How To: Prepare for Your First Day of School

Hey guys! Long time no blog, right??

I hope all of your summers have been amazing! Whether you are going to start school, any grade level, or you still have time before you head back, I am here to help all of you guys to prepare for school! I am in high school so for me, it's grades 9-12. I hope this advice and these tips help everyone for back to school!

 Organize! 

It's a great idea to lay out all of your supplies that you need for school and all of the supplies that you have already bought so you can easily find things you need.

Here is what I have (obviously, I don't have every single thing I need laid out for the purpose of the blog). 

The Essentials Shown...

• backpack
• lunchbox and Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer  
• school computer (yes my school has a lot of money so, this year we all received chrome books)
• computer case and mouse
• calculator
• water bottle (need to hydrate all the time!)
• school agenda/planner/assignment notebook... whatever it's called :)
• writing utensils/extra lead/highlighters/erasers
• books and my cute moose folder :)
• binder           

Extras... not shown

• reading books
• textbooks
• your beloved cell phone and headphones
• gum (if your school allows it)
• lady supplies hehe
• locker decor
• glues sticks, scissors, all art supplies
• i.d.
• money
• schedule or class paper thingy
• paper and binder clips (really helpful for your agenda) 

Now, a lot of the items shown and listed are from Target. Target is not a sponsor or is paying me to show these items. Target is just my preferred place to shop for school supplies and here are some other stores I recommend... 

1. Office Depot
2. Wal-mart
3. Walgreens
4. Amazon

Using a Lunchbox

I know that buying your lunch is probably a lot of people's preference because I know that my school has some great choices to offer, however, it's not practical to be throwing out your or your parent's money. (Unless you have other reasons to be buying lunch everyday). 

I advise bringing a LUNCHBOX. L-U-N-C-H-B-O-X. YES! They might not be the "coolest" to carry around but, c'mon. They are so much more cooler and fashionable!!! They are so practical and it's a great way to be eating healthier at school while saving money. (Plus you can bring anything you want). 

Lunchbox - Vera Bradley in Katalina Showers $34

Mini hand sanitizer - Bath and Body Works in Mr. Fox Sugar Maple (fall collection) $1.50

Water Bottle- Camelbak around $15

Most days I usually bring a water bottle for throughout the day or a disposable one just for lunch. It keeps me going throughout the school day and it also keeps me focused.

Get a Binder!

You are absolutely, positively, going to need some form of organization for all of your homework and worksheets in order to stay as clean and situated as possible. With that said, you do not want to become that guy/girl that stuffs everything, everywhere! 

Whether it's a trapper keeper, briefcase, binder, folders...anything! These will be key to success... more or less. (And less is more! haha). Get rid of garbage you don't need lying around.

Binder- Target $5

Dividers with Pockets- Target $1

A binder can last me for at least a semester, maybe longer. It depends on how you keep care of your stuff! If you are responsible and organized with your things you won't find yourself digging through your backpack before a big test.

Also, look at these cute folders I found at Target for about $2! They are adorable!

*** It's a great idea too to have a totally different folder dedicated to homework so you can put your worksheets in them instead of taking your big, organized binder home every night.

Keep Track of Events and Assignments Always

Whether you have a billion papers to write like me or are just very overwhelmed with activities, it's always best to have a planner to come back to.

Writing down homework and tests will always make you prepared for anything. A lot of schools have agendas and some are different than mine but, they will always allow you to make sure you remember things so you are not behind.

Making sure you are in-check with everything before you leave school is very important.

Stay Connected without Being Distracted

The school I go to allows phones outside of the classroom/work spaces and sometimes teachers allow us to listen to music while doing independent work. Phones may be our beloved "babies" and take over our teenager lives, however, many schools don't allow phones. Period. *Insert high pitched, dramatic scream.

Realizing that phones are great for texting, music, calling, and so much more, they cause many distractions during school and you don't wanna be caught with it out during class. 

Locking it, silencing it, or just turning it off will keep you from going on it and receiving messages during a class. Keep your phone to stay connected (meaning, if you have to call someone or give them a text after class) not distracted.

I hope this was a helpful guide for everyone starting school. I start at the end of this week and it's beyond crazy how I am already going back! I wish everybody a great school year for 2015-2016.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo Nat