Then we send all of it to school with them.

Back-to-school shopping usually focuses on what kids need for the year ahead, but it’s also a good time to talk about how they’re going to take care of it. For kids and teens with lockers, learning to keep their belongings secure is a small but important part of becoming more responsible for their own stuff.

That’s where a basic back-to-school essential like a Master Lock combination lock comes in.

School Lockers Hold a Lot More Than Notebooks

Depending on the student, a locker might hold everything from textbooks and school supplies to headphones, calculators, clothing and sports gear.

And then there are gym and athletic lockers, where kids may be leaving shoes, uniforms, bags and personal belongings while they’re in class or at practice.

Master Lock offers a collection of combination locks designed for lockers and other everyday personal uses, giving families several options depending on what their child needs.

It’s a simple lesson worth teaching early: if something is important enough to bring with you, it’s worth taking a few seconds to secure it.

No Key to Keep Track Of

Kids can remember an impressive amount of information when they want to.

The location of a tiny locker key? That’s sometimes another story.

One of the biggest conveniences of a combination lock is that there’s no separate key to carry around, lose or accidentally leave sitting on the kitchen counter.

Master Lock offers both traditional preset combination locks and set-your-own combination options. Some use the familiar round number dial many parents probably remember from their own school days, while others allow users to create their own number or letter combination.

That gives families the ability to choose the style that makes the most sense for their child.

There Isn’t Just One Type of Combination Lock

One look at Master Lock’s collection makes it clear that the classic school locker lock has evolved.

There are traditional dial combination locks, set-your-own combination locks and even letter combination options. Different models are available in a variety of sizes, designs and colors, including bright shades that can make a lock easier to identify on a row of lockers.

Depending on the model selected, Master Lock combination locks may also include features such as hardened steel shackles and other design elements intended to provide added durability and security.

That variety matters because the best lock for a middle school locker isn’t necessarily the same one a teenager might choose for a gym bag, athletic locker or another personal use.

A Little Practice Before the First Day Goes a Long Way

If your child has never used a combination lock before, don’t wait until the first day of school to introduce it.

Anyone who remembers middle school probably also remembers the slight panic of standing in front of a locker while other students are rushing through the hallway and suddenly forgetting whether you’re supposed to turn the dial right, left or right again.

Have kids practice opening and closing their lock at home until they can do it comfortably.

For a set-your-own combination model, help them choose something they’ll remember without picking a code that’s too obvious. For a preset lock, keep a record of the combination somewhere safe at home.

Master Lock also offers an online option for registering combinations, which can come in handy if a combination is forgotten later.

Let Them Pick One They’ll Actually Remember

Here’s one back-to-school decision that doesn’t have to turn into a parent-versus-kid debate.

Master Lock offers locker combination locks in a variety of colors and styles, so kids can have some say in choosing theirs.

A bright color can add a little personality to an otherwise boring school supply, but it can also serve a practical purpose. When a hallway is lined with lockers that all look exactly alike, a recognizable lock can make it easier to spot the right one.

And if letting your child choose purple instead of silver means they’re a little more excited about actually using it, that’s a pretty easy win.

It’s About More Than Protecting Stuff

A locker lock is also a small lesson in independence.

As kids get older, parents gradually hand over responsibility for more of the things we’ve been managing for them. They remember their own homework. They keep track of practice schedules. They bring home the sweatshirt they took to school.

Well, ideally.

Remembering a combination, locking a locker and keeping track of personal belongings are small responsibilities, but they’re still responsibilities.

It’s one more opportunity for kids to learn that taking care of their belongings is ultimately part of taking care of themselves.

Don’t Forget Sports, Gyms and Activities

Combination locks aren’t limited to the school hallway.

Depending on the model, Master Lock’s personal combination locks can be used for lockers, backpacks, duffel and sports bags, cabinets and other personal storage needs.

That makes them useful well beyond the first day of school. A child who uses one for a school locker today may eventually need another for an athletic locker, recreation center, gym or other activity.

Choosing the right lock comes down to where it will be used and the level of security needed, which is why Master Lock offers several different styles rather than a one-size-fits-all option.

Add Security to the Back-to-School Checklist

Back-to-school season is full of opportunities to help kids become a little more independent. They learn to manage schedules, keep track of assignments, remember what they need for practice and take more responsibility for the things that belong to them.

The Master Lock combination lock collection gives families plenty of options for adding a little security to that routine, whether your child prefers a traditional dial, a set-your-own combination or something with a little more personality.

