Create a comfy 'school zone' for studying at home

(ARA) - With the arrival of the new school year, now is the perfect time to "zone out" and get your family and your home in gear by creating a comfortable, yet functional study zone in your home.

According to Hannah Keeley, host of the public television series "Hannah, Help Me!" and mother of seven, "You may have already noticed there are certain zones within your home - a sleeping zone, an eating zone and a playing zone, but one of the most essential areas is the study zone." An ideal study zone will keep your family organized and on track when it comes to homework and other school projects.

Here are a few tips from Keeley that will help you create a study zone within your home.

Clear the area. First off, identify a place within your home where your child will work best. A study zone can be his or her own room or you can create a workable study zone within a larger room such as the living or family room. However, be sure to keep distractions - like the TV or telephone - at bay. Noise can be a distraction too, so if possible, set up your study zone in a lower-traffic area of your home to keep interruptions at a minimum.

Keep it simple. Don't go overboard buying a ton of new school supplies to fill up the zone. While the coordinated desk calendar, pencil box and note pad set may look nice, it's not going to guarantee success in the classroom. Your study zone needs only a few basic supplies. Make sure the zone has good lighting, plenty of pens and pencils and a trash can close by. You should also provide a storage box or drawer to hold all those extra supplies, like a calculator, erasers, a stapler and other small items. Don't try to have a dedicated spot for each item or things can get cluttered quickly - one general spot for everything will work nicely.

Hang it up. Here's the trick to no more homework left at home: put a hook or make a designated spot for your child's backpack within your study zone. This way, as soon as the work is finished, it goes straight into their backpack. Now you know where the homework is and where the backpack is at all times, meaning you can get up and out the door in record time.

Get comfy. It's important for your child's study zone to be comfortable. Keep your study zone (and the rest of your home) comfy throughout the year with a Heritage(R) Heat Pump from American Standard(R) Heating %26 Air Conditioning. A heat pump does the job of an air conditioner and a furnace, and can be paired with indoor electric or gas heat, which means it will keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. However, if the zone is too cozy, your child may be tempted to snooze or get distracted instead of doing their schoolwork. This means no lounging on the bed to do homework. Equip your study zone with a table or desk and a chair to ensure your child is upright and focused.

Now you've got the perfect place for schoolwork and studying, right there in your home. "A proper study zone does not have to be elaborate or expensive," says Keeley. "All it takes is a little planning, which will pay off big time in the end."

Courtesy of ARAcontent