for school tomorrow. Can you think of anything we’ve forgotten?” or “Do you have any more questions?”

 

Address her concerns. If your child does ask questions, treat them seriously, says Katz. Avoid comments like “Don’t be silly!” and “That’s ridiculous!” And don’t try to gloss over fears with lines like “Stop worrying! All the kids will want to be friends with you!” Instead, give an honest — but positive — response conveying your confidence that things will go well. For example: “It can be hard to make friends right away. But tomorrow you’ll meet the kids, and if you find one you like, we’ll invite him for a play date.”

 

Make a plan. Before your child goes to bed, make some decisions together: What will your child wear to school? What will she eat for breakfast? Who will bring her to school and pick her up? “This not only helps your child prepare for the day, it also cuts down on the dawdling and arguing in the morning,” says Willer. Also, by giving your child limited choices — “Do you want to wear your red shirt tomorrow or your blue one?”; “Do you want apple or orange juice in your lunch box?” — you endow her with a sense of control over this new and intimidating experience.

 

It’s a good idea, too, to lay everything out, so your child can see and touch it all (and you won’t get hung up on a last-minute search for missing socks or sneakers in the morning). Also, pack all of your child’s school supplies in his backpack and include a change of clothing (in case he gets wet, messy or misses the potty). And be extra sure that everything of your child’s is labeled.

 

As you pack your child’s book bag, invite him to include something special: a favorite cuddly toy, for example, or a family photograph. “Many children find comfort in bringing a toy or blanket from home while they work through the separation,” notes Fine.

 

“It also often helps to give your child something to put in his ‘psychological pocket,’ ” adds Katz. “When my own son was young and started missing me at school, I told him to look at the clock every day when it was group time, which I knew was around 10:15 a.m. I told him I’d look at the clock at that time, too, and think of him so he’d feel better.”

 

Before lights out, review with your child the plans for the next day. For example: “Tomorrow you’ll wake up at 7:30. I’ll make you cereal, toast and juice for breakfast. You’ll put on your new clothes. You’ll brush your teeth. We’ll get in the car. And I’ll take you to school.”

 

“Let your child know what you’ll be doing, too,” adds Rafoth. Tell him, for example: “While you’re in school, I’ll be buying our groceries” or “While you’re doing your work at school, I’ll be doing my work in my office.”

 

 

 

The Big Day

 

Don’t rush. The best way to ensure a good school day is to get up early enough that you don’t have to run out the door. This is a big day for both of you, and emotions are likely to be mixed and intense. Besides, there’s a good chance your child will have a last-minute change of mind — about what she wants to eat, or wear, or do — so you need to leave room for that margin of error. If you work outside your home, you may want to arrange to come in late for a few days until your child feels comfortable about going to school. “With children this young, it’s really important to do whatever you can to make the transition to preschool feel safe and positive,” says Fine. “Without a successful separation, it’s difficult to build a child’s independence and readiness to learn.”

 

On the way to school, try to keep the atmosphere pleasant and fun. “Talk and sing together, and casually discuss what you will do after you are reunited,” advises Willer. “Or start a ritual that will ease the transition from home to school.” For example, play a special guessing game (“I’m thinking of something orange you drank for breakfast. Can you guess what it is?”) or greet familiar landmarks together (“Good morning, Mr. Mailbox”; “Good morning, Mrs. Puppy”).

 

Stick around. If you’re lucky, when you get to school your child will be so intrigued by a toy, a classmate or an activity in the classroom that he’ll slip his hand out of yours and head straight in. But don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t. “Children react in very different ways to the start of preschool,” says Rafoth. “I’ve seen everything from hesitant smiles to full-blown tantrums. But I’ve also seen some of the worst first-day tantrum throwers become star pupils. Don’t think it means you’re doing the wrong thing or that your child shouldn’t be in preschool.”

 

Concentrate, instead, on keeping your own cool. If necessary, ask for help. Experienced classroom teachers have seen many children (and parents) make this difficult separation, and usually have a stockpile of strategies to help ease a child in. And most preschools encourage parents to stay in or near the classroom until their child is calm. “We invite parents to stay for as long as it takes for their child to adjust to being left on his own,” says Fine. “At first, the parent can participate in class activities; then we ask her to sit on the sidelines and read her own book; then we ask her to wait in the hall, outside the door.” Depending on the child, it might take a day, a week or a month, she adds. “But because of this gradual approach, we see very few tears and tantrums when parents finally say goodbye.”

 

Don’t sneak out. If your child is happily engaged, you may be tempted to simply slip away. But don’t! “You will violate your child’s trust if you leave without saying goodbye,” says Willer. Instead, go over to your child, give her a kiss or hug, and let her know when you’re coming back in kid terms. For example: “After you have snack time, the teacher will read everyone a book and then I’ll be here to pick you up.”

