As children in the Scottsdale Unified School District prepare to go back to school next week, local families are likely focused on finishing buying school supplies and new clothes. Before you can relax and wait for school to start, you should make sure your DC Ranch home is all set up for the busy year ahead. Taking these steps will help school days go as smoothly as possible.
Source: DC Ranch Website
Designate a spot for everything
If the start of school makes you think of backpacks, shoes, and papers everywhere, it’s time to reorganize your DC Ranch home by setting up a spot for every accessory.
Pick an area close to the door and make it clear to the kids where to put their school items. You can hang some hooks on the wall or door for their backpacks and jackets, which should easily cut the school clutter in half. Then set up a shoe cubby with a bench on top so the kids know exactly where to find and put on their shoes every morning – and where to put them once they come back home every day.
Another way to organize is to designate a place for all the papers that your children will bring home from school. If you don’t like the idea of papers ending up all over the kitchen island in your DC Ranch home, hang a mail organizer on the wall. Make sure there’s a specific spot for papers that need to be signed or filled out and returned, as well as papers that can stay home.
Set up a homework area
While a homework desk in your child’s room is ideal, it’s not a necessity. As long as you designate a spot in your home for homework – and keep it organized – this part of your day can go smoothly. If your children use the kitchen island or dining room table for homework, dedicate a nearby drawer or cabinet to all the supplies they’ll need. Consider adding some small bins to keep the writing utensils separate from the scissors, glue, and any other supplies they’ll use.
Get your kitchen ready for the school year
With as much time as most people spend in the kitchen, it makes sense to ensure that it’s set up properly for the school year. First, keep a family calendar on the wall, and assign every family member their own chalk or marker color so it’s easy to see everyone’s plans for each day.
Then focus on organizing the food for the school year. Make sure you have some quick breakfast items that are easy for the kids to grab when they’re in a rush. If you pack lunches, make it easy on yourself by keeping all the components in the same spot. Put all reusable containers, lunch boxes, plastic or paper bags, and napkins in one spot in your pantry.
Next to those, put a bin containing all of the snacks you’ll include in the lunches, with any sandwich ingredients on the other side. You can do the same in your fridge with any items that need to be kept cold, resulting in a kid-friendly kitchen that makes it easy for you or your children to pack lunches.
As you can see, taking these steps can save you time and trouble once the kids go back to school, so make sure to implement them before summer break officially ends next week!
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-360-0281
don@scottsdalerealestate.com
