Setting up for school at home.

Sending kids to school, keeping them at home, a hybrid of both… everyone has feelings about this complex issue. One thing we can all agree on is that if your kids are learning at home (and they most likely are for some period of time), then they need to be set up for success.

What does it mean to be set up for success? It means you have the where, what and how figured out before the kids dial up that zoom.

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WHERE?

The first thing to determine is where in your home this school business is going to happen. Consider these factors:

Availability: We all have different kinds of space in our homes. Some may have a guest room or office that can act as a home base for the kids’ school day.

While some have the corner of a dining room table to offer. If you’ve got the extra space, then go for it! If not, you can improvise with something that feels comfortable for both your and your children.

Preference: You probably got a good sense of what worked best for your child in the spring go-round of distance learning.

My third grader started at a desk in his room, but started coming out more and more each week. We finally got that he preferred not to be alone in his room and we set up a space for him at the dining room table. Now we know that our setup for the fall needs to be in the main part of the house, not tucked away in his room.

I just love this little setup that my friends created for their daughter, who just started kindergarten online (click on photo to check out her dad’s amazing woodwork).

Checklist for finding the right spot:

• Distraction Free: is it quiet enough, without too many distractions?

• Space: will he/she have enough space for a tablet/computer and a workspace?

• Power: is there an outlet if your child needs one for devices?

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WHAT?

What are the supplies that your student needs? Are they provided by your kids’ school? Do you have to wrangle them  yourselves?

Key supplies to check off the list:

• writing utensils (including pencil sharpener)

• paper (including notebooks and sticky notes)

• scissors, tape, glue, erasers

• computer/tablet and accompanying accessories (headphones, keyboard, chargers)

• anything else your school has suggested or supplied

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HOW?

This is where the organizing geek-out happens. If you start your kids with systems, they are much more likely to stay organized and productive. Get a work station prepped with all of the right containers to hold the above-listed supplies.

Be sure to contain everything the at-home learner will need. This goes for books, notebooks, pens, pencil sharpeners. All items needs a home, just like they have at school or on your own personal desk (or like they ought to on your own personal desk!).

Check out the next post for how to set up a cool school cart. Bonus: links to all of the products for a perfect basic set-up.

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