OfficeMax and Peter Walsh Go Back To School

It's "Back to School" time, and you know what that means! Lots of shopping, lots of early morning rumbling, and tons of new paper clutter!! I remember when my oldest started Kindergarden, I was shocked at the amount of paperwork she brought home on the first day! It hasn't gotten better as she's moved on in school, either. She's starting her Junior year of high school this year, and the only difference now is that she's responsible for her own paper clutter, instead of me!

Office Max invited me to attend a special webinar featuring Peter Walsh, Heather Wolpert-Gawron (an award-winning teacher), Ana Picazo (well-known mom blogger), and two students. As always, Peter was full of great tips, but what was especially interesting this go round was hearing advice from a mom and a teacher on how to get organized for school. You can view the webinar below.

There's a ton of info in the webinar, so I definitely suggest watching it if you have children heading back to school this year. I'll briefly summarize the key points here.

Organize Your Home
1. Peter drove home the point about flat surfaces. Attack those clutter catchers! Children can't study amidst clutter, so reclaim those flat surfaces!
2. Make organization a family value. Let your kids "catch" you being organized. (I know, easier said than done!). Yet if we model this behavior and show our children that organization is important to us, they'll follow suit.
3. Use the right tools for organization. This doesn't have to cost a lot of money, either. Just make sure your supplies are all in one place, and easily accessible. Don't have pens scattered around, the stapler in one room, and paper in another. Take some time to corral all those loose items and find a central place for them.

Organize Your Kid
1. By teaching your child to be organized you're building their confidence. Think how it feels when you have a presentation at work that you aren't prepared for. Kids feel the same way when they aren't prepared for school or studying. By teaching them to organize their school items they'll have confidence to get the job done.
2. Establish routines. Something that worked really well for us in the early years was to empty my daughter's backpack each night. This way we didn't "lose" papers, and she was able to make sure she had everything she needed for the next day. Spend some time the night before getting your child set up for the next day (laying out clothes, etc). Routines naturally breed organization!
3. Get your kid invested in organization. Give them their own space to maintain, such as a desk. They will be committed to it if they are invested in it!

Organize the Classroom
1. If you homeschool, you have double duty. Not only do you have your kids and home to organize, but also your school area. Set aside a separate school space. This physical separation will help you mentally separate yourself and help everyone adjust to school time.
2. Involve the kids in classroom organization. Ask their opinion on the best way to organize things, since they'll be accessing items too. Try to organize in ways that make sense to them.
3. Organize with words, pictures, and colors. Children have different learning styles so be aware of that. Some kids will respond better to things labeled with words, while others would respond to a colored system better.

Apart from the actual organization of Back to School time, there's the supplies to be bought. And who can resist when they look this cute?

This is part of a new line at OfficeMax called Schoolio Von Hoolio. Prices range from $0.99 to $5.99. Pictured below are two of my favorites, the Cupcake notebook and composition book, both $3.29 each.


Now, as eager as I know you are to run out to OfficeMax and buy as many cupcake notebooks as they have, declutter first! See what you already have, so you don't buy more than you need. How many packs of pencils can one family use, anyway? Then, armed with your supply list, head to OfficeMax and go crazy. Even if you homeschool, everyone loves new supplies. Especially if they have cupcakes on them!

Blogger was provided with items from the Schoolio Von Hoolio line at OfficeMax for this review.