Believe it or not it’s time for kids to head back-to-school! Returning to the daily grind can be a relief for some parents but is always a stressful time for the kids. Not to worry, Heatherwood is here with some A+ tips’ that’ll help get them ready for the new school year.

Let Normal Activity Resume

Residents at Heatherwood are always so active—what with trips to the pool, a round of tennis, a workout at the gym–there’s always something to do! So it is important, as the new school year approaches, to help your children “wind-down” and get back to some sort of “structure” before their first day. Here are some suggestions: 1) have your children come inside a bit earlier every night, 2) resume their regular sleeping or naptime schedules, 3) get them back in the habit of reading books in their room before bedtime. Performing one or all of these tasks can help ease them back into their routine.

The Bus Stops Here

If you’re new to a Heatherwood community you may want to consult your neighbors (preferably those neighbors with children), as to where the bus stops are within the community (or if you live in one of our Long Island City or Williamsburg Brooklyn buildings ask them where the nearest subway or bus route is to the school). Other important things to know are; is the bus driver always on time? Where do the other children gather when the weather is less than perfect? Are there rules for lining-up to board the bus? Finally, if you work full-time and have a neighbor that drops their child off at the same time as you, you may want to offer to wait with the children three days a week and they can wait the other two.



School Supplied

It goes without saying that closet space in your apartment is always at a premium. So here’s a way to clean out your closets and save money too! Start by digging out some things you packed away at the end of last school year (i.e., pens, notebooks, book covers and so on). Finding out what school supplies you already own can save you time and money.

Making the Grade

If you’ve lived in a Heatherwood apartment last year your children probably already know some of their classmates. But remember, there’s bound to be one or two new families who have moved in recently that need help assimilating. Here’s an idea! Set up a play-date with the new children and a meet-up for the parents. Doing this can help: 1) new parents learn what the community is like during the school year, 2) the experienced children can tell the new kids about the school, the teachers and those infamous school lunches! This will help make everyone’s first day a little less stressful.

Study Hall

If your place is anything like ours, summertime activities have probably turned your living space upside down! Now’s the time to do a quick “spruce up” around your apartment so when children come home with homework (or science projects) they’ll have a quiet, clean workspace. Remove those beach towels and Frisbees from the top of the desk and replace those things with paper, notebooks and calculators.



Have a great back to school tip we may have forgotten? Feel free to leave a comment below! And if you know someone who could really use this information share it with them on Facebook, tweet it to your followers on twitter, or share it with your community on google+.