This post is sponsored by General Mills, but all opinions and photography are our own.
After a long summer of the pool, sports camps, and camping trips, easing into the back-to-school routine can come as a shock to some. Whether your children are starting school for the first time or simply headed into the next grade, adjusting to the school day routine can take a little while.
As two former teachers who turned into work-from-home moms, we know that when it comes to back-to-school time, having a few routines of our own in place can help for a smooth transition.
Here are a few ideas to implement in the summer to help start the school year off on the right foot for your children and their school!
3 Simple Tips to Make Going Back-To-School Easy:
Syncing Schedules:
Summertime is the perfect opportunity to be adventurous, making memories with your kids and enjoying loosely structured days. There are only 18 short summers after all. However, as the new school year approaches, it can be challenging to expect everyone in your house to turn a switch on the first day of school and be ready to get up early and walk out the door on time. Our bodies just don’t work that way.
In an effort to avoid cranky kids while they adjust to early school mornings, try syncing your kids’ schedules a few weeks before school begins. To do this, reestablish a more structured routine at home where your kids go to bed a bit earlier and get up as they would on a school morning. Even if this feels off at first, practice will make everyone happier when the real thing comes about.
Smart Shopping Ahead of Time:
As you head out to fulfill the requests of your children’s school supply list, there are a few ways to ease the stress. First, don’t wait until the last minute! Nobody likes to be standing with a million other families looking for pocket folders only to find they are sold out.
In addition, we want you to know how to shop smart and give back. Box Tops for Education has been a way for families to help support their schools for a long time. Most of us remember clipping Box Tops from boxes to turn into supportive dollars for any school of your choice. You know when you leave Costco, and they check your receipt before you walk out the door? Hold onto that piece of paper because it’s worth money…for the school of your choice!
We are super pumped to let you in on the latest scoop…Box Tops is going digital! Woot woot! Gone are the days of clipping and saving tiny bits of cardboard in an effort to support education.
Yup, you heard that right! Now it is even easier to support your teachers and schools as you head back-to-school this year. Just download the app and scanning your Costco receipt. Teachers all over are doing a toe touch right now. They will be able to put this money towards things they really need in their classrooms. Maybe they need a functioning pencil sharpener? New Expo markers? Hey, maybe even a new computer. The possibilities that your children’s teachers can have with a little extra money to spend are endless.
One thing is for sure, collecting Box Tops are an easy way to directly make an impact!
Each digital “clip” is still worth 10 cents…and we know, as former classroom teachers, that can add up quickly. From our previous experience, while working in hard-to-serve schools in the Denver area, we have vivid memories of clipping Box Tops and saving them to earn money to support our own classrooms. We’d even go as far as creating creative collection boxes for our students to take home and set in their kitchens so that they could clip and save to help contribute to our classroom resources.
When Meghan was teaching 2nd grade, her school had a contest to see which class could collect the most Box Tops. Well her classroom not only beat the entire 2nd grade but collected the most Box Tops for the entire school…earning them a bounce house and pizza party for the entire class! To this day, the students she keeps in touch with remember as that being one of their favorite memories from elementary school!
Box Tops for Education and General Mills are changing the lives of millions of children and their teachers all over the country. We’ve been in the trenches, giving our all to the students in our classrooms, dipping into our own wallets to ensure our classrooms provided the very best resources possible. Therefore, we have the first-hand experience with the impact that Box Tops has in schools. Just a few extra dollars can make the biggest difference.
While shopping at Costco this back-to-school season look for these products with Box Tops.
You’ll automatically earn 10 Box Tops on these items when you purchase at Costco and scan your receipt in the Box Tops App!
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Lucky Charms
- Multigrain Cheerios
- Nature Valley Biscuit Sandwich Almond Butter
- Nature Valley Oats & Honey Granola Bars
- Nature Valley Fruit and Nut Granola Bars
- Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Peanut Granola Bars
- Motts Fruits Snacks 90 ct
- Fruit by the foot
- Annie’s Mac & Cheese Variety Pack
- Annie’s Friends Cereal
- GoGurt Yogurt
The list goes on! Box Tops is even giving 5000 Costco members an additional 100 Box Tops! Pretty cool!
When you leave Costco after having snacked on one too many samples, remember this…scan your Costco receipt into the Box Tops app and BOOM…you are instantly making an impact. We are smiling ear to ear…this is now an easy and convenient way to make a difference. What will your Box Top inspire?
Prevent The Summer Slip:
By the end of the school year, everyone can feel tired from working so hard. Summer is a time to rest, relax and recharge. We aren’t saying that you need to go crazy. A little reading each day will help your kids maintain what they have learned in the past school year. This will put them in a great position to start the following school year off on the right foot!
Reading daily, writing about their experiences on their vacation, and practicing math skills as they arise organically throughout your day will really help ease their transition into the school year. Make it fun!
So as the excitement of a new school year arises, give one of these a try. The back-to-school season is a special time of year. Yes, it is exciting, but also trying as everyone adjusts to a new, albeit semi-familiar routine. What steps do you like to take before walking through the doors of your child’s school for the new year?
