Kids across the nation should all finally be back-to-school, which means parents across the nation are trying to adjust to a sometimes radical new schedule. Sleep, especially when there isn't enough of it, is on everyone's minds. Most adults need a solid 8 hours, but kids needs are different based on their age.

One of the easiest ways to get kids to bed is a predictable, consistent bedtime routine. Setting the the tone for sleep about 30-60 minutes before lights out helps children's bodies prepare for sleep. This means that loud, active play and brightly lit video games should be ended long before bed. Quieter activities like puzzles, crafts, books, music, bath, or just a little snuggling will put your child in the bedtime frame of mind. Follow this with a predictable nighttime routine, and you have the perfect recipe for a peaceful day's end.

Bedtime comes early at our house, so our after dinner "family time" ends with picture books on the couch. Then we head upstairs for tooth brushing and jammies. Once everyone is tucked in and lights are out, I read a little from a chapter book (currently Junie B. Jones) by flashlight. My soothing voice in the dark seems to lull the kids into a drowsy state, and it's great incentive for getting in bed without an argument.

Do you have a bedtime routine that helps eliminate bedtime battles? Share it with us in comments.

Dallas, Texas student Dalton Sherman gave the keynote address at this year's kick-off for his local ISD. It's not unusual for students to address the district during the back-to-school kick-off, a pep rally of sorts for teachers and staff. But Dalton Sherman is anything but typical.

He starts off his speech with the line, "I believe in me. Do you believe in me?" He goes on to tell the entire 17,000-person audience that for him to succeed, he needs them to believe -- believe in him, in his hopes for success, in themselves, in each other, in their work as educators. It really is an amazing speech, and as an educator, it brought tears to my eyes.

But is it a message that's only important for teachers? Surely kids do need educators to believe in them. But as I watched the end of Dalton's 8-minute speech, I started to pretend that he was talking to me as a parent. And you know what? The message is the same. As we send our kids off to school this season, it's also important for us as moms, dads, and caregivers to believe our kids, in their hopes for success, in ourselves, in each other, and in our work as parents. Thanks for the reminder, Dalton.

To learn more about this remarkable kid, see coverage of his big speech at Dallas News.





(via Supersisters)

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Last week, we asked if you had any special back-to-school traditions in your house, anything you did to make that first day special for your child. This week, though, we're curious about a different kind of back-to-school tradition: how do YOU celebrate the first day back? Do you meet friends for breakfast, or for a long-postponed walk? Do you run that long list of errands you've been storing up for a day when the kids didn't have to come with you? Do you do something special with younger kids who aren't yet in school? Or do you just go home and enjoy the silence?

I'm having a manicure this week, to celebrate both the fact that the pool is closed (no more sunscreen all over my hands!) and that my kids are back in school (no one asking for a snack ten minutes after my nails are painted). Mostly, though, I'm just looking forward to a few minutes of being still and silent and spoiled after a busy summer of swimming and playing t-ball and building baking soda volcanoes.

How are YOU celebrating the kids' return to school?

Starting school can feel a little like starting a new job. There's a new environment, new materials, new tasks, a new "boss," and maybe most importantly to kids, new friends. Back-to-school can be a stressful time of year for kids, and parents know a little encouragement goes a long way.

Over at PBSParents, the Supersisters have a great idea for not only dealing with your own youngster's nervous energy, but spreading a little kindness as well. They snuck out early on the first day of school and wrote inspirational messages in sidewalk chalk for school kids to read as they headed to school. "Have a awesome day," read one. "You are fantastic," said another. Supersister Jen reports that the messages were a hit, and I have to imagine that even tweens and teens who were "too cool" to react had to be bolstered by such such positive prose.

If you think that you might want to spread a little cheer on your first day of school, head out early to get your messages written well ahead of time (and to make sure you aren't late for the first day of school!). If you don't live in a walkable neighborhood, you could also get your school's permission to put the messages on the school's sidewalks and playground instead. If you do, Supersisters want you to share your words of kindness with them through their Flickr pool.

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We're pretty new to the lunch packing thing at our house, just having survived our first week of kindergarten. But so far, my five-year-old eats her whole grain sandwich, her side of fresh fruits or veggies, and brings home the very small treat I've stuck in her lunchbox each day because she's "too full." All things parenting should be this easy.

