Back-to-School Shopping Tipsby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 18 Jul 2009 08:12 PM So much for summer! Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, heck, even my favorite supermarket have ditched their displays of sun chairs, sunscreen, sunglasses and sand toys to make way for back-to-school supplies. Now, instead of deciding on the type of cooler to take to summer sports camp, your son will be faced with the dilemma of picking between a new Transformers backpack and one that features SpongeBob SquarePants in all his electric yellow glory. However, before you allow your child free rein in the backpack aisle you might want to consider these helpful safety tips: Make sure you choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. Health experts note that the "average" backpack is not designed to fit a child younger than 12 years old. Since the center of gravity is lower in shorter children, if a backpack is full, the pressure is put on the child's pelvis and not equally distributed to his shoulders and back. To avoid your child having to roll his shoulders forward to support the weight of a heavy backpack, doctors recommend purchasing a backpack that's smaller than the width of his back and doesn't fall any lower than his waistline. The American Chiropractic Association says a backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of your child's weight. It helps to disperse the contents of the backpack so they're not centralized at the very bottom of the bag. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments and pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. Have your child use both shoulder straps when carrying his backpack. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles. You might even consider purchasing a rolling backpack for your child. This type of backpack is a good choice for students who must tote heavy loads. The downside to rolling backpacks is that they must be carried up stairs, and they may be difficult to maneuver in the snow. Related Articles: Kindergarten Teacher Arrested for Trashy Move How Long is Too Long for Kindergarten? How Much Do You Help With Homework? Do You Punish Your Kids for Bad Grades? Are You a Teacher's Worst Nightmare? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanteducation tags User Comments Samual (11722) 19 Jul 2009 04:46 AMHere in primary school 4-11 years all you have in your satchel is your dinner, a few pencils/crayons and a child's novel and reading card. At secondary school 11/12-15/16, you just have your lunch unless you have school dinners and work books for that day, so 3-4 depending on how many lessons you have a day as sometimes you have a double lesson, where as other days you have all singles. Using a roller suitcase seems a bit stupid though.  Michele Cheplic |
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