The coming school year will open differently from everything we knew • In parallel with the corona routine, the experts volunteer tips for the opening of the new year

• Learning from home or class?

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This year's return to the school year is expected to be special and challenging for kindergarten and first graders, their first time meeting the school setting, and also for the older children - fifth graders and up - who are forced to open the school year at home through the zoom. 

We turned to education experts to recommend how to prepare for the last days of the big holiday, what to explain to children, and especially how to get to the first day mentally and emotionally prepared. Michal Dalyot, an educator and family counselor, recommends that parents in the days before returning to school give information to each child according to his age what is expected to be when he returns to the educational setting. "This is a time of uncertainty, and we parents also have difficulty dealing with uncertainty. To be the anchor for children. "

Education Minister Galant on the start of the school year in the shadow of the Corona // Photo: Ministry of Education

According to her, it is important to explain to the kindergarten and first grade children what the first day of school will look like. "We need to tell them that they will have to say goodbye to us outside the kindergarten and outside the school gate, and that we can not be with them inside - not a tone of compassion and misery, but a smiling and adventurous tone that will make the child feel positive. It is important to give reinforcements that empower the children: you are a hero, you are wise ... ".

Varicose veins indicates that it is important to instill early sleeping habits before the end of the great freedom. "Children and teens need nine hours of sleep, and parents need to make sure to enforce it, each parent in his or her own way, and explain to children that it's part of the routine to get back to routine. Also, this year more parents are on sick leave or working from home. "Of the children, to show interest in what they are learning and in their time system and to give them a sense that we are there for them, and we are also there to monitor that they are learning and getting along." 

Adva Perry-Avishai, chair of the Israel Coaches Association, a coach and family mediator, notes that at a time like this, we parents should also take a deep breath. "The current year has been and still is challenging. There is no perfect parenting, and in the time we are in we should treat ourselves parents with compassion, understanding that we are doing the best we can. Do not get stressed, nor do you stress the kids. "The most significant thing is to listen to your children's needs and examine through listening what is the most appropriate way for your child," she says.

emotional support 

Many parents of children entering first grade or their children in the transition from elementary to high school are particularly concerned about educational gaps. Keren Artzi, a parent and family facilitator at the Adler Institute, somewhat allays concerns about the issue. "Due to the period of closure it is true that many children are left with different gaps, but in my opinion, the emotional part is more important than learning. Therefore in these days of freedom and in the first weeks of entering the educational framework, parents should be there to support, guide, train and encourage children. It is important to give up the comparisons: "Does he know how to read like his friend? Does he know how to solve addition and subtraction exercises?", Says Artzi and recommends that this intermediate period until wearing the school shirt and the schoolbag, should be used to teach children to deal with transitions. And strengthen the ability to adapt to change, especially when in the shadow of the corona, none of us yet know for sure what the coming year will look like. 

"Children who find it difficult to contain the transition on the emotional side, the initial feeling of adolescence, separation from parents, coping with friends and the change within the boundaries and rules - will not be available for learning," explains Artzi.

Artzi notes that children who have formed a logic for themselves that they must meet high expectations and perform each task no less perfectly - when they encounter failure, they find it difficult to contain the frustration. "These 6-year-olds who are moving up to first grade, and children who are moving to a new setting, will need most of all your emotional support, parents - to disprove the vision of life in black and white, to be able to learn to be flexible, to develop independence, faith and optimism." In the value of error, for much encouragement for effort and not necessarily for result, and for creating an atmosphere of learning as a source of growth and enjoyment. "

Perry-Avishai adds that the uncertainty, lack of framework and tension that accompanies the current year have affected many of the children who experienced the corona period in a not-so-simple way, with various behavioral regressions. For parents, she suggests: "Learning does not end with memorizing letters and numbers. All children will learn to read at one time or another. A child is able to complete learning materials very quickly, when he has an inner desire and when he believes in his abilities. The preparation should be done by parents to give children life skills "Among other things, rapid adaptation to change, mental flexibility, developed creativity, determination, and especially the creation of inner resilience." 

