Summer is passing unnoticed. Not far off is the day when children go to school - a holiday of knowledge. It will be especially exciting for the parents of first graders. Dads and mothers have long been busy getting their children to school. And although there is a whole training program here, we will only talk about one subject - the one in which textbooks, notebooks, a pencil case with a pen and pencils are carried.
In the days of the USSR, it was a well-known portfolio. He is still there. But satchels and school backpacks began to be made as an alternative to it. However, satchels were also known in tsarist times - look at the paintings of the artists. But then they were forgotten. Cause? Most likely, it was genuine leather on the satchels. And it was expensive. And there was little of her in the country. It turned out to be much easier to sew briefcases from cheap leatherette.
But then (in the second half of the twentieth century), doctors sounded the alarm, drawing attention to the fact that carrying heavy briefcases spoils the posture of children. In the course of a rather long discussion, the doctors agreed on a compromise: “give” the briefcase to the high school students, and the junior school students to sew backpacks. They proceeded from the fact that a small weight behind the shoulders of young children is even useful, since it makes them not bend forward.
A lot of school backpacks are now sewn - for any, as they say, taste. But a problem arose that the physicians arguing about did not even know. Modern textbooks are now thicker than the old ones. Therefore, it is harder. There are more of them according to the program. In addition, a second shoe has become compulsory for school attendance. There is a special section for her in the backpack. Lunches in the school canteen, which have risen in price, are forcing parents to refuse to contribute money for them and to equip the child in a plastic bag with a dinner made from homemade products.
As a result, it turns out that the weight of a first grader's backpack is about four kilograms! And this despite the fact that doctors recommend that parents provide their child with a lower weight: for girls - up to two kilograms, for boys - half a kilogram more. I wonder if the weight of the backpack itself is taken into account?
Although school backpacks are sewn in two categories (for girls and for boys), they differ only in color, but not in weight! And if the "extra" 200-300 grams of weight for a boy is permissible up to the recommended two and a half kilograms, then for a girl this is a noticeable load on the back. Obviously, girls' backpacks should be more compact, made of lighter materials. But the standard, alas, is the same.
The question has become very relevant: how to reduce the weight of a backpack for first graders to the one recommended by doctors? There are several ways. First of all, when buying, be guided by the weight and size of the backpack. There is no point in purchasing a backpack made of heavy materials. Of course, it is quite acceptable for older children, but taking a first-grader “for growth” means not thinking about his health. Only an orthopedic back made of dense material should be relatively heavy in a backpack. For example, cardboard or thin plastic. Everything else is light in weight.
It is imperative to buy a backpack with a child trying it on in the store. If the straps of the backpack are not adjustable, it forces the child to hold them with his hands from slipping, such a backpack is clearly not suitable. Conduct fitting with a weighted weight (here you can use any other books and objects instead of textbooks).
Pay special attention to the second shoes that your child will need to take with them to school. It should fit freely into the knapsack, be light and comfortable.
How to further reduce the weight of the backpack? Of course, it is advisable to deposit money for meals in the school cafeteria. It's hot and fresh there. But if this is not possible, only light food should be put in the backpack.
And one more important piece of advice. From the very first days of school, ask the child to agree with a partner (companion) who and which textbooks are taking turns from home to class. The nuance here is that often in the lesson there is no need to have two identical textbooks on the table - one open on the right page is quite enough.
