The beginning of school really means only one thing; let the deforestation begin!
(Although I’m not joking when I say that my children literally bring home enough paper and paper byproducts to make me think that if they just cut the amount of paper used by preschools by a third, trees would never have to worry again.)
Aaanywaaay, everyday as my three little preschoolers march into the house after school, they each drop a cartoon laden backpack (or packback as all three of my children call it) onto my floor where it must be gone through and repacked for the next outing. For those of you without preschool children let me outline for you what goes into a properly packed school packback.
The Proper Packings of a Preschooler’s Packback
1. An entirely new wardrobe, including socks and underwear.
2. A sandwich bag full of baby wipes, cause you never know.
3. A plastic shopping bag for wet/soiled clothing.
4. A picture of the family.
5. A peanut free after school snack (My kids have no food allergies but all schools have become “nut free zones”. Don’t even get me started….) and a BPA free (I said don’t get me started!) water bottle
.
.
6. The special lovey.
7. Something for Show-and-Tell.
*Remember under no circumstance should the family turtle be transported to school in the packback. It makes him grouchy and Mommy too!
Anyway, back to the homecoming. As my children drop packbacks, shoes, and clothes (because for whatever reason my children are nudists) and make a bee line for the kitchen I am stuck going through said packbacks. Please let me warn you now that going through packbacks is not for the faint of heart. First off, never, NEVER just dive in willy nilly. You really never really know what you are going to pull out of there. The common nastiness includes, but is not limited to, soiled and soggy clothes, still wet finger painted masterpieces, dirt covered rocks, dirt covered dirt, small, easily portable animals—both dead and alive, and half eaten/half decomposed food. Mostly though, it’s just my children’s latest masterpiece and their attempt and written communication, because I’m a realist I know that my children are not going to be Rembrandt (maybe Picasso, maybe) and they aren’t going to be tagging anything legibly anytime soon. But packback diving is always an adventure.
A Few of the Most Notable Things I’ve Pulled Out of a Packback
· A flattened, leathery frog.
· A live salamander! Eeeeek!
· An apple with a bite missing from it—I didn’t pack the apple.
· A handful of Fool’s Gold.
· A sparkly wallet with $15 in it. I don’t know where she got it or when, but it was nice to tipped for my efforts.
· An adult sized sock—not my husband’s.
I think eeewwwweee covers it….
