Ten Tips for Ensuring a Healthy, Safe and Successful School Year

Twittermoms and Airwear are offering bloggers another opportunity to post about an important topic and possibly earn some prizes in the process.  With a new school year just around the corner, we all know that it is time to start thinking about back-to-school shopping.  In addition to preparing our kids with all the necessary supplies for school, we also need to remember to prepare them physically, mentally, and emotionally to ensure a healthy safe and successful school year.

1. Vision Screening - If you haven't taken your child recently, or if you've noticed a change in his/her ability to see objects either close up or at a distance, then you should be sure to take him/her to have a vision screening.  If a child can't see, it makes it very difficult to learn.
2. Hearing Screening - While my kiddos may choose not to listen to me, they can hear just fine.  Like vision, hearing is vital to being successful in school.
3. Yearly physical - Neither of my kiddos were born in August, but once they became preschoolers, we began to schedule their yearly physicals at back-to-school time.  I want to make sure they start the year strong and healthy.
4. Family Information - Before heading back to school, we make sure that the kids know all of our important family information.  Both girls know their names, addresses, phone numbers, our names, etc.  If they happen to need one of us while they are at school, they should be able to recite our phone numbers without a second thought. 
5. School Visit - Many children need to be prepared for what to expect when attend school.  If possible plan a school visit so that your child can see the school layout, their classroom, the bathrooms, etc.  
6. Secret Code Word - When I was very young, my parents gave me a secret code word that we were not to tell anyone.  That code word was a word that was special to our family, but no one else would ever guess.  Without that code word, we should not get into the car with or go home with anyone other than the person we had expected to pick us up.  We now have a secret code word for our girls too.
7. Daily Recap - When Peanut gets home from school, she rarely has anything to say about her day.  However, when we are saying prayers before bed, she seems to relax enough to tell me all the good and bad things that happened during the day.  We are sure to leave some extra time in planning bedtime so that we have the opportunity to discuss the daily happenings.  
8. Homework Routine - We try to stick to a routine all year long, even in the summer.  We think it is especially important during the school year though.  After school, the girls can have a snack and some short downtime.  However, before dinner we like to get all of our homework done.  This allows us to make sure the girls get to bed at a reasonable time each night. 
9. Early Bedtime - Even during the summer, our girls go to bed around 8:00pm.  I don't like to have to wake them up in the morning for school (they get cranky), so getting them to bed on time is very important.
10. Balanced Meals - Making sure Peanut and Pumpkin get the nutrients they need to be able to concentrate during school is very important.  We try to make sure they eat a healthy and balanced, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

In addition to these tips, I want to make sure you know about Airwear’s essay contest at www.LighterSaferGreener.com. Airwear and  Beth Aldrich are sponsoring an essay contest for consumers, encouraging parents and care-givers to share how they plan to help their kids live a healthy, safe and successful school year. Families can submit their thoughts by visiting LighterSaferGreener.com. One grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000, while 10 first prize winners will receive vouchers for Airwear lenses valued up to $400. On LighterSaferGreener.com can learn more about Airwear’s eco-friendly practices and view more of Aldrich’s tips to ensure kids have a healthy, safe and successful school year.






Safe, Healthy, Eco-friendly EyewearAirwear Back-to-school Eyewear 

 

*Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Airwear blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, visit http://airwear.twittermoms.com/about.