Send Them Packing – Safely and In Style

Getting ready to go back to school can be stressful, for everyone involved. But a combination of planning ahead and choosing the right backpack can help make the trek back to school smoother and easier for your children, while giving you peace of mind.

The first thing to keep in mind when selecting a backpack for your child is size. Make sure that it’s not too big or too small, it fits comfortably and the straps are easily adjustable.

When sending them off to school with everything they will need for the day strapped to their back remember to pack light. Many health professionals advise that the backpack should be no heavier than 10 to 15 percent of the child’s body weight. And to further prevent back strain or potential nerve damage, choose a style of backpack that will evenly distribute the contents, usually the kind with two wide shoulder straps rather than just one.

Once the backpack is ready to go (and hopefully they are too), it should be lifted up off the floor with both hands while the knees are slightly bent. It should be put on like a coat, first one arm and then the other. If it has a waist strap, encourage them to you use it, since this will stabilize the backpack while adding more support.

The second thing to consider when buying a backpack is its primary function. For books, basic necessities like school supplies and a safe place for the science project when transporting it to class, choose one with a main compartment with several smaller zippered pockets. One with a drink bottle compartment would be handy if they have to walk home on warmer days. If the older kids in your household only intend to take their laptop to school along with a few accompanying accessories, consider a laptop backpack that has separate compartments for a laptop, papers and organizer pockets.

Since it will take wild horses to get your kids to go back to school, the third thing to keep in mind when selecting that perfect backpack for your child or teen is style. You know they will leave it behind “accidentally” somewhere if they don’t like it. Maybe a backpack in a bright color with a trendy pattern might fool them into thinking that going back to school isn’t so bad.

Back to School Furniture...for Educational Purposes, of course

While everyone is looking forward to the official last long weekend of summer, there is another annual event looming on the horizon that is generally greeted with mixed emotions. Parents love it but kids, not so much. Yes, it’s time to get ready to go back to school.

Getting their children ready to go back to school for most parents, means buying new clothes, school supplies and all those electronic devices necessary for learning and playing. But what about getting ready for school at home? It is important for children, especially older ones, to have a place to do homework, do research on the internet and somewhere to store stuff and get organized for the next day’s activities. With all the other expenses involved with getting your children outfitted for the back-to-school trek, you might be reluctant to consider buying furniture right now. Tempting as it is to reclaim your dining table or kitchen counter, a new computer desk is a low priority. And besides, you really don’t have the space.

But it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Cymax Stores offers a number of neat (and inexpensive) solutions. There is such a wide variety of computer desks to choose from that you are sure to find something that will meet all of your decor and budget requirements.

An unused corner in your teen’s bedroom or in the family room is the perfect place for a corner desk. Corner desks can have all of the features and conveniences of an executive-style desk, but are more compact. In addition to drawers, a place for the CPU and a pull-out keyboard tray, they can include other useful features like built-in organizers, a hutch and a CD holder.

To make your computer desk even more convenient, choose a computer station with casters, or a more compact version, a computer cart. This gives you and your family the option to move the computer desk from one place to another; even from one room to another as needed or necessary.

If you have younger children and feel more comfortable if you can keep an eye on them while they are doing their homework, especially when using the computer, consider purchasing a computer armoire. They provide an ideal work environment, again, with many of the features found in a standard desk, but when homework time is over or dinner is ready, you can close the doors, effectively hiding the computer (and any other clutter you don’t want to see).

And don’t forget to organize yourself. There are a number of easy storage solutions, such as desk organizers for all of the paperwork your child will bring home. Having someplace conveniently in sight where you can keep consent forms, permission slips and other school-related documents, will make it painless (well, almost) for everyone involved.