First Day of School 2024

This school year, our family is experiencing a lot of firsts and lasts. 

• First time not taking a "first day of school" photo of my oldest son. (He's going into his second year of university, so I gave him a pass. It was a good run! lol) 
• First day of grade 10 for my youngest son.
• First day of grade 12 for my middle son... and his last "first day" of school ever. (Cue the tears!)

The older my boys get, the more I treasure our photos and traditions. Here are few snapshots from this morning.

Have a great school everyone!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

First Day of School 2023

Today was the first day of school for my youngest two boys. My oldest started university yesterday. As always, I served a special breakfast and took a few photos. 😀

I wasn't sure I was going to get my university student to pose for a photo, but my sweet boy reluctantly let me take a quick picture before he embarked on his new adventure. He's actually holding a picture of him on his graduation day holding a picture from his first day of grade primary. Cute, right?!?!?

In keeping with tradition, my other two boys took pictures holding pictures from the first day of school last year.

Here's my "baby" who is going into grade 9.

 

And here's my middle son who is heading to grade 11.

We had our traditional breakfast, and we'll have a special treat when they get home. I can't wait to hear about their day! 💗

How did you celebrate the first day of school? I hope you all have a fantastic year!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Back to School Crafts & DIYs... made using dollar store supplies

Back to school is a special time for kids and adults. It marks a new beginning, and a time to get organized. To make the milestone special, I have some fantastic back to school crafts and DIYs to share today.

 

1) Desk storage - Use a dollar store container or a can from the recycling bin to make store for office and school supplies. Find the full instructions here.

2) Pencil toppers - All you need are pipe cleaners, googly eyes and pom poms to make these adorable pencil toppers. Check out the instructions here.

And the pencils look adorable in the DIY storage container.

3) Personalized binder - Kids can personalize binders with stickers or pictures. Check out how easy it is to do here.

4) Custom Journal - Everyone needs a place to keep track of homework or jot down "to do" lists. I love the idea of using a personalized journal. It's easy (and inexpensive) to make using the instructions here.

5) Personalized pencil case - Dollar store pencil cases can easily be personalized with decals and stickers. Check out how I made mine here.

Seriously... how cute are these supplies?????

6) DIY (and budget-friendly) photo props - Everyone takes photos on the first day of school, and I have some great ideas for special pictures here.

For a closer look at all my back to school crafts and DIYs, check out the video below...

I hope you like these ideas. Let me know your favourite in the comments. 😀

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

First Day of School 2022

Today is the first day of school for my boys... which is always a bit of a sad day for me. The lazy days of summer have come to an end, and the crazy school/hockey schedule is just beginning. And I was extra teary this morning as my oldest son headed out for his LAST first day of school. Luckily, my boys let me take a few pictures to document the occassion. 

As always, we started the day with pancakes in the shapes of their Grades.

Then, we took our traditional photos holding 8x10s from the first day of school the year before.

Grade 12...

Grade 10...

Grade 8...

After school, we'll all share a special treat, and talk about the day. I can't wait! 😁

Happy first day of school everyone!!!!

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

FREE First Day of School Photo Props

The first day of school is an important milestone for kids, and it's important to document it in photos. Over the years, I have always made it a priority to take "first day of school" pictures of my boys, and today I'm sharing fun (and FREE) photo props. These are so adorable!!!

If you want to make a super cute photo frame, start with a piece of dollar store foam core, and cut the inside out with an X-acto knife.

Then, use a ruler and markers to make lines on the form core... so that it resembles a piece of loose leaf.

You can leave it "as is", or you can decorate it with the pictures below. 

I printed the pictures, cut them out, and used a glue stick to attach them to the frame. Cute, right?!?!

To download the pictures for free: click on the pictures below, save them to your computer, and print like regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheets. I printed mine at my local copy store (Staples).

You can also print the pictures on cardstock, attach them to pencils with tape, and use them as props for a DIY photo booth.

You can get a closer look at my favourite back to school photo ideas in the short video I made below.

How do you document the first day of school? I hope you like my back to school photo ideas and FREE printable photo props.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like these school lunch HACKS.

First Day of School Photos - 2021

Today was our first day of school, which is always a bittersweet day for me. I'm so proud of the young men my boys are becoming, but they are growing up way too fast. Here's a peak at our morning!

We always start our day with pancakes in the shape of their grades. This year my boys are in grade 7, grade 9, and grade 11. Not sure how I have two kids in high school!

Then, I take a picture of each boy holding an 8x10 picture of them on the first day of school the previous year. We have been doing this since preschool, and it's one of my favourite traditions.

Here's my "baby"!

Here's my oldest!

And here's my middle son!

The morning of the first day of school is always chaotic, so I'm grateful every time I manage to get them to stand for a quick picture. :-)

I can't wait for my boys to get home after school. It's always fun to share a special treat and hear about their day. 

Happy first day of school!!!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the school lunch ideas here.

EVERYTHING You Need for BACK TO SCHOOL

Heading back to school after the summer break can be overwhelming, but I'm here to help. I've collected all the information you need for back to school (all in one place). Don't forget to click on the helpful links below for all the details.

Get organized - The best way to set yourself up for a successful school year is to get organized before it begins. Check out my best back to school organizing ideas here. 

Lunch ideas - Most parents detest making school lunches... but it's a necessary evil. Give yourself a fighting chance with my best school lunch hacks here.

First day of school treats - Bring treats and trinkets for classmates and teachers is a wonderful way to start the year off on a fun and positive note. My boys loved this while they were in elementary school. Check out some of our favourite treats (and free printable "punny" tags) here. 

First day of school traditions - My absolute favourite first day of school tradition are the pictures I take of my boys each year. I always have them take a photo holding an 8x10 from the first day of school the previous year. I explain more about all my favourite first day of school traditions here. 

Are you looking forward to getting back to routine and back to school? I hope you find these tips helpful. What's your best back to school hack?

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also enjoy the "back to school" video here.