Preparing For Extracurricular Activities

With the beginning of the school year comes not only the rush to prepare not only for school but also for all of those extra activities that come with the school year. With children preparing to run off in all directions whether it be for sports, academic activities, or social events it can be hectic to remember everything necessary to be ready for the start of the year. It’s possible to do though and as long as things are taken step by step you can be ready for the start of the year with relatively little fuss.

The first thing to do is to start early. Leaving things to the last minute is always a bad idea but especially bad in this case. Imagine how bad you would feel if your child couldn’t participate in something that they really wanted to because you didn’t have everything ready. Starting early also has the added benefit of beating the rush and not having to deal with massive amounts of people all trying to get the same things that you are. Which would you prefer to do stand in line for five minutes or for thirty?

Riding The Bus Or Driving Your Child To School Which Is Better?

As summer draws to a close and the time to buckle down and start school approaches one of the things that we need to start thinking about is how we’re going to get our children to school. In most areas that means choosing one of two options. We can either drive our children to school or they can ride the local school bus system. Each way has it’s own pros and cons so most of the time it’s a matter of personal preference. Which option is going to work the best for you and your family?

The first and most commonly used option is for children to ride the bus to school. This has traditionally been the way that most children get to school. This is a good option for a couple of reasons. The first is the fact that with rising gas costs it can get extremely expensive to drive your child to school every day. It saves you from having to take the time for the drive which can be a plus especially in the morning when you are rushing off to your own job. There’s also the added value of them being able to spend time with friends during the bus ride which gives them social time.

Planning Schedules Around Rising Gas Prices

One of the biggest problems that we face today is the rising gas prices and how they affect our ability to get around. When it costs $60 or more to fill up a vehicle it starts digging into already limited budgets and wondering where we can cut back to save money. One of the places we don't want to cut back is our children's activities. It's important for them to have things other than school to go to as it develops not just their social skills but also their self confidence. So, how do we balance our children's needs against the needs of our budget? This becomes especially important in households with more than one child involved in activities as it can involve a lot of trips and not all of them will be on the same side of town.

The first thing that we can do is get together with other parents of children involved in the same activities and set up carpooling. This has two values. First, it cuts down on the amount of gas needed by any one family which can make a significant savings especially for activities that happen every day. The secondary benefit is that it saves time since only one parent each day would be doing the driving that allows the other parents in the carpool to focus on other tasks. It also has the added benefit of peace of mind knowing that your child is getting to and from meeting or practice safely.