I can still remember standing at the end of my next door neighbor’s driveway on the first day of kindergarten…the smell of exhaust and the butterflies in my stomach as I stepped onto the bus; I was both excited and nervous at the same time. Here’s a funny thought: I wonder how my mom would prepare me for school if I were going off to kindergarten in this day and age.

This year I have a First Grader, and this First Grader wanted school to start the day kindergarten ended. My daughter thrives off of rhythm, knowing what’s next, having enough fresh air, getting enough alone time, R&R with mama, good food and lots of sleep. If she doesn’t dose up on these, then there’s a bit of resistance in our home.

Here are 5 Ways to a Healthy School Year Start, whether you homeschool, unschool or send them off every day:

1-Get on board with good food.

High quality proteins, healthy fats and lots of fresh veggies are going to serve as brain food for your child. How can kids focus and learn if their diet consists of processed food, dyes, and sugar?

2-Buy your child a water bottle.

I can’t say enough about the importance of drinking water. Water is so much more accessible if your child has his/her own water bottle (and they’re usually WAY more excited to drink it out of it!). I know of some great alternatives to plain water that don’t contain sugar, but will give them a boost during their lunch break.

3-Chiropractic care.

Have you carried a child’s backpack lately? I can’t believe what they send home with our little people…backpacks should NOT weigh more than our children. I’m being facetious here, but chiropractic care is a phenomenal way to teach kids about body awareness. The extra huge awesome bonus is that their immune system gets a Power On boost every time they are adjusted. School is stressful, transitions and change are stressful, and the everyday toxins are kids come into contact with are stressful on their systems. I hugely endorse chiropractic care for a healthy start to your child’s school year.

4-Shop Consignment

I am completely NOT a fashionista, so purchasing clothing from a consignment shop or thrift store works for me, and thankfully it works for my kids. There’s no need to break the bank when you can buy very gently used or NEW clothes with tags still attached, from consignment shops. There’s no need to spend more money than necessary and it’s a fun way to really only buy what you need.

Taking guidance from your kids on their style and interests is huge when doing this as they’ll agree with the way you purchase their clothing if they have a little freedom in the process. If they don’t like jeans, don’t make them pick out jeans. If they don’t like the shirt you’ve chosen, find something you both like instead. In the end, if your child doesn’t wear what you purchased him/her, you didn’t break the bank in doing so and won’t take it so personally.

Most importantly, educate your children on why you are purchasing this way. At our house it took years for my husband to figure out that consignment was the way to go when he followed me into a second hand shop, came out 45 minutes later with a t-shirt, two polo shirts, four pair of shorts (all high quality brand choices we would have made anyway) for less than $70. Not only does it save money, but it is a way to reuse and repurpose what someone else isn’t using anymore. It’s a really responsible environmental decision.

5-Supplementation

Even though I’m a huge foodie, my family uses affordable supplements to cover the basics of what we don’t get every day. One of my girls has taken supplementation since birth and the other since about a year old. They take a multivitamin/mineral every day, along with probiotics and Omega 3 oils as a bottom line standard. When I look around at school lunch options, I am grateful for the ability to pack my daughter’s lunch every day, and for supplements that keep her immune system boosted, her mind clear and her energy strong and for the daily stressors we work with as parents, I am confident we are nutritionally supported in the best way possible.