 

If your child protests, try to remain firm but friendly (even if you feel like sobbing). “Prolonging the goodbye will only make it harder for yourself and your child,” says Rafoth. “Just stick to the facts: ‘It’s time for me to go’; ‘There are lots of kids here who like to play’; ‘The teacher will take care of you while I’m gone.’ “

 

After you leave, try not to worry. “Good teachers are always alert to make sure children say goodbye and then get involved in an interesting activity,” says Willer. “In fact, if you check with your child’s teacher later on, you’ll probably discover that his tears dried up quickly as soon as you disappeared.”

 

Don’t be late. When the end of the first session arrives, make sure you’re there waiting. “Children need to feel confident from the beginning that they can count on you to come back, and to come when you said you would,” says Willer.

 

Also, don’t get too excited about how your child will greet you. While some children will rush into their parents’ arms and spew forth stories about their delightful day, others will completely ignore their parents’ presence. Some will leave school looking happy and then throw a massive tantrum on the way home. “These negative reactions don’t necessarily mean your child had a bad day,” says Rafoth. “Children have different tolerance levels, and many are physically and emotionally exhausted after a day at preschool. So they need a chance to blow off steam and cool themselves down.”

 

Begin a ritual. Play a special music tape in the car on the way home or bring a favorite snack. With my second son, Teddy, we always walked home. Along the way there was a park with a circle of flowers surrounded by a short, thick cement wall. It was perfect for a child his size to stand on, and wide enough for him to run on. So he decided that every day we had to stop at the flowers so he could run around the circle three times and then jump into my arms. It wasn’t always fun for me, but it worked for him, so we stuck with it.

 

Do whatever it takes, urges Rafoth. “Helping your child end his school day on a calm, relaxing note will make it that much easier for him to separate again.”

 

Education experts and students reveal the secrets of maintaining high grades. Brains aren’t the only answer. “Top grades don’t always go to the brightest students,” declares Herbert Walberg, professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who has conducted major studies of super-achieving students. “Knowing how to make the most of your innate abilities counts for more. Infinitely more.”

 

In fact, Walberg says, students with high I.Q.s sometimes don’t do as well as classmates with lower I.Q.s. For them, learning comes too easily and they never find out how to buckle down.

 

Hard work isn’t the whole story, either. “It’s not how long you sit there with the books open,” said one of the many A students we interviewed. “It’s what you do while you’re sitting.” Indeed, some of these students actually put in fewer hours of homework time than their lower-scoring classmates.

 

The kids at the top of the class get there by mastering a few basic techniques that others can readily learn. Here, according to education experts and students themselves, are the secrets of straight-A students.

 

Set priorities. Top students brook no intrusions on study time. Once the books are open or the computer is booted up, phone calls go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks ignored. Study is business; business comes before recreation.

 

Study anywhere — or everywhere. Claude Olney, an Arizona State University business professor assigned to tutor failing college athletes, recalls a cross-country runner who worked out every day. Olney persuaded him to use the time to memorize biology terms. Another student posted a vocabulary list by the medicine cabinet. He learned a new word every day while brushing his teeth.

 

Among the students we interviewed, study times were strictly a matter of personal preference. Some worked late at night when the house was quiet. Others awoke early. Still others studied as soon as they came home from school when the work was fresh in their minds. All agreed, however, on the need for consistency. “Whatever I was doing, I maintained a slot every day for studying,” says Ian McCray, a Middlebury College student from New Jersey.

 

Get organized. In high school, McCray ran track, played rugby and was in the band and orchestra. “I was so busy, I couldn’t waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. I kept everything right where I could put my hands on it,” he says.

 

Paul Melendres maintains two folders — one for the day’s assignments, another for papers completed and graded. Traci Tsuchiguchi, a top student at Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif., has another system. She immediately files the day’s papers in color-coded folders by subject so they’ll be available for review at exam time.

 

Even students who don’t have a private study area remain organized. A backpack or drawer keeps essential supplies together and cuts down on time-wasting searches.

 

Learn how to read. “The best class I ever took,” says Christopher Campbell, who graduated from Moore (Okla.) High School last spring, “was speed-reading. I not only increased my words per minute but also learned to look at a book’s table of contents, graphs and pictures first. Then, when I began to read, I had a sense of the material, and I retained a lot more.”

 

In his book Getting Straight A’s, Gordon W. Green, Jr., says the secret of good reading is to be “an active reader — one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the author’s message.”

 

Schedule your time. When a teacher assigns a long paper, Domenica Roman draws up a timetable, dividing the project into small pieces so it isn’t so overwhelming. “It’s like eating a steak,” she says. “You chew it one bite at a time.” Melendres researches and outlines a report first, then tries to complete the writing in one long push over a weekend. “I like to get it down on paper early, so I have time to polish and review.”

