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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTIP #1: Pick the\nPlace<\/strong>. Every online learner in your household needs his or her own space to\nplug in and get cracking. But how to pick the place\u2026especially when there\u2019s\nmore than one student in session? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t get locked in by what worked before,\u201d says Olivia Omega<\/a>, Speaker and Brand Strategist and\nmother of three students learning from home in Denver. \u201cThe spaces that were\nfine in the Spring may be all wrong for today\u2019s needs. Walk through the house\nwith your student\/s and ask where they feel comfortable or might want to set\nup. Their answers may surprise you or make you see new possibilities in your\nhome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some potentially overlooked spots include kitchen islands or nooks, children\u2019s bedrooms, and outdoor areas like balconies or porches. Choices that may have been hard to commit to in the Spring – like lofting a bed to get additional space or completely clearing out a closet \u2013 may start looking like doable solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #2: Analyze the\nSpace. <\/strong>Once you\u2019ve got the places picked out, pull up a chair and start\nreally thinking the work area through. Are there enough electrical outlets? Is\nthere space to turn in a desk chair? Is there any exterior light coming in? Is\nthere too much<\/em> exterior light coming\nin? How\u2019s the noise level? <\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019ve analyzed the what\u2019s and how\u2019s of the space,\nthink about what could be done to make it better. Some of our customer\u2019s\nsuggestions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also get more cost-friendly tips for your homeschool space in our Home\nOffice Setup Ideas<\/a> blog, which recommends \u2013 among other things \u2013 adding\nadhesive hooks for cord management and making sure there\u2019s room for comforting\nitems from around the house (like a throw pillow, blanket or plant). <\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #3: Consider the\nCustomer. <\/strong>Online school is obviously\ngoing to look very different for a kindergartner and a high schooler, much less\na kindergartner and a college student, but it also could look very different\nfor students closer in age. Consider the specific needs of each of your young\npupils and try to match the space or the features to the person as best you\ncan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA child who can read and operate a computer by themselves\nfor more complicated assignments is going to have different requirements than a\nyoungster who needs close monitoring for short spurts,\u201d says Omega. \u201cSeating is\none aspect that can vary quite a bit depending on age. My 18-year-old daughter,\nfor instance, prefers to curl up in a big comfy chair in her room to get work\ndone while my 15-year-old son happily uses the same desk and office chair setup\nhe uses for gaming. Primary school teacher friends of mine also recommend\n\u2018activity chairs\u2018 or \u2018wiggle chairs\u2019 to help focus younger kids.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t skimp on the d\u00e9cor either. Whether your student\u2019s main\ninterest is Sponge Bob, skateboarding or social justice, invest in a wall\nhanging, framed picture or inspirational quote to get them feeling comfortable\nfrom the start. Many students will be participating in virtual classrooms, so\nwork with them to pick out something that represents their unique selves that\ncan be seen when they go online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #4: Make Way, Make Way. <\/strong>Just like Moana\u2019s Dad sings, you\u2019ve definitely got to make way \u2013 and room! \u2013 for all your students and their new learning set-ups. If you\u2019re feeling cramped, take a good hard look at your household and move anything that\u2019s not 100% necessary for the next three to six months into storage. Our SmartRental contact-free storage<\/a> process is a quick, easy, and affordable way to make way for academic success \u2013 and mental serenity. After all, no one performs at their best crammed into an uncomfortable or crowded space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If all you\u2019ve got to work with is a chair and a table, however, Omega\nrecommends trying your hand at some (light) arts & crafts to make an inexpensive homeschool classroom of sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKentucky special education teacher and Mom Angelina Harper went viral<\/a> over the summer with her ingenious foam core \u2018portable work stations\u2019<\/a> for kids that can work at an island or tabletop \u2013 and moved all around the house. Heck, I\u2019m thinking about trying it out for myself!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget about your outdoor space either. Many students will likely be required to participate in some form of P.E. and it\u2019s tough to jump rope in a packed living room. If you have a yard, porch, or balcony, clear it out and make it usable for your students\u2019 physical assignments \u2013 at least until the weather holds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #5 Use What\nYou\u2019ve Got. <\/strong>The coming of COVID-19 has forced a lot of us to get a lot more\ncomfortable with \u2018using what we\u2019ve got\u2019 rather than running out to purchase a\nquick fix. Before you commit to buying anything, take a long look around your\nhouse \u2013 and your storage unit. Could that nightstand be a good table for a\nprinter? Could a yoga mat help wheeled chairs move more easily on a carpet?\nCould that old art supply box be cleaned out and used for office items? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Online school means all of us \u2013 students, educators, and caretakers \u2013 must get creative about what we actually need, and what can do in a pinch. While there\u2019s no guarantee that 100% of students will be back in their classrooms and dormitories in 2020, there\u2019s also no need to spend a lot of money on items that might not be necessary in a few months or year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #6: Get Feedback\n\u2013 and Adjust.<\/strong> Whatever you do to get ready for the first bell ring, don\u2019t\nfeel too locked into it \u2013 and don\u2019t make your student\/s feel too locked into it\neither. Ask your student\/s what\u2019s working \u2013 and what\u2019s not \u2013 and be prepared to\nhelp make changes to improve outcomes. If your child mentions a squeaky chair\nor a distracting dog or a sore neck, listen to what they say and try to find\nsolutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUltimately, students know what they like and don\u2019t like\nabout their set-ups, but it may fall to you to coax answers out of them,\u201d says\nOmega. \u201cAssure them that you want them to be as successful as possible and as\ncomfortable as possible and that you\u2019ll work with them to make online school during COVID-19 tolerable if not\nenjoyable. If there\u2019s a lot of pushback to the idea of even using a dedicated\nspace, try to keep your patience and think up alternate ideas. Some kids just\naren\u2019t good at identifying what\u2019s bothering them, or what they may need that\nthey don\u2019t have, so stay calm and keep the lines of communication open. If, at\nthe end of the day, your student does his or her best work sitting on the floor\nin the kitchen with the cat, well then \u2013 you\u2019ve got your set-up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #7 Crowdsource Solutions. <\/strong>If you\u2019re at your wit\u2019s end with online school and have run out of ideas to make your home work for homework, quit trying to come up with all the solutions on your own. Ask around what your friends, fellow parents, and teachers recommend. People are generally happy to share inventive techniques or ideas they\u2019ve stumbled across, especially during these very unique times. Sure, blog posts like this are great, but don\u2019t forget that you can \u2013 and should \u2013 still benefit from the social safety net provided by the schools and fellow parents. And if you\u2019ve come up with a fantastic idea for your student\u2019s homeschool spaces, by all means, make a point to share it with your network \u2013 and us! <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no question that online school presents a lot of\nchallenges for everyone affected. While we can\u2019t control outcomes on a large\nscale, we can control (or at least adjust) the spaces that our students work\nfrom to help them prosper. If you approach the challenge with creativity and\ncollaboration in mind, there\u2019s no telling what you and your student\/s will\ndevelop \u2013 and what lessons you\u2019ll learn that have nothing to do with\nschoolwork, and everything to do with teamwork.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the 2020-2021 school year kicks off, online school is still in the cards for many students in the U.S. What we all thought (hoped) would be a temporary measure in the Spring has become the new reality \u2013at least for the short-term. And, of course, it\u2019s not just schools that have had to pivot. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":23643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,38],"tags":[32,1241,287],"class_list":["post-16907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diy-projects","category-organization","tag-diy","tag-home-school","tag-organization-tips"],"yoast_head":"\r\n\n
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