Wow, thank you for still reading! As I wrap things up, I just wanted to leave a final note about environmental print. These are the eye-catching wall decorations and reference materials you often see set up in classrooms. When I first started teaching, I had visions of how amazing my classroom space would, and my walls were COVERED in this vision. However, I soon learned, brain-based research found that having unnecessary “visual distractions” in the classroom environment was not only NOT helpful to student learning but could be counterproductive. That is not to say all environmental print is bad. Resources that reinforce new skills and concepts your child is learning can be a great help. However, keep in mind that some drawbacks of environmental print include distracting children and causing them to become off task and offering too much scaffold by helping them in areas where they do not need help. While we may see a beautiful surrounding, the child’s growing brain might only see a lot of distraction and clutter. Here are some tips when deciding what environmental print to put up in your learning space.

• Less is more: Only put up what is relevant and necessary. Avoid putting up information about things they already know (e.g., the alphabet and numbers if they have mastered those). You want them to access that information from their brain, not the wall.
• Let Purpose, not Aesthetics, determine your choices. Remember the resources are there to HELP your child build a stronger understanding of concepts. They are not there to give them all the answers, nor are they there to simply make the space look pretty.
• Not sure? Check In and see if your child references and uses these resources. If not, take them down.
• Add as you go. Think of it as an ongoing project. If you are not sure what to put up, follow your teacher’s lead. Best things to add are materials the teacher gives you, so that you are using the same references to reinforce their learned skills and concepts. Also consider just printing out the teacher’s materials and keeping them in a file folder. This can actually be more helpful for your child’s learning, while making things easier for you.
• Avoid placing visuals directly in front of their sight line. Place them to the side, so your children will only access them when needed.

You Got This!!
It's been a week of distance learning for us, and I would be lying if I said it has been all smooth sailing. However, what has been helpful is reminding myself things are not fixed. All of this is new territory for everyone, teachers included. When something is not working or feeling unnecessarily stressful, I try to think of what changes I can make to help things go more smoothly. I admittedly am coming at this from a place of privilege, where we have the flexibility and resources to make these modifications. My heart goes out to everyone out there who is struggling. While I definitely don't have all the answers, if you're ever needing someone to spitball some ideas, feel free to shoot me an email, and I would be happy to talk about some ideas with you! Good Luck!!  

Pencils
Erasers 
Scissors
Glue Stick
Dry Erase Markers
Highlighters: cute and regular 
“Erasable” Rainbow Gel Pens
Notebooks: college ruled and wide ruled 
Composition Books: wide ruled and primary (3 lines) 
Twistable Colors: Crayons  and Colored Pencils 
Markers 
Colored Pencils  and Watercolor Pencils                
Crayola Crayons + Markers + Colored Pencils Pack 
Construction Paper 
 
For all the parents finding themselves becoming home teaching assistants this fall, I highly recommend you look into these items as well:
Paper Cutter 
Pencil Sharpener 
Sheet Protectors 
File Folders 
Laminator  (don’t forget  pouches  )
5 in 1 Laminator/ Trimmer/Corner Rounder 

Okay! So with all that tech stuff out of the way, Let’s move onto organization. Although our home learning space is designed to be portable, I still felt it was important to keep everything organized, consistent, and functional. I was pleasantly surprised with how many things I could store in the table cart. I love that all of my daughter’s school workbooks, notebooks, and materials are easily accessible, literally right under her nose! This picture is pretty self-explanatory, but I wanted to share some additional details for the organizers I used and how everything is arranged.

​Choosing to use the living room as a homeschool space came with its set of challenges. First and foremost, I wanted to still be able to use it as a living room. I did not want to have it taken over as a classroom. Because of this, I needed furniture and technology that would let us set up a functional learning space when we needed it, then easily convert back to a living room when we did not. Our big splurge was the technology. We decided this was worth the investment for us for a few reasons.

1. We wanted the teachers to be able to see and hear our children clearly, especially in the context of being in a virtual sea of children’s faces.
2. We wanted our children to be able to hear their teachers’ voices as clearly as possible, without having to blast what they were talking about for the whole house to hear.
3. This was equipment both my husband and I could reuse for our work.

Here is a snapshot of the equipment we used, as well as a list of those I would recommend:

* Please note this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase through these links. I only link to products I've used or think will be a helpful resource to you. Thank you for your support. ​

Table Rolling Cart: If you need a portable workspace, I cannot recommend this Table Rolling Cart enough. The materials are sturdy. The storage space is generous and is magnetic if you want to add magnetic organizers. It has a clean, minimalist look. When both sides are propped up, it can easily accommodate at least 2 people.