 

Of course, even the best students procrastinate sometimes. But when that happens, they face up to it. “Sometimes it comes down to late nights,” admits Christi Anderson, an athlete, student-council member and top student at Lyman High School in Presho, S.D. “Still, if you want A’s, you make sure to hit the deadline.”

 

Take good notes — and use them. “Reading the textbook is important,” says Melendres, “but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasized. That’s what you find in your notes.”

 

The top students also take notes while reading the text assignment. In fact, David Cieri of Holy Cross High School in Delran, N.J., uses “my homemade” system in which he draws a line down the center of a notebook, writes notes from the text on one side and those from the teacher’s lecture on the other. Then he is able to review both aspects of the assignment at once.

 

Just before the bell rings, most students close their books, put away papers, whisper to friends and get ready to rush out. Anderson uses those few minutes to write a two- or three-sentence summary of the lesson’s principal points, which she scans before the next day’s class.

 

5 More Secrets

 

Clean up your act. Neat papers are likely to get higher grades than sloppy ones. “The student who turns in a neat paper,” says Professor Olney, “is already on the way to an A. It’s like being served a cheeseburger. No matter how good it really is, you can’t believe it tastes good if it’s presented on a messy plate.”

 

Speak up. “If I don’t understand the principle my teacher is explaining in economics, I ask him to repeat it,” says Christopher Campbell. Class participation goes beyond merely asking questions, though. It’s a matter of showing intellectual curiosity.

 

In a lecture on capitalism and socialism, for example, Melendres asked the teacher how the Chinese economy could be both socialist and market-driven, without incurring some of the problems that befell the former Soviet Union. “I don’t want to memorize information for tests only,” says Melendres. “Better grades come from better understanding.”

 

Study together. The value of hitting the books together was demonstrated in an experiment at the University of California at Berkeley. While a graduate student there, Uri Treisman observed a freshman calculus class in which Asian-Americans, on average, scored higher than other minority students from similar academic backgrounds. Treisman found that the Asian-Americans discussed homework problems together, tried different approaches and explained their solutions to one another.

 

The others, by contrast, studied alone, spent most of their time reading and rereading the text, and tried the same approach time after time even if it was unsuccessful. On the basis of his findings, Treisman suggested teaching group-study methods in the course. Once that was done, the groups performed equally well.

 

Test yourself. As part of her note-taking, Domenica Roman highlights points she thinks may be covered during exams. Later she frames tentative test questions based on those points and gives herself a written examination before test day. “If I can’t answer the question satisfactorily, I go back and review,” she says.

 

Experts confirm what Roman has figured out for herself. Students who make up possible test questions often find many of the same questions on the real exam and thus score higher.

 

Do more than you’re asked. If her math teacher assigns five problems, Christi Anderson does ten. If the world-history teacher assigns eight pages of reading, she reads 12. “Part of learning is practicing,” says Anderson. “And the more you practice, the more you learn.”

 

The most important “secret” of the super-achievers is not so secret. For almost all straight-A students, the contribution of their parents was crucial. From infancy, the parents imbued them with a love for learning. They set high standards for their kids, and held them to those standards. They encouraged their sons and daughters in their studies but did not do the work for them. In short, the parents impressed the lessons of responsibility on their kids, and the kids delivered.

 

Hitting the books shouldn’t hurt. Help your favorite student get an A+ in health.

 

Stay action-packed. The end of summer shouldn’t mean the end of outdoor activities. Sign kids up for a sport or send them out to ride bikes or walk the dog. If you live near school, skip the bus and walk your child to class.

 

Log off. Hours spent at the computer may lead to eyestrain and an aching neck and back. Make sure kids sit at least two feet from the monitor and take breaks, says Dana Weintraub, MD, of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

 

Schedule sleep. Avoid lost zzz’s by having your child gradually go to bed and get up earlier during the week or two before classes start. Nixing big meals and caffeine before bedtime may also help.

 

Ban heavy bags. Backpacks shouldn’t weigh more than 10% to 15% of a child’s weight. Look for pads on the shoulder straps and back, and put the heaviest items closest to the body. For extra support, get a bag with a waist strap or a backpack on wheels.

 

Mind the menu. For lunches, focus on fruits, veggies, dairy and whole grains.

 

A shocking number of children are overweight and obese, and doctors are seeing increasingly high levels of cholesterol in children, even those with no family history of high cholesterol. To help your kids maintain a healthy diet and healthy cholesterol levels:

 

Pack their lunches. That way you can at least try to ensure they get something healthy instead of the fried and starchy foods that dominate most school cafeterias. (The three most common foods ordered in elementary school cafeterias are ground beef, chicken nuggets or patties, and cheese.)

 

Limit fast food. Set a cap of no more than one or two fast-food meals a month, and when you do make a fast-food visit, push the salads, plain baked potatoes, and broiled chicken. If the kids must have hamburgers, order them without cheese.

