Any homeschoolers out there that are getting ready to start full schedule soon? We are planning to in a week from today. I have 4 kids altogether, an almost 8 year (like in 20 days, yikes!) a 6 1/2 year old, a 4 1/2 year old, and a 1 1/2 year old. So the 3 older ones will be having classes again, my middle 2 are excited and can't wait to start, but my older one is not wanting to at all. If this helps he is a boy. He says he doesn't want to write... Go figure most of our class work will involve some writing. But that is not the issue, I have talked to him, and i know he will be fine.
What are some ideas to have my toddler do while I am teaching. He likes attention (like all toddlers!) and he is fast and likes to "color" on the older kids work... And he has an attention span of a toddler, being a toddler and all. So even when I give him his own markers (washable!) he does it for a few minutes. Special toys, same thing. I can't contain him in our room and most days his dad is sleeping since he works 6pm-6:30 am. My older kids, I feel, have sorta didn't get much time last year due to the youngest being even younger and needing a bit more attention then... So, what should I do?
I'm 0 for 2... I homeschool, but we school year round and I only have one kiddo...
check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/secular_homeschoolers/ (or search groups for something similar, there are hundreds of homeschool groups, this one just happens to be one of my favorites, and is very very active.
Can you enroll him in a mother's day out class for a few hours two days a week? Or maybe hire another homeschooled older child to babysit a few times during the week.
I homeschool and have 3 kids. 8, almost 6 and just-turned-3. All I can say is good luck:)...it will be better next year LOL. It's hard. I know when my little guy was that young I could turn on the TV and he'd watch for a while, wonder in with us and I'd have a toy he hadn't seen in ages all ready to whip out and that would occupy him for a bit, then I'd give him a snack that took a long time to eat (dry cheerios or some small finger food) and that would get him out of our hair for a while :) He was (is) a very busy guy that even at that age could un-do babyproofing so I was constantly getting up to see what he was doing. My mantra was "this too shall pass".
Luckily when he was a year and a half one kid was in Kindy and one was in second grade. The kindy would finish first and go play trains or hot wheelz with the 1 year old and that helped me to work with the 2nd grader. I oldest was really patient about waiting to do the more intensive stuff when the youngest was napping.
We started school last Monday and (so far!) things have been awesome. So, take a deep breath, know you are doing the best for your kids (and things will get easier), and bribe if necessary :)
What I have done with my youngers who have not started school yet, is to rotate the olders taking turns playing with them as I teach the others. Nobody has that responsibility for too long in a day as they each have their own lessons to do. But, maybe a half hour at a time. I try to get as much individual instruction out of the way while the younger is being entertained (puzzles, coloring, a book being read). And, the bonus is that the older who is watching a younger is also learning so much at that time. 1 1/2 is a high-intensive time! The others will be fine, by the way. They catch up any perceived missed lessons quickly enough. My husband reminds me that we are in a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy your days. Your kids are so young still. I would probably spend more time just reading to them, doing nature walks/drawings, math manipulatives (which the baby may enjoy playing with also), stuff like that. Of course, depending on your curriculum, you will have a few more things for the older child. Enjoy!! We started this week. I soooo wasn't ready. LOL I can relate to your oldest. But, I am doing okay. :)
With your youngest one give him a tv tray or cookie sheet with his paper and crayons tell him this is his special space and he can only color there. . Involve the olders learing experience while incorprating their lesson. (ex. have them read to him or act out a story using puppets ' have them make homemade playdough having them measure the ingredients and he pours the ingredients into the bowl' or have the olders measure things for snack or lunch or dinner )