But I know it won't always be so easy. The CDC's recent national Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that a whopping 80% of teens aren't meeting their fruits and vegetable goals for the day. Young children, I think, are easier to feed because the outside influence is kept to a minimum. But when they get older, there's potential for battles over snack foods, sodas, and the vending machines at school.

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Traditions are an important part of family life. Traditions not only create positive feelings and a sense of belonging, they help parents pass their values on to their children. There's a good reason why, as parents, we often find ourselves repeating some of our favorite family traditions with our own children.

Today was my older daughter's first day of kindergarten, so we're just starting to form our own back-to-school traditions. Ours are pretty simple -- a shopping day spent just with Mom, a special breakfast that first morning, and a picture taken on our front porch, where all milestone pictures are staged. Then, we all walk to school together as a family. It's only our second year of school, but I particularly hope that we can keep that last one up.

Tip Junkie has collected an interesting list of back-to-school traditions from other parents, and Family Fun has some great ideas for celebrating that first day of school. Real Simple has tips for creating family traditions any time of year.

Of course, the best parenting tips usually come from other parents, so let's hear it: What do you do to make the first day of school special?

My older daughter's soccer coach called last night. I groaned when he told me he'd set soccer practices for the same day of the week that my daughter has dance. Now, one evening a week, she'll go from one dance class to the other, then directly to soccer practice. It's too much, in my opinion. But she's adamant that she doesn't want to give either activity up. Luckily, soccer season is short-lived.

I know that, down the road, we'll have this conversation again. We're lucky that there are so many great programs out there for our kids to take part in, but yet there has to be room in the schedule not only for family time, but for downtime too. It's got me wondering, how does a parent know when to say when to after-school activities?

According to Scholastic, extra-curricular activities benefit kids in a myriad of ways -- academically, emotionally, and socially. But kids need to play a role in deciding what and how much they want to take on. (In other words, trying to turn an uninterested child into Tiger Woods through early and intensive golf classes isn't really going to do anyone any good). They've also got a grade-by-grade guide to after-school activities for little ones. According to them, our two extra-curricular activities are perfectly appropriate... I just wish they didn't all happen on the same night.

What about you? Where do you draw the line when it comes to extracurricular activities?

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Our friends over at MomLogic have broached a subject that many of us will soon be dealing with: getting the kids off the summer schedule and back on the school schedule. I don't know about you, but we have gotten so far off schedule this summer that I can't even remember what a schedule is.

But the thing I love most about summer - after the swimming and sunning - is the sleeping late. And if I want to do it, the kid's gotta do it, too. So we tend to stay up later during the summer months and getting back into the swing of things in the fall is a challenge. But with a little forethought and planning, it shouldn't be too painful.

As with just about everything else in life, talking things out can help ease a transition. Explain to your child that in order to be healthy and ready to learn, a good night's sleep is necessary. And if you have to get up earlier, then you have to go to bed earlier, too. This transition takes a little time, so don't wait until the night before the first day of school to implement the change. A week or so of 'early to bed, early to rise' before the big day should help things go smoother.

For some of us, it is still light out when it is bedtime. This is when blackout shades or curtains are worth every penny you pay for them. But don't leave them closed. After your child has fallen asleep, sneak back in and open them up. When the sun comes up, the light should help rouse them.

Once you've got everyone back on track, try not to slip off schedule on the weekends. This just makes Monday morning even harder for everyone. Lastly - and this is the hardest part for me - try getting yourself to bed earlier, too. Cranky parents make for cranky kids and nobody wants to start the day off that way.

How do your kids get to school? How did you get to school when you were a kid? Taking the yellow school bus, walking or riding a bike may all seem like normal methods of getting to school. In the modern world, we drive and carpool as well. But what about in urban environments where a lot of parents don't drive or even own a car? They take the subway.

And they do it ALONE. That's right--I've seen it myself. Kids popping onto and off of the subway without a parent in sight. How do they manage it? And why, you might wonder, do their parents let them do it? Well, necessity is the mother of invention and a lot of other things, it turns out. Kids are going in one direction, their parents in another (to school versus work), and the main way to get around town in New York, for example, is underground.

Turns out, it's probably safer too. Driving in this city is a disaster on a good day. You're a LOT less likely to get into an accident on the subway than you are in your car. Plus, the kids tend to travel in packs on the subway. I never see a kid get onto an empty car at an odd (non-rush hour) time. They pick which car to meet up on and collect as the train makes its stops toward their final destination. I know because I can hear them screeching above my iPod.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the last few weeks, you've probably at least heard of Michael Phelps. Even when other swimmers are winning, NBC likes to flash footage of the record-breaking Olympic star. But what people may not realize about 23-year-old swimmer is that he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child.

