August blog - "Back to School Spark"

Part 1 - Writing - "Writing Stories About School Adventures"

The dog days of summer are hotter than ever! It's hard to think about closing in on summer activities but pretty soon it's back to school to begin another successful year of learning, writing and growing!

August is National Back to School Month and a great time to think about using school adventures to write your story. Whether it is for your child or yourself, the school atmosphere makes a terrific place to start to gather facts and information for writing a story.

When I first wrote "My Baby and Me," I remember wanting to bring a story to life so that the characters, theme, plot, tone, point of view, conflict and setting were all things that children could relate to in their own lives. Reading stories and "imagining" yourself being the main character is a fun way at using your imagination while enjoying a familiar story with all of the seven main elements in it.

Most writers use some or even all of their own experiences in their writing. "My Baby and Me" is a true story about my daughter's first doll that many children and parents can relate to. The main character(s) a little girl and her doll, find themselves in several situations that present conflict and creates an array of on-going events to deal with in the process of growing up.

The school evironment offers children many opportunities to write about their adventures as they seek solutions to common problems. Using a theme such as "back to school" gives your child a chance to write a story about being in a new classroom with a new teacher, or a theme about spending one month at summer camp facing new challenges in learning how to dive in water, rock climb and to sleep away from home in a bunk room with six other kids. When children write about "owning" their experiences in school, they are more inclined to participate in activities that reinforce creative and perpetual opportunities for learning.

During the first weeks back to school, encourage your youngster to journal what the new school year will be like and how they will benefit the most in both academic and extra curricular activities. Here are some ideas for writing "My School Story" that your child could work on. They include:

*An interview with the Principal. Find out all there is to know about the life behind the face at school.

*Find out how the Nurses station takes care of all the kids medical needs and what goes into doing that job.

*Get friendly with the TA's and find out what the rules on the playground are

*Interview the Art, Music, or Library staff and profile them in a newsletter.

There are so many areas to write about! As your child makes their way into the new school year, have them write their number one goal and a follow up to when it can be achieved. The door will open even wider once the writing begins!

Part 2 - Education- "Easing the Back to School Transition"

That first week of a new school year is both exciting and tense. Everyone is busy with new schedules, routines and habits that were established over the summer can take a while to get used to. Morning and evening activities need to change from lazy summer days to oh-so busy school days and controlled planning for the week ahead to ensure that no important aspect is left uncovered.

One of the things I used for my back to school transtion with my three children to make expectations achieveable was a large white board hung on the mud room wall so everyone knew what they had going on for the week as they entered from either the garage or the outside deck. ( I may have mentioned this in a previous blog.) That white board, with dry erase markers was the number one item we could not live without! As the week started on Sunday, I checked their folders daily and took out all the papers and under the white board I placed a set of cubbies so each child had a place to put their backpack, sneakers. lunchbag, and library books. On top of the cubby shelf were three book bins to hold papers and homework folders.

This system worked really well because it allowed my kids to have the responsibility to be in charge of their own work. The dry erase markers were color coded for each of us ( we were a family of five ) so it was easy to check who had what color and the tasks for that week.

During this transition from summer to school prep, we would go to the stores together and I would let them pick out the items they needed and whatever colors they wanted or had to get. Some places we shopped were: Target, Dollar Tree, Five Below, Walgreens, CVS, BJ's and even supermarkets. The homework space was usually the kitchen table when they were young because as most people know, the kitchen is the heart of the home and where most of the action is 24/7. Each child had a book shelf in their bedroom but we also kept books for pleasure reading in the family room for those moments when quiet time is needed.

Speaking of reading, World Literacy Day is August 8th, so making these additions to the beginning of the new school year reinforces the reading and new routines to keep current and on top of.

Whichever system works for you, the most important thing to remember is back to school does not have to be stressful. Keeping a regular routine for schoolwork, homework and outside activities is more manageable when organization plays a part. There are lots of varieties of materials to choose that can make any youngster "start off on the right foot." Making those decisions together can get kids excited to begin a new year!

*If you have a great method for organizing your littles for school, feel free to drop a comment to share so others can learn what works!

Part 3 -Parenting-"Encouraging Positive School Mindsets in Kids"

When I was ready to start a new school year, I remember I had a lot of worries and fears about being with a new teacher. Being the youngest of five, I had some good and not so good reputations to follow. Let's be honest, some teachers, especially back in the day I was in school, did not give much "forgiveness" if you had an older sibling that was a handful or a jokester. I was afraid that I would be compared to a sibling who did not get along with said teacher and therefore made for a tough school year until proven otherwise.

However, when my children were in school, things were very different. My three children are three and a half years apart, so they were two grades away from each other in elementary school and when a new school year began, we loved being with the same teacher as often as possible.

The importance of having a child who has a positive mindset for school and transitions to new experiences without difficulty exhibits confidence and is more likely to have success in the process. When sitting with your kids at dinner time, remind them that new beginnings are a natural part of every day life and adjustments are always to be expected. Listen to their concerns, fears, excitement and give them a chance to be heard so that they know there are many options for one problem or another.

Clothing shopping can be a way to introduce the idea of change especially if your child is heading to a new school with a different set of rules, like wearing a uniform or taking a bus for the first time. All the scary new things that go along with their "new" routine can be reduced to a manageable comfort level by putting them in a higher position for successful experience. Allow them to have a few familiar and trendy outfits if possible so they are age-connected with their peers. Encourage them to seek activities they have never tried before in order to fill in the days that may have otherwise gone to waste.

The end of summer can be a great inspiration for those that fulfilled their reading and math requirement. Libraries that offer a reading program that award certificates for the most books read can boost the esteem of your youngster when your child returns to school with new bragging rights as they accomplish new reading goals.

August is also National Family Fun Month! The perfect time to re-group as a family and squeeze in extra fun activities like movies in the backyard under the stars, going to a ball game, a concert or hosting a block party with neighbors to say farewell to summer.

A fun activity can be to host a "back to school night" for your childs friends and classmates with crafts and storytelling. There are so many ways that children can gain confidence and feel the excitement as they head back to school.

Giving children the opportunity to become leaders at home and being in charge of a project or event that is important to the family will instill confidence in their ideas and inspire them to be mindful individuals in school and find their spark of positivity for years to come!

Have a great August and I look forward to another blog post as September finds us "Learning Together." Stay well and be happy! ;)

Blessings,

Anita