Tagged with 'home learning'

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8 Easy Organisation Tips for School at Home

Learning Resources Posted On Apr 8, 2020

You’ve got this, Mum! Even though the children may be home, you can still focus on prepping them for success in the (home) classroom. One of the best things you can do to help your children adjust to the change of pace and perform at their academic peak during the next few weeks of home learning is to get organised. Check out our 8 easy organisation tips for school at home to get your children off to a great start with home learning.

Create a learning zone
Clutter can make your head spin, and when your head is spinning, it’s difficult to learn. Boost productivity by creating a ‘school’ station where you collect all the pencils, papers, and folders in a nifty schoolwork zone. Keep supplies stocked in a colourful and cute storage centre (try our Create-a-Space™ Storage Centre or a nifty, smaller Create-A-Space™ Mini-Centre) so kids can jump in and blaze through their home learning assignment. Imagine what they’ll do when they have all their supplies at hand.

Learning Resources Create-A-Space Storage Center for storing home learning supplies during school closure

Image: Learning Resources Create-A-Space Storage Centre

Snack attacks = no problem!
Give your kids the fuel they need by creating a handy snack station. By organising foods, you can reduce a lot of your lunch prep time. Bag apples, carrots, and other perishable snacks as well as sandwiches, cheese sticks, yoghurts and other munchables in the fridge. Keep treats such as bags of crisps, juice boxes and sweets in a shelf in the pantry. Preparing this way helps make it easier for kids to make healthy food choices and eat regular brain-fuelling meals.

Dress for success with an organised wardrobe
Take some time on a Sunday evening to plan your children’s clothing for the week ahead – just like when they’re going to school. Make the process fuss free by creating hanger labels for each day, and then pre-select outfits. Young fashionistas can take their time to express their personalities without the early morning stress of digging through drawers and laundry baskets to find their favourite go-to items. Plus, it’ll make their school day at home seem more like a regular day at school.

Organise books and resources
It’s oh so easy for books to go missing in a bustling household. Keep reading books and course books in book baskets where kids can “borrow” and return them as needed. And your young learners will have easy access, which will enable them to study when they need to. They may even find material in there they wouldn’t otherwise explore, which helps to encourage and boost an interest in reading.

Screen time guidelines:
Wipe away the worry of disputes over TV/game/computer time by setting guidelines. Put your concentration on what is most important for your kids - schoolwork, outdoor activity time, and online socialisation should be considered. Help your kids by using a chart to outline what needs to happen before it’s time to plop down in front of a screen.

The meal of champions
Breakfast provides youngsters with the nutrition they need to get going and sustained through their day. Get them off to a great start, just like you do on out-of-home school days. There’s no reason to not start your kid’s day off right.

A young girl eats a healthy breakfast to start home learning during school closures

Main Image: Monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

Celebrate in styleParents love to display their child’s schoolwork and awards. Make a special place for such items that they create at home – utilising magnetic clips to keep these items in order while providing an artistic presentation your kids can take part in and pride in. Or think of a magnetic post-it board that is in clear view in a family-centric area of the home. This little trick keeps messy papers to a minimum and provides a special touch to the display.

Schedule downtimeMake sure you plan to take time for NOTHING. Having time to relax helps young students to reboot and reload and provides quality family time or solo time – they are both important.

8 Easy Organisation Tips for School at Home

Image: Learning Resources Create-A-Space Storage Centre

Main Image: Monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

How to Teach Your 6 Year Old Times Tables

Learning Resources Posted On Apr 8, 2020 | Learn

Find practical ways on how to teach your 6 year old times tables. Includes free printables and how-to videos to support learning at home.

How to Teach Your 6 Year Old Times Tables

Find practical ways on how to teach your 6 year old times tables. Includes free printables and how-to videos to support learning at home.

At Home Behaviour Supports

Learning Resources Posted On Apr 1, 2020

Transitioning to home-learning is a big change for our students and us as parents. Many of the same positive, proactive supports that we put in place in your children’s classroom can be adapted for the home setting. Here are four suggestions for at-home behaviour supports to help make remote learning time more successful.

Try to provide warnings ahead of transitions:
When it is time to transition from one activity to another, give clear directions such as, “In five minutes, we are going to turn off the TV and start our maths assignment.” Positive reinforcement is a help, so provide praise when your child transitions well: “Thanks for turning off the TV. Grab your notebook and pencil and meet me at the kitchen table.”

Discuss with your child your expectations for when you also have work to do:
During this time, many parents are juggling working at home with home schooling, and transitions and boundaries help things run smoother. This could be actions such as, “When I am on a conference call, you can write down your question and hand it to me,” or “If you get hungry while I am working, I set out three snack choices for you,” or “If you can’t figure out this assignment while I am on a work call, you can read until I can help you.”

Mother working at home while her son does home learning next to her in their home office

Image: duCHE/Getty Images

Encourage independence:At school our students are encouraged to ask a friend before asking their teacher if they have questions about an assignment. You can encourage your child to ask an older sibling (if available). Use technology to your advantage as well! You can have your child ask “Alexa” or “Google” how to spell a word or define a word if you have a smart speaker. Encourage your child to email their teacher with questions as opposed to you doing it for them.

Create a family positive behaviour system:This is uncharted territory for us both as educators and parents. Look to create a system that rewards the behaviours we want our children to display and all work together. This could be a poster where you all earn stars for being helpful or kind or following directions without whining. Once your family gets a certain number of stars (start low, you want this to be attainable within a week or less) they can earn a fun family reward. A nature scavenger hunt, a special cooking project, or a family indoor picnic or movie night are all fun rewards.

Another positive support that many students are familiar with is putting a marble (you can use pebbles, or cotton balls as well) for displaying certain behaviours. Try to target one thing at a time and be specific – “Listening to mum and dad on the first ask” is always a good one. Put an item in the jar each time that behaviour is displayed and when the jar is filled, they can turn it in for a fun activity (see suggestions above). I would suggest having these systems be something all kids in the family are working towards together to encourage working as a family team.

About the AuthorAlexa Halbert is a certified Behavioural Analysist. She has worked in the field of applied behaviour for over seven years. During this time, she has worked with a wide range of students with special needs. She helps parents with customised behaviour intervention plans for home or school.

Main image: BraunS/Getty Images

At Home Behaviour Supports

Image: duCHE/Getty Images

Main image: BraunS/Getty Images