The New Back To School Shopping

Growing up we can all remember getting butterflies in our stomachs the night before school started again after summer break. I remember the angst built up over what to wear and praying that a cute boy would be in my class. But the weeks leading up to school for 2020 have created a whole host of new anxieties for parents and kids.  Will it be virtual? Will it be a hybrid? Will I be able to eat with my friends?  Will I go on a bus? Are there going to be after school activities?  I have been trying to calm the nerves of my children and convince them to go with the punches as much as they can, but the unknowns have turned butterflies into something a little larger and less cute. My advice for 2020 is to be prepared as much as you can. Anticipate virtual learning and anticipate the needs for in school learning. Here is my list of items that I purchased for my kids this year. 

• A Backpack with a padded laptop interior. You know the kids will be throwing their backpacks on the floor like always. Protect their most important back to school item- their laptop. Fjallraven backpack has great options.

• Safety items: I purchased mask necklaces from 100 Percent Beads and from Etsy. I also purchased hand sanitizer Sprays instead of gels to avoid leakage in the backpacks. I used a 5 x 7 clear photo case from Iris (on amazon) to hold extra clean masks. 

• Noise Canceling Earphones: We have Beats and Bose headphones.

• Desktop Organization at home: I display the basic supplies such as scissors, ruler, calculator, pre-sharpened pencils, colored-pencils, eraser on their desks. The easiest they can find their supplies, the easier it is for them to stay on track and focused. I used Umbra Capelli Countertop Organizer. I also use the Acrimet Horizontal Triple File Holder to store their papers.

Wishing everyone an easy and safe transition!