Back to School?

Check out these changes to make at home for a healthier, happier home. The “Back to School” month of August in western North Carolina slips away all too quickly. One minute, we’re picking up #2 pencils and marbled composition books. The next, we’re getting the kiddos ready for senior portraits. Many of us work to usher our children and grandchildren through their school days healthy, mostly happy, and fairly well adjusted.

After hundreds of A Healthier Home inspections for families over the years, I’ve identified 3 frequently overlooked environmental factors in our residences that can cause difficulties for children who need optimum conditions in order to learn. Each requires little money or effort to correct, and kicking chaos to the curb could be worth it.

The New Shoe Shuffle

Breathing clean air and getting oxygen to the brain enhances learning. That being said, did you know that the first four steps your family takes inside your door brings in almost 85 percent of outdoor contaminants found within? These bits include insect fragments, lead dust, pesticides, pollen, dust mites, animal dander, hair, human skin flakes, fungal spores, cigarette ash, and more, according to the Georgia Extension Service.

Schools can be compared to petri dishes when it comes to respiratory illnesses, so leaving contaminants at the door will help keep children healthy and ready to learn. The EPA recommends using doormats and leaving shoes at the door to reduce lead dust and chemicals in the home by about 60%. Plus, this reduces exposure to pesticides, dust, and other causes of asthma or allergy reactions.

A Good Night’s Sleep

A good night’s sleep is on the list educators send home with parents each year, starting when their children enroll in kindergarten. If your kids are having trouble falling asleep, light pollution could be a factor to consider. Street lights can be big sleep interrupters. If bright lights illuminate your neighborhood, and shine into your child’s bedroom window, check to make certain the curtains are lined to keep out unwelcome light. Night lights, reading lamps, or computer screens can have a similar effect, disrupting natural sleep rhythms and creating a melatonin deficiency. This, in turn, can create other health risks. One scientist compared light pollution to global warming as a serious issue in modern society, so if this problem is a part of your life, you may want to seek out more information.

If you haven’t started already, remember to get school-aged kids up earlier each day from now until school starts. Mrs. Bayless and I found that tired kids are more likely to go to bed at night without a fuss. Or, consider a bedtime ritual to transition kids into sleep. My children loved reading a chapter of their favorite book each night before lights out. A cup of warm vanilla milk or chamomile tea – without sugar – can also increase sleepiness.

Stress Busting

Arguably, student responsibilities today are more stressful than when we were our childrens’ ages. The experts – who obviously have more time on their hands than the rest of us – tell us that now is the time to get systems in place to ensure everything runs smoothly: menus planned ahead, clothes washed, chores divvied. Around here, weekly cleaning may need to include anti-bacterial, anti-viral wipes for doorknobs and light switches, to cut down on the viruses and germs that cause colds, flu and other illness. More particularly, I’d recommend clearing clutter to improve student ability to focus on their assignments, and some dusting in their study and sleep space. Experience and science back me up on this strategy to keep kids healthy and learning. Last, as tweens and teens frequently forget to clear a path from the bed to the alarm clock, I might make certain they’ve cleared the floor before hitting the lights. Last night’s blue jeans can be a hazard to anyone’s health if they’re in the middle of the floor in the dark.