It's time for school! Here are some tips on how to start the year right!
Backpack Safety
Everyone has to carry a backpack, but you want to make sure that the backpack that your child may be using is big enough to carry all of their school supplies, and is easy (and healthy) to carry around almost all day.
- Be sure to purchase a lightweight, durable backpack.
- The shoulder straps should be wide and padded to prevent discomfort. The part that rests against the back should be padded, as well.
- Try to buy a backpack with a waist strap. Waist straps can help with balance, especially if the backpack is heavy.
- Be sure the backpack has multiple compartments.
- Both straps should be worn by the student carrying the backpack to prevent strain on a single shoulder.
- Do not overload backpacks! A backpack should not weigh more than 15% of the student’s weight.
Germ Prevention
School forces so many students into one close space, and that close space makes it quite easy for germs and diseases to spread. If one kid comes to school sick, the odds are quite high that your child may come down with it, as well.
- When coughing, cough into a tissue or sleeve, not your hand. Coughing into your hand spreads germs to whatever object or surface you touch next.
- Do not share cups, eating utensils, towels, or toothbrushes.
- Wash hands frequently.
- Keep a student home when they are sick.
- Continue to clean and disinfect your home.
Healthy Lunch Ideas
Many students don’t like eating the food that the cafeteria provides (and really, can you blame them?) so they prefer to take their own lunch to school. Not every meal the student carries to school is a healthy one, though. Here are a few delicious suggestions to replace the typical lunch your student may carry:
- Almond butter and jelly sandwich, tortilla chips and salsa, fruit salad, cheese
- Rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce, raspberries, graham crackers, salad, mini oatmeal cookie
- Tuna salad with a fruit bowl, veggies of choice, granola bites
- Turkey and cream cheese tortilla roll-ups, tortilla chips, blueberries, tomatoes, apples and celery with peanut butter and raisins
- Pasta salad with carrots, blueberries, cucumbers with ranch, and banana chips
Follow these tips and suggestions and your student is sure to have a healthy start to their school year!
