Tame the back-to-school chaos

Niko Knop, 9, works on his homework at his desk in the family room at his home in Petaluma. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

Once the kids are back in school, chaos again rules the roost.

Mornings are more scrambled than eggs as parents and kids race in opposing directions. After school, lunch boxes, shoes, jackets, books and homework are shed all over the house, ensuring more madness tomorrow morning.

But what if you borrowed just a little precious time right now to get ahead of the game?

Petaluma moms Ginny Hautau and Mimi Knop both have elementary-school-age kids. They also are partners in Urban Cowgirl Design, a company with a practical bent for families. One of their specialties is helping families set up simple systems to keep things running smoothly and to minimize tensions.

“It’s higher-functioning family living,” said Hautau, a former second-grade teacher with a fine-arts background and three kids, Finnigan, 9, and twins Cooper and Stella, 6. “It’s about getting your house together and your systems for your family and your life together so you can get on with your life.”

A home free of clutter and toys also helps everyone feel more calm and relaxed, they say, while helping kids learn responsibility by making it easier for them to do things for themselves.

Don’t go out to Target or a home organization store and buy plastic containers and other new things unless you must. Repurpose what you already have or find furniture and containers at yard sales and thrift shops.

Knop and Hautau have a check list of basic organizational tasks that can be done now. They will take some time but save hours in the long run.

Staging area for books, packpacks and shoes: This eliminates the morning race to find missing items. Even if you don’t have a foyer, you can set up a space near the door. Knop’s husband Brad created a clever hanging bar, with a nice piece of wood and using vintage doorknobs as “hooks.” Just make sure each child has a hook for backpacks and coats. Bins or baskets below can be used for shoes.

Make sure it is a place they can reach and is not cluttered, so they can learn the value of being organized and keeping things tidy. Have children be responsible for bringing lunchboxes into the kitchen and cleaning them out for tomorrow. Hautau has assigned a wall rack to each child for important paperwork like forms and assignments.

Designated homework station: Creating a designated spot that is orderly, allows a child to focus on the work rather than gathering materials and looking for lost items. Books, supplies and equipment stay at the station, which is free of toys and other distractions and away from the TV. Knop set up a desk for her son, 8, next to the kitchen. Young kids still need a little coaching and supervision to stay on task, she said. And this way she can work on dinner and still be available for assistance.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money. Knop found a small, used, drop-down desk with drawers, painted it, added jazzy knobs. She re-purposes glass jars and aluminum cans, which kids can decorate themselves, for erasers, pencils and pens.