‘Things are not going to be perfect’: Back to school tips from The Mom in The Know
With back to school around the corner, former teacher and current mom-blogger Julie Findlay has plenty of helpful advice for parents and their kids to make the most of their first day.
“It just takes a community and a collaboration to get things done,” Findlay told CTV News in a virtual interview. “I've made it my mission since 2006 to make sure I keep everyone in the know.”
Here are her top tips for parents:
Shopping
Don’t stress about back-to-school shopping right now, Findlay said. Rather, parents can give themselves a break and wait for a list from their teacher about what the student needs and more importantly, what they don’t need to have.
“So, one binder. One pen. One backpack. One lunch for the first day,” she said.
Lunches
Findlay says parents should include their kids in the return to making daily lunches by bringing their kids to the grocery store to pick out healthy choices. And, kids can also be a part of the meal-prep.
“It's actually fun having kids in the kitchen chopping, putting together the lunches that they like and possibly even the dinners, therefore the leftover lunches,” she said.
Sleeping
It’s not too late to sleep train your kids away from staying up late and sleeping in. But Findlay also says parents need not worry, sleep habits will improve on their own.
“Mother Nature does that. It gets darker earlier, so things wind down a little bit earlier,” she explained. “And that sort of is the clock itself helping you out.”
Findlay does warn parents: your kids will likely be exhausted by the end of week one.
“Luckily, it's a shorter one because it's after the long weekend (and) the weekends (are) where we get to sleep,” she said.
Learning
Findlay recommends parents help their kids go from lounging to learning by pulling out a deck of cards or a board game a few times between now and Sept. 6.
“It's critical thinking. You're having them create their opinions, speaking in a group of people,” Findlay said. “Those are all sort of teachable moments that you didn't even know you're doing but it kind of gets them back into problem-solving, looking at things or even those conversations at the dinner table.”
Homework
Findlay suggests saving the box when you buy your child a pair of new sneakers for school. She uses her children’s to create a “study box” for homework.
“You're gonna have your pens in it, your pencils, your book, whatever you need, and you bring your office anywhere in the house to do your homework. So you're kind of creating these spaces for success,” she said.
Health
Make sure exercise or time outdoors is a key component of every day, says Findlay.
“I feel like most of our kids have spent all of their time outside,” she said. “And now we're going to transition to a lot of their time inside.”
Pencil time into their daily routine, likely after school, for exercise or free play outdoors, regardless of their age. Findlay recommends parents check out the Ottawa Heart Institute website, and take some advice from their Jump-in campaign.
“There are people in our communities (who) are really trying to make sure kids do stay outside and I definitely think that is my biggest tip,” she said.
Coping
Above all else, Findlay says parents should be prepared for whatever back to school brings. She notes kids are resilient and have already managed to cope with the pandemic.
“Things are not going to be perfect. And I think we as parents have to give that sort of leeway to have our kids make their own mistakes and help them through it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.