What are you putting in your preschoolers backpack :)

ling79 · September 2011

DS will only be at preschool 2 half days a week...The first day I will put a change of clothes in his bag which I think the school will keep there in case of accidents. After that there really isn't a reason for carrying around a nifty new backpack....they provide a small snack and drink...am I missing anything here? Will the backpack just be a 1st day photo prop, lol?

cmh06 · September 2011

DD will be using her backpack for the art projects and paperwork that comes home from school. I'm not sure yet if the school will store her epi-pen or if we'll keep it in her backpack.

mic2004 · September 2011

DD's preschool provided a folder that she has to bring home and take back every day. I'm assuming it'll hold any worksheets they did during class and any notes for us. We also have to provide a snack and drink so that will be in there too.

ArcticFox · September 2011

Every day when I pick up DD, she has some sort of art to bring home. Many are 8.5x11" pieces of paper, so it works out well to have the big backpack. We used to have a mini backpack and I could never fit the stuff in it. They also give us school calendars each month and stuff like Scholastic book catalogs etc.

penguingrrl · September 2011

We'll be putting her inhaler and snack in there (snack isn't provided) and I figure she'll use it to carry papers home.The school asks us to bring extra clothes the first day and they keep them there.

We also got a bubble bum inflatable booster seat in case of emergency pick up, but we're a one-car family so it's not like we can just leave a seat in DHs car in case something happens to me/our car while she's at school. An emergency pick up would mean a chance of 4 different people picking up, including DH in a taxi, so we figure the bubble bum with her is the best option. We're a unique situation, though, since I know very few families that only have one car.

Rink08 · September 2011

DS1's will have a complete change of clothes that stay in the bag, a notebook, and two folders (one is for homework & things that they did in class and the other is for parent-teacher communication- both are provided by the school), and his lunchbox. We provide his snacks due to food allergies.

MrsBalletStar05 · September 2011

DS#1 gets an *agenda* put in his backpack every day. Really, it is just a binder with a calendar page in it where he gets a smiley face if he was good, or notes if something happened. So far, only smiley faces :-) On Tuesdays we get a folder with work in it, notices, ect and anything we may need to fill out and send back. Fridays we get his nap blanket to take home and wash.

jsugrin · September 2011

DS started going the beginning of summer and I was wondering the same thing Big Smile . I'm now learned that each afternoon when he gets home I need to immediately go through the pack back to see if there are any wet cloths ( water play) that need to go into the wash. I also check for any letters home type stuff; my DS does drop of and pick up so this is the vast majority of communication with her.

To get his back pack ready

-A pair of swimming cloths

-Summer hat

-Change of shorts/shirt

-Water bottle

-Sunscreen (spray is easier for everyone. Your kiddo can get most of themselves done, leaving less for teacher to make sure if correct)

franciscaz · September 2011

The school asks that we put nothing in it so that things from home are not damaged or lost. It is for an occasional form or note I need to turn into them and all the art-work and papers that they send home.

smitt2619 · September 2011

Our pre-school wants the kids to use buckets instead of backpacks. DS1 wore a pull-up the first few months of 3yo preschool last year, and I sent along an extra in his bucket, but they said no clothes because they had a few spares. So all that was in the bucket each day with the pull-up and his glasses case, and was filled with artwork and any notes from the teachers by then end of class. I would call your school and ask.

anna7602 · September 2011

DD puts whatever she wants in her backpack, usually toys or favorite books, then it stays in her cubby all day. She just likes to carry a backpack.

Her lunch goes in a separate lunch box and her change of clothing goes in a big plastic bag, per the school's regulations, that lives at the bottom of her cubby most of the year. I switch out the clothes when the weather changes or if she outgrows something, but otherwise, the bag stays at school all year (this is what happened last school year).

lite-bright · September 2011

DD1's change of clothes stays in her backpack. She carries her water bottle back and forth, too. Sometimes I toss her sunscreen in there so I don't have to carry it separately.

So far, that's about all it's used for. But hanging it up by her name, collecting it before pick-up, etc. is part of the classroom routine and I think learning to keep track of her own stuff is a useful skill for preschoolers.

Pesky · September 2011

She has a bin at school that contains her emergency clothes. Her bag is really for toting her breakfast, show and tell items and anything that needs to go to the teacher and for carrying home her artwork and other papers from school.

pea-kay · September 2011

Ha ha, mine is totally a photo prop! I put their afternoon snacks in it, and the teachers use them to put dirty clothes in, in case of an accident, but basically I leave them at school all week and take them home on Friday.

mbritto4 · September 2011

The bag of clothes and her lunch. Then the flood of artwork and papers from school coming home. They also do show and tell frequently, and DD sticks sweatshirts in it when she gets hot.

luvmagoldn · September 2011

We are given a folder that stays in the backpack. It's used for bringing home art projects, newsletters, sign ups for field trips, etc. We also have a change on clothes in a ziploc bag that stays in there.

The only other thing that goes in there is the morning snack. Pretty light weight stuff and easy to keep up with.

bim38106 · September 2011

We put a fresh bottle/sippy of water in there for her to drink on her way to and home from school.

I need the backpack for the occasional huge amounts of artwork that gets sent home + scholastic books. Plus DD loves carrying it with her.

It's also great for chilly mornings and warmer afternoons, we can put her jacket or coat in there at pickup if she doesn't need to wear it.

In the winter, we send her to school with her snowboots/pants in her backpack in case they go outside, so she doesn't have to wear them all day.

PhilsWife07 · September 2011

We transport DS's snack in it and he brings home his folder every Friday in it. That's it.

kelbrian · September 2011

She keeps her rain poncho in the back pack, her school folder and her lunch box and water bottle.

The school holds on to her napping items, her epi pen, her special box of snacks and her change of clothes.

jason&robin · September 2011

We just have a change of clothes and now DS carries a speech notebook because he gets some speech help. They also put all his work and notices in there for me as well

n&bcarlson · September 2011

Our school requires it because they use it to send home a communication folder every day (with artwork, forms to be signed, notices, or whatever, which parents then send back completed the next day), and clothing if it gets soiled. If they haven't asked you to send a backpack, you probably don't need to.

lindsaymarieg@hotmail.com · September 2011

Carter also generally has to bring something (matchbox cars, toy train, stuffed animal) into his class every day since he is the first kid there, they don't mind... they just make sure they put it his bag before other kids arrive. They stash his art and his random toy in it and connect his lunch box to it for us to take home every day. (he has a PBK backpack and lunchbox).

Also in there...

-Cash for "donations". He goes to the JCC so they do an offering of sorts. I never remember this on Friday so I put a lot of quarters in there and the teachers take out the allotted amount every week. It just saves me the trouble of remembering cash every week which I never have.

-Glasses cleaner and cloth-- very important for parents of bespectacled toddlers.

-Emergency snacks- goldfish, juice box. Very helpful if we have to stop somewhere unplanned and dinner is delayed. It is also helpful if my parents pick him up.

-Extra underwear (newly potty trained)

-Extra outfit- the school keeps clothes in his cubby, this is more for when we want to go out after school and have him look more "presentable" (ie no paint or food on his shirt). The school knows these extras are in there and it has been very helpful on days when he seems to have more accidents/food messes.

I imagine a hoody will need to be added shortly. I live in texas and it can be 90 or 45. You never know...

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