Ten Project for Back to School Time

Back to school time can exciting—but also overwhelming. Between the schedule changes, new artwork coming home, and extracurricular ephemera to document, you may be wondering where to start. You've come to the right place! The teachers at BPC have compiled ten fun and creative back to school projects to get you organized and documenting your child's back to school milestones! Create a "First Day" layout with Jennifer Gallacher in Back to School. Organize yourself with Cara Vincens in Plan Your Back to School. And incorporate your child's schoolwork right into your scrapbooking with Michelle Wedertz in School Time Solutions. Try all ten projects to get a jumpstart on this school year! 

Create a "First Day" layout. 

Back to School, Jennifer Gallacher

This is my son's first year in junior high, and he was pretty excited to get started. I'm happy that he's so excited to go back to school. For this layout, I really wanted to concentrate on a rounded title because of the circular pattern of the "Backpack" patterned paper. Don't have "first day of school" photos? Concentrate on a special school moment: a field trip, a science fair project, your child working on their homework, etc.

Make a "School Days" album. 

School Days, Nicole Reaves

Documenting my children's school years is very important to me, so I wanted to develop a way to simplify the process and condense it into one, maybe two, albums during their 13 years of schooling. I want to record the highlights of each year—the “best of the best.” Not only will this approach be more enjoyable and less time-consuming to assemble each school year, it will also leave me with the option to add more photos and details—if I want to. Keeping it simple will help ensure I can maintain it year after year.

If you need help catching up on your School Days album for an older child, be sure to check out Nicole's follow-up class, Catching Up with School Days. 

Record an entire school year. 

Documenting a School Year, Catherine Saunders

This subject of it is near and dear to me because I have two little boys—one of whom is just finishing up his first year of preschool. I can’t believe the amount of stuff he brings home with him. I started taping everything to a wall in our kitchen last fall and only recently figured out I needed to actually do something with all of it. If you’re staring at stacks of artwork or boxes of school stuff from years past and you’d really like to “do something” with all of it, then this is the project for you!

Create a back to school game plan. 

Plan Your Back to School, Cara Vincens

Back to school can be incredibly tough! There's so much to do—meetings with the teachers, new school schedules, sports schedules, music schedules—it goes on and on until I feel like I'm drowning in schedules! There is always a mountain of forms to fill out and books to cover, so for me, back to school time is overwhelming! Over the years, however, I've developed a system to make it all a little easier for myself. With my system, I can get it all done and come out the other side as calmly as I went in with no extra gray hairs (I have enough of those already, thank you very much!).

Find a solution for all the ephemera and artwork your child brings home.

School Time Solutions, Michelle Wedertz

I'm going to give you some you some easy ideas for documenting all the school and sports ephemera that our children bring home to us. I'll share how you can move some of that pile right into your scrapbooks! And I'll be sharing my thoughts on organizing and recording these important memories in a variety of ways that will appeal to both the traditional and pocket page scrappers.

Share your own school days with your children through a childhood memories album. 

Childhood Memories, Celine Navarro

It's true that throughout our scrapbooks, mini albums, and other creations, we tend to scrapbook our loved ones—children, parents, friends—but what about you? Who scrapbooks you? This class is just the excuse we need to focus on all those old pictures of us and our childhood memories: the happy, unhappy, funny, and sad ones that have made us what we are today.

Perfect your lunchbox notes. 

Lunchbox Notes, Cara McGrady

I totally understand how tricky it is to juggle all the aspects that come along with motherhood—and how frustrating it can be to attempt to "do it all."  Luckily, for busy mommas like us, showing our kids how much we love them is easy. It doesn't take much time at all, and even the tiniest gesture can have such a huge impact. Adding a note to your child's lunch is such a sweet, simple way to tell your kids you're thinking about them.

Find creative ways to scrapbook your child's art. 

Art-kive | Scrapbooking Your Kids' Art, Gail Lunder

At the end of each year, I’m left with a box of collected artwork from my children, and I wanted to choose a few special creations to showcase in their scrapbook albums. So,I decided to create layouts celebrating my kids’ art!

Show your kids' teachers some love.

Teacher Appreciation, Kimberly Crawford

Teachers give their all to educate our children each and every day. They deserve our deepest gratitude. These fun-to-create projects will not only be heartfelt but greatly appreciated. A gift card is a great teacher gift! It's a simple pick-up for busy parents. Why not step up your gift card with a handmade card meant to hold a gift card?

Stay on top of your school time scrap projects with better time management.

Time Management, Jennifer Wilson

As an educator and coach for memory-keepers, it is my goal to help you enjoy your creative hobby more. I want you to find time to create by focusing on what matters most. I’ll introduce you to the fundamental principles of time management for memory-keepers. When you’re aware of how you use time, you can make smarter decisions so that your creative time is as fun and enjoyable as it can be!

Are you feeling inspired to tackle the approaching shool year with confidence? Grab your crafting supplies and then come join the BPC teachers in the classroom to start these back to school projects! Remember, as a member of Big Picture Classes, you get access to our entire library of classes. Sign up now and start exploring!