What makes a good study area?

[VoldemortsNipple]

All 3 DCs are beginning important years in school in September. Sats, GCSEs, and AS levels. After going through GCSEs with DD, We have decided that a well organised study area, away from bedrooms would make good sense.
We are going to use the conservatory as it has no tv in there and is away from distractions.

Apart from putting a desk in there, how can I create a good space that will work for all DCs

TIA

Light, comfy chair, sound proofing. Pencils, pens, paper, protractors, compass (dedicated materials supposed to stay in the area, not be squirrelled away!!)

I wonder about an egg timer. They could set the timer so then they could tell you & themselves they really had done X many minutes of revision that afternoon.

Basket at door for blackberry or iPhone. Laptop disabled for any social and gaming sites.

lljkk good idea about designated materials, and an egg timer would be a great idea, especially for ds2 doing sats.

sassy don't you know they "need" social networking to check homework with friends and do group work

I tried this for DD1 last year as she has no room for a desk in the bedroom. Cleared the clutter from the conservatory, bought a beautiful desk from ikea, and a comfortable chair. Unfortunately it just became a place to store her stuff (and DD2 to keep nail arnish)

Had great results anyway (7A*s and 4 A's)

aiming for the sky

Partic for the dc going into 6th form, some shelves and files for keeping text books and course work in one place.
A printer if you have one.

lol at fb revision

laptop
printer to print off free practice papers
type up coursework
print off any useful info.

stationary pens/paper
good lighting
I like those desk trays

ikea do they box magazine files cheap as each child can have their own section so their work doesnt get mixed up
comfy.

I was quite visual revising so maybe a noticeboard or posters.
particular items I loved

highlighter pens
postit notes as could reference text books and bookmark them
dividers for my folders so could split units/modules.

is there room for small table as well as desk and maybe small 3tier bookcase in corner.

if dping art like mys sister and cousin found they needed more desk/table space.

small music player-idea for revising languages by cd.

fosters fridge-only joking!

Thanks for all the ideas.

We have a large bookshelf with nice deep shelves, so plenty of space for file boxes etc. If I get different colours for each dc to pull out and store away, that should work.

Loads of stationary paper and post its
Calculator and rulers
Large whiteboard or pin board
We already have all the computer

So we're off to ikea to see what we can get

Three DS share a smallish room, three DD share a large room and the other two share a matchbox so we built a shed at the end of the garden with a carpet, heater, sofa and largeish old table. No internet, so it's good for revision. The exam DC get first call on the shed while the others share a small round table in the girls' room and I've just added in an old school desk to provide much needed overflow for the younger ones.

This might seem odd but I read somewhere that children who have pictures of what motivates them, to glance at when they pause, or start to drift, often work harder for longer.
We printed off several pictures of money, framed some old foreign notes and put out coins and a see-through money box thing that adds-up as you pop coins in it -did seem to help.

I have allowed them to find their own comfortable place.
DD1 used to like going to her bedroom and I put a rattan chair there with quilts and cushions for comfort plus a laptop lap desk. She liked to have her music on while doing homework so had her ipod on with earphones. Her papers were 'arranged' in piles around the room along with all her clothes.

DS started out 'doing homework' in his room but after a few weeks the notices from school started arriving ('Where is DS's homework? Is DS planning on doing homework this year?') so I moved him to the kitchen table much to his chagrin, and that is where he stayed. He got used to working while I cooked and cleared up and kept an eye on him.

DD2 (17) sits anywhere she feels like and uses her ipod to create her own little bubble. She does some studying on her bed with a plastic lap desk. She keeps papers in stacks on a bookshelf in her room. There are some books that she doesn't need in class every day so they are there too. She has a desk and the old rattan chair but DD4 has taken over the desktop with a massive lego creation at the moment. Calculator is with her at all times.

DD3 (14) uses a corner of the dining room table and sometimes sits on the couch or on her bed, with music streaming on the laptop. Her calculator is with her at all times as they use them in school.

DD4 (11) does her homework lying on the sitting room floor in front of the tv mostly . DD4 is a girl who loves all things neat and orderly and organised (requested office supplies from Santa Claus one year) so I will be getting her a box for papers and she will take over the desk when she takes down the lego city.

They are all used to living in close quarters and silence while studying would be quite strange for them. The tv is frequently on, the kitchen is usually busy, someone is often chatting on the phone, someone might have a friend or two over -- the solution is ipods and my one rule is if I can hear the music it must be turned down until I can't.

All of them can print remotely using their laptops. I ditched the fancy printer a few months ago in favour of an inkjet with a mahoosive ink cartridge after one too many midnight runs for ink with the last one we had -- it ate ink and got nowhere near the number of pages it was supposed to.

They use calendars on their laptops for homework due dates and organising their studying, etc., and we have a family calendar in the kitchen for sport and club events.

I agree with every syllable of mathanxiety's post. Dont be too prescriptive, we all learn in different ways, what works for one wont automatically work for another.

You will need a t.v for dc studying A.S. It is essential for Jeremy Kyle, Hollyoaks and of course South Park. No AS level is complete without these.

In the past the dcs have found their own place to study, usually in their bedrooms. But realisticly, the bedrooms are too small and have too many distractions.

Until recently, they had no choice because our house was too small. Now we have a bigger house, it only makes sense to have a separate space.

Of course, they have their own ways of studying, which is why Ive asked DD to help come up with ideas. Their biggest problem and mine is organisation skills. Leaving things to the last minute or losing things. Which is why I want a specific place to study. Once they are there, they can use the time and facilities whichever suits them best.

morethan I think you'd find it Britian's next top model, Simpson's and a certain xbox game that is essential in this house :o

I'm not sure Ikea will solve the lack of organisation skills if losing things and leaving things to the last minute is the way this issue expresses itself. Fear of the consequences of not having work ready on time is the best motivator of good work habits I know of.

math your ds sounds identical to mine! kitchen table it is

for homework nothing beats the kitchen table - limited time, parents' eyes on you all the time, hassle and pressure all around - just like the exams and then the real world !

Of course Ikea or super study areas won't solve every problem. But it might help.

In the past the set up was, a small kitchen with no space for a table. A busy living room with lots of distractions/noise. They would sometimes study here but it wasn't ideal. DDs bedroom, which was tiny and no space for a desk. DD would study on her bed and dump homework on the floor. DSs bedroom, which again didn't have space for a desk. DS1 would also work on his bed but would often be distracted by Ds2.

Now we have a bigger house, DD is keen for a seperate study area and believes it will also benefit her brothers. The kitchen table is still not an option as we still have a tiny kitchen. The dining table is in the conservatory, which is where they will be studying.

To be fair, the dcs do get their homework completed on time. Whether they have produced it to the best of their abilities is debatable.

I am quite aware that I might find them all pirched back on the end of their beds by the end of September, but hopefully not, and hopefully they will become more organised in the process.

Voldemort - thank you so much for starting this thread. It has given me the kick up the bum I needed to dejunk my tiny spare bedroom. DD now has a lovely study area complete with a desk, recycled from another room book case, arm chair and a docking station for her Ipod, it's so lovely in there I might ban her and retire up there myself...