If you don’t already, start setting your own alarm for the morning. Give yourself enough time to wake up, shower if you need to, get dressed, eat breakfast, and gather your things together before you need to head out the door. In school, make sure to get to class before the late bell rings. This will help you be more responsible which will be helpful when you get to high school.  If you know you tend to run late, try setting your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than you normally do to give yourself a little extra buffer. If you can’t resist hitting that snooze button in the morning, put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. or folders for each class you will be taking. Get new binders and folders from the store once you know what classes you’ll be taking, and set aside an afternoon to organize and decorate them. Create three different sections for each class: assignments, tests, and notes. This will help you stay organized throughout the school year. Get in the habit of cleaning out your binder and filing new papers on a daily basis to help keep you organized. for big projects, papers, and assignments. If your school gives you an assignment book, use it to schedule out the big assignments you’ll need to complete that year. If you have a paper due at the end of the month, make a note to start writing it 2 weeks ahead of time. And if there are books you need to read for class, plan to start reading them 1-2 weeks before they’re due so you don’t have to rush to finish them. If your school doesn’t give out assignment books, you can buy one or use a notebook to write out the dates and schedule your homework. If you have a study period, use it to work on school work so you can have more free time in the evening. If you don’t have a study period or if you have more work than you can complete in that time, try to get all your homework done right after school or after any extracurriculars you have. Don’t leave your homework until late at night because your mind will be tired and you’ll have a hard time concentrating. Get into a routine of getting home from school, having a snack, changing your clothes if you need to, and sitting down at a desk or table to complete your homework. When you know you have a test coming up, set aside an hour each day for the week before the test to prepare. Try studying for 30 minutes at a time and then taking a 10-minute break. You can also create vocabulary flash cards (or even include important dates and facts to quiz yourself).  Try reading over your notes from class each evening to help yourself retain the information better. If the test is really big, you may want to start studying 2 weeks ahead of time, or perhaps give yourself more time per day to study. In each class, find someone you can exchange numbers with so if you have questions or have to miss a class, you will have someone you can get information from. You could also plan study sessions with this person to help quiz each other before big tests. Be careful when finding your study buddy, though! Make sure to ask someone who is a good student and who won’t try to copy off of your work, and keep in mind that you need to study more than you chat for it to be an effective study aid. if you need it. Ask a guidance counselor, a teacher, or a trusted adult for help in whatever area you’re struggling with. If you are struggling with organization or a particular subject, it is okay to ask for help! This is a great time to do that, actually, as you need to start preparing to take on more responsibility for when you get to high school.  You could also talk to your school or your parents about getting a tutor for a specific subject you’re having trouble with. Even adults often have to ask for help, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about!
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One-sentence summary -- Use an alarm to help get yourself to school in time. Create binders Plan ahead Set aside time every day to do your homework. Create a study plan for quizzes and tests. Find a study buddy or a contact for each class you have. Ask a trusted adult for help


The process of painting trim is generally the same whether or not you do it indoors or outdoors. However, there are a few pros and cons to each:  If you paint your trim outdoors, you’ll have to remove it from your house, which takes a bit of time. However, you’ll generally end up with better, cleaner results and you won’t have to be bending over while you work. If you paint your trim indoors, you don’t have to take extra time to remove it from the walls. However, you’ll be forced to bend over and stand on ladders to paint it, and you’ll be required to tape off the walls and floors. To prepare your trim, you’re going to need fine-grit sandpaper (80-grit, 100-grit, and 120-grit), spackle, a putty knife, paint primer, caulk with a caulking gun, and painters tape. For painting, you will need a few high quality paintbrushes proportionate in size to the trim you are painting, foam rollers, and a durable paint. You may choose to use a sealer to finish the trim at the end, as well.  Although you may spend more at the start, it will be worth it to buy quality materials for your project. Your trim will look better and last longer if you do. You’ll need to calculate the amount of paint you need based on the total space of all the trim you’re painting. Ask for help with this at a local home center, if necessary.
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One-sentence summary -- Determine if you’re going to paint your trim indoors or outdoors. Gather all your supplies.


When you're feeling bored, one of the best ways to have some fun is by playing online games.No matter what kind of game you like to play, you'll be able to find something awesome you can play for free. Some free online games must be downloaded and installed, but others can be played right in your web browser.  If you like immersive RPGs, try playing:  Fortnite Minecraft World of Warcraft   Check out an online database of free games like:  Steam Addicting Games Miniclip ROBLOX Andkon 8bit As long as you have a Facebook account, you have access to a world of single and multiplayer games of all shapes and sizes. Many Facebook games are free thanks to advertiser support, but some may offer in-game items and upgrades for sale. To get started, visit https://www.facebook.com/games and log in to your account. Some popular Facebook games are Words with Friends, Candy Crush, and Farmville. If you're interested in installing even more games that won't cost you a cent, use the Steam client, available for free at steampowered.com.Click here for instructions on installing Steam. Here are just a few of the popular games you can install:  Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Team Fortress 2 Grand Theft Auto V Playerunknown's Battlegrounds Dota 2 If you're feeling ambitious, you can try designing a simple game yourself with the MIT Scratch site, available by clicking here. Scratch allows you to make a game that you and other people can play. You can talk with other people, play each other's games, and curate studios. It's a lot of fun, especially if you're a gamer.
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One-sentence summary --
Find cool online games. Check out Facebook games. Use Steam to install games on your computer. Design your own video game.