Distance Learning: How To Organize A Remote Space
Hey everyone and welcome back!
There is so much going on now while everyone is at home more. This distance learning series is hopefully going to make some of it a little less stressful and maybe easier to cope with.
This week I would like to give some tips on how to organize a work area if you don’t necessarily have an extra room where you can just do everything in. If you are fortunate enough to have a room designated for distance learning, or perhaps an office, some of these tips may still be useful.
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1. Choose A Spot and Make It Comfortable
If you do not have a room dedicated to “school” or an office, then you will have to make a space somewhere else in the house. Maybe you will just have your child use a laptop at the kitchen table or counter, or have a small desk set up in the living room. Last year I wrote about How To Create A Homework Station. I gave an example of building a desk that can fold into your wall also. That way it isn’t taking up any space and can be folded back when they are done.
When you choose a spot, I think it is important to choose a spot with your child in mind. Is your child okay with sitting in a chair? Is the chair even comfortable? Or is your child a little squirmy and can’t sit still for very long? No need to worry. Consider a spot in the house where your child could stand and work. They can get the “ants out of their pants” but still learn at the same time.
The image above is a full desk that is powered and designed to go up and down. You can stand or sit. You don’t obviously have to be this fancy. If your child would like to stand, find something to prop the computer up on when they are standing.
Another thing to keep in mind when trying to make it comfortable, is to make sure there is good lighting. You may need to add a lamp, or maybe even dim some lights. I did discuss lighting options in a previous post if you want to research further: How To Create A Professional Backdrop. You may also want to consider getting blue light filter glasses for your child (and even yourself!)
2. Gather All Materials
The next step is to gather all of the materials your child will need for classes and projects. Here is a list of some of the things I can think of that they will need (depending on their age) throughout the day:
Stationary & Art Supplies:
Paper - lined, graph, plain, colored, construction, scrap, notebooks
Binders
Folders
Planner/Agenda
Backpack
Pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers
Crayons, markers, colored pencils
Calculators
Ruler
Stapler
Highlighters
Tape
Scissors
White board, dry erase markers & eraser
Craft sticks
Tech:
Computer
Headphones
Microphone
Alarm
Ring Light (if needed)
Power Strip & charging wires for electronics
Printer or connection to wireless printer
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Educational Materials:
Textbooks for each subject
Books needed for each subject
Organizational Supplies:
Pencil holder for on top of work space
Bins for paper
Rolling supply cart
Labeled bins for top of work space to put things in so the area is not cluttered.
3. Make It Easy To Clean Up
Now that you have gathered all of the materials your child will need to be successful, you are going to want to set everything up in one spot and organize it so it is easy to get to, and even better, easier to clean up! If everything is in one place, it will make for an easy clean up, and will hopefully stop your child from asking you where something is every five minutes.
One of the best solutions for this, I think, is a rolling cart that you can put all of the supplies on. This is especially useful if you do not have a room to spare for distance learning and you are using a space in say the kitchen or living room. When school is over, they can put everything back on the cart and it can be rolled away into a closet or just out of the way for the rest of the day.
Here are a few different options for you to think about:
This 3 Tier rolling art cart could be an option for you if you are looking for space for art supplies and something small to fit in a smaller working area such as at the kitchen table. You will need to have additional organizers for paper and such on the shelves, but this is definitely a great option.
This 4 Drawer storage cart is a great option for the older kids, I think. There are 4 drawers to store stationary supplies, like paper, staplers, and folders; and also electronic supplies like any microphones, headphones, and chargers in. There are also two open shelves which could be used for their textbooks and notebooks for each subject. You could put baskets on the shelves for each subjects materials and then when it is time to change subjects, everything goes back in the basket and on the shelf where they can get the next one. Again, labels for the drawers and baskets will be a life saver here!
This rolling cart has PLENTY of space for storage and even a flat surface on the top. This cart stands almost 3ft tall so I’m thinking, depending on the height of your child, you could use the flat surface on the top as a standing desk! If you use this cart, I would definitely suggest labeling the outside of each drawer so your child knows where everything is, and where everything has to get put back!
As always, I hope these suggestions are helpful and make your life, and your child’s life a little easier in the long run. I’d love to hear any solutions you have come up with for this problem. OR, if you try any of these ideas, let me know how they have worked for your family!
Talk soon,
