Your help required - top tips on surviving the school run

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi there,
We've been asked to put together a list of tips on surviving the school run/surviving car travel with the children in general eg how can you save time in the morning, at breakfast, how do you get them to leave the house/ stopping squabbling in the car etc etc

All your wit and wisdom gratefully received plus all who post a tip on this thread will be entered into this week's competition to win a Nintendo Wii games console and game .

Many thanks,
MNHQ

Get everything ready the night before (I don't do a school run as such, but I do do three mornings of "get DH and me to work and the boys to their grandparents").

And I really, really want to win a wii

Be prepared - gather all bags and equipment together the night before and put them ready.

X-post Hunkermunker.

Make a list of what equipment's needed on which day and pin it up in the hallway near the front door, so you can check you've got everything.

As for surviving car travel in general, one thing that works with DS1 (who is 2.9) is to have a laminated sheet of logos of places we're likely to see en route - he loves pointing them out on shops and lorries on the motorway. You can do different models of car as well as different sorts of vehicle on the other side of it too.

No TV (or at least, no TV until everyone is completely dressed and ready to go out).

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Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time ( with a little built-in contingency).

For example, I aim to be out of the house by 8.30am, but I can still be on time at school if I leave at 8.40am.

Can I confirm - each time I post a tip on thie thread, do I get a separate entry into the wii competition? Is it drawn from a hat?)

Walk if you can

Another tip is don't let them watch the tv in the morning and eat breakfast at the table. Tv is too much of a distraction and it's hard to drag them away. If walking to school and you have a slow walker have mini races with them to get them moving or if you have a child who tantrums use distraction by pointing out things or playing a game like I spy or spelling words out using car number plate as the intitials.
Do pack lunches (if needed) the night before so you aren't rushing about doing it in the morning.

Anyone not dressed and ready by the front door 10 minutes before we have to leave does not get a chocolate coin.

Yes, I want it to be noted I included 3 tips in one post.

We survive our walk to school by making it as fun and interesting as we can. We collect things for the nature table as we go along, dd spots particular makes and colours of cars, we sing silly songs, we have a competition to see who can spot regular things along the journey (the crossing man/best friend's car/Guide Dog puppy walkers) first, if it's raining she gets to wear her wellies and splash in all the puddles (much to the envy of her friends passing us in their cars).

If you'd love to have the kids dressed before breakfast but don't because of the porridge-down-uniform risk, try aprons.

Don't just put bags, flute etc by the front door the night before - put them in the car.

Also have a stash of muesli bars / juice cartons / bananas in the glovebox for the really ghastly mornings - even if the kids have had breakfast I can bet you won't have done!

We've had a lot of success in the car with the game "next one to speak gets a kick up the bottom".

no one really gets a kick up the bottom bar a comedy one but DSs enjoy squealing should dh or I speak first

Remember that the time monster will come and nick the five extra minutes you thought you had in the morning, so add a little extra to keep him happy.

(The time monster is the enemy of the punctuality princess, who is a weak and feeble creature in this house...)

Set every clock in the house 10 minutes early.

• Keep siblings apart (e.g. separate bedrooms) to get dressed
• Breakfast all together. No TV until fed & dressed & teeth cleaned
• Everything ready the night before and in its place (e.g. hall hooks for book bags, coats etc)
• Use the journey (if by car) to talk about something happening at school / check spellings/ discuss a 'topic' - helps the kids feel 'prepared'

when driving little johnny and janey to school in the morning in your 4x4, remember you are financing large oil companies to kill innocent people accross the globe and support superpowers.

also when the oil runs dry - 50 years or so - there will be a huge financial and political melt down - something you should think about - especially if your planning to pass on property.

so walk to school.

get sandwiches ready the night before

get ready to stick 2 fingers up at the school when you add a bag of crisp as well as the carrott sticks.

teach then to iron when they hit 9 years old.

put uniform on hanger when they get home

routine
routine
routine

Or alternatively put them to bed in their uniform and send them to breakfast club at school that way they can just get up and straight out the door.

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dont have children

save the planet

should be a bumper sticker

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Get dh/dp to do breakfast while you get dressed and have a cup of tea !
Put clothes to hand so kids only have to put them on - I keep a supply of socks, tights etc sorted in baskets on the landing.
No tv in the mornings.
Sports bags, ballet kit etc left ready packed by door night before.
Checklist somewhere visible of what is needed each day.