First let me say thank you for those who participated (keep them coming!) in our name quest. I have enjoyed hearing what everyone thinks! Once I know no one else is going to post, I will post the winner. Although, that does not mean we will use it. You have got to give us a few more months of fighting and arguing before it is official.
Here is my actual "Help" question.
For those who homeschool, and have young children, what ideas do you have for keeping them out of the way? I start school with Kayla next week and have been racking my brain of what to do with Wyatt (2yo) and Annie (1yo). Hopefully, Annie will continue her morning naps until she is 4. Yeah right.
Please comment any ideas you have, or have used yourself. Thanks!
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Trying to remember these moments in time
11 comments:
I suggest Nyquil...
Jenn,
Is that what you use when you babysit?
I haven't figured this out yet either.
School started for us just a few days ago. I have included Kennedy in somethings. Today we were learning to measure stuff like how tall we are and how wide our arm span was...so Kennedy got to participate in that. I also let her play with the math blocks while Keegan is doing math worksheets. And when Keegan is coloring something...she is in the room drawing as well. Problem is 1) I can't shut her out...as you are well aware. 2) She is so loud! Even though she is working on somthing with us she is so loud and doesn't stop saying Mommy all the time. I feel like Keegan needs his space and his time with me without here there........It would be much easier if she could entertain herself better like Reagan can :)
I have tried to work school around Curious George as well...that's the only cartoon she really likes and will sit and watch for any length of time....
Another thing I did was stop Reagan's morning naps and put both her and Kennedy down at 1 so I get at least one full hour uninterupted.....usually.
I am trying to figure out the same thing. I started Wednesday and I can't keep Hallye busy. She is so loud and it's hard to talk over her and McKenzie is getting into everything now. So, I really would love the ideas too!! I love cartoons but I really don't want her watching TV all morning. I'm at a loss.
Jaime, yes, as a matter of fact! It works wonders! Of course, most times I am only able to babysit once. The parents don't usually contact me...not sure why. Maybe they're jealous their kid goes to sleep for me and not them? I dunno...
Kristen - you should start a blog! :o) Or try the Nyquil thing...I've heard it works in the daytime, too.
Since I haven't got a lot of ideas, I will post what I did today. Kayla has been begging to start school, so we did a little bit for a practice run. What I found out works great?
Blanket time for Wyatt. I give him toys on a large blanket and he is not allowed to get off until I tell him to. It worked. He sat for an hour and played by himself. After that, he was allowed to watch Blues Clues. That gave me an hour 1/2 to work with her.
Annie went in her bed for an hour. She ended up sleeping (doesn't always nowadays), but I have decided she will at least play in her bed if she does not want to sleep.
After school, they all can get up and go outside.
It worked great today at least! I love how when I make Wyatt sit on the blanket he will actually play quietly for that long!
I would still like to hear anything from others.
As an "older" mom I would say that it worked best for me to train the younger kids not to need/demand my attention all the time. During school time the toddlers were allowed to either sit on a nearby couch or blanket as Jaime does with Wyatt. This requires training and discipline but it really does work! Hey, it's working for Wyatt! :-) If you need ideas on this talk to Jaime or me; it involves using a timer, starting with just a few minutes at the time, and working your way up to an hour.
We also used the porta cribs (called playpens back then...smile) and had the babies or one-year-old learn to play with toys for an hour or so in there. During one season I used one of those round gates, setting it up during school for the little toddler or baby to play. It worked well.
There were seasons when I only did things the little ones could join in on in the morning (like the stuff Erin is doing). Then during their naps I did math and reading with the elementary kids. This meant I lost my nap or undistracted cleaning time, but it was worth it at times to get the rudiments done well with the school age kids. I figured if they could read and do math well, the rest didn't have to be done as well. It seemed to work. They all know how to read and my sons have jobs. :-)
Last, when your oldest gets a little older he/she can help with the baby or young toddler for an hour in the morning as you teach the next kindergartener or first grader. Then in the afternoon the older one (say maybe 3rd-4th grader) can do school with you nearby for help. (By this time he/she will be doing alot of their work without you being right there next to them.)
The main thing is this: with consistent training and effective discipline, you can rightly expect your toddlers to learn to occupy themselves without interrupting you for an hour unless it's really important. (Jaime, how many times did you hear me say, "Honey, if you or your sibling are not bleeding or throwing up you need to be patient and wait.")
We also used reward charts regularly to celebrate the toddlers playing respectfully and quietly. Just put a chart on the frig with 10 or more spaces on it. Each day the toddler sits quietly and plays without interrupting, give them a sticker on today's square. When the chart is full, do something special!
Hope this is helpful!
Girls, I am in the same boat here to! I might have to give the blanket a try, would it be okay to use a queen sized comforter to start for Joseph?? :) I am going to try and get a baby gate for some room time, but I have been including everyone in history,science stuff and do math while Joey is taking a nap. Another thing that has worked for Brianna is special "school baskets" that we pull out only during crucial school time. They have a variety of independent stuff: beads,puzzles,etc. I would love some more ideas if there is ANYone out there who has homeschooled with a couple of toddlers.
I found that my little ones loved the idea of having their own "school" to do. Like Taraleigh's idea of having a basket of goodies that they're only allowed to use during school time. It worked for me. Of course, we still had to discipline for interrupting and for being disobedient. The truth is that once you start teaching your children at home, the kids aren't the only ones having to be disciplined because it requires a lot of hard work for us too. It is possible to successfully home school your children with little ones, it's just not easy.
Oh how I wish I would have had all of you around when I started homeschooling! You guys are so blessed to have such wise counsel! I am so encouraged reading all of this and I don't even have little ones anymore. I am just so happy for those of you who do have little ones, to have others to speak into your lives and offer and ear and a hand! You are SO blessed!
so grateful for all the suggestions. i'm spoiled right now with a 16 month old that still takes two, 2 1/2 hour naps a day... but i know that will not last forever, and i will be needing tips like this!
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