Hey Maine, What Are Your Back-To-School Traditions?

Most school kids in Maine started the new academic year this week. And while many families have spent most of the last week doing their back-to-school shopping, we're wondering what other traditions you may have when it comes to returning to school.

I would wager a guess that when it comes to the back-to-school season, many Maine families have some "back-to-school traditions" they celebrate each year.

After all, while it might seem like it's something we dread as parents, deep down we understand that we only get a certain number of these opportunities until our kids are grown and we refer to this time of year as simply "September."

As a family who started as homeschoolers, transitioned to brick-and-mortar schools a few years ago, and now do a mix of both,  we have developed some important "first day of school" traditions that we try to keep up with each fall.

Here are 3 of our family's Back-To-School Traditions:

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Back-To-School Ice Cream

The first tradition we have as a family is to partake in a back-to-school ice cream. This usually happens the day before school starts...the last day of vacation. If they start on different days, then we get to go twice!

It's a fun way to acknowledge that a transition is coming, and end the summer season on a high note!

Pictures

The second thing our family does is take those "First Day Of School" pictures.

Sometimes the facial expressions are a little less excited about school than ice cream...

But we get to capture those bright-eyed, fresh-faced photos...before everyone gets tired from the mad dash that is school!

And in some cases, it's a great way to document just how much they've grown over the summer!

Take Measurements

And speaking of measuring growth...

The other back-to-school tradition I do with my kids...and we've been doing it every year since they started...

Each kid gets measured on the first day of school (and usually the last day of school, too.)

It's a helpful way to keep track of how much they've grown over the summer, but also what their most recent stats are (handy for things like doctor visits and sports physicals.)

Sometimes we even measure bunnies!

Those are the three big "Back to school" traditions we have at our house.

How about you?

What traditions do you have with your kids when it comes to "Back to school" time?