Creating a Virtual or Homeschool Workstation in Any Corner
/We are hanging on by a virtual-homeschool-hybrid-babysitter-second babysitter-tutor-cohort-pod-takes-a-village thread these days. Like so many of you. We’re trying to wrap our head around what the new school year looks like and simultaneously trying not to devote too much mental energy to any one plan because it may change. There are so many unknowns to contend with.
So, we’ve been focusing our energy on what we can control - our homes. We can create motivating, functional, fun spaces for our children when they are learning at home. And we wanted to share some of our thought process with you.
First - The space itself doesn’t have to be a whole room. Not every child has their own room for a desk and workstation, or space in their room to add one. Creating a dedicated space within a community room (i.e. living room or play room) will totally work. The truth is, you don’t need more than a couple square feet.
Second - We believe that in order for our kids to feel excited and truly motivated to dig in, their learning space has be beautiful and fun. Everything from a colorful waste bin to fun pencils will make a difference. The fun that you inject will be unique to your kiddo - maybe a Star Wars or maybe a Taylor Swift poster or maybe a Harry Potter poster…the art choices are endless.
Third - The functionality has to be easy. The pencils and paper must be conveniently located. The calculator and ruler and stapler must be readily available. The elbow room must be plentiful. But, the distractions must be few. Making it fun (our 2nd tip) doesn't mean adding a bunch of stuff that clutters desk surface or “toys” that interfere with that fragile attention span.
So, here’s what we came up with.
If you love everything or anything in our mood board, all the shoppable links are below. But we wanted to first talk through the ideas of three key pieces so you can shop the ideas at your favorite retailers.
Desk - We love a desk that’s simple, small and has a drawer. To keep the space compact, the desk size is key. And for a laptop or a writing surface, this is all you need. For some extra protection to the desktop, we recommend an acrylic protector (like this one).
Sconce - A little lamp light is nice for rooms with less natural light or evening homework. We prefer a wall mount light (or floor lamp) because, again, it’s taking zero desk surface. Plug-in sconces are a nice solution because they’re cost effective and take up just a bit of wall space.
Display Board - Some sort of pin board, cork board or magnetic board is a diverse space for displaying weekly To Dos and highlight special work.
Below is a budget for this plan. The only thing not included are frames for the art and school supplies (like those fun pencils to fill that magnetic cup).
Mini Desk - $349
Desk Chair - $84
Waste Bin - $22.50
Magnetic Board - $10
Plug In Wall Sconce - $44
Bookworm Art - $48
Growth Mindset Quote - $15
TOTAL COST - $577
Most items in our design come in multiple colors - the desk, the chair, the waste bin, the sconce, the growth mindset art. Also, you can replace the standard brushed nickel knob on the desk with something fun and quirky to add personality. ALSO, you can add a cushion to the chair to make it comfy…if your kiddo isn’t actually in school, they don’t have to actually suffer the discomfort of those chairs!
Be back soon!
- Leah
*This post contains affiliate links*
