Every year we look forward to summertime at our house! The excitement of the ‘we can do what we’d like’ days that we all love to enjoy. But, of course, the kids do want to do some activities that require us to keep track of what day it is 🙂 So, here’s a quick and easy way to pull together all those papers, camp schedules and items needed for on-the-go summer fun!
1. Gather Your Supplies:
3 Ring Binder (I use a 7″ x 9″ binder so it fits in our summer bag)
A Set of Tabs and Labels for the binder
Sturdy ziploc bag or Business-sized Envelope
All that paperwork that’s piled up for summer activities:
- Any camp agendas, sports schedules, packing lists, camp forms that you’ll need to have handy this summer
- All those reading folders/booklets that the kids get for Summer Reading Programs
- Any coupons, swim passes, movie tickets, etc. that you use for activities
- Vacation information (if you’re planning one this year)
- Weekly calendar pages – if you decide to include one
- Other items you use during the summer (for example, we play the License Plate game each year so we have a US map we keep with us)
- A fun photo, photo collage or piece of artwork from one of your kids that you can use for the cover
2. Create Notebook Sections
Using the divider tabs, create a system that works for your family. I put our weekly calendar in the front so it’s the first thing I see when I open the binder. The tabs are used to corral all the other paperwork. For example, the sections in our notebook include:
- Schedules (for camps and sports)
- Vacation
- Summer Reading Programs
- Games & Activities (things like movie lists, car games and theatre schedules go here)
You may have different labels. If your planning a family reunion, you may want a section to help you organize the event. Or, if you think the kids each need their own section so they can find their individual schedules and items, try organizing it by child.
3. Organize Papers into Labeled Sections of the Notebook
All papers get 3-hole punched and put in the appropriate section. I fold larger papers in half so they fit nicely in the binder. Smaller items like coupons, movie tickets or swim passes get put in the zippered pouch so they’re not lost. You can also use the business-sized envelope to hold items.
4. Decorate
You can have the kids help to decorate the notebook with stickers or drawings. My kids are older, so I put a photo in the front so the notebook is easy to identify. Also, put your name and number on the inside cover in case the notebook gets left at the pool one day 😉
And you’re done! All your summer papers right at the tips of your fingers (and in an easy to carry package).
Now, go enjoy the pool and forget about the schedule 🙂
