6 Ways to Lighten A Backpack
Whether you are a teacher or a student, keeping a light and clean back pack is essential! First recognize the different kind of backpack keepers:
1. Pocket Packer
Have you ever noticed that some kids shove every single paper into the inner pockets of their notebooks and never once hole punch or file anything away? Unlike, what you might think, pocket packers are actually not the least organized or most lazy. In fact they usually desperately want to be organized but have no idea how to.
2. Hoarder
“Why do you need four calculators?” Hoarders tend to have the most emotional time emptying out their backpack and insist on keeping pens that don’t work (because they are pretty), 2 calculators (just in case) and 4 reams of lined paper. Hoarders are actually organized…in a sense. They hae their own systems and even though their backpack doesn’t seem organized, I can ask them where something is and they always know. Hoarders should never be (but often are) underestimated for their passion and intelligence.
3. Museum Matron
You know how people say that they walk into a house and it is so sterile it feels like a museum. Occasionally I run across a museum matron (I do not have a lot of these clients, because there is nothing to organize!). MM’s tend to have perfect handwriting, everything is labeled and there is not so much as a hole punched dot at the bottom of the bag
4. Non-Backpacker
Lots of girls are now just taking totes or messenger bags to school. I do not particularly like this because I never feel like there is enough room and it hurts your back. Yet, these people tend to appreciate being organized and will be organized if it looks good. Their organization stretches to areas that other people see (no moldy food, not lots of loose papers and will be organized enough to combine three notebooks into one to carry less).
5. Backpack + Babies
Opposite of a non-backpacker. Some students start middle school with one backpack and as the years progress, it seems, their backpacks have babies—an extra purse, a messenger bag, an athletic bag. These students tend to have lots of extra activities and stay organized just enough to get by. They are usually constantly overwhelmed, overtired and overworked.
How to Lighten Your Backpack:
1. Use a Planner with Special Spaces
First, your child needs to use some kind of planner or calendar where they write down all assignments, after-school events and homework. This is important in every area of their life and will make it much easier to cut down on taking un-needed books home. The ‘special space of the planner’ is really important. Here is a picture of my sample planner page (I just had two blank pages I typed up every two weeks to really cut down on weight)
After each classes homework assignment I had a space for “To Do.” When I was in class I wrote down exactly what I needed to take home so I did not have to think about it at my locker.
2) Use Spirals
Instead of carrying around massive amounts of paper in each binder, I eliminated binders all together (see where I put papers below) because they weigh more than spirals and I had a shared spiral for every two classes. So instead of 5 binders with paper and dividers and every test I had ever taken, I had 3 spirals (2 partitions in each).
or
3) Use a Laptop
Today, I tell my tech savvy clients to take out all of the paper in each binder and take all of their notes in a laptop (if the laptop is light and the school allows it). They also have their planner in their computer.
4) Use a filing system
Ok so the spirals have places for notes, but how about all of the other papers. Its time to use those syllabi and assignment sheets! There is no need for students to carry all of their old tests, handouts and homework’s to and from class. Instead of taking binders to and from school. Binders should stay at home and each day, kids will file away old papers into the notebooks. (they will then be organized come midterm time)
5) Use a homework binder
What about the homework and handouts you do need in class? You will get a 1 inch binder with dividers for each class. All unfinished and finished homework, assignment sheets or handouts needed for class that week, will go into these dividers in the homework binder (some students prefer to have 5 minifolders for each class in this binder). I used to put my planner and a notebook hole puncher in this binder as well.
*I used the front flap of this binder for papers I needed to bring home and give to my parents so I would not forget.
6) Get two sets of textbooks
This is a more expensive option. But it makes it easier to have a set of books in your locker and one set of books at home. It cuts down on a lot of weight.
Old Backpack:
5 2 to 3-inch binders filled with papers, notes, assignment sheets and blank paper.
Textbooks
Planner.
On this system, this is what your kid’s backpack will look like:
2 Spirals or 1 Laptop
1 1-inch Homework Binder with planner pages and current notes and some blank paper.
Better right? Even if you do one of these steps, the backpack will get a little bit lighter. I really encourage using a form of this system for a few weeks and then having your kid tweak it to what is right for them! Be sure to check out the rest of our tips in our ebook!
