Our dining room is used maybe twice a year for actual dining: Christmas and New Year's Eve. The rest of the time, it's for laundry folding...so much laundry.
This past Spring, it became our virtual classroom when everything locked down. Friday, March 13th, 2020 was the last time our kiddos were at school (in case you missed that...it was Friday...the 13th!) The President was addressing the country daily alongside the local and state authorities. Streets went quiet and "coronavirus" became a part of everyday vernacular. We were all entering a state of bewilderment amidst a global pandemic.
Our kids really thrive in school thanks to the staff, the resources, and their peers- all of it gives them opportunities for growth that just do not happen at home. This Fall was going to mark the first time all three of our kiddos would be in school full-time. Our 6th grader was excited to start middle school, have lockers, and learn the violin in Orchestra. Our 4th grader was excited to now be the big brother to his little sister and to resume Young Rembrandts. Our Kindergartner has been an unofficial member of the our P.T.A. since birth. After being in tow at the school for meetings and events, she was so excited to finally be a "Prairie Dog" (our school mascot), make friends, and use her new lunchbox.
Full disclosure-I too was super duper excited.
Seriously, I was so close to some major sense of renewal and personal growth that I could taste it.
With all three kiddos in school, I had P-L-A-N-S.
Increase local volunteering time...
Yes, folding laundry in the dining room-uninterrupted-is in there somewhere...
Get ALL THE GROCERIES WITHOUT KIDS...
Be there more for a friend...
Gosh...more time to manage my photography business...maybe take a pro class...
Focus on the soul...
JUST BE ALONE...
As they begin 6th, 4th, and Kindergarten, the kids aren't going to be at school but rather-per our school district decision-will again be learning remotely in our dining room, er, "remote classroom". I know I should be grateful that I am home full time to help them navigate their school day but I also know it will be a struggle to do it with grace!
It's weird and humbling to awake each day with daily reminders (masks, signage, news)
of how we are adapting, accepting, and embracing a new way of things. I still plan for renewal and growth; albeit differently than I envisioned. We are all facing these challenges in our own unique ways, aren't we? As parents, teachers, administrators, clergy, citizens...humans. It's been a humbling several months!
To channel my personal anxiety of the many unknowns and sure, some nagging disappointment, our remote classroom has actually become a fun project. We are calling it the A3 Academy.
It's happy.
It's colorful.
It's bright.
It's meant to be a stark contrast to the images that come to mind when our kids hear "coronavirus", "riots", etc.
It's no longer for laundry and won't be used for formal dinner.
It has been fully repurposed and it actually has more practical application than ever before.
In this room...we will learn and grow; journeying remotely together.
Before...
Our dining room furniture was a mix of stuff that we've assembled over 17 years. Some was given to us
like my my parents hutch from Ethan Allen that was purchased when they first married (my fav piece), furniture from my in-laws' old house, and some we purchased at our first home. I chalk-painted all of it when we moved to this house. It looks more like a unified set and
I love the end result. It was storing our glassware, china, etc. which all has been relocated to random corners of the house.
To make it into a functional classroom, I raised the light fixture and took off the shades for maximum brightness. The side hutches were covered to hide the clutter.
Now my parents' old hutch is storing classroom supplies, puzzles (Usborne ones are our favs), and toys.
Our top curriculum books include:
Plaid Phonics-teacher and student workbooks
(Some Plaid Phonics and MCP Math were purchased here; I price compared to Amazon.)
The dining room table now holds a PC in the front room (our 12 year old's birthday gift) and at the edge is a reading nook by the "Little Library". The mini shelves were super easy to install-one for each kiddo. We will rotate the books periodically.
The glass columns are now the boys' "lockers". The photos that were on the dining room wall are now on their locker shelves. These "burlap" hanging pockets were cut down to size to hang inside the locker (and hide the contents). We will label them for each subject.
The wall that hung their photos and a welcome sign is now our main classroom wall. The 30x40 linen cork bulletin boards were a splurge but the look and quality are perfect. Two are for our curriculum
materials and one is for the calendar/weather. The Oregon Scientific Globe came from Santa years ago but we had lost the electronic pen, of course. Thankfully Amazon sells a replacement!
The clear pockets are reusable and great for using dry erase markers on worksheets!
These little canopies are so fun and it's a great way to designate the the different areas of the room.
We have three of the "galvanized tin" and one "confetti". They come laminated with three holes on the back panel for hanging. I recommend hanging the back panel first/making the wall marks and then assembling the folds. I used tape to keep them firmly closed and maintain shape once hung.
Little Miss helped me hang the alphabet and it's seriously so cute and cheerful! This line of classroom supplies is adorable! I had the calendar and weather posters laminated for longevity and because I wanted to use these fun tack clips so Little Miss and any visiting kiddos can safely be calendar helpers. Can't forget the pointer stick!
I wanted two desks separate from each other so that the boys have some space to focus. These fit the bill (this style is no longer available as of this posting but this is comparable) along with these chairs from Wayfair; love the multiple color choices. The office lamps from Target are a pretty, serene blue and have storage compartments, an electrical plug, and a USB port-bonus! The middle school week is a very new routine so the daily block schedule is framed over the desk for easy reference.
Little Miss' play table is the Pottery Barn Kids set that my mother in law gave our oldest almost 10 years ago. It's been spray painted to cover the wear and tear and is topped with a peel-and-stick, chalk-able paper.
In the Spring, Patton-our fur baby-officially became the class pet. If anyone was celebrating being on lockdown, it was him! So many snuggles with his "sheep"(as an old english sheepdog, he is often herding them together so we refer to the kids as his "sheep").
We've added two new pets: Finley the Betta and Bolt the snail. Each day the kids will rotate between being Class Pet Helper, Pledge of Allegiance Leader, and Calendar/Weather Announcer. Every classroom needs the American Flag!
My Mom/Teacher/Nurse/Principal/Custodian Desk has the Keeping The Faith resources easily accessible. While the desk drawer could easily house a giant box of Franzia, I'll refrain...for now.
This labor of love has some of our favorite things, bright colors, and lots of happy. I'm sharing a glimpse into our "classroom" to perhaps inspire you to seek fun and joy in your own space. Click the photos/links to learn more about our fav stuff. School for us starts in TWO DAYS!!!!!
Where is your focus these days? How have you repurposed your life in this time? What name would you give your remote classroom? Comment below to share!
Wishing everyone a great start to their school year!
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