Have you been trying to figure out how to organize kids school stuff? I don’t know about you, but about once a week or once every other week I try to clean out my five-year-old’s backpack. She is what some people might consider a hoarder. And when I say “some people” I’m actually referring to myself. Empty snack wrappers, crumpled up papers, pencils upon pencils, and some toys every now and then are just some of the treasures that I usually find in her school backpack. But this last week I was surprised to find something new. Something she’s never collected before. And I just have to share it with you.
While the girls were getting ready for school I picked Abby’s backpack up and was shocked at how heavy it was. I was trying to imagine what could possibly be in there that was making it so heavy. It certainly was much heavier than her usual treasures. I mean truly….I’m not sure how she was lugging the thing around. When I opened it up I discovered that about a third of the school backpack was filled with a mixture of inshell pecans and rocks. Most of the rocks had worked their way to the bottom of the bag and the majority of the pecans were sitting on top. "Gosh. I've got to figure out how to organize my kids' school stuff," I thought to myself.
Stuff I Find in my Kids Backpack
I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m sure most kids have brought rocks home from the school playground at some point during their elementary years. Rocks maybe, but my guess is that most kids don’t have access to pecans on their playground. But we live in San Saba, Texas known as “The Pecan Capital of the World”, so pecan trees happen to be a common item on our school playgrounds. When I asked Abby about the pecans and rocks she said, “Oh yeah! I found them at school. I told my friends that we all needed to get the pecans for my Momma because she needs them for her work, so they all helped me.” With a smile, I replied, “Oh, that’s so sweet Abby. What about the rocks?” She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well, I just like the rocks. Those are for me.”
Pretty cute if I do say so myself! I mean really! Instead of being caught up in her own little world she is clearly observing others around her and being aware of their needs.
And then she takes it a step further by figuring out how she can help. I’m not sure that I should necessarily take credit for teaching her these things. Although, I am very proud of her. And the person she chose to help was me! I was touched. And so I accepted those pecans from her. I helped her to retrieve them from her school backpack and used them in some of my baking. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been so proud of a few handfuls of pecans in my whole life. If you don’t have pecans at your local elementary playground no need to worry. Millican Pecan can fix you up with delicious orchard fresh pecans!
Buy pecans for sale... a healthy choice for a snack
4 Easy Steps to Take to Organize Kids School Stuff
Cleaning out Abby's backpack made me think of the need to figure out how to organize kids school stuff. So I took some time to make life easier. I think you'll find this helpful too...
- Immediately remove school papers from their backpack as soon as they get home.
- File keepsake papers in a filing cabinet or portable file box. - I personally prefer a portable file box. It's easier for me to make sure that I have one file box for each kid. And they also feel pretty special to have their own place to go view their school memories.
- If they have any playground treasures then sort out which ones they want to keep and which ones they are willing to part with.
- Find a good place to hang or store backpacks. This is probably the biggest one for me. I can't stand tripping over the pile of backpacks that my kids pile up at the back door. I found some really cute hooks at an antique store and hung them up in my kids' room. That way they are able to keep all their stuff in one place.
