Preparing for Fall + Back to School
I wrote this blog in 2019 when my kids were in the school system.
In 2020, we pulled them out to begin the adventure of homeschooling. So you’ll find a combination of ideas + approaches here to help your home feel peaceful + prepared as you head into this fresh season.
Enjoy and please share if you find value!
If you’d like to print the back to school prep as a checklist … click here
healthy + strong heading into the school season
Prepare for your most peaceful season yet …
I love the week before school, it feels really sacred.
After a summer of beautiful memories + a schedule that is more in flow and less consistent … I like to have a nice plan in place that we work through
together to prepare for the fall season.
It’s helpful to keep this week spacious and not booked up with things so that as a family, you can anchor in the new routine that will keep you thriving through the seasonal shift.
I thought it would be helpful to share with you, the rituals + tips that have really helped us transition into fall in the healthiest way. I hope this helps a bit and I’d love to hear from you in the comments if there is something you do that works well for your family!
At least a week before, we start these routines with the goal of making things familiar so they aren’t stressed the first week of school …
Prep:
Make appt to have hair cuts, eyes, ears + teeth checked (here’s why + helpful supplements)
I love to take each girl out for a 1:1 lunch and to pick out a new outfit for school
Closets: pack away the summer clothes, donate anything that doesn’t fit anymore. Organize kids’ clothes so they can easily dress themselves in the morning.
Have the kids make a list of every single food/meal they like to eat to help you with making lunches + meal planning.
Practice using their new backpacks + lunch pails so that they aren’t fumbling and stressed the first day of school. I also keep an OnGuard hand sanitizing mist in the pocket of their lunch bag and remind them to use it if they can’t wash their hands.
Bedtime routine: for us, this is what has been more inconsistent over the summer, so this is where most of our focus is the week before school. After dinner, they have a lavender + epsom bath, talk/read books + snuggle with diffuser going (often with 2 drops Serenity blend) and then bed by 830pm with a few circles of lavender TOUCH on their chest. I also love using the Kids Gratitude Journal with them at bedtime or this question jar idea is the sweetest!
Begin or refresh their immune strengthening routines for the fall:
Taking their vitamins + D3/K2 drops in the morning (here’s a video about doTERRA’s kids vitamins)
Rolling OnGuard TOUCH on their feet before school (they do this for the first 2 weeks of school and then as needed) And the girls love rolling the Brave roller bottle on their hands and running through their hair before school. If there has been a lice warning sent home - we will use the Tea Tree TOUCH for a week along their hairline and throughout their hair
Using the OnGuard sanitizing spray at school when they can’t wash their hands. When they get home, the first thing they do is wash their hands with the OG foam soap - it’s the best!
Making an afternoon smoothie with greens + doTERRA fish oil (great after school) and taking their PB Assist probiotics at night. Sample Smoothie Recipe: 1cup almond milk, 1 cup organic spinach, 1 (frozen) banana, 1 tbsp collagen, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 tsp fish oil
Refresh dental routine if needed.
HAVE A DATE WITH EACH CHILD: Before the new school season begins, take each child out for a 1:1 date to talk about the upcoming year and how they want to feel, what they want to accomplish. Perhaps pick out a new outfit for school and a few new supplies. Have them complete this 5 Love Languages Quiz before your date to have some great discussions.
FALL VISION + CALENDAR: What do you want this season to feel like? Use this family vision template to tune in. Look at upcoming travel, the school schedule and make sure everything reflects what you value most. Use this template to create a weekly schedule for your family. 💡 TIP: Print + place printed templates in a protective sleeve or laminate to make them dry erase-able.
ESTABLISH YOUR DAILY RHYTHM: Think about how you want your mornings before school, your afternoons after school and your night times to feel with your kids. Here’s a template you can print to script this out. Here’s an example of ours.
