Family Time: Back to school checklist

(WPRI) -- Fall is quickly approaching, and a lot goes into getting your kids ready to go back to school. Have you made your list and checked it twice?

Back-to-school time is not just about children, but about the whole family is involved in getting out of summer mode and into fall mode.

As a former student, you may remember furiously writing down what you need for the upcoming year on that first day. Now, many schools are making checklists for students available online, so be sure to keep an eye on your e-mail and on your child's school's website.

One very important thing that might slip your mind when school shopping is cleaning wipes and anti-germ spray to make sure that your kids stay healthy.

"I think it's important to spray the bedrooms, spray their play room, it is a difficult time of year with kids going back to school," said local mom blogger Audrey McClelland.

Food and drinks are also an important thing to consider when getting ready for school. Audrey recommends to keep a small cooler in the car with snacks and beverages, especially if you need to bring your kids to an after-school activity.

It's also important to keep kids busy after school, even if they don't have any homework, so Audrey says that keeping extra crayons, pens, and other supplies at home can be helpful either way.

"We go through crayons like crazy," she added. "I literally put them in ziplocks, and I would just keep them all around the house in different spots, in my office, in the play room, in the living room, so that the kids always have them on hand."

For more useful tips from the local mom blogger, head to her website at momgenerations.com .