It may be one of the smallest things you buy for the school year, but it teaches a pretty useful habit: lock it up before you walk away.

Because replacing a pencil is one thing. Replacing everything else that was sitting beside it is an entirely different back-to-school expense.

The post Back-to-School Security 101: The Small Essential That Helps Kids Protect Their Stuff appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

So it’s understandable if you make it halfway down the road and suddenly wonder, “Did anyone lock the front door?”

Back-to-school season changes the rhythm of a household. Kids may be getting home before their parents, grandparents are helping with pickup, babysitters are coming and going, and practices and activities have everyone operating on completely different schedules.

That’s exactly the kind of everyday chaos that can make a smart lock surprisingly useful.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 gives families a simpler way to manage who can get into the house, keep track of activity at the door and make sure the door is locked even when nobody remembers to check it.

Goodbye to the Forgotten-Key Problem

Few things derail an afternoon faster than a child getting home from school and realizing their house key is sitting inside their locker.

With the Yale Assure Lock 2, family members can use keyless entry instead. Depending on the model, Yale offers keypad and touchscreen options, along with keyed and key-free configurations.

For families with older kids who come home on their own, that can mean one less physical key to keep track of and one less frantic phone call when a key disappears into the mysterious universe where kids’ belongings occasionally go.

Parents can create entry codes through the Yale Access app, making it easier for family members and other trusted people to get inside without handing out extra keys.

Give the Right People Access at the Right Time

Back-to-school schedules rarely involve only the people who actually live in the house.

Maybe Grandma picks the kids up every Wednesday. A babysitter comes on Friday evenings. The dog walker stops by in the afternoon. A house cleaner arrives while everyone is at work and school.

Instead of making copies of the house key for everyone who occasionally needs access, the Yale Assure Lock 2 lets homeowners share and schedule access for trusted guests.

That means you can give someone access when they need it without necessarily giving them permanent access to your home.

It’s a small change that can make managing a busy household much easier.

The Answer to “Did We Lock the Door?”

This may be the feature parents appreciate most.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 offers Auto-Lock, and DoorSense technology can detect whether the door is open or closed. Rather than relying on someone to remember to turn around and lock the door on the way out, the lock can automatically secure it after the door closes.

That’s especially handy during school mornings when one person is looking for a missing shoe, someone else can’t find their backpack and everybody was supposed to leave five minutes ago.

One less thing to remember is never a bad thing.

Know What’s Happening at Home

For families who choose a Wi-Fi-enabled Assure Lock 2 setup, the Yale Access app adds another useful layer of visibility.

Parents can manage the lock remotely and receive real-time notifications from anywhere. The app also allows you to view previous lock activity, giving you a better idea of what’s happening at the front door even when you’re somewhere else.

For example, if an older child regularly lets themselves in after school, you can have a little more visibility into when they’re home without having to send the daily “Are you there yet?” text.

It’s also useful when someone needs temporary access to the house while you’re away.

When Plans Change at the Last Minute

If there’s one guarantee during the school year, it’s that the schedule you carefully planned on Sunday probably won’t survive until Friday.

Practice gets moved. A child needs to be picked up early. A family member offers to drop something off. Someone needs to run inside for the homework that was absolutely, positively put in the backpack last night.

Smart access makes those last-minute changes a little easier to handle.

With a compatible Wi-Fi setup, parents can manage access remotely through the Yale Access app. That means you don’t necessarily have to race home just because someone you trust needs to get inside.

Smart Doesn’t Have to Mean Complicated

Smart-home products are only helpful if your family will actually use them.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 is designed to replace the deadbolt on most standard entry doors, and Yale offers several versions so homeowners can choose the combination of features that works best for their household.

The lock is battery powered, which means normal operation doesn’t depend on your home’s power staying on. Keyed versions also retain the option of using a traditional key.

It’s a practical combination of familiar home security and the convenience of smart technology.

A Smarter Front Door for the School Year

Back-to-school season is usually about getting the kids organized, but it’s also a good opportunity to look at the systems that keep the entire household running.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 won’t find the missing permission slip or remind anyone that tomorrow is picture day. What it can do is make getting in and out of the house easier while giving parents more control over who has access and when.

And when everyone is already juggling school, work, practices, appointments and everything else that comes with family life, not having to wonder whether someone remembered to lock the front door feels like a pretty smart upgrade.

The post The Back-to-School Home Security Upgrade Busy Families Will Actually Use appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Once the school year gets into full swing, your house may also be empty for longer stretches of the day. And while locking the doors and checking the security system might already be part of your routine, there’s another part of the home that deserves some attention: your water.

