Get Kids Organized this Summer

Summer can bring a lot of toys, sports gear and swim paraphernalia into the house. It can all start to pile up before you know what to do with it all. Kids are at school for most of the year and your home may have survived the clutter tidal wave so far. Now that they are home all day every day, you may really notice a difference fast.

Getting your summer clutter in order may seem like an insurmountable task. Beach towels are drug out from the bottom of the towel stack, destroying your linen closet. Summer clothes are drug out of storage in a frantic hunt for that swim suit. Winter clothes get mixed with summer clothes and you may not know where to start.

In the spring, you may have noticed the enormous laundry mountain that started to grow in your house. This is mainly because the warm days may call for t-shirts and shorts while chilly nights still require a light jacket and jeans. Double the wardrobe and add on the extra changes of clothes and you have yourself a laundry nightmare.

Now, while you were dealing with that, the kids got out of school. They have started their summer sports activities, as well as brought over numerous neighborhood friends. Swimming creates a whole lot of extra wet clothes and accessory clutter that you were not prepared for. Neighborhood friends and pals can drag out things that your kids have not touched in months.

The bottom line is that you need to prepare before your world is spinning out of control. Start with the laundry problem. Put away and store all winter clothes except for two pairs of pants, two long sleeved shirts and one light jacket. These items can be easily stored in a dresser or hung on clothes hangers in a closet along with summer clothes that are coming out of storage. Encourage children to put their jeans back in the drawer at night if they are only worn for a short while and are still clean. There is no use washing them every day so that they can be worn around the house for an hour.

Next comes summer supplies. Snorkels, diving masks, flip-flops, creek shoes, sun block, sunglasses, beach towels and other outdoor activity supplies. Create a special bin or beach bag to house all of these items where they can be neatly stored and grabbed at a moments notice. Something as simple as hanging your beach towels on childrens clothes hangers can keep your linen closet from being destroyed by choosy children. Get your house in order and summer time can be less work than usual.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right childrens clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

Toddler Summer Fun

There is a lot of time to be spent with your toddler this summer. Make it memorable, fun and a quality learning experience with these simple activities. Each activity will foster different areas of your toddler’s developmental needs.

Activities do not need to be expensive or time consuming. As long as they are fun, then your toddler will greatly benefit. Not only will they benefit from the skills they learn, but also from spending quality time with a parent. This boosts their self-esteem and can set the pattern for a life-long love of learning.

The first activity is really fun and messy. This can be done outdoors or on a hard floor. Get washable paints and a big cardboard box. Collapse the box down to a flat floor of cardboard. You and your toddler can get paint on your feet and hands and decorate the box. Dance in the paint to music to make it more fun!

It is also fun to teach your toddler about how different things have tracks. Use push cars and trucks to make different tracks of paint all over the box. Get creative and use other things around the house to make prints. Different fruits and vegetables can be used, as well as things such as potato mashers, sponges and paintbrushes. When your artwork is done, have fun playing in the sprinkler together to get clean. When the cardboard is dry, tape the edges and cut out a door and window. Now you have a custom painted and built playhouse that your toddler can enjoy for days to come.

Another fun summer project is learning with water. This is fun, simple and practically free. Go into the yard with a bunch of containers from your kitchen. Bring a tea kettle, flower vase, colander, watering can, plastic soda bottles and other items that will be interesting to pour from. Pots or buckets can be used and you can even place targets, such as toys, into the buckets. Teach your toddler how to pour water from each container into the pots and buckets. When they all have water, talk about what sinks and what floats. Divide items into separate pots. You can sort by color, size, texture or whether or not the items sink or float. Use paint brushes, water guns and sponges to paint the fence or side of the house with water. You can have lots of safe water fun in the yard while spending quality learning time with your child.

Spend the summer doing similar activities outdoors. While indoors, take advantage of household chores to spend even more time together. Use stools so that your toddler can throw clothes into the washer or help you mix ingredients while cooking. Teach your toddler how to fold wash cloths and hang their own clothes on childrens clothes hangers. Mimicking adult behaviors helps your toddler to develop a healthy high self-esteem.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right childrens clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.