Did your kids come home with bags and backpacks packed with piles of end of year school supplies? You got this! Here are 9 quick tips to get this mess under control.
Ending the school year is extremely exciting for kids everywhere. As happy as they are to dump their end of year school supplies by the door, parents are left with a complete mess. Let me show you how I dealt with the pile my kids dragged home.
You are going to learn the 9 quick tips to purge, donate and deal with all of those end of year school supplies.
After learning these tips you are going to have a an easy approach to tackle the end of year mess.
This post is all about the tips that will help you to deal with all of those end of year school supplies.
Tips To Deal With End Of Year School Supplies
Tip One: Dump and Purge First
Ok… dump everything and I mean everything. Don’t try to take things out and sort as you go. It’s way too frustrating. The best way to start this is to make more of a mess than you already have – I know – AGH! But, just do it so you can get started. Here is my 7th grader’s pile…
Tip Two: Do The Initial Sort On Your Own
What do I mean by an initial sort? I mean that you need to put the items into categories without throwing things out yet. Put all the binders, pencils, pens, notebooks, locker materials, etc. into piles to make the stuff more manageable. Ok… my kids can totally do this step on their own, but my initial sort makes things go much faster. Sorting just makes the project look smaller so there is less whining. So, it’s ok. You can do a soft sort first if you want the stuff out of your house as fast as possible. I know I do!
Tip Three: Time To Get The Kids Involved In The Sort
Ok… it’s that time. You need to get your kids to sort their items. I made a sticky note for each category: Keep, Garbage, Replace, Donate and Memories. It was surprising, how quickly my daughter sorted all of her things. I think it really helped to do this right after her school ended. She remembered which pens didn’t write well and which locker items are a must have for next year. It was actually fun to do this with her and listen to her talk about her memories while she sorted.
Tip Four: Find a Place To Donate
Before you toss everything in the trash… WAIT… Let’s donate everything we possibly can! Ok, who takes end of year school supplies that are slightly used? We lucked out. My daughter volunteers at a camp and they need supplies. So, start with places in your life and in your town that might be looking for extra gently used supplies. Summer camps, Church camps, summer school programs and even places like restaurants are always looking for pens and pencils.
Goodwill takes books. Click here to find your local Goodwill Donation Center.
Tip Five: Let’s Recycle
Recycling to me meant to put things into the blue trash can outside. And, that’s ok for paper and any other supplies that can be simply tossed into that bin. But, there are other recycling programs you might not know about. And these programs might be just what you need.
The best places I have found to recycle lots of school supplies are:
Bic Stationary Free Recycling Program-This program is free! They accept so much: pens, pencils, glue sticks, highlighters and much much more. Simply follow the instructions and get those school supplies out of your house without the guilt of tossing them in the trash.
Crazy Crayon – The National Crayon Recycling Program. This program will take any amount of crayons and they keep them out of landfills. You can start this program at your school and stop those broken crayons from coming home! Check it out!
A few more notes on recycling– You can pull the paper out of spiral notebooks and recycle the paper and throw out the rest. Paper folders can be recycled. Plastic ones can be reused or thrown out if they are in bad shape. Binders can be recycled in pieces. You can recycle the cardboard inside the cover. The steel binder clips can be recycled, but the plastic covering has to be thrown out.
Tip Six: Save A Few Things For A Memory Box
If you haven’t made a memory box for your kids yet, it’s time! All you need is a file box and files labeled from baby to 12th grade. At the end of the school year add in a report card, anything your child is proud of and wants to save and their yearbook. Throughout the year you can easily add important awards or teacher notes to their file.
If you need a file box to get started click HERE for one like mine.
Tip Seven: Wash What You Can
Before you start to put things away, take a moment and wash everything that can be cleaned. Backpacks, pencil cases and pouches can be thrown in the washer. Plastic binders and pencil boxes can be cleaned with dish soap and water. So, if you decide to keep things… wash them before you store them for the summer. Your future self will thank you.
Tip Eight: Store Everything Where You Can Easily Find It
Before you know it, the calendar will flip to September. You need to be able to find all of these school supplies. Store everything in a backpack or bag and put it in your child’s closet or in a spot where you won’t forget about it. Keep everything together and add to what you need as the summer progresses.
Tip Nine: Make A List Of What You Need And Shop Sales Early
Your school will most likely send you a list of must have items in August. But, there are some items that you know you’ll need. Make a list while you purge and add your “replace” items to the list. Stores start back to school sales early – take advantage of them. My favorite place to get supplies has always been Target. As a former teacher I can tell you that they have always had the best deals. Check them out HERE.
This post was all about what to do with end of year school supplies.
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