Debbie Phelps, Michael's mom (who you've probably seen cheering and swooning on TV), recently talked to EverydayHealth about Michael's initial ADHD diagnosis and how the family handled it as a team. Though Michael was on medication early on, he was able to be weaned off of it in middle school, in part because of his heavy participation in swimming. Debbie is a school principal, and she's also an active participant in the ADHD Moms Online Community. There, she has an article with tips for parents of ADHD children who are getting ready to start the school year, including:

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Need some pencils for the new school year? How about a ruler? If you've got a cent, you can get them -- at Staples and OfficeMax, respectively, in some areas. Target regularly offers school supplies for next to nothing in the weeks leading up to the start of the school year. (Wanna meet a teacher? Hit Target at 8am on a Sunday in August -- they'll be there stocking up on pencil boxes, crayons, and -- literally -- hundreds of folders for their classrooms.)

As the economy nose dives, parents aren't rushing out to buy brand new supplies when last year's zizzors (as my daughter calls them) work just fine. Retailers are running scared and are offering lots of "loss leaders" -- items priced below their cost -- to get shoppers in the door. This is nothing new, of course -- it happens every year -- but this year retailers are dropping prices even more than usual, even to the point of offering products for free.

Naturally, the stores are hoping you'll buy other, more profitable items while you're there and that's usually the case. Still, if your kid's backpack still holds books and their binders still hold paper, do you really need new ones? Are you buying all new supplies or making do with what you have as much as possible?

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Yesterday, I took my five-year-old for a back-to-school haircut. She'd decided she'd had enough of her long, straight hair and wanted a chin length bob. At home it seemed like a good idea, but when the stylist lifted her scissors to cut off that first length of hair, I nearly had to hang on to the counter to stop myself from snatching her back out of that chair.

That's pretty close to how I feel about the upcoming first day of kindergarten. It's not about the hair, of course, it's about the letting go and letting her grow up. Kindergarten is a huge milestone, but part of me wants to scoop her up and tell the world, "You can't have her yet. She's still all mine."

NYMetroParents has some good advice for parents facing that first day of kindergarten, two that especially stick out for me. The first is that, no matter how ambivalent I might be feeling about school starting next week, my game face is always on for my daughter. We talk frequently about how much fun it's going to be, how exciting it is to start "big girl school," how it'll be great to see her preschool friends again and make new friends as well. Though I'm watching her closely for signs of anxiety or nerves, I keep my personal angst to myself.

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It's hard to believe, but we are mere weeks (days for some parts of the country!) away from returning to the early morning scrambling to get kids ready for school.

One of the biggest time-wasters of those precious pre-dawn hours involves the all-important "Choosing of the Clothes". However, we've found some craft ideas that when combined with a little pre-planning can make this year wardrobe worry-free for your kids!

One super-simple tactic to try out before the buses even start rolling requires- absolutely nothing! Just ask your child to create a kid out of the clothes they plan on wearing the next day somewhere in their room. If it's the sort of room where neatness reigns, this should take care of the problem, and it can be a fun project for kids to style and pose their "clothing kids" differently every night.

However, if your child isn't diligent about keeping their room picked up, a "clothing kid" on the floor may just add to the madness. If that's the case, try taking the organizing upward! Keep an eye out at thrift stores or garage sales for a sturdy coat tree, or make your own using pine boards from the lumberyard. In addition to assisting with assembly, painting a wooden clothing holder to suit their fancy will give the child a sense of ownership. Every evening, the clothing tree should be decorated with the next day's outfit, including socks, underwear and a belt hung from the hooks.

If the bedroom lackings the floor space necessary for a clothing tree, a closet will do the trick and provide the additional perk of allowing the child to plan their wardrobe for the entire week. Hanging organizers can hold six day's worth of clothing and larger ones (not the shoe organizers, which will quickly become too cramped to hold an entire outfit) have enough space to allow labels (quickly and easily created with felt letters glued onto a felt rectangle label and then sewn onto the organizer) to be attached to the side or on the top, hanging down in the openings.

