2020 will undoubtedly be a year to remember, but no one could’ve predicted that it would also change the way people exist inside their homes. The deadly coronavirus pandemic has affected virtually all areas of life, and family life is no exception.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, home offices everywhere have changed to accommodate spaces for kids' homeschooling.

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Although the ideas of students being homeschooled and adults working from home have always been around, both were still relatively rare before the pandemic. Now that they’ve become the new norm, parents are trying out all sorts of new things to prepare accordingly.

One family in Montclair, New Jersey has simply brought their inside office outside. Ms. Meehan has propped her chair on her front lawn and is now ready to work. Although an outdoor office is not everyone’s first choice, it seems to be the best choice for this family. With two parents working from home and children doing online schooling, it’s almost impossible for every member of the family to be inside the house and focus at the same time. Plus, who doesn’t love a great natural backdrop for their Zoom meetings?

Technical advances make working outside in the time of coronavirus a total breeze

If an outdoor office isn’t doable in the area where you live, you might consider building a shed. That’s what this California family did when they decided to give their children a backyard classroom where they could study together and partake in remote learning.

COVID-19 has given families all over the world ample time to add new spaces to their homes, but of course, there are those families who were caught completely by surprise in the middle of an old renovation and had to adapt. Interior designer Elizabeth Stuart has mentioned that her residential clients are now rushing to make new renovations to their homes that will be a better fit for this new era.

Child sits on his laptop at the dining room table to participate in remote learning sessions.

While many now have the opportunity to alter their home plans and work new additions into their backyards, the key to any good renovation is making sure it accommodates every member of the household. Everyone needs to be able to access their own space quickly and easily. On top of that, it’s more imperative than ever before that everyone in the house have a strong internet connection.

Todd and Heather Wigfield made sure that their new home would be built with strong enough bandwidth so that everyone in their home would able to work without any internet interruptions, whether they were inside or outside.

A young mother helps her kids learn remotely in a beautifully renovated home classroom.

If creating an entirely new space for your remote work needs isn’t in your budget, you might consider combining rooms, splitting your basement in half, or even working together with some of your neighbors to create a space where all your children can homeschool together. For instance, a family in Greenwich, Connecticut decided to create a home schooling co-op for their daughters and six other girls in the surrounding neighborhood. Just make sure the kids are all complying with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines if you go this route.

Clearly, anything is possible even during a pandemic. These families have shown how they have decided to reset and adapt to the new norm, and have hopefully shown you how you also can do the same!