Saturday, August 25, 2012

Parents of school-aged children

I have questions, loads of questions that I need help answering, please?


  1. When packing a lunch - evenings or mornings?  
  2. Which cups do NOT leak?
  3. How many ice packs do you use?
  4. How much time do you give your little one in the morning?  Addy can be at school from 7:45 - 8:00, we live less than three minutes away.  Should I wake her an hour ahead of leaving or thirty minutes? 
  5. What do you wish you would have known or prepared for before having one of your kiddos start school?
I know I have loads of questions and concerns in my head, which hopefully will be answered when meeting the teacher this upcoming week, but this is a start.  

5 comments:

  1. 1. Definitely evenings. Do as much the night before as you can.

    2. Don't know. We use juice boxes usually. Although this year I did buy each of the kids a kid-sized aluminum thermos thingy with a spout. We got them from Wal-Mart and they don't leak.

    3. I've never used ice packs. We pack lunches the night before and keep them refrigerated overnight. The kids say their lunches/drinks are still cold by lunchtime.

    4. That depends on Addy and her personality. Kaelyn is S-L-O-W, so we need extra time to give her the leeway to drag her feet. An hour early is good, that way you never feel like you're rushing.

    5. I felt prepared with the logistics of the kids starting school. I wasn't quite prepared for how emotional I would be on their first day.

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  2. 1. I do mine in the morning, but since it's just for one child, it doesn't take too long. Yogurt, fruit cups, lunchables, etc.

    2. I also use the thermos from walmart, or stick in a pre-made chocolate milk bottle or capri sun.

    3. I use one ice pack, or I heard you could wet and freeze a kitchen sponge, put it a ziplock and it works just as well.

    4. I've moved Connor's alarm from an hour before to 35 minutes before the bus comes since it doesn't take long to get him ready. Plus he could use the extra sleep.

    5. We went over a lot of the classroom, playground rules with Connor before the first day. The teacher had given us a lot of material to go over with him, including the behavior reward system. I tried to make everything sound really fun!!! I did let him ride the bus the first day because he was really excited, but I followed it to school so I could make sure he found his class alright and to get a picture of him with the teacher. She also suggested putting her name on his shirt so he could be directed to his class. I totally almost broke down, it was so emotional. So far so good, he loves kindergarten!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1)I get up in the morning wake the kids, feed them, pack their lunches while they eat, get them dressed,and then they can watch tv or do electronics. We brush teeth and get shoes on when it's time to go. 2)I buy juice boxes (Minute Maid or Juicy Juice) or sports bottles. 3)I buy one ice pack (Target has cute ones) and I use an insulated lunch box (no metal or plastic). 4)Wake-up time depends on the child. My oldest is fast in the morning. He needs 15 minutes. My younger is slow-moving and he needs 45 minutes. Unfortunately my oldest is an early-bird and my youngest is a night owl. 5)If your child is nervous, go in and visit the school and walk around and get a feel for the building. No school is going to tell you no in front of your child. Just realize the rooms are not ready and the teachers are busy. Some might have a few moments for you, but they are on a tight schedule (as you know). Be positive and let her know how lucky she is. Fill out volunteer forms as soon as possible so that you can go in and volunteer. She will look forward to seeing you in HER classroom.

    ReplyDelete
  4. When packing a lunch - evenings or mornings?

    I'm new at this too -- but I do it the night before. I don't need another thing added to my mornings.

    Which cups do NOT leak?

    I got the thermos ones from Target. All good thus far.

    How many ice packs do you use?

    None. I put the lunch in the fridge overnight and figure that it won't be that bad in the three hours between fridge and eating.

    How much time do you give your little one in the morning?

    My kiddos are always up early. I would say we need at least an hour to get everyone ready, fed, and out the door.

    What do you wish you would have known or prepared for before having one of your kiddos start school?

    n/a

    ReplyDelete
  5. I make lunch in the evenings and include juice boxes. I love those Ziploc containers for making lunches. Here, Tot gets up before the sun rises so she's always ready in time.

    ReplyDelete

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