"In my opinion it is important to develop life skills, healthy relationships with the environment, not to be stressed if the child does not study remotely and shows interest in learning of a different kind. If pressured it will not work. It is important that children understand the importance of learning and that it promotes them in life. The joy of learning that they will research and learn things they do not know and thus acquire tools for coping in life, than just memorizing knowledge that forced them.We have a tendency to give grades and say 'you are a champion' and praise in the test result. outcome".

My intimate room 

As part of the adjustment to the new situation, it seems that the design of the nursery or home study room is of greater importance than ever, with great emphasis on the desk and its surroundings that will be prepared for multiple zoom lessons. However, it is very important that the entire room remains cozy, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, mainly because the children will be staying there for quite some time.

"As parents, we want to give our children abundance on the one hand and calm on the other," say interior designers Tal Gal and Liat Kedem Hadad from Tula Studio. The ideal is to give each function its own space - sleep, play and learning, but many apartments do not allow this because of their size, so when it comes to young families it is recommended to divide the rooms in such a way that two close siblings get a common room to sleep, and another room is dedicated to learning and playing. At a young age, the shared accommodation contributes greatly to the connection between the siblings and their social abilities as adults in the future. "

In this case, Gal and Kedem Hadad recommend designing each part of the children's shared bedroom according to the hobby and character of each child, and dividing the study and games clearly using different colors and types of storage units. "It is important to design a learning environment free of elements, where there is comfortable equipment for sitting, storing and learning, and on the other side of the room to arrange a play area and soft seating areas."

Who looks at who is behind

"It is recommended to share the design with the children, consult with them and ask what they like and what they would like," adds interior designer Yafit Rotem of Ben Itai Furniture at Dan Design Center. "For the purpose of the design concept, it is worth choosing a child's favorite theme or hobby as a central element around which the design of the room will be built."

Whether the study area is located in a separate room or in a room that is also used for sleeping and playing, Rotem proposes to place the table in a more corner and intimate place in a room that is not cluttered, not close to a TV corner and not close to the hallway.

"Have a wide table that contains a computer, keyboard, space for writing, layout of books and notebooks in a comfortable and efficient way, and clear everything on the sides of the table that is not related to learning. Of course it is very important to choose an ergonomic chair for students to adjust the backrest and height. Also for less formal and rigid sitting when possible during a zoom class. " 

"It is recommended that the wall in front of the table be minimalist and without unnecessary load," Rotem continues. "For a fan-like view of this wall, you can use an inspiration net that will hang on it and pictures that do good for the child or inspirational sentences, a magnet board or corkboard on which assignments, reminders "Because of learning to zoom, it's important to take care of the wall at the back and the room in general, since the virtual classroom gets a glimpse of it and it should be aesthetically pleasing and tidy." 

Cork, PVC and flower pots

Regarding noise reduction, Yuval Samuelov, the home designer at Aloni, proposes to reduce the use of hard materials such as glass that weighs and increases noise, and to use as much as possible noise-absorbing materials such as textiles (carpet, beanbag, etc.) and cork tile cladding on the walls: "The work, especially if there are two children in the room who sometimes both will have to study in a zoom session. In that case the work area will include a long table and two chairs, or if the room is large enough two separate work areas. Cladding that will be an acoustic wall reduces noise and insulates." .   

Lilach Halevi, designer of the Atzmala chain, offers to delineate the study area by using visual design elements, such as painting the wall above the study area, using wallpaper or adding a portable partition: "If you want to instantly upgrade the look of the table, add a designed PVC surface of your choice. "Which you can precisely adjust to the dimensions of the table. Not only will the surface protect the table from scratches and other damage, it is also very easy to clean and is marketed in a variety of spectacular designs."

Halevy also proposes to incorporate living pots in the study area, which will make it a colorful and pastoral kingdom: "The pots will add green to the space, contribute to the good energy we want to produce in the room and make the study area inviting and warm."