Are school forms/papers/artwork threatening to overrun your household? Springfield Moms Readers to the Rescue! Enjoy their expertise in the paper clutter arena.
- Thanks to Springfield Moms reader Janet von Behren for these practical ideas on how to better organize your child’s paper onslaught: “Take a 12 month accordion file and re-label it for the subjects/classes your child has,” Janet says. “As the papers come home from school, file them in the proper location. Not only do you have a place for the clutter, the kids will now be able to find homework and quizzes to review from for tests. At the end of each quarter, remove any papers you are sure you are done with and don’t need to hold onto. If you have an extra opening, move the ‘keepers’ to here. At the end of the year you should be left with only those papers/artwork you want to hold onto.” Janet adds: “At our house I expanded on the idea by placing all the files in an empty drawer in a filing cabinet and I placed an in-basket on top of the cabinet. After I am done looking at the school work, I put it into the in-basket. It is up to the children to occasionally go through it and file their own papers.”
- From Lisa Barutcu: “To help you corral all the ‘mail’ coming in from your child’s school, take a two-pocket folder (you can get these at discount and office stores for as little as 20 cents each) and a marker. On one inside pocket write ‘Fill Out and Return’ and mark the other ‘Reference.’ Then file papers as soon as they come in and check the folder as you’re preparing for the following school day to avoid missing any deadlines.”
- Preserve the memories. If you like to save your kids’ artwork and important school papers, date-stamp them on the back so when you take a trip down memory lane, you’ll remember from whence the handprint turkey came. Keep an ordinary office date-stamp and inkpad in an accessible location, and make a habit of marking those keepers as they come home from school or day care in your child’s bag.
