Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Kids' Study Spaces


Competition to get into private school, the need to make good grades to get into a decent college and parental pressure to keep grades up, make it vital for students to have a good place to study.

There are five points to consider when creating a functional study space:

1. Start with a desk that has plenty of space to spread out papers. Make sure you include an ergonomic desk chair. A dining room or kitchen chair does not provide the right support and flexibility.

2. Set up the desk in a room or a part of the house that isn’t isolated from everyone, yet isn’t in the main flow of traffic. As you can see here, a storage closet can be converted for a compact study nook, that can be out of sight when not in use.

3. Equip the study space with a computer, printer and school supplies. Keep extra printer cartridges available at all times…rather than dealing with running out at midnight to find a replacement cartridge. Kinko’s and CVS pharmacy carry a wide range of cartridges. I learned that the hard way.

4. Make sure the area is well lit. Tasking lighting is very important.

5. Avoid having a television in the room or at least make sure it’s not on during homework time.

Creating a study space for your child won’t guarantee a spot at Harvard, but it’s a good start.