Tuesday Tid Bit: Back to School!
It's that time of year again. The time that parents have begun to look forward to and kids dread. Yep, back to school time! I always get a chuckle out of the commercial that Staples plays at this time. It shows two kids, frowning as they walk through the store. Their dad mean while is smiling and skipping through the store as he pushes the shopping cart. In the background you hear the song "it's a most wonderful time of the year .."
As much as the kids don't look forward to going to school, most of them do look forward to the back-to-school shopping. We just went through this last weekend. I'm not sure if the stores are busier the week or two before school starts or the week or two before the Christmas holidays. All I know is the lines were long, both the kids and the parents were tired and I think I may have seen some Halloween decorations being readied!
It's the time of year that our profession tries hard to get the word out about backpacks and how important it is to make sure the backpack chosen is the right size for the child that will be using it. A couple things to share with parents to keep in mind when looking for a backpack are:
- The backpack should only weigh approximately 10%-15% of their weight.
- The backpack should be one that distributes the weight it is going to carry evenly.
- Padded straps are important as they help to distribute the weight of the backpack evenly.
- A padded lumbar area on the backpack helps with posture.
- Limit what is carried in the backpack to only what is needed that day. Try to encourage locker use between classes to allow for a lighter backpack when going from class to class.
- If using a rolling backpack be sure that it is tall enough so the child isn't stooping when they pull it.
- Try and encourage exercise to strengthen the back and abdomen muscles.
The following are a couple websites that share more information on what to look for in a backpack. Some of the information is duplicated but there each site has a "print" option so the information can be given to parents or posted on bulletin boards or room doors:
It seems we should try and hold this informational day prior to back-to-school shopping to help parents buy the right type of backpack before school starts. It would be a great insert for the back to school mailers that many schools send out with the class schedules or teacher/room assignments. Just my 2 cents.