Gearing up for Fall? I'm sharing my best Back to School Tips for preparing for the first day of school!

Thank you to Minnetonka  for sponsoring this post. Back to School? Trust me, I'm dreading it too.  Our lazy summer days are quickly coming to an end, and we're back to early mornings, strict bedtimes, and WORK.  One of the questions I get asked the MOST this time of year? What to do to make the transition back to school easier (on parents and students).

I wanted to share a few simple shifts we can all make, so that us and our kiddos are ready for back to school time!

Back to School Tips from a Veteran Teacher

Shift that Bedtime: This is the TOUGHEST one for me….but yes, you need to slowly inch back to a school year schedule.  Start about two weeks before the first day of school (so those of us in LA….start TODAY) and push your child's lax summer bedtime about 15 minutes earlier.  Now the tough part? WAKE THEM UP earlier too.  You'll thank me when your kid isn't the one to fall asleep on their desk on the first day in their new classroom.
Go Visit the School:  Mentally prepare your student for school.  Take them to visit.  Peek in the windows.  Remind them of who will be taking them to school each day and picking them up.  Even if you don't have their assigned teacher name yet, you can STILL visit and peek in all the classrooms for that grade.  Trust me, they'll be able to prepare much more easily when they've recently visited campus. Work On An Introduction to Teacher Gift: A five dollar gift card for coffee, a letter about summer activities, a book for the classroom, it doesn't matter WHAT it is…..but help your child transition easily to a new teacher by giving them something to PRESENT.  Kids get nervous around new adults, especially new teachers.  Having something specific to show them, will ease that first interaction for even the shyest student and will give the teacher something to IMMEDIATELY compliment them about.

Shop our Outfits:
Carly: / shirt / jeans / sneakers /
Lydia: / dress / boots /
pictures by Annie Vovan

Now can we talk about our shoes?  They're adorable, right? Well they also support an organization I've talked a LOT about around here.  These shoes are part of the Splash Collection from Minnetonka and they were created to support Donors Choose.  Donors Choose is an amazing organization that allows individual teachers to apply for funding for their classrooms.  The best part? We don't just ask y'all for money.  We write a specific proposal.  We can ask for a classroom library, new technology, or art supplies.  Donors Choose then ships the SUPPLIES directly to the classroom once a project is funded.  I personally have used Donors Choose MANY times in my career.

1. For the month of August, $ 1 from every order made on MinnetonkaMoccasins.com will go to fund Donors Choose Projects.
2. 10% of the proceeds from every pair of Minnetonka x Free Range Mama Splash product will go towards Donorschoose.org projects.
3. Instagram & Facebook Teacher Appreciation Day: Follow Minnetonka on Instagram and/or Facebook. On August 9, comment with the name of your favorite teacher and they’ll donate $1 for every name to Donorschoose.org projects.

I'm teaming up with a few of my favorite mamas to show how we all styled our moccasins and to talk about back to school!

Be sure to check out:

Sandy a la Mode: Back to School

Chasing Davies: Back to School Fall Shoes

Walking in Memphis in High Heels: Back to School

For more Back to School Tips, check out:

/ How to Prepare for Kindergarten: 13 Things You Can Do at Home /

/ IEP Meeting: 10 Questions Every Parent Should Ask /

/ 7 Classroom Volunteer Ideas for Working Parents /

teacher to parents