 

Forget white. White bread, white rice, white pasta, that is. Serve their peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread and their meatballs on whole wheat pasta.

 

Make it easy. Cut up a bowl of fruit and put it before your TV-gazing kids. They’ll eat it as if it were popcorn. Better yet, turn the TV off and serve the fruit to them after they’ve finished a bike ride around the block.

 

Set an example. The best way to make sure your kids live a heart-healthy lifestyle is to live one yourself. What could be more rewarding than to see benefits not only to your cholesterol, but to your children’s as well.

 

 

 

Check with your child’s school.  Many participate with a pre-packaged supply site such as Desktop School Supplies or Schoolpak.  You can order all your supplies at once online, and save a trip to the store.  Plus, such sites provide something back to your child’s school – often free supplies for teachers, etc.  

 

If your school doesn’t, then its time to go shopping with your kids! Before you hit the stores with your kids, print out this handy checklist of essentials every student needs.  But don’t forget to get a more detailed list from your child’s school as some teachers have specific requests. 

 

Book bag

Pens and Pencils

Pencil Case

Colored Pencils and Crayons

Markers and Highlighters

Erasers

Ruler

Compass

Scissors

Glue

Paper

Notebooks

Pocket Folders

Organizer

Calculator

 

Dreading the end-of-summer shopping sprees that signal school’s back in session? Relax — our cheat sheet’s ready to help everyone make the grade this year! Go back to school the smart way with our clever collection of frugal ideas using common household items.

 

Don’t lose it — label it! You don’t need to buy labels or a fancy machine that makes them. Use inexpensive masking tape instead to conveniently mark kids’ schoolbooks and supplies.

 

Instant index cards. It’s inevitable — at the eleventh hour your child will say, “I need index cards for school tomorrow.” If you don’t have any, use paper plates and a ruler. Measure out a 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 (A7 or A6) card on the plate and cut. Use the first card as a template for the rest.

 

Safeguard supplies. It’s one of the universal truths of parenthood: Kids’ pencil cases, folders, markers, and other school supplies are forever disappearing. You may be able to lessen the losses, however, by affixing address labels with a piece of transparent tape to the contents of your child’s desk and backpack.

 

Keep supplies organized. Do the kids have trouble keeping track of their school pencils, pens, and rulers? Puncture three holes along the bottom edge of a sealable freezer bag so it will fit in a three-ring binder. Now the young scholars can zip their supplies in and out of the bag.

 

Make an artist’s palette. Tear off a length of heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimp up the edges, and you’ve got a ready-to-use palette for mixing paints. If you want to get a little fancier, cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a palette, complete with thumb hole, and cover it with foil. Or if you already have a wooden palette, cover it with foil before each use and then just strip off the foil instead of cleaning the palette.

 

Organize kids’ sporting goods. Keep a decorated empty wine or liquor carton with partitions, and with the top cut off, in your child’s room and use it for easy storage of tennis rackets, baseball bats, fishing poles, and such.

 

Untangle knots. Knots in string or shoelaces can be stubborn to undo, but the solution is easy. Sprinkle the knot with a little cornstarch. It will then be easy to work the segments apart.

 

Give kids some lunch box variety. As a break from the usual sandwich, put some fruit salad, rice mix, or other interesting fare in one or two recycled margarine tubs for your child’s lunch. The tubs are easy to open and will keep the food from getting crushed.

 

Cover your kids’ textbooks. Helping your children make book covers for their textbooks isn’t only fun, it’s also a subtle way to teach kids to respect public property. And few materials rival a paper bag when it comes to making a rugged book cover. First, cut the bag along its seams to make it a flat, wide rectangle, then place the book in the center. Fold in the top and bottom edges so the bag is only slightly wider than the book’s height. Next, fold over the sides to form sleeves over the book covers. Cut off the excess, leaving a couple of inches on either side to slide over the front and back covers. Put a piece of masking tape on the top and bottom of each sleeve (over the paper, not the book) to keep it on tight, and you’re done. Lastly, let your child put his or her personal design on each cover.

 

Make Frisbee flash cards. Drilling your kids with flash cards can be a drag, but here’s a way to make it fun. Write the numbers, letters, words or shapes you are teaching on paper plates and let the kids toss them like Frisbees across the room when they get a correct answer.

 

Clean a dirty thermos. To get a thermos bottle clean, fill it with warm water and 1/4 cup white vinegar. If you see any residue, add some uncooked rice, which will act as an abrasive to scrape it off. Close and shake well. Then rinse and let it air-dry.

 

Protect schoolbooks. If your child goes through book covers on textbooks on a semi-regular basis, get your hands on some old rolls of wallpaper. Book covers made of wallpaper are typically more rugged than even the traditional brown paper bag sleeves; they can hold their own against pens and pencils, and are much better at handling the elements, especially rain and snow.