I can’t believe it’s already back to school season! The summer is such an active time for us and the buzz of happy new homeowners settling into their homes has been flowing through our neighborhoods! Many new families have moved into a Silverthorne home this summer and we have loved to see all of the personal touches that have been added.
As we have been driving through the neighborhoods and chatting with many new families, it seems like summer is starting to settle and the school year is ready to begin. By now, your backpacks are packed, your pencils are sharpened, and your lunch box is packed. But is your new home set up to make your life a little easier this school year? Here are five tips to help make your home school-year ready!
- Create a Drop Zone
We have heard from many existing homeowners that a custom mudroom bench/locker system is a one way to organize the chaos that is often found in a location where people come and go with shoes, books, papers, mail, backpacks, work bags, etc.
[easyrotator]erc_2_1476962064[/easyrotator] - Designate a Homework Spot
Whether you have a full office or a homework station that can easily be carried to the kitchen counter, it’s important to have a homework area that works for your family. Our Madison home offers a front study area with plenty of natural light and tucked away from all the hustle of other home activities. But you don’t have to have a room designated for homework, creating homework caddies stocked with pens, pencils, a calculator, and other school supplies allows your kiddos to take their work to the place they can work best to focus on getting their work done. - Have a Command Center
A space where your family can put important papers that need to be signed, bills that need to be paid, and other items you need to keep a close watch over. This area may include an elaborate family calendar with all types of baskets and items that you and your family may need, or it might just be a basket on a shelf in the laundry room to catch important papers that need signing for school. - Make a Self-Serve Kitchen
I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about these cute little snack zones prepped in the kitchen. They’re so convenient for little ones who need to grab a quick and healthy snack along the way. While that may work for some people, I am not sure it would be too realistic for me to keep something like that going all year long. The message I gathered from these articles – make your kitchen a self-serve kitchen. Put quick and easy-to-grab snacks on lower shelves in both the pantry and the fridge. With the spacious walk-in pantry found in the Bettendorf home, you can easily put a few baskets of easy-to-grab snacks on one of the lower shelves, or rearrange where you store items to make them easier to grab when the kids get home from school. This allows you to not worry as much about getting them a healthy snack but also doesn’t require you to go out and buy any sort of new fancy containers or prep any more than you already would be. - Find a Place to Relax
Having an area of your home where you can relax and enjoy all the hard work you’ve accomplished that day makes all the stress and chaos of a busy day a little more enjoyable. A family room with fluffy couches, a finished basement where you can gather to watch movies, or a patio/porch! Wherever it is, find a spot that allows you to soak in the beauty of your home and relax to enjoy another productive day.