A small plumbing problem doesn’t necessarily wait until someone is home to notice it. That’s where smart home technology like the Moen Flo Shutoff can add another layer of protection.

The Home Security Issue We Don’t Always Think About

When we hear “home security,” most of us immediately think about doors, locks, cameras and alarm systems. Protecting a home from damage, however, goes beyond keeping unwanted visitors out.

Water leaks can start quietly. A slow leak somewhere in your plumbing may not announce itself until there’s visible damage, and a more serious plumbing problem can become a much bigger headache when no one is home to catch it.

The Moen Flo Shutoff is installed on a home’s main water line and constantly monitors the pressure and flow rate of water moving through the pipes. It can detect leaks as small as a single drop per minute.

That means your plumbing doesn’t have to be completely out of sight and out of mind just because you’re away from home.

It Learns What’s Normal for Your House

Every family’s water habits are different. Morning showers, laundry, dishwasher cycles and the nightly rush to get everyone ready for bed all create a pattern.

Using FloSense Technology, the Moen Flo Shutoff learns a home’s typical water usage patterns so it can recognize activity that doesn’t look quite right. If it detects something abnormal, such as unexpected running water or a small leak, the system can take action.

Most importantly, the device isn’t limited to simply telling you that there’s a problem. When necessary, it can automatically shut off the home’s water supply to help prevent further damage.

For parents already juggling approximately 47 things at any given moment, that’s the kind of smart home feature that actually feels useful.

You Can Know What’s Happening Even When You’re Not Home

Imagine you’re sitting in the school pickup line when you receive an alert that something unusual is happening with the water at home.

Instead of wondering whether you’ll return to a plumbing disaster, the Moen Flo Shutoff can send real-time notifications about potential leaks through the app, as well as by phone call and email.

Through the Moen Smart Water App, homeowners can also monitor and control their water remotely. If something doesn’t look right, you don’t necessarily have to be standing next to the main water valve to do something about it.

It’s especially useful during the school year when families may spend hours away from home between work, school, sports and after-school activities.

Even Tiny Leaks Matter

Not every plumbing problem begins with water pouring through the ceiling.

Some leaks are much less dramatic, which also makes them easier to overlook. The Moen Flo Shutoff performs daily microleak tests and is designed to identify leaks as small as a single drop per minute.

Catching those smaller problems can give homeowners a chance to investigate before a minor issue has time to become something much larger.

The system can also alert homeowners when it detects freezing conditions, giving families another opportunity to act before vulnerable plumbing potentially becomes a bigger problem.

Another Benefit: Seeing Where Your Water Goes

The system isn’t only about emergencies. It can also give families a better look at how they’re using water throughout the home.

That can be especially interesting once everyone settles into a new school-year routine. Maybe the kids’ “five-minute showers” aren’t quite five minutes. Maybe a fixture is using water when it shouldn’t be. Or maybe there’s water being wasted somewhere that no one realized was happening.

By monitoring household water use and identifying leaks, the system can help homeowners spot unnecessary water consumption and set conservation goals.

It’s a practical way to make the home a little smarter while potentially wasting less water in the process.

## Don’t Forget to Check With Your Home Insurance Company

Here’s another potential benefit that’s easy to overlook: having a Moen Flo Shutoff may help you save on your homeowners insurance. According to Moen, many homeowners may qualify for a discount or rebate from their insurance carrier for having an automatic water shutoff device installed, with some policyholders receiving up to $200 back. Discounts and eligibility vary by insurance carrier and policy, so it’s worth contacting your insurance provider to see what’s available.

Moen also provides an Insurance Verification Letter that Flo Shutoff owners can submit to their insurance carrier as proof that their home’s water supply line is being proactively monitored and protected.

One Less Thing to Worry About During a Busy Season

Back-to-school organization usually focuses on what’s leaving the house each morning. Backpacks? Check. Lunches? Check. Homework? Hopefully.

But this is also a good time to think about what’s protecting the house while everyone is gone.

The Moen Flo Shutoff adds a different kind of protection to a smart home by monitoring what’s happening inside the plumbing system, alerting homeowners when something looks wrong and, when needed, automatically shutting off the water.

Because if there’s one thing no parent wants to add to an already packed school-week schedule, it’s coming home to an unexpected water emergency.

The post Back to School, Back to Busy: The Smart Way to Protect Your Home From Water Damage appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.