With exam season fast approaching, students are spending their days hunkered over their desks at home, trying to stay focused, occasionally losing focus (they are human, after all), generally giving it their best effort. Encouraging them to create a clean, well-equipped study space is a great way to support them as they prepare their final assignments.
Back on campus, you might have kicked off the year or a few special events by distributing lanyards or water bottles to your students. Students this year will sadly no longer be able to pull up to school swinging their keys on your official lanyard, or guzzle gatorade from their water bottles at halftime. Be this as it may, you can still show your support in other ways by making them as comfortable as possible at home.
Here is a list of seven items to make students feel more at ease and productive when studying from home. Affordable and available in bulk, they would make a nice surprise for those exhausted after a long day of e-learning. Better yet, most of the products are made of biodegradable materials, so you can balance caring for the Earth with looking after your students.
Table of Contents
Phone Holder
If there ever were an essential right now… For students who use their phones to tune into class, the experience can often be marred by propping their device unsteadily against the nearest object—or, worse, holding the phone the entire time for an unwelcome ‘shaky cam’ effect.
Fortunately, phone holders come in all shapes and sizes. We have a no-nonsense one with a classic base to prop your smartphone, as well as a portable keychain version that will fare students well once ordinary life resumes.
The usefulness doesn’t stop there though. If your students are tired of their phones unexpectedly dying mid-call, you might want to consider a phone stand that comes equipped with a wireless charger. All you need to do is place your device in the holder and it will charge automatically, putting an end to your Zoom woes.
Desk Pad
Having all their resources online can make organization even more challenging for students, with reminders getting lost amidst countless open applications. In contrast, writing out reminders and tasks on paper is a cathartic way to begin the day. Plus it brings the satisfying sensation of crossing out tasks you have accomplished.
A small desk pad is the perfect tool to keep organized. This one includes 500 sheets of recycled paper, similar to Post-its and the optimal size for to-do lists.
The pad comes in a bamboo box that you can close to keep your desk from falling into disarray. In addition to being helpful and made of two environmentally-friendly materials, it makes a fine decoration!
Mug with Lid
A mug is a household staple, perfect for a caffeine fix or a calming cup of herbal tea. Although every student is bound to have one already, the lid on this version adds something extra. Many students are facing more work than ever, and their lack of schedule removes the natural breaks of the school day. Fortunately, this mug is perfect for keeping drinks warm over long study periods. Students can pop open the lid to sneak sips as they work through problem sets and write essays.
For a more conventional hot-drink vessel, you can also check out our bamboo flask. This is a great option for those who want to take their beverage with them on a short walk to clear their head.
Flash Drive
For some schools, including USBs on supply lists has gone out of fashion with the uptake of Google Drive, etc. However, now is a time of online experimentation for students. They are making films for class and for fun, editing photos, downloading texts for class, writing essays in Word and much more. All these activities take up precious hard drive space.
Rather than remedy this with another chunk of plastic, you could offer this wooden USB key to your students. It is also a great gift to combine with a campaign to celebrate the creative digital projects students have been working on during quarantine.
Portable USB Fan
You have heard of a USB key, but how about a USB fan? Summer is upon us and that means heat waves. While sitting in a sweltering room is not the most conducive to studying, pulling their families’ largest fan into their room is likely to disrupt your students’ books and papers while working (and possibly also peace within the family).
This adorable mini-fan has got you covered, keeping you just cool enough as you type those papers without disrupting your space. No need to worry about being close to an outlet either.
Portable USB Fan
You have heard of a USB key, but how about a USB fan? Summer is upon us and that means heat waves. While sitting in a sweltering room is not the most conducive to studying, pulling their families’ largest fan into their room is likely to disrupt your students’ books and papers while working (and possibly also peace within the family).
This adorable mini-fan has got you covered, keeping you just cool enough as you type those papers without disrupting your space. No need to worry about being close to an outlet either.
Bamboo Speaker
A bluetooth speaker can be a lifesaver when it comes to improving call quality, or simply playing relaxing music to drown out distracting background noises. It is also excellent for providing the soundtrack to your students’ improvisational dance breaks in their bedrooms. Gotta groove the stress away somehow!
Albeit more expensive than the other items listed here, this would make a great prize for any number of school challenges, the most obvious ones involving music. Depending on your angle, you can use this gift to inspire students to be more focused and active.
Set of Four Board Games
A board game might seem impractical on a list of study items. As you are well aware, however, success is not necessarily the product of fourteen-hour study days. Taking breaks is vital, as is getting away from screens for a bit.
With dominoes, chess, checkers and mikado (pick-up sticks) included, this compact set can encourage your students to take breaks with a board game rather than a half-hour on social media. Perhaps they will even rope a sibling or parent into an afternoon game over tea and create a family tradition.
Online learning may be taking its toll, but summer vacation is around the corner. Until then, you can put some wind in your students’ studying sails by surprising them with a gift that is equally thoughtful and useful—not to mention eco-friendly!
Separated from their classmates and teachers, they will undoubtedly appreciate the gesture.
