The summer is wrapping up and most parents are slowly starting to plan for what may be the most stressful back-to-school season they (and their kids) will ever face. And while many of us may not know what the exact situation will be in terms of schools reopening, you can bet that there will be some level of remote learning involved. Especially since schools may end up shutting down again.
To say we weren’t prepared this past spring for distance learning is putting it mildly and we don’t want to make that same mistake again for the fall. The best way to prep for it? Upgrade your home-learning environment. And that includes creating a comfortable, functional workstation for your child.
A Kentucky mom of three and special education teacher has created a DIY solution to keep her kids focused as they dive into remote learning amid the pandemic.
Angelina Harper recognized that she had to get creative when it came to setting up her family’s space for virtual learning. And dropping hundreds of dollars on new furniture just wasn’t an option, so she came up with a clever hack to ensure her kids stay engaged: by making them each a dedicated work area out of tripod poster board. Yes, good old-fashioned poster board. It’s affordable and functional, and Angelina did parents everywhere a solid by sharing the savvy idea to Facebook in a now viral post, talking about how she’s spent a ton of time brainstorming about to make the kids’ space a bit more conducive to productivity.
She wrote, “I’ve looked and almost bought 3 new desk for the kids. I’ve thought about rearranging (again) our basement. My mind has been all over the place because 1) I will be working from home, 2) my husband is working from home and 3) THREE kids in NTI,” i.e., non-traditional instruction.
Harper has made these mini cubicles a bit more kid-friendly, with gold stickers spelling out their names on each poster board, and stocking them with tablets, calendars, a schedule, a light, a calendar, headphones and more.
“I think it’s something so many families can relate to,” Harper told “Good Morning America.” “I’m trying to figure out what’s going to work in our home. Some families might say, ‘We have limited space, limited resources.'”
As with many families, Both Harper and her husband Adrian are working from home and these cubicles just may buy them some much needed time to do their work, uninterrupted. It’s certainly worth a shot!