Think about the rhythm that you want your day to have as a family. In the morning, think about everything that needs to be done and add 20 min, so you can establish a peaceful wake up time. At night - think about the things that are important to you (ie snuggling before bed) and work backwards from a bedtime goal to know when to begin things. I personally find dinner needs to be around 530p in order to have the kids in bed by 830p
I have their routine printed for them so they can also help around the house on the weekend. Here is what their daily/weekly rhythm looks like … I’m really protective of our schedule and not saying yes to too many things so that we can honour this and stay healthy + strong:
Kids’ routine:
getting organized
If you do the Seasonal Scrub in the summer, you’ll already be basking in the spaciousness in your home before the school season begins ✨
House organization:
Fridge + Freezer: clean out, check dates on dressings etc. Prep some freezer meals in reusable storage bags, soups + bone broth. This is a great monthly routine to integrate going forward.
Mud Room: organize winter gear (wash first if needed), organize shoes/boots. Put name labels on coats, gloves + shoes. Put kids supplements + oils in crate
Pantry: organize + check expiry dates. Label kids lunchbags, planet boxes + water bottles. Stock up on healthy school snacks - Costco has lots of good options now such as Made Good bars
Prep immune / health toolbox: check inventory of our vitamins , Vit D/K2, Probiotic, Elderberry syrup, TOUCH rollers, thermometer and bandaids. Check expiry dates on any meds
All closets: Clean out + donate. Wash out of season gear and move to bins.
Our Fall Calendar: I love to look this over with Chris, to really feel into what we want this next season to mean. Spaciousness is one of our most valued feelings and so we make sure that anything we’ve said a yes to is important to us still. We look at upcoming travel, business needs, the girls school schedule and also things we want to do as a couple. A refresh on the love languages always feels great too.
Meal Planning Tips: Each week, look at your calendar and plan out meals accordingly.
We have a large dry erase calendar in the kitchen where we write out the weekly school plan + also the girls help make the decisions for what will be their ‘lunch theme’ and meal plan. I find it helpful to make a list of all the lunch + dinner options that they love and then we choose from it each week.
Use your crockpot on days you’re working and the kids have activities after school . And most crockpot dinners transfer to lunch thermoses the next day really well. (This lentil taco recipe is a staple in our house)
I created a ‘back to school’ recipe section for you on the recipe page of HOL:FIT right here. TIP - If you use the planet boxes - look up #planetbox on instagram and save the images within the app so you can refer when making lunches!
Also think about having theme nights each week: Taco Tuesday, Meatless Monday, DIY Pizza Fridays and a beautiful long meal on Sunday nights. I love using the digital meal planner called Plan To Eat. Here’s a quick video I recorded on how to use it:
Setting up a
homework station
Whether your child will be attending classes in person or in nome, it’s helpful to create a space dedicated to their learning.
Choose an area that’s set aside from distractions with good or natural lighting. If they will be attending virtually, setup their computer in front of natural light if possible.
Add desk accessories and organizers: Pencil holders, a whiteboard, sticky notes, drawer organizers, etc. Depending on the type of subjects your child is taking, make sure they have everything they need to complete their school work.
Decorate the walls with maps, a dry erase board and/or some printed art to put in frames. Here’s a gallery I created on pinterest for printing.
Create a calming music playlist or use this one I created for you.
Have a diffuser with some oils that will help create a calm + focused atmosphere. Here is my diffuser guide of blends with lots of great combinations to try.
homeschooling
If you are looking for homeschooling resources + templates, I’ve compiled a blog of everything that has helped us:
School Shop:
doTERRA essential oils + products play an integral role in our home to support our immune systems so we stay strong + healthy through the fall/winter.
If you would like to open up your wholesale ordering account, I’ve created
this perfect back to school starter kit for you:
Essential Oils for School Classes:
📚 Back to School Notebook for class: download here. I’ve put a few examples of what is in the free notebook below:
Other Helpful Resources:
🎙 On HOL:FIT Talks episode 043, I talk about questions to ask as you move into a new season and practical ways to cleanse your lifestyle.
🗒 hol-fit.com/holfittalkslibrary/e043Healthy at Home Series I taught in 2016
This blog post as a checklist
Back to School with doTERRA products: Slidedeck
Back to School Recipes (scroll to the bottom of recipes page)
Homeschooling Resources
From our home to yours …
and a cute little throwback ;)
