How to Set up a Home Classroom in One Day
With the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools in the nation have shut their doors and instructors are looking for the next best things to instruct home-bound students. Parents are faced with the challenge of cooperating with these efforts and for engaging in the practice of homeschooling to avoid the kids falling behind academically. The ideal arrangement is a home classroom, which can be set up more easily than most people think. Here is how to set up a home classroom quickly and without a major expense in one day.
Choose the best area
A home classroom is simply a space that is dedicated for learning in the home setting. First, find the ideal place in the home that can be transformed into a learning space. It doesn’t need to be a large place and if space is tight, you can still make it work. All you need is room for a desk, a place to store supplies and a couple of free walls for a whiteboard or other visuals. In addition, you’ll need a computer workspace but if there’s not enough room, you can have this component located in another room of the house. The ideal spot will be free of outside distractions while lessons are being taught. It is important that the student(s) learn to associate this area with study and learning. If you have a couple of rooms available, this is even better because it changes up the environment to make learning more interesting.
Setting up the basics
Once you’ve chosen the space, it’s time to set up the basics. This includes a table or desk for students to work on, a comfortable chair, and a storage place for school supplies that are within reach. Bookshelves work very well and so do the plastic cube boxes you can find at any variety store. You can make use of a regular desk or table or make a desk quickly using 2×4’s and a small sheet of plywood. A desk can be built into an unused closet even with shelves added to keep supplies close. A simple desk can be built to fit into virtually any space so get creative and make it work. You can also place two filing cabinets apart and lay a piece of plywood or another flat hard material over the top to make a desk. There are a lot of ways to build a great workspace. Make sure that there are comfortable chairs available
Set up a relaxed reading station
Kids will need to spend a lot of time sitting at their desks for writing, mathematics, art, and other activities so it’s a good idea to give them a break whenever possible. A creative way to change things up is to have a few beanbag chairs for them to sit in while they read. This will give them a nice change of pace. On the walls near the reading area, you can put up visuals that are related to the theme or content of the story to further stimulate their creativity.
Teacher station and school cabinet
You can either set up a cabinet or a set of shelves to store teacher resources and a mini-library. The visual is great to stimulate learning and to create an academic vibe in the environment. This is also a good place to store the supplies that you will need as teacher, depending on the age of the kids and the type of content. This may include flashcards, handouts, and more. Some parents even transform their kitchen islands as a teacher/student workstation.
Artwork display
Art is an important part of the curriculum and younger kids especially will want to display their work for parents to admire. Refrigerator magnets and the fridge door work very well for this. You can also set up your own art display area. Simply use push pins and string with mini clips to create a display for works of art against a wall of the learning area.
Physical activity and science center
Your front or back yard can become an excellent place for kids to get their exercise. You can make this part of the regular school day a lot of fun by playing family games outdoors as well as going for a run around the backyard and doing calisthenics when the weather permits. The fresh air will do everyone well with a break from the indoors. You can get creative about how your kids get their exercise as appropriate. This is a part of the home classroom setup that is one of the easiest parts. You can also perform science experiments outdoors as well as studying the plants, insects, and elements of nature without making a fuss for the setup.
Put up plenty of academic visuals inexpensively online at retailers like Amazon.com and from other online sites. Some even allow you to make color prints from your home printer. Bright and colorful visuals will help your kids to be more inspired to learn and they will help to stimulate creativity and mental readiness to learn. The environment is an important part of setting up the home classroom. These visuals can be posted on any available wall.
Conclusion
You can set up a home classroom in just one day or less without a lot of expense or hassle. We’ve given you a few ideas, but you can also use your own creativity to transform ordinary spaces into your home into learning environments. As long as you cover the basics, any space will work. During these uncertain times, it is difficult to know how long the home classroom will be a necessity. In the meantime, you can help your kids stay on track with their academic progress by setting up an environment that fosters learning readiness and gives them a more normal feeling as they continue with their reading, writing, and other academic endeavors.