Is homeschooling possible...

[Aubrey]

at the ages my kids are? What does it take to make it work, if so? Is there a magic curriculum?

 

Everything I read is based on all of them being younger or some of them being much older. But none can cook supper unsupervised, & they're not all young enough to shrug & figure they're not learning anything vital this yr anyway.

 

I mean, sometimes I *feel* like they're not learning anything vital, lol, but that's the problem. I spent the weekend looking at SL, but deep down...I think that would only help a tiny bit, kwim? After beating my catalogue to death, I went to look at a bookshelf & had to step over so much mess--after cleaning house for company over the weekend!--that I thought, gee, even if I had a plan for Monday morning's school...I wouldn't be able to get to it until I'd unearthed my house.

 

Then one baby started screaming & pulling on me while the other snuck into the bathroom & started drinking from the toilet, & I though, huh. It may not be the lesson plans that are my biggest problem. :lol:

 

And then I realized we had nothing planned for dinner, & it was time to go to the grocery store. :001_huh:

 

So what do you think? Don't tell me to have a plan, please--I do. And I spend all of my time either planning or making the plan work, & we're surviving fine, but hs'ing? Ahh. I'm not sure it will get done well. (Or maybe I'm sure it won't!)

[Shelly in the Country]

My kids are close to the same age as yours. Believe me, I understand your frustration. The advice given to me by my mother-in-law long ago (she homeschooled 4 kids) was "Let the housework go." She told me it was impossible to do all the house-stuff perfectly and educate the children. The children are more important than a clean house. As for grocery shopping/cooking. I don't run any errands during school hours. I wil schedule the occasional Dr. or Dentist appointment, but absolutely NO errands. We shop on weekends. I try to have a rough plan for my meals at the beginning of the week. Nothing detailed in case things change, but I at least have the meat thawed and ready to go. I use the crockpot as much as possible. The result for our house is, the children get educated....my house is a wreck. Laundry is never completely put away. My house is cluttered, and I am perpetually behind on dishes. But the children are educated, and they will get older. Things will get easier when they can help more with chores. (I tell myself that often. I hope I'm right.) I have no idea if that helps you or not. You probably already do all these things. I can comisserate though. But I probably spelled it wrong. :001_smile:

[Julie in Austin]

In your situation, I'd give the littles an hour of TV in the morning and do some school then and then more school when they napped in the afternoons and then maybe a third short session in the evening if dh could take the littles for 1/2 hour or after they are in bed.

 

So maybe 2.5-3 hours per day. I'd prioritize subjects thus: reading, math, history, science, whatever else, and save the nighttime 1/2 hour for reading aloud.

[Aubrey]

In your situation, I'd give the littles an hour of TV in the morning and do some school then and then more school when they napped in the afternoons and then maybe a third short session in the evening if dh could take the littles for 1/2 hour or after they are in bed.

 

So maybe 2.5-3 hours per day. I'd prioritize subjects thus: reading, math, history, science, whatever else, and save the nighttime 1/2 hour for reading aloud.

 

That's what we're doing now, but...just enough stuff goes wrong often enough that...lately I'm worried, kwim?

 

Dh works a 2nd job in the evenings, so that's not as much of an option as it might be. And he's, um, *playful.* LOL--the kids could never concentrate w/ him around.

[Aubrey]

My kids are close to the same age as yours. Believe me, I understand your frustration. The advice given to me by my mother-in-law long ago (she homeschooled 4 kids) was "Let the housework go." She told me it was impossible to do all the house-stuff perfectly and educate the children. The children are more important than a clean house. As for grocery shopping/cooking. I don't run any errands during school hours. I wil schedule the occasional Dr. or Dentist appointment, but absolutely NO errands. We shop on weekends. I try to have a rough plan for my meals at the beginning of the week. Nothing detailed in case things change, but I at least have the meat thawed and ready to go. I use the crockpot as much as possible. The result for our house is, the children get educated....my house is a wreck. Laundry is never completely put away. My house is cluttered, and I am perpetually behind on dishes. But the children are educated, and they will get older. Things will get easier when they can help more with chores. (I tell myself that often. I hope I'm right.) I have no idea if that helps you or not. You probably already do all these things. I can comisserate though. But I probably spelled it wrong. :001_smile:

 

I believe this advice, but somehow, I can't live by it. Too much of certain kinds of messes have the same effect on me as a screaming kid, so life's easier if it stays a little organized. And the dishes? We don't have a dw, so we kind of wash at them several times a day. Because otherwise, we'd have to give up eating on them. :lol:

[TXMomof4]

Don't make me start questioning myself even more! Mine are 9,8,6, and 3 - but DH has been gone for the last year. We got math done most days, my oldest 2 read a lot to themselves - I just direct it. My 3rd dd is the one that has me at the breaking point though.

