3 minute read
School Station
How A School Station Saved Me from Sounding Like a Broken Record on Repeat
WRITTEN BY LORI JO BERG
About two weeks into kindergarten with my oldest, I quickly realized what we were doing wasn’t working. I needed a way to reduce the chaos and lost items as well as put more responsibility on my child.
I have always been an overly organized and orderly person, but apparently school five days a week through me for a loop.
Enter the school station. Simply put, it’s a system to keep you organized for all things schoolrelated.
Here are all things you’ll need at your station:
• A designated area with wall space. For us, it was near the front door and the kids’ bedrooms.
• Hooks for backpacks and frequently worn coats.
• A basket underneath the hooks for library books, school folders, homework and specific items to remember the next day.
• Space for a calendar above the hooks to note extracurriculars, specials such as library and gym, as well as anything else you’d like your kids to know for the month.
• An index card with a basic routine to get ready for school. In kindergarten this was full of pictures. The card showed things such as hair, teeth, shoes, lunch and a backpack.
• A keepsake folder or binder for all the things you’d like to save from the year (if you’re that mom).
The key is to get them to use the station and this starts with an after-school routine. When the kiddos walk in, they put their books and homework in the basket, empty their lunch and hang up their backpack and coat.
When it’s time for homework or reading a library book that night, there’s no more wondering where the items are.
When it’s time to leave the next morning, it’s all in one place.
Now, instead of sounding like a broken record, I can refer to the school station for forgotten items, questions about the day, finding library books and more.
Here’s to the school station and anything else we moms can dream up to make the school year a little less chaotic.
Lori Jo is a Montana Native, mother of three and freelance writer who enjoys writing about the tougher side of life and connecting with her audience on a deeper level.
