End of the School Year Wrap Up

My new best friend:  the paper shredder!

I used to hate this time of year.  I've always looked forward (with trepidation!) to the kids being home from school all summer, but I hated it when they dumped all of the contents of their lockers, messenger bags, lunch boxes and backpacks on the floor.

All of that changed once I got a paper shredder and began to treat the "Coming Home" process like a video game.  Except for the sweet art portfolios that came home at the beginning of the summer, I treat all foreign objects that spill forth from the minivan as ENEMIES that must be dealt with.

Nine months of hard work all shredded and ready to become fuel for summer bonfires!

The kids stripped their bulletin boards of school-related papers.  Here, Peel finds a homework pass she forgot to use.  "Awww, man!"

Really big poster-sized projects slide between two shelves.

Art that would fit in this nylon zippered family portfolio was stored here.

Finally, we dumped out backpacks and messenger bags.  Old Valentines and name plates were placed in the "circular file" (that is, the trash!)

For the older kids, textbooks went to the school's used book sale and AP Exam review books will go to a good home.

The Organized Student is a great book that suggests ways to go through your child's stuff and figure out what worked well in terms of being organized.  The last step it suggests is going through computer files and zapping items you're done with.