ALL of you who are reading this are the privileged minority who have the good fortune of being able to read because you go to school. Remember there are countless children across Pakistan and the world who can just watch with envy as others — dressed up in neat and smart uniforms, carrying nice bags — go to school.

This reality check was necessary to make you realise how lucky you are that your parents can afford, and sometimes barely afford, to send you to school to become an educated and civilised member of society. And once you have this realisation, you will value your school experience and studies will not seem a burden, but rather a blessing that you should value and enjoy.

Now let’s turn to what we are focusing on today — how to be well-prepared for school and the right approach to adopt to achieve your goals. Here are some basic tips that you all probably know but it is always helpful to do a recap to refresh the mind. So read on and make the most of your school days!

Organise

CHECK out all that you need for school and see what is missing so that you can get them in time. Most kids leave this on their parents but this is not a good habit because when you become involved in this, parents not only get a helping hand but this way you also end up getting things of your choice. Imagine getting a Barbie or Winnie the Pooh themed bag when in class seven because your mum doesn’t know your preference has changed.

Study space

SET UP or clear up your study space, making sure you have discarded or stored away anything you don’t need and have all the things in one place that you will be needing at school and home to study. After school and studying at home, make sure you keep all the things back in their place so that you don’t waste time searching for them.

Also make sure the study space is free from distractions.

Set realistic goals

YOU will need to prioritise all your activities so that you can concentrate on your studies. Be flexible with your normal routines so as to postpone tasks that can be put off until school work is finished.

Studies and homework should always come first!

Know your school

LEARN more about the school if you are going to a new school. Find out what is the academic and extracurricular activities schedule for at least this term. Decide which clubs and extracurricular activities you would like to be a part of, making sure they are of interest to you and will enhance your skills in some way.

INTRODUCE yourself to all your classmates and even students of other classes. Get to know the council members and prefects of the school too as they can help you in resolving different issues.

Also become familiar with the teachers and school administrators.

Outline your academic plan

MAKE plans of how you would approach your studies. Do you need some extra help in a subject? Who can help you in that? Do you need a tutor or you will work harder and handle it on your own?

You need to think about these things and also discuss with your parents and even teachers to find the solutions.

Take care of yourself

YOU need to be physically and mentally at your peak to give your best. Eat and sleep well so that you can better focus on your studies. Follow a schedule that gives you time to relax and is flexible enough to offer you that chance to put in an extra hour or so of studies if there is extra workload on certain days.

Know your learning style

DEVELOP an awareness of how you learn or have learned best in the past so that you can apply those study techniques again. Learn about your learning style — whether you are an auditory, visual or kinaesthetic learner — and follow the methods suitable to each type to make your learning experience easy and effective. You can do some research and learn about this from internet as there is no space to go into the details here.

Remember, school is a place to learn, it’s not a place where you go to meet your friends every day. Keep your educational goals in sight.

Back to school DIYs

DIY, or do-it-yourself, is a technique of making things yourself rather than buying them from stores. It’s not only a pocket-money saver but also pretty cool. Many people of our generation have developed the habit of buying things rather than using their creative instincts to build something for themselves. Everyone is creative! You just need to know your era.

Since I was a small kid, I have always loved the idea of personalised stationary, but I could never find such stuff in stores. A few years back, I started to search on Google for such creative projects and ended up very pleased with myself because I found many easy and handy things to make.

Without any further ado, since schools are opening soon, let’s make for ourselves some school supplies! This will not just please your parents but also impress your friends.

Bookmarks

I MADE some really funky bookmarks last year and my friends started asking me to make them some! I earned some extra pocket money by making these over the summer break!

Here’s how you can make them. Draw the outline as shown on figure 1 on a sheet of paper, or directly onto the coloured card paper. Cut out the shape drawn.

Fold triangle 1 down, so the point is in the bottom left corner of the square. Take triangle 2 and fold toward the right, so it overlaps triangle 1. Now cut out a printed paper of your choice in the resulting square shape and glue this to the inside of the card paper.

Now glue the triangle 1 over triangle 2 and you have your book mark ready! You can decorate it in any way that you want. There you go!

Notebooks

FOR a long time now, I’ve started making my own notebooks because the pretty ones available in stores are either too expensive or just not cute enough! I either design my own covers on any collage-making app/Photoshop or just download the free cool posters in A4 size.

After I print them, I stick that page on a card sheet, or you may print it directly on a glossy paper. You can even use any gift wrapping paper that you fancy. Then I put the cover and pages together and get them spirally bound from any shop at a very reasonable price. Or you can also paint/paste scrapbook paper on your notebooks bought from store, to make them prettier.

There’s nothing better than having your personalised notebooks to cheer you up during boring lectures.

Saver’s tip: I always have pages left over in my old registers. I use them to make my new personalised notebooks!

Stationary organiser

THIS DIY requires a shoe box or its cover and a lot of boxes which can all fit into the boundaries of the cover of the shoe box. You may use tissue paper rolls and cereal boxes for the dividers. Cover them up in pretty sheets and stick them inside the boundaries. There you have a stationary organiser that carries your own personal style!

This was just a small starter kick! You can explore a lot of other DIY projects related to school on the internet and you never know it can become a hobby that will not only make your home beautiful but also save you a lot of money.

Happy DIY-ing!