Back To School with PreK12 Plaza 

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with the PreK12 Plaza.

However, all opinions expressed are my own. #PreK12Plaza

Are your littles or not so littles heading back to school in the next few weeks? How about a little starting homeschool? We have one of each so for the next few weeks, we are organizing and scheduling our evenings to make for a great morning start. 

Back to School time can be stressful especially if your kids have enjoyed later nights, sleeping in all the activities, trips and fun that comes along with summer. For me, I stick to a bedtime routine and schedule all year long. The tot still has her regular bedtime of 7:30-8 although I am working on getting her back to 7-7:30. When Big Z is with us, she hangs with dad on his nights off. With me she heads to bed for 10. Now that school is less than two weeks away, she heads to bed for 9. A good night of rest is one of the most important things we can provide our children.  

To keep their minds fresh and continue learning, we work on lessons throughout the summer. Some include book  and mini testing but we also use our environment and any activities we have planned as opportunities to learn.

Add a great prep routine on the weekends plus a few nightly task then most morning will be a stress free breeze. 

Weekend Prep For School

Saturday

• Wash, iron and hang all uniforms (or outfits for homeschoolers)
• Prep and pack gym bag 
• Layout Underclothes, socks and any other necessities 

Sunday 

• Pack book bag
• Discuss and post schedule for the week 
• Meal prep for lunch, after school snacks and dinner
• Prepare homeschool lessons or study hour lessons and books for public school kids 
• Organize school supplies & area 

We break it down over two days because we also have Baby E to care for however all of this can be done with the help of your kids in 3-5 hours on a Saturday morning before you head out for family fun.

Even though we are a co-parent household, we do weekend school prep with Big Z on the weekends she is here too. Depending on the task, the girls either do it themselves or help out. This is another way to build confidence and independence which helps with school performance too.

As a family, we use the PreK12 Plaza site and resources to support our routine for a great school year. As a mom who limits screen time, PreK12 Plaza is a great online resource that I love. PreK12 Plaza has a strong focus on Math and Language Arts but my favorite part of the site are the Parent Engagement tools. If I decide to homeschool Little Z past the pre-school years, the PreK12 Plaza curriculum will be a great plan to follow. I love that it is bilingual and culturally relevant. Little Z is already signed up for toddler spanish class in the fall because having her learn a second language is important to me. 

Check out this video to learn more and then subscribe to PreK12 Plaza.

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How do you prepare for back to school?