One thing I missed by not attending elementary school
This post is sponsored by General Mills and Nestle™, but all opinions are my own
If you’re a long-time reader, you may know that I was homeschooled from kindergarten until I started high school in ninth grade.
I had a fantastic homeschooling experience, and I wouldn’t change it if I could.
But, of course, there are a few things you don’t experience if you don’t attend elementary school (I suppose middle school, too, but I’ve never met a single person who has told me I really missed out by not attending middle school).
One of those things was Box Tops for Education.
There were no classroom contents at our home, and I’m not sure I even KNEW what Box Tops were until I was an adult.
But then my children started attending public school, and suddenly I knew a LOT about Box Tops.
Ella, particularly, has a competitive streak, (no idea where she might have inherited that . . . ) and if her class is trying to beat out the other classes in collecting Box Tops?
You better believe she’s all in.
Which means she really wants ME to be all in too.
I haven’t been amazing at helping her collect them, but when we moved in with my in-laws last year while we were house hunting, my mother-in-law was fantastic about saving them for Ella, designating a special spot for them in the kitchen so Ella could turn them in to her class.
Of course, then my mother-in-law moved to the other side of the world for the year, which meant the Box Tops responsibilities were squarely back on my shoulders.
Fortunately, Sam’s Club has both of our backs because this year they’re doing an exclusive back-to-school campaign where you earn 12 Box Tops for Education when you purchase one qualifying General Mills or Nestle™ product.
There are so many great products that make lunch packing super simple for both kids and parents, from Nature Valley Sweet n Salty Almond Bars to Mott’s Fruit Shapes.
And even better? Box Tops for Education is going digital so if you’re like me and have a hard time keeping track of them?
All you have to do is purchase the items with the new digital Box Tops logo, scan your receipt through the new Box Tops app on your phone and you will automatically earn the bonus Box Tops! So simple, right?!
Your life just got a whole lot easier.
Did you collect Box Tops when you were growing up? And what else did I miss by not attending elementary school? (Aside from Pogs).
I actually don’t love the digital switch. I would rather just tear off the box top right before I recycle the box. Eventually I get a stack and send them in. The one time I’ve done the digital one, it couldn’t read the item on my receipt so I had to type to anyway. I’m also terrible of keeping track of my receipts.
I don’t love digital at all. I don’t need one more app to add to my phone. It already is running out of space to hold everything else. I also work at a school which used the box tops as “money” for the kids to “buy” trinkets or treats with. Going digital is going to eliminate that!
So if the box top people read this, go back to them on the box! It is so much easier for this mom to remember to get them for my kids.
As a PTA President, I’m dreading this switch. So many parents let kids manage the box tops program at home. It gives the kids a sense of responsibility, a “stake in the game”, and helps the kids feel like they’re contributing to the school. Going digital makes it one more thing parents now have to take care of for their kids. Not a fan.
I don’t like the digital switch at all. 😞 So much easier for me to tear it off before getting rid of the box. I have a designated bag on my fridge. Now…honestly I won’t be scanning receipts. 😏🤷🏻♀️
I love that you remember your homeschooling experience as fantastic and something you wouldn’t trade! This must be so rewarding for your mom to hear! Have you already written about what made your homeschooling experience so wonderful? Our family is just starting and I would love your perspective about what made it great for you!
Another perspective on the box tops debacle;) is that it cuts out the middle man (teacher) as the reminder giver, and collector, and bundler, and walking them up to the office during your planning period to turn them in-er. I think teachers will be happy to spend that time on planning meaningful instructional experiences for students! Volunteers who have found this meaningful will surely find other ways to support their schools! <3