My kids are going back to school… in person.
Where my family lives, just outside of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, we have been given the option of going back to school full-time in person, or doing full-time distance virtual learning. The best option for my family is to go back in-person.
This is not an easy decision and I respect whatever decision is right for each family. But I feel good about it. The number of cases of Covid-19 in my area are extremely low and the rules are very strict.
So, now what?
It was time to do my back-to-school shopping, but with a twist. I had to think through every scenario and how to keep my kids as safe as possible. I have since formulated a plan to make going back to school fun and safe for my kids. Here are all of the tips and protocols I have to share…
Get extra school supplies. The last thing we want is for our kids to be sharing. I know, right!?! It’s like everything we taught our kids over the years has to go out the window. But we don’t want our kids to be sharing and potentially spreading germs. So, to save money I went a little nuts at a local dollar store and got everything I could think of: notebooks, binders, pencils, markers, sharpeners, erasers, glue sticks, scissors, you name it!
Send an extra (disposable) mask. Now that we have been wearing masks for a while our family has realized that some fit better than others. We learned the hard way when one of my kids lost a favourite mask how precious those well-fitting masks are. For school, instead of sending a reusable fabric mask as a back-up, instead I am sending each kid with a disposable back up mask in a clearly labelled ziplock bag.
Have each kid wear a fanny pack all day. I wish I could take credit for this one, but one of the Nesting Story community members DM’d on Instagram with this gem. Each of my kids will be heading to school each day wearing a fanny pack all day. This is a safe spot to keep their mask in when they need to take it off to eat and they will also be keeping their hand sanitizer in it. Genius!
Create an end of school day protocol. When my kids come home from school, as soon as they walk through the door they will be required to wash their hands thoroughly, change their clothes, and their masks that they wore that day will go right into the wash to be properly cleaned and sterilized. Remember to set your washing machine to the hottest setting to properly sterilize those masks!
You can watch as I share more back-to-school safety tips and my whole back-to-school haul here…