The back to school scramble has begun. And my to-do list is a mile long! So is the school supply shopping list required by my daughter's school. This year the 5th graders must own a flash drive. That's one of the gadgets we talked to a Best Buy guy about in this week's Northwest Families segment. Another is a Mini-Netbook computer for around $300. It can't do everything but it's a perfect stand-in when you need to go online and your kids are hogging your PC or vice versa. And for crying out loud these netbooks are small enough to fit in your purse. Never mind that my husband calls my purse a suitcase... and that a full sized laptop could fit in there too.

SLEEPY HEAD After a summer of staying up late and sleeping in, it's hard to get back in the groove of an early school day.
So don't wait until the night before school to try to get the kids on a sleep schedule. You want to start now, at least a week or two before school starts. 6 to 9 year olds need 10 hours of sleep each night. Preteens need 9 hours, and teens need about 8 to 9 1/2 hours.

CHILDREN'S CHECKLIST Seattle Children's put together a checklist to help you make the transition from summer to school a smooth one.

*Immunizations - make sure they're up to date. During your child's annual physical ask the doctor for an updated print out of their vaccinations so you always have one on hand.

*Snacks- Stock up on healthy snacks and lunch fixings.

*Transportation- make sure your child knows the transportation plan. If she's walking, walk the route with her and point out safe places along the way. Always try to walk in groups.

*Before and After School Care - talk to your child about how they should spend their time in Aftercare. Do you expect them to complete their homework before they run off to play with friends?

*Home Alone- lay down the rules if your child will be home alone after school.
Is he allowed to have friends over. What about cooking? Can he answer the phone and the door?

What's on your checklist? Are you ready for back to school? Share your words of wisdom with us in the comment section below. And be sure to tune in to Northwest Cable News Wednesday nights at 7 and Thursday mornings at 8 for Northwest Families.

1 Comments

Jennifer Quinlin said:

This information is great. You can also find more information regarding homework tips that really work from a company called LearningRx!

September 14, 2009 12:37 PM

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