The last day of school is almost here! The children are soooo ready for this final day (not to mention the teachers). On the last day, you just know they are going to run home, dump their school stuff in a corner, and run off to play.
OK, so give them one day. But that pile in the corner has to be handled and throwing it into a closet is not the answer. Those stacks of old school papers, that whiffy backpack, old supplies, and the end of year mementos have got to be dealt with before summer can really begin.
Clear a space – maybe put down newspaper and keep dogs and cats clear for their own safety.
Pull out the top layers and then turn the backpack upside down and dump the contents on the floor. Shake it a few times so that what is stuck to the bottom with old gum and candy also falls out.
Do a sort. Smelly clothes and sneakers go to the laundry. Tattered papers and candy wrappers go to the trash. End of year awards can be salvaged and filed or put into memorabilia boxes. Check out old crayons, pencils, and other school supplies and see if they are usable for summer art or are in such bad shape they need to be trashed.
If anything in the pile moves or tries to crawl away – step on it.
Decide if the bag is going to be used again or is now also ready for the trash (broken zippers, tears, straps broken).
Put everything that is saved away and everything that is no longer usable put into trash or recycle bin.
Now, enjoy the summer!
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer