Photo by Transguyjay
Families know that it is summer camp time. Children look forward to this time and even parents look forward to it as a time when their children will develop new skills and make some new friends and just have some fun.
Whether your child goes away to camp or to a local camp, the “camp experience” involves great organization on the part of the camper and the family. It is so important that you get organized for your child ahead of time. Try our camp organization tips so your child will have a great summer.
- When you register your child for camp – ask for the materials list. Many camps will mail it out as camp date gets closer, but most will provide it at your request earlier – which means you can get your shopping done earlier.
- Labels in clothing are very important, especially for children attending a sleep-away camp. Add labels early – and remember if your child has a popular name and surname like Susan Smith to add their middle name too to avoid confusion.
- Sending treats to sleep-away camp and day camp is a popular occurrence. Label snacks so campers know whose snacks are whose. Remember that many children today have peanut allergies – so don’t select snacks with peanuts in them.
- Your child for sleep-away camp will have a large trunk to put all of their items in. Remember to put labels the actual trunk, both inside and outside so everyone knows whose trunk it is.
- Many children are tempted to bring valuable items like a charm bracelet, favorite teddy bear or electronic devices to camp. This is often unwise as these items can become lost or sometimes “borrowed” by overeager campers. Sometimes these items are also hard to label – like a teddy bear or a piece of jewelry.
- Give your child pre stamped stationary or postcards to write friends and family home while at sleep-away camp. Most sleep-away campers do have access to email. But many campers look forward to daily “mail call” and the best way to get mail is to send some of your own.
MaverickLabel.com They specialize in custom label printing and have cheap stickers and custom window decals for summer needs.
There’s something about Spring that just makes us want to get organized and start new projects. The birds singing and warmer air make everyone have a “spring” in their step and more energy to tackle all of those projects they’ve been putting off. So enjoy Spring and try these great ways to use labels to get organized and make life run a bit smoother.
Canning or making jams/jellies. Spring and summer are the perfect time to can fruits and vegetables or to make jam and jellies. You’ll certainly want large, clear labels that tell you exactly what’s in these jars so when winter comes and you reach for a jar – you aren’t opening a mystery!
Garage sale. This is one of the best times to hold a garage sale. Spring is a great time to clean out your closets and go through the kids’ toys to see exactly what they just aren’t using anymore. Garage sale shoppers always seem to linger more when a sale is well organized and they certainly appreciate prices that are clear. Using label stickers will mean everyone can read prices quickly – even if they do try to haggle you down a bit!
Preparing for summer camp. Now is the ideal time to get the kids’ gear ready for summer camp. Don’t wait for the last minute to find the sunscreen, bathing suit and their sandals or extra pair of sneakers. Get everything ready and put it into the trunk so it is ready to go. You’ll want to use labels to label the trunk and then labels inside every piece of clothing.
Organize your gardening supplies. Spring is when we see those lovely crocuses and tulips coming out in bloom. But every gardener knows to get those beautiful flowers takes a lot of hard work and effort. Organize your gardening supplies and use labels so you know where everything goes and to identify your supplies.
Get the beach gear ready. If your family lives at the beach in warmer weather, then now is the best time to get your beach gear prepared. Look for your bathing suits, aqua shoes, beach towels, sunscreen and beach toys. Use labels to designate everyone’s beach bag and organize your summer fun gear.
What’s Your Labeling Personality? Take Our Quiz!
When you want to get organized, labels are one of the top ways you can stay on top of things. You’ll find things quickly and know exactly what the contents are when things have a custom label.
But everyone has a labeling personality. Do you know what yours is? Take our labeling quiz to discover exactly what type of labeler you are!
1. Your son or daughter is going off to summer camp. You are a little teary eyed, knowing you’ll miss them. To get them organized you start by…..
- Labeling their trunk, inside of their clothing, snacks, emergency contact information – even their Game Boy!
- Labeling the inside of their clothes – then asking them to finish their labeling.
- Looking at what they have packed and labeling some of the items on top of the suitcase. They’ll always know what they have….won’t they?
2. Your family is throwing a tag sale to raise money for charity. You’ve cleaned and organized items and now it comes time to price and label them. You……
- Organize them into categories by what type of item they are (toys, clothing, books, etc). Then start to price and label them.
- Ask your children to label their toys and clothing and work on labeling and pricing the higher marked items.
- Put labels on everything but leave the prices blank. This will mean that everyone can negotiate for a price – tag salers love haggling for a great deal!
3. Your family is going on vacation for two weeks to Bermuda. Sunny skies and sandy beaches call you. But your family is from Minnesota – so this trip has taken lots of extra shopping and now you’ve got to organize all of your packing. You…..
- Pack everyone’s suitcases and carry-on bags and label each item. Adding clothing labels that include your name and address so they could be mailed back to you.
- Help your younger children to pack and remind your older teens and husband to pack and show them how to label their clothing and items.
- Add a label to the inside of your suitcase and to each family members’ suitcase. If any clothing gets lost…it was just meant to be!
Okay….time to tally up!
If your answers were mostly A then you are a Constant Cathy. Your labeling personality is well-organized, methodical and stays on top of every crisis. The only challenge? Sometimes you can go a bit overboard and wind up labeling the dog’s fleas!
If your answers were mostly B then you are a Middle of the Road Melody. Your labeling personality is relaxed and balanced. You see labeling as a way to stay organized, but you aren’t going to label like a chipmunk full of caffeine. The best way you can label is to make a list before you start a project and look at the priority places labels could go.
If your answers are mostly C then no one has to tell you that you are a Free Spirited Felicity. You stick labels wherever you are inspired to. Sometimes this means you have creative and inspired results and other times this means you are missing labels where it could be a great idea to have them. Make friends with Cathy and Melody for some great labeling tips – you can certainly teach them to be more creative!
Summertime is a peak time for label use. Families are more active than ever. With most families taking vacations, it is easy to see why families would need labels to identify things that they need. Let’s talk about the top summertime uses for labels.
1. Gardening. Many people enjoy gardening in the summer. Labeling the stakes in the ground, baby plants or your supplies helps you grow a beautiful garden.
2. Beach or Pool. Most families spend lots of time at their local beach or pool during summertime. This is an ideal time to use labels. Use labels to identify your beach/pool chairs, umbrella, label your bathing suit and swimming cover-ups. Labels can also be useful with some water toys for kids.
3. Summer Camp. Many children attend a day or sleep-away camp during the summer. Smart mothers have learned that labeling their belongings means that more of their belongings will come back with them at the end of camp!
4. Family Vacation/Staycation. Every family can use labels during their vacation/staycation. You’ll want to label everyone’s suitcases as you travel. You’ll add labels to everyone’s clothing. Adding labels to other items you use like a packed lunch as you travel, car care supplies or labeling everyone’s drinks just keeps you better organized.
5. Summer Barbeque/Party. Using labels can help you identify the mustard from the ketchup. It can also help you identify people’s drinks from one another. Using “Hello” labels at a party can be a great icebreaker as people get to know one another.
Labels simply get you through the summer. With a little organization and preparation, summer flies by – our favorite season. It’s always more fun during summertime! Waterproof labels will be a part of any good label kit for summer.
