According to author Alan Finder, "organizational tutors" are cropping up all over the place because "boys seem generally to have more difficulty getting organized and multitasking than girls do." The tutors help boys sort through their messy backpacks, explain and require the use of binders with divider tabs separated by subject, and often spend more time teaching the merits of cleaning out desks, bookbags, and coat or pant pockets than they do on tutoring lessons for school subjects.
In our home, places for things and everything-in-its-place are the norm by necessity 1) because we're* forgetful klutzes who will stub toes, break nails and use non-kindergarten-vocabulary as we dig through piles trying to find that one receipt or cd, and 2) because we relocate so often that we're intimately aware of what we own, why we use it, and how often it is used. One can only pack and unpack one's dishes so many times before it really becomes an activity that can be performed on autopilot. Our son's room (believe it or not) is actually organized too, into tubs of blocks, tubs of stuffed animals, tubs of cars and trucks, and play areas away from where he sleeps.
Apparently right now it's just more FUN to dump all the tubs out in the middle of the floor and have a smorgasbord of creative possibilities through which to swim. Never fear, I'll keep an eye on his backpack (once I find it) and even help him dig through it regularly.
* Okay, so I'm the klutz.
Mission Organization from Scholastic
Organization and Time Management Strategies from Schwab Learning
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