Our county broke the news to us about 2 months ago that our kiddos would all start this school year virtually. Yep, online, at home, alongside two parents also trying to work….all together. It’s gonna be real awesome folks.

For my own sanity I told myself I wouldn’t even attempt to figure out the boys’ study areas until August. Spring was rough for all of us and I just needed a hot second to sit back and take time to really rethink the whole process and give my boys a better start for the new school year.

Based on last spring, I knew it would be best for all of us if Henry was close to me so I decided to carve out some space for him in my office. Because I really wanted him to LOVE his space, I let him give me his design ideas. His wish list included neon colors, “cool things” for the wall, galaxy designs and a sweet chair which didn’t quite make it in time for photos. Below is a breakdown of his new back to school space.

This multi colored organizer from Michaels was only $29.99 and is the easiest and most colorful way to organize all of Henry’s school items for the year. Because the cart has wheels, it can easily move around with him because chances are really really good that Henry will need to move around a bunch throughout the week. The Cowrie Shell Tassel from Smith Honig adds a perfect finishing touch and was honestly one of Henry’s favorite parts of the whole project.

Pre-Covid, I took a pretty rare trip to Ikea and found these amazing acrylic shelves. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them but bought a few because I can’t say no to anything acrylic. It’s a problem, I admit it and I embrace it. They finally found their forever home above Henry’s desk and I love love love them. They hold his calendar, a blank journal and book and some other fun things to look at.

Henry was very specific that he wanted the top of his desk to have a galaxy design. Unfortunately, galaxy peel and stick wallpaper was $170 a roll so instead I found this peel and stick wall sticker for super cheap and paired it with a galaxy mouse pad and Voila! I present to you all a galaxy inspired desk. Speaking of his desk, this nifty desk folds up flat like a party tray so if (let’s pray it’s soon) we don’t need it every day, we can easily store it.

Probably my favorite addition to Henry’s space are these stomp tiles. One reason why Henry loved virtual last spring was because he could do a quick jump on the trampoline in between google classroom calls. These stomp mats are perfect for Henry to stomp around on while he’s still online listening to his teacher. They come in so many different colors and are fun for kids of all ages!

I knew a whiteboard would be useful for Henry to work out math problems or jot down ideas from class but the basic whiteboard is usually blah and looks like it belongs in a corporate office. I had a hot pink acrylic framed piece of art that I snagged a while back from Home Goods and decided to cover the artwork with peel and stick whiteboard paper. It turned out great and is not only a useful part of Henry’s study nook but also can be a piece of artwork too!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour of Henry’s new school away from school. Check back next week to see some quick fix ideas that we did for Oliver’s study space in his bedroom! Happy virtual learning friends!