Chair with Footrest: This Ikea Langur seat is the perfect height for this table. I love that it is made with children in mind, with footrests at two different heights to catch those dangling feet that can sometimes trigger kids to become more distracted.  They are also stackable, which is an added bonus if you are creating a convertible workspace. Please note, the seat cushion, which I would recommend for long periods of sitting, is sold separately.
 
Microphone: This Blue Snowball USB Mic came highly recommended, and we have been pretty happy with it. I like that the “plug and play” feature makes it pretty easy to use, and we felt that the round design, was a little more “user friendly” than a directional mic, that might pick up sound unevenly if children were not facing it correctly. While not an essential tool by any means, this was an important one for us because my daughter speaks quietly, so we didn’t want the teachers misunderstanding what she said or not hear her and think she was not participating. We tried using a headphone with a mic first, but felt the sound quality still sounded muffled, and decided to use an external mic instead.
 
Webcam: We originally were on the fence about getting a webcam. However, I noticed our laptop camera was really wide, and since it was placed in the living room, it captured evverrrything that was happening in the background all the way to the dining room and hallway. This need for more privacy, along with wanting our daughter’s face to look clearer and larger on her teacher’s screen is what made us decide to get the webcam. However, since we hesitated, all the more affordable options were sold out and prices were increased for what was left. My preference was the Logitech C615, which was sold out everywhere, so we ended up buying this Logitech C922 instead. I admit, this is a splurge we made on a late night after a long day of troubleshooting technical difficulties, so our heads were a little loopy, but we have been happy with it. It came with a little tripod that we use instead of mounting it on the laptop, so that our daughter's sight line can be better aligned with the TV.
 
Headphones: Headphones felt like an essential purchase, since our daughter was going to be doing her classes in a shared space without doors. I wanted to get her a cordless one in case her teacher did movement activities with the class. I found these highly rated ones on Amazon. The only issue I had were that we felt the microphone did not sound as clear as we would have liked. We got my son a different set of headphones and prefer these. We like that the on/off is a switch, which was a little easier to use than a button in the headset. 
 
Blue Light Glasses: This purchase is more for peace of mind. I have heard mixed things about whether blue light glasses make a difference. I also know a lot of kids who find it uncomfortable to wear both their headphone AND glasses at the same time. My daughter says it does not bother her, which is interesting because she is very sensitive to how things feel on her skin. I’m not sure if it is because the specific headphones and glasses she has her “fit” better together, but I’m glad it’s not an issue for her. Update: after hearing me talk about the glasses bothering other kids, they now bother her too, so she only wears them occasionally. 
 
External Keyboard: This is actually a keyboard we purchased years ago. I personally find it easier to type on a regular keyboard with a number pad, so I got this one to help my kids learn how to type. The keys can feel chunkier compared to a laptop keyboard, but I like the visual color coding to help the kids find and memorize the keys more easily.
 
Computer Mouse: I really like this mouse for children. The smaller size fits more comfortably in their smaller hands, and I like the standard design and that it has 2 different colored buttons with a scroller.
 
Mouse Pad: Nothing particularly special about this mouse pad except my daughter absolutely LOVES it and thinks it’s so beautiful. So I just wanted to share it in case anyone else appreciates it as much as she does.
 
USB Splitter: Between the microphone, webcam, keyboard, and mouse, the laptop does not have enough USB ports. Something to note is we actually opted to use the laptop instead of the iPad also because we were having trouble connecting the mic, webcam, and television to the iPad. I purchased this USB Hub to connect everything. Having all the cords in one hub also makes it easier to disconnect and connect the laptop when I need to move it off the table.
 
Table Protector: With all the coloring and drawing one does in first grade, I also got some clear place mats to make it easier to keep the white tabletop clean. This was the largest one I found on Amazon. Something to note is I originally got softer silicone ones, but my daughter’s pencil kept poking through the paper. So if you go this route, make sure you get a firm material, such as plastic.  

When people think of Math, they usually just think of numbers and equations. However, for the for our younger kids, it is important to consider ways to make these abstract symbols into more concrete concepts. I created this Primary Math Mat to introduce numeracy using different hands-on representations. By reinforcing the number representation in multiple ways, their brains are able to build stronger connections to these concepts.

Here is a video explaining the different ways to use this mat, followed by an example of how my two year used this mat for the first time.  Download this FREE printable to use at home or in the classroom. You can use it as a worksheet or laminate it for reuse. Materials to create more hands-on opportunities included taping a string with a bead over the number line, and using Unifex Cubes and Pom Poms as manipulative. To create the tactile number cards, I just put glitter foam number stickers on 2" x 3.5" card stock. Feel free to use whatever items you already have at home instead. 

Please keep in mind, different ages will engage with this mat in different ways. Follow me or sign up for my email list to find out about the Elementary Math Mat I am working on for my six year old. 

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