Posted on by Garden Communities CT Living

Tips For Setting Up Your Apartment For Successful Homeschooling

Homeschool Success in an Rental Apartment 

Families renting apartments from Garden Communities Connecticut in Middlesex County, Massachusetts  or Hartford County, CT and New Haven County, CT can rest easy at night knowing that their children attend excellent school districts. Although the quality of education is the same, the nature of learning has certainly changed with the Covid-19 pandemic. Depending on the schedule chosen by your child’s school, you may have to homeschool your child for a couple days a week, or even for the foreseeable future. By following these easy tips, you can help ensure a successful homeschooling experience for both you and your child.   

How To Use Different Spaces In The Apartment 

Making a classroom anywhere outside of a school is difficult, but fortunately your GCCT rental apartment has the space and the amenities to make it happen. Plus, with ample electrical outlets, your child can log on to virtual classes in any room. It’s all just a matter of using your space wisely… 

The Kitchen Table

dining room table set for four

The kitchen table is a place for the family to come together and regroup. To avoid mess and stress at the end of each day, it’s recommended that parents only use this space for younger children who need consistent help with their work and need to have an eye kept on them.  

The Child’s Bedroom 

Overview of a child's bedroom and trundle bed in an Aspen Woods unit

If you have an older child, its highly recommended that the bedroom be a place of quiet study for the student, making it their sanctuary for both learning and rest. This will also limit the school clutter in the rest of the apartment. If you have more than one child, having one work in the bedroom will allow you to give your attention to the other who may need help. 

The Living Room 

Overview of a living room in a unit at Aspen Woods

The living room likely doubles as a play area, which makes it a place of distraction. This means that studying on the couch or floor will be far from productive. What the living room is best used for is school material storage and organization. With the use of a small bookshelf, your child can easily keep their notebooks, textbooks and supplies in one confined area. Keeping school materials organized and in the living room does several things: 

  1. Declutters the apartment 
  2. Makes transitioning between subjects easier throughout the day
  3. Gives students a place to put school away, literally. Just as parents would be stressed if school supplies stayed on the table, kids will be stressed if their bedroom was always a classroom. Quiet study is one thing, but even kids need a sense of space and break.  

Private Outdoor Space

Outdoor view of Aspen Woods

Each unit in our rentals comes with some sort of outdoor space, be it a private patio or balcony. Everyone needs fresh air and a change of scenery once in a while, and kids are no different. If it’s a nice day, have your child take her required reading for English on the balcony, or allow your son to do math homework on the patio. This will also get them out of the apartment for a time so you can get necessary chores done.  

Use Community Amenities for Lunch & “Recess” 

outdoor playground area and picnic table

Many Garden Communities have a picnic area and kid-friendly amenities like play-grounds and dog runs. During a normal school day, kids would leave the classroom for lunch and then have a time for recess and physical education. With all that your community has to offer, you can make easy substitutions for these times. Of course, if you have older children, you can give them a time limit outside that allows you time to focus with your younger child or get chores done around the apartment.

To break up the day at lunch time, pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for you and your child to eat in the picnic area.

If you find your child getting restless and distracted, it might be in your best interest to let them get their energy out. Let them romp on the playground for a bit or if your community is pet-friendly, you can take the dog and your child for a walk on the jogging path. Teens can use this time to go for a walk or run by themselves. If your community has a tennis court, have a quick match! No matter the age, exercise and fresh air will be good for your child and allow them to refocus when they return home.

Tools & Ideas For Success In Your Home Classroom 

schedule graphic
  1. Wall charts can be used to show the daily class schedule, keep track of work well done and help your child to stay positive during their studies.
  2. Planners for parents are exceptionally helpful. They’ll help you keep both your child and yourself organized and on time.
  3. Timers are great to keep your child on schedule and focused. They give a frame to the lesson or studying hour and can also be used for test taking.
  4. Reward Jars are often used by teachers in the classroom, so why not use them in your homeschool? They work like this: each time a student does good work they get a marble in the jar. When the jar is done, they get a reward (i.e. waffles for dinner, a sleepover, a “field trip” of their choice…). This gives the student a goal to work towards, keeping them focused, productive and well-behaved. 

Think Outside The Classroom

An exterior view of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

Taking your kid on a “field trip” will do several things: 

  1. Get both you and your child out of the apartment 
  2. Reinforce school lessons 
  3. Allow you to explore your community
  4. Give you fun bonding time with your child 

Connecticut and Massachusetts have so much to offer. Try one of these field trip ideas on a Saturday or Sunday to keep learning fun: 

  • If your child is learning about animals take her and her best friend to Franklin Park Zoo (MA) or Beardsley Zoo (CT).  
  • For English, visit one of Connecticut’s beautiful state parks, make a picnic and read with your child outside. 
  • If your son in the second grade studying dinosaurs, then get the popcorn ready because Friday night is movie night with Jurassic Park. 
  • Getting near Halloween? Take a daytrip into Salem, Massachusetts for some historical witch-hunt spookiness.  
  • Visit one the many prestigious museums in your area: 

Connecticut 

Massachusetts 

Homeschooling or not, the school districts of Garden Communities CT are excellent. Any parent looking for a spacious and safe environment full of educational opportunity will want to consider our apartments. Complete with amenities for the whole family to enjoy, you needn’t look any further for the lifestyle you’ve always wanted.