A Gathering of Ideas for Preparing for a New School Year

It is nearly the beginning of a new school year for many of our community who live in the northern hemisphere. We have come across some interesting ideas that we thought could be a help to some in our community, and have compiled them to share here. We hope that you will find something useful and helpful to your family.

If your family is among those beginning a new school year, may the Lord bless your transition! May He provide for, guide, and strengthen each child as they learn. May He grant you parents wisdom to know how to support and encourage each child and his/her teacher(s) (even if the teacher is you or your spouse!). May this school year be a year of growth and great learning.

Here are some of the links that we found. Are you able to add any additional ideas? What have you found helpful at the beginning of a school year? Please share it with the community!

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Years ago, we share some ideas of ways to prepare ourselves and our children for the back to school transition. Here is that blog post, in case you missed it and would find some of its ideas/encouragement helpful: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/on-the-transition-back-to-school/

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If you and/or your family would like some inspiration for ways to be better organized at home for the school year, check out the huge variety of ideas found here: https://www.thesimplycraftedlife.com/40-back-to-school-organization-ideas/

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Find free printable checklists and labels for back-to-school organizing here: https://www.classyclutter.net/back-to-school-printables/

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While it’s labeled as an “end of year” activity, this free printable “Who am I?” page would be a fun way to measure your children’s growth over the upcoming school year. Allow them to draw themselves and fill in the blanks at the beginning of the year on one copy, and again on a second copy at the end. Then you can look together at the two copies to see how they’ve changed and grown, and how even their handwriting is different! ://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-the-Year-Activity-Who-Am-I-281581

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Whether your children are going to school, or you are schooling at home, there are lots of ideas here for crafts, snacks, and lunches that will be useful throughout the school year! http://astorybookday.com/30-ideas-for-back-to-school/

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Homeschooling families will find here a delightful collection of ideas of ways to celebrate the start of a new school year. (We especially liked the school supplies treasure hunt idea!) https://rockyourhomeschool.net/back-to-homeschool-first-day/

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These printables, party ideas, and creative plans will help you celebrate the beginning of a school year with your children! https://aslrochelle.com/rochelle-barlow/120-ideas-for-back-to-homeschool

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Any one of these would be a fun way to spend a last-summer-vacation-day or first-weekend-after-school-starts-day!

http://www.sunshineandspoons.com/2016/11/30-random-acts-of-kindness-to-do-with.html

 

On the Transition Back to School

In North America, it is the time of the year when children head back to school. For some, that means stepping back to the homeschooling routine, while for others, it means going back to the classroom. Either way, it is a change from the break of summer and offers us an opportunity to build healthy family habits for the year ahead.

Take a moment to think about this transition and to consider what changes from last year’s “school norm” would improve your family’s educational experience and life. Then begin to take steps in that direction. In the process, be patient with yourself and with your family. To quote my husband, “Change, even good change, is stressful.” Expecting to encounter some stress and extending grace to ourselves and our children during this season of changes in the family schedule will help us to successfully guide our children through the new-school-year-transition in a more godly way.

We have gathered a few links to blogs and articles that we hope you will find helpful. Each is different from the others, but focuses in some way on the transition back to school. As we make this transition, let us first and foremost pray for our children, for ourselves, for the children’s teachers, and for other students/teachers/parents in our parish, that this year will be blessed! May God grow us all towards Him throughout the course of this school year. And may we make the transition, aware of His presence in our life.

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This blog post can help us to prepare both ourselves and our children for school: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/preparing-for-school/

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Our children’s teachers, co-op leaders, skills instructors, coaches, and Sunday Church School teachers will need our support this year! This blog post offers ideas of way that we can support the other adults influencing our children’s life: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/on-supporting-our-childrens-teachers/

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Here is an excellent prayer for us to pray daily for our children: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/prayerful-sighing/

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Students returning to college are making a huge transition! Whether or not we have a college student in our family, there are ways we can help our fellow Orthodox Christians who are college students to successfully make the transition! Read this article for ideas: http://www.ocf.net/from-high-school-to-college-the-first-forty-days/

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Is one of these Orthodox Christian schools near where you live? Whether or not you choose to send your children there, consider helping the students at the school grow in their faith by offering to volunteer in the school! Check this list for ideas of where there are Orthodox Christian schools: http://www.orthodoxschools.org/schooldirectory.html

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Homeschooling families may want to check out this online Orthodox Christian school option that weaves the Faith into learning, using the Charlotte Mason style: http://www.raphaelschool.org/

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The school year and its stresses (and, many times, the proximity to others that it affords) gives both our children AND us many opportunities to take the high road. Read (or re-read) this blog post on doing just that: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/on-taking-the-high-road/