Wrapping up summer can be a bit sad; living in our colder climates, we never seem to have enough summer. 

Alas, every year, come the end of August, we need to start wrapping up the summer season and getting ready for fall.

For some, this means getting the kids organized for the new school year, tidying up summer toys and activities, and cleaning up everything in preparation for the new season. Below you'll find quick tips to ease this transition.

Getting Ready for a New School Year 

Tip 1: Back to school is both stressful and busy, but the more you can do ahead of time, the easier this transition back to school will be for both you and your kids. Go through your children's supplies from last year and determine what needs to be replaced and what can be used again this year. Store away mementoes from the previous year in special boxes clearly labelled, and ask your kids to toss in some items they want to remember as well.

Tip 2: Install new shelving in their bedrooms to display trophies from their activities or to place binders and books they want to keep handy. Add hooks in both entryways in your home and in the kids' rooms so they can hang coats and other items you wish to keep off the floor.

Tip 3: Create or designate a new space in your home near the most used entrances for kids to dump their backpacks. This will minimize how long they need to look for them when you're rushing out the door on a school morning.

Tip 4: Introduce a dedicated study area in your home, and keep it fully stocked with writing utensils, calculators, paper, and plenty of storage space. The quieter the space, the more focused your kids will be during homework time. Be sure there are enough electrical and other outlets for laptops and other devices.

Tip 5: Get lunches, outfits, and other morning routine items done the night before. This will ensure the morning schedule doesn't get chaotic, especially if you have a late riser.

Getting Back Into Routine 

Tip 6: It can be difficult after the chaotic schedules of summer to get back into a proper routine. If it helps your family, post a large calendar on the wall in a common area with a well-planning out routine written on each day. This will make it easier for each family member to remember their tasks, due dates, and other schedule items, helping them drop back into a normal routine.

Tip 7: Create new rules of the household. If you don't already have set rules in place, establish new ones to keep clutter to a minimum. For example, if family members often leave dishes around the house, establish a new rule that the dishes are brought back immediately upon finishing the snack. Establish designated "homes" for certain items so that if you're ever looking for them, they should always be in the same place when not being used.

Outdoor Organization 

Tip 8: If you have patio furniture or outdoor entertaining features, wash and pack up what you can. If you don't leave it out all winter, store it neatly in your preferred location to avoid damage while in storage. Wrap in work blankets if you need to stack pieces.

Tip 9: Clean up your deck and apply new weather proofing if needed before the snow flies. Tidy up flowerpots and stack them away for usage next year. Pull any summer toys off the deck and store in a shed or sheltered storage area, such as a garage. Plan out your storage method beforehand to maximize space in your garage and ensure you can still park comfortably.

Tip 10: It's very important that when you're finished cleaning up outside your home, you disconnect your hoses from all hose bibs and store away elsewhere for the fall and winter. Once temperatures drop below freezing, if you still have a hose connected you may end up cracking your hose bib, which will then require replacement to avoid allowing water to leak back inside your home.

Tip 11: Clean out your eaves of debris prior to the winter season. Once the snow melts in spring, you'll want clean eaves and downspouts to ensure water flows away from your home properly.

Indoor Organization 

Tip 12: The best way to get organized for the fall inside your home is to declutter everything. For all items you no longer need in fall, store in labelled Rubbermaid containers; keeping it compact will help maximize space in your basement or other storage areas. For important papers such as school and extracurricular activity registrations, invest in a filing cabinet to file away these items in a manner easy to locate later.

Tip 13: Make a remote corral. Grab a cute flowerpot large enough to hold several remote controls and place them all in a convenient location in your home. Make a new rule that remotes stay in the pot unless they're being used, and you'll (hopefully) never lose them between couch cushions again.

Tip 14: Clean out closets. Pack away summer clothing for everyone in the home, making your closets and dresser drawers less cluttered. Fall attire will be much easier to find this way, as no one will have to dig through piles of shorts to get to the desired item.

There are plenty of things you can do to get ready for fall. Staying organized will ensure a changeover that's usually highly stressful, to be fun and easy.

Photo credits: notebook, schoolbag