Back to School-ish
Today, I am taking my teenagers to their high school to pick up their school issued tablets, textbooks, and Fall class assignments. It’s a strange time. No back to school clothes shopping, no 1st day of school hair appointments, no new shoes are needed (although my son really asked).
Here in Los Angeles the school district has decided to start the school year 100% online aka eLearning. Now that we know what to expect, I have begun to create a flexible learning environment at home.
Here are some tips for parents to help their teenagers stay engaged in eLearning yet comfortable:
Ask your student(s) where in the house they want to take e-classes during the day,
Ask your student if they want a separate place to study & complete homework assignments,
Purchase the basics in school supplies: binders, compositions books, loose leaf paper, and writing utensils,
Re-purpose a container, basket, or shelf to house school supplies & books that can be easily moved to various study locations in the house,
Ensure proper lighting
If your students are using tablets/laptops, create an ergonomic study area.
Because my teenagers love variety, our study zones have to be fluid. Sometimes they want to be in the living room on the couch, or in the large comfy armchair near the window, or at the dining room table, or at the kitchen island, and sometimes they enjoy eLearning from a hammock in the backyard. They literally could be in Algebra II sitting in the papasan chair under the pergola.
My son’s favorite corner
For that reason, I am dedicating one shelf in the living room to textbooks. The bookshelf is passed fifty-eleven times a day so its a perfect spot. Then, I decided to create two baskets for each of my teenagers that they can take anywhere they decide to have class. If they wanted to have school at their grandmother’s house they could. LOL
My daughter’s favorite spot.
One thing I know for sure is that they ALWAYS start the day in the living room wiping the crust from their eyes. So their baskets will live there. No matter where they have e-class, the basket will always return to the living room at the end of the day. I am also searching for ergonomic solutions for couch classes & armchair high school.
Backyard Hammock
Under the Pergola
Here are some of the options I’m looking at:
Our biggest takeaway from the initial C-19 pandemic quarantine has been to be flexible for variety but have a daily schedule. The daily “class” schedule will be written on a GIGANTIC post it note and snack/lunch breaks are imperative. Weekly Instacart orders are a MUST!
Please share your eLearning locations with me. I’d love to see them.
Good luck y’all. We all need it at this point. I’ll post an update before October.
Talk soon!
xo,
TLP
