Organizing Tips to Prepare for Back to School

I start back at work in just a few weeks, and I am definitely feeling the back-to-school pressure! As I finish up the last few things I need to do to get ready for the new school year, I wanted to share with you some of the things I'm doing to prepare and get organized. Be sure to stick around until the end of the post- there's a little back to school giveaway you can enter at the end!

I've been steadily working on projects for school and home all summer, but somehow I still didn't finish everything I wanted to do this summer! Now that it's crunch time, I've narrowed my focus in to the most important tasks I need to get done before school starts.

I spent the summer picking up things I found on sale, making new materials, and mending some old ones for my classroom. Now it's time to gather everything up, get anything I don't have yet ready to go, and take it all into school!

Target got me bad this summer. Their rainbow-themed classroom items were calling my name, and of course I couldn't pass up the musical instrument and flags of the world flash cards! I also got some new tape to use to color code my student seating that won't damage my new carpet, and I also found some clear organizers on super-clearance. I've got a few other supplies for some new centers I'm planning too, and some hooks for the new ukulele's I'm getting this year!!! I can't wait to start putting it all in my classroom :)

To make it easier to carry everything into my room, I'm putting everything in rolling suitcases. I plan to use those suitcases to lug things around the building as well- if you know you have to carry a lot of stuff around the building, getting a rolling suitcase or dolly is a great idea!

As you may know, long-range planning is one of my most important tasks each summer. I've been working on mine and am pretty much done, but I need to go back and fill in some more detail on some of my plans. I plan out the major concepts that I want to cover in each grade by month, and I include any lessons / activities / resources that I know I want to use with each concept. The more I have planned out now, the less thinking I have to do during the school year! Plus I know that I am teaching everything in a logical sequence and I can rest assured that we are covering everything that needs to get done.

Last but not least, I'm trying to get everything as organized as I can at home as well! With two preschoolers to feed, meals can be a particular logistical and organizational challenge for me, so I made some new organizers to help me plan out our breakfasts and lunch along with our dinners this year. I just wrote about those organizers yesterday- if you're interested in printing your own copy or seeing what I put together, check out yesterday's post on the topic here.

I have also been making extra-large batches when I cook, so that I can freeze the extras and have them ready for when I'm too busy to cook or need a lunch for myself. I feel so much better knowing that I have a few "back up meals" ready to go!

I think that about covers the major areas I'm working on to prepare for back to school. What are you doing to get ready?

Infographic design by https://stroller-envy.com/

Want more? Subscribe here to the Organized Chaos newsletter and get music teacher ideas and resources for home and school sent straight to your inbox!