Hello friends! Welcome to the official first week of the new school year! As busy as this time of year is, isn’t it good to know that Pathfinder Produce is here to help? We can provide your family with vegetables and fruits for a full week so that you serve up healthy and tasty dishes and snacks. We work hard to keep our pricing competitive, and you will enjoy our fresh selections and our helpful market staff.
And now that fall is here, don’t forget our convenient online ordering option. Just go to our website between Friday afternoon and Wednesday at noon, select and pay for your items with your credit card, and then pick up your order at our Edmeston market or at the UMC pick-up in Morris on Thursday afternoons.
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This week is Back to School week, and students and their families will be developing new routines. One of the best ways to support your children is to provide them with some structure, so they learn important health practices, work habits, and time management skills. This is important for students of all ages, from the very smallest pre-schoolers, right on through to high school seniors. I almost think that routines may be even more important for older kids, as they have so many social and sports options, work schedules, and other distractions, that they are easily thrown off from hitting their scholastic stride.
Here are a few tips that can help, and I recommend reading this post from the Healthy Children website, especially if you have younger children:
Eat breakfast each day: Whereas we may not always share family dinners together at our house, I always make sure we get up early enough so that we can share breakfast together. Many reports indicate that students who eat breakfast perform better academically.
Limit sugar-laden snacks and drinks: Sure, sugar-rich cookies, and candies give kids an energy burst, but overall, they aren’t beneficial and instill poor eating habits. Offer students a variety of healthy fruits and veggies, or non-sugary snacks, for afterschool and mid-study breaks. Focus on providing no- or low-sugar drinks, like milk, water, and limited amounts of unsweetened fruit juices when they are thirsty.
Go to bed: Everyone needs adequate sleep, so it’s important that kids develop and stick to sleep routines. Set regular bedtimes for everyone, and include some regular wind-down activities to get kids ready to sleep, like reading books before bed. Studies recommend that kids should not have free access to TVs, cell phones, or other electronic distractions in their rooms at night.
Use organizers to track activities: Families’ lives are complex, with many demands from work/school, extra-curricular activities, community organizations, and sports. Visual organizers, like calendar apps or whiteboards, can help keep everyone on track and communicating about what their schedules are for the week.
Set up Homework Zones & Patterns: Create a space--whether it’s in a child’s room or at the dining room table-- where kids can work on homework in a quiet, well-lit space that doesn’t have distractions, like the tv or electronics. Establish routines that students automatically follow each day: After arriving home, kids should have a few minutes to unwind, but then they should help with some family chores and complete their homework assignments before they engage in leisure activities. (And yes, chore participation is a good thing, despite the moans and static).
Encourage responsibility and time management skills: Kids are human, and they may forget to do or turn in assignments. They may also forget other tasks that they needed to follow up on (“Mom, there’s a bake sale tomorrow and I’m supposed to bring something!”). They also procrastinate and put off for tomorrow what they should’ve completed yesterday. Review their day and monitor assignments, club and team activities, and other topics to keep informed about what is expected of them by others. Encourage them to start using planners, e-calendars and other visual organizers to plan.
There are many more resources online for getting back into the “school year gear” and it is always helpful to consult your children’s teachers, counselors and team coaches throughout the year. The best advice is to be involved, but also let your child learn from his choices, and help him to use logic and thinking skills to connect the dots on cause and effect situations.
Good luck and study hard!
Lori
