It's back to school in Victoria... but not as we know it. Home Learning is here to stay for Term 2 whether we like it or not!
Image Source: KidsInteriors, Pinterest
I can't help much with how to get kids to listen to you as the teacher, or how to teach (my eldest daughter gave me a 4/10 for my efforts when our school moved to home learning late last term & my younger daughter burst into sobs with "I don't want you to teach me mummy, I don't like you being the teacher" when she learnt home learning was sticking around a little longer. (Harsh). But here are a few tips learnt from my previous business focused on kids interiors that you may find useful in setting up dedicated learning zones for your kids.
Image Source: Pinterest
01. Set up the learning space somewhere in the living zone, out of the bedroom
Why? To keep screens in the public eye. Keeping screens where you can see them is an important tip given often by those who work in the cyber safety space so you can keep an eye on what the kids are up to online and help prevent them falling victim to online predators, cyber bullying etc.
This is why when designing kids homework spaces I advise parents to set these up outside of bedrooms and we often devise an 'e-zone' computer space somewhere near the kitchen.
Image Source: Pinterest
02. Organise the "work zone" to set yourself up for success from the start.
“A place for everything and everything in its place”. Organisation is really the key lynch pin to any kids space, determining whether it functions well or drives you mental. Furthermore a clear and clutter free work space is important for focus and concentration. Set yourself up for success from the start and ensure all schooling items have a “home” they can go to when finished with at the end of the session, so the place will be tidy and you will be able to find those resources again easily tomorrow!
When organising the space try to keep the desk completely clutter free. Writing, drawing tools, and stationary can be organised into containers that are not on the desk itself but have them in easy reach for the kids.
A tray or cart can be handy for keeping clutter off the desk. Day to day we use an ikea raskog trolley as our "art cart" in our place. Perfect for storing paper, pencils, textas and books and can be easily moved around being on castor wheels. It also gives the kids some autonomy in choosing to draw/ create when they want and is something they are responsible for keeping organised and packing away drawing utensils into at the end of their “work” session.
In addition to the art cart we have also needed some more dedicated space for homing additional school workbooks and materials since entering this 'home learning' era and have a set of drawers used for this. If you don’t have a spare cupboard or drawers handy for this, consider clearing out a cupboard space or dedicated kitchen drawer and put in named containers or baskets where your children's items can go at the end of the day.
Image Source: KidsInteriors, Pinterest
03. Make it a Welcoming Space to be in
Adding some personal flair to the space through decoration, colour and personalisation that helps define the purpose of the 'learning zone' will help to get your child more excited and in the mindset about schooling at home. You may prefer to keep kiddy artefacts out of your usual living zone but remember it's not forever, and others won’t be coming around to your space in the near future with the social distancing rules in place.
Including kids in the process of decorating their 'space' will help get them on board, you could put up some of their art masterpieces, display a lego creation, print off some posters from online to display, put up a quote, or set up a pinboard like these fabulous ones from Al+Em that you can easily stick up with 3M Velcro picture hanging strips making it easy to remove later. This can be used to display their timetable or essential tasks for the day and also leave space for them to add their own personal touches.
This will all help make the zone feel more like a dedicated kids space, and help with promoting independence in school work as well as encouraging valuable skills such as keeping your work space organised, and ability to focus.
Image Source: Pinterest
Lastly, don't compare. It’s about figuring out what works well for your family and in your home. Remember no two kids are the same, so no two school zones will be the same. Nothing is permanent so this may be a work in progress for you and your family as you discover what works best. I had a workspace area set up for my two children side by side but quickly learnt that this was not an optimal situation in our household!! Having a flexible mindset and being easy on yourself is also important in making it work.
Good luck with the term, I'll be sweating it out with you. I figure at the end of the day it’s about consistency over intensity and how the kids learn, not really where they learn so keep that at the back of your mind and remember to get outside at least once a day to reset and clear the mind.
To your home learning success!
Katrina x
Comments