Category Archives: School

• Pets should stay elsewhere during the school day.
• Siblings should be separated as much as possible.
• Toys should be out of reach and view.
• Sound from other peoples computers, work calls or televisions should be kept at a minimum and use of headphones are recommended whenever possible.
• Cell phones and tablets should be turned off or at the very least muted.

Take it from me when the kids are doing virtual Gym class your home will sound like a heard of buffalos are prancing through the living room. Make sure that you prepare the space needed, tell anyone residing below and don’t schedule any business calls during their exercise time. Keep in mind that all the teachers including the gym teachers are doing their best to adapt to the online schooling environment. There is some uncharted territory and a lot of trial and error involved. It will not be helpful to make your kids feel self-conscious If you don’t make fun of the strange noises coming out of your kids bedroom in the morning then they won’t make fun of the strange noises coming out of your bedroom at night.

If your child will be attending Virtual School it might be a good idea to familiarize them, yourself and your entire family about video etiquette. Not only will it be embarrassing to have Dad walk across screen in his Garanimals but all manner of stretching, itching and scratching should be done off camera. You should also keep in mind that computer microphones are hypersensitive to all audio sources including dogs barking and bathroom doors that are left slightly ajar. Your child should also have a comfortable chair to sit in during class so that they aren’t tempted to sprawl out, lounge or demonstrate their newly acquired indoor parkour skills.
Finally, it should be noted that it is understandable to think about your living room classroom a little more casually then you would a classroom at a traditional School but it is never okay to purposely embarrass your children in front of their friends, classmates or teachers.

It is incredibly handy to have a large whiteboard near your child’s work area to help figure out problems, list assignments, to-do lists and get creative.
If you really want to take this to the next level there are specialty paints that look and act like a chalkboard. They also have paint and wallpaper that works as a dry-erase surface. Now the walls in you kids room or family room can have a great many purposes.
Naturally some of the first things that come to mind are using them for homeschooling, chores or calendars but what about using them as a background for Zooming. You can quickly decorate and change the background for your mood or occasion.
Family members can post a quote of the day, an inspirational morning message, play tic tac toe, draw challenging mazes or make wildly inappropriate caricatures of each other.