And if closet space is also problematic, here's the last (and greatest!) idea: large felt tags that fit OVER the hangers. The genius part of this idea is that it can actually SAVES space by getting pants out of the drawer and sharing the same place as the shirts! Supplies required are minimal: just a large enough piece of felt (suggested size is 18 x12") for each day of the week, strong hangers, and perhaps some clothes pins to make sure the pants stay on the hangers until they are needed. Cut the top corners off the felt rectangle, cut a hole in the top for the hanger to fit through, slice two X's in the bottom to hold socks and underwear and embellish as desired. (This would be an excellent place to practice some sewing skills! Buttons and rickrack would be adorable!)

With just a little planning, getting dressed in the morning can be a painless process for everyone and get the day off to a great start!

My five-year-old can't wait to go school shopping and drools over the markers, novelty erasers, and pencil boxes each time we go shopping. Now is a good time, with stores pricing things low for the back-to-school season.

But if you're trying to be a little more frugal this year or just like to make use of household items you already have of hand, Reader's Digest has a few suggestions for homemade school supplies. Some of them are a little nonsensical -- making index cards out of paper plates, for one. A pack of paper plates would cost you more than a pack of index cards right now, but the tip might be handy on a Sunday night when your tween announces he needs them for school the next day.

Others, like three-hole punching a ziploc bag and putting it into your child's three-ring binder to hold pencils and erasers might just work. And if you're a recycling family, there are a lot of other unusual uses for household goods that might otherwise be thrown away.

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Since I posted a list of ways to make your child's teacher love you last week, I figured I'd follow up with a list of list of things I suggest you might avoid doing as a parent... if you want your child's teacher to like you.

Of course, this isn't to say that if you do something on the list, your kid's teacher will immediately despise you, because teachers are by nature and profession both forgiving and ridiculously patient and understanding. Still. It might be a good idea to take some mental notes-as all of these things have really happened. Some with surprising frequency. And they kind of make teachers nuts.

1) If you send a note or email, don't also call and leave a message about the content of the note. We'll get the note/email. Promise.

2) Unless it's school policy don't "stop by" first thing in the morning as the kids are just arriving to talk. In fact, even if your school allows this, it's not the best time. Usually your child's teacher wants to greet her students, and those precious 10 minutes of arrival time mean getting a last sip of coffee, reviewing lesson plans, and hearing little antecdotes from individual students. If you just want to "talk" about how things are going, write a note, email, or leave a message asking when is a good time to do so.

3) Don't say YOU DONT DO EMAIL. It's the twenty-first century. EMAIL. End of story.

4) Do not ask your child's teacher to remind your 1st grader (or older) to use the bathroom, blow her nose, use chapstick, etc. By first grade your kid should get the hang of this. Write him a note and stick it in his lunchbox if he really needs reminding.

5) If your child is doing well in school, don't harp on your teacher for the things she is not doing (i.e. if your kid is doing well in math, don't criticize the math program.)

6) Don't imply (without spending quality time in your child's classroom) that the teacher doesn't pay enough attention to your child. (Yes, parents really say this. My colleagues will attest.) Chances are, your kid is getting more than their fair share. Teachers love kids. THAT IS WHY WE TEACH. We have your kid's best interest in mind.

If you are concerned about your child, start by acknowledging the fact that your child's teacher has other kids to teach also. Don't imply that your child deserves more attention than any other kid; chances are this will make your child's teacher want to give your kid less attention. Not that she will. But it will certainly make her want to. (Yes, parents have really suggested this on more than one occasion.)

7) Even if your child is gifted, trust that your child's teacher is doing everything in her power to nurture your child as a well-rounded learner. Do not say things like, "what are you doing to prepare my child for the SAT's?" when your kid is in FIRST GRADE.

8) Don't belittle or berate your child's teacher in front of her students. It's obnoxious. And entirely inappropriate. (This has happened at least once to every teacher I know.)

9) Don't imply that it is your child's teacher's responsibility to remediate current flaws in the district curriculum. It isn't. We're contractually bound to teach the curriculum provided. But chances are, if there really is a problem with the curriculum, a committee is working on it. So be patient.

10) And most importantly, don't try to discuss your child's social, emotional, or academic needs or concerns in front of your child, or with other student's present. YOUR CHILD WILL HEAR YOU AND FEEL AWFUL. Also, it's just totally poor taste. So don't do it.

Does anyone have any other tips to add?