With the summer holidays at an end, it’s time to think about going back to school. If you have students in your household, providing a suitable study area is a good idea. Creating a pleasant work environment makes the student life more bearable and, hopefully, results in better report cards.
First determine which part of the house best lends itself to doing homework, research and study. Converting a spare bedroom to a study room is a good option, especially if it is upstairs away from the noisy distractions of the main living areas. A developed room in the basement is another possibility, providing it is warm, dry and comfortable.
For acoustic privacy, a remote study room is best. If you are renovating, build soundproof walls and install a solid core wood door. Good acoustics are even more critical if your child is a music student – so you won’t have to listen to all those wrong notes!
Adequate work space is a must, especially for college students. Desk space is needed for textbooks, reference materials, writing pads and maybe a computer. A study carrel in the student’s bedroom is an apparently easy way out, but it may clutter the room since children’s bedrooms are often designed too small.
A room apart from the bedroom is better for study and this prevents the possibility of falling asleep on the bed while reading the chapter on ancient history. A dedicated study room also avoids the “kitchen table” approach to homework where everything must be removed before meals. Students will waste less time getting organized if they can leave their work undisturbed in a separate room.
Many students enjoy working in small groups and this is usually a positive learning experience. For some, group cramming sessions are part of their social life. Provide space for a work table and chairs in addition to the desk. This is also useful for home instruction whether by parent or private tutor.
Above the desk install shelving with lots of pigeon holes of various sizes. Provide larger slots for textbooks and exercise books, and small openings for the odds and ends: pens, pencils, sharpeners, markers, stationary, calculator, geometry set, dictionary. A well-organized work area reduces the time spent looking for things and allows the student to spend more time on the important task at hand.
When designing a home study area, avoid replicating the school atmosphere – no pictures of teachers allowed! The room should be bright, spacious and comfortable. Make it so appealling that your kids can’t wait to get home from school and start their homework. Even let them pick their own color scheme, so it becomes their favorite place in the house.
Provide some windows for natural light, fresh air and views. After a marathon study session it’s nice to stretch your eyes towards a pleasant scene. An outward projecting window seat offers views in three directions and is ideal for curling up in with a good book.
If you are tired of seeing your kids plopped down in front of the television, attempting to do their homework during commercials, a separate study room is the answer. When you think about it, they probably like the living room floor because it’s the only place in the house where they have enough room to spread out their work.
Note how much space is needed for doing homework, then design a room to suit. A well-equipped study with the latest in computer gadgets even saves on gas, by reducing the number of trips to the library.
A safe and happy school year to all!
READING LIGHT
Good lighting is essential for good learning. For reading fine detail over a long period of time, two types of light are necessary: background light and task light.
Background light reduces the amount of contrast between the general room illumination and the level of brightness on the work surface. A high degree of contrast causes eye strain.
To increase the background light level, without buying extra fixtures, use paint colors with a high percentage of light reflectance. Look on the back of paint color chips to find out the percentage of light reflectance for a particular color.
Task lighting is provided by a specific fixture casting light directly on the work surface. The fixture may be wall or ceiling mounted, or a desk top type. The fixture should produce an even light across the desk, without causing glare.
Natural light from the north direction is best for reading. North light is diffuse and glare-free because there are no direct rays from the sun.
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