 

DH will be home this month and my idealistic mind keeps trying to convince my realistic mind that we'll shoot forward once I have some help. The realistic mind says, yeah right! DH will be to busy playing! (Not that that would be a terrible thing, but good heavens he's such a kid!)

 

I broke down and bought HOD this year. We're supposed to start today, but I have a dead car to deal with first. So we'll start this afternoon! Right? I can do this, right? :confused:

[Aubrey]

Don't make me start questioning myself even more! Mine are 9,8,6, and 3 - but DH has been gone for the last year. We got math done most days, my oldest 2 read a lot to themselves - I just direct it. My 3rd dd is the one that has me at the breaking point though.

 

DH will be home this month and my idealistic mind keeps trying to convince my realistic mind that we'll shoot forward once I have some help. The realistic mind says, yeah right! DH will be to busy playing! (Not that that would be a terrible thing, but good heavens he's such a kid!)

 

I broke down and bought HOD this year. We're supposed to start today, but I have a dead car to deal with first. So we'll start this afternoon! Right? I can do this, right? :confused:

 

:grouphug: Sorry. I didn't mean to feed anyone else's self-doubt!

 

And of course you have a dead car, lol. It's kind-of like last Friday--I call it the Day of Poop. :D

 

Is your dh home for a month, or home for good? Either way, I can only imagine how hard it is to be w/out him & then try to fit him back in. I think dh & I would fight for a month before we figured out how to be together again, & that would be the worst of it for me.

 

I want to race over & help you somehow, but...then you probably wouldn't get school done, lol, & I know I wouldn't. I'm interested to know how HOD goes.

 

I guess I know my own tendency to make things MUCH harder than they need to be, & so I'm wondering if there's...anything...that could make life easier. I don't use the computer for school. I don't use textbooks. I don't used boxed curric. (Why?) Maybe I could put SOTW on to play in the car & drive around. Maybe that would make things harder! :lol:

 

Just looking for brilliant solutions I've overlooked. I've read enough of these threads over the yrs though, that I think I know the answer. Love your kids, & pretty soon they'll all be bigger. Do the best you can w/ what you've got, & over time, that will be good enough. Maybe even better than good enough. :glare:

[MIch elle]

I took a relaxed approach to homeschooling in grades K-3 and then slowly increased the work at every grade level. The only homeschooling necessary at 8 & 6 yo is reading, writing and arithmetic which shouldn't take very long/day. YES, other subjects are nice but they can be done by audio or video. History, science, literature, etc. can all be done in a relaxed way. There is SO much available for free online to listen to and watch. "I" learn a lot along with my dc by listening & watching too! :D

[mamamoon]

i totally hear you on the house thing~i know we are supposed to let it go, but honestly i can't really sit on the couch and read with thte kids if the kitchen looks like it exploded. wish i could let it go~~

 

i think you should be a bit relaxed with youself for a while, and just keep trying to get little chunks done. they are so young. and yes, you can do it!

 

lisa

[cdrumm4448]

I use Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. She's a friend of Flylady. The book is organized by seasons, and there are 6 days of menus per week, with main dish as well as sides. Shopping lists are included. I never knew what to cook or what to make with what. Or, I would start to make something, then realize I was missing one ingredient. This takes all the planning out of it. You just write down what you need from the shopping list, buy it, and cook everything out of the book. Kind of like meal-planning for dummies, which is what I need and like. I actually switch the days around sometimes, but other than that, I stick to the book. It works!

[Jean in Newcastle]

If your dh is home and feeling playful, could he take the two littles outside to play or to the park? Or to the library story-hour?

[TXMomof4]

:grouphug: Sorry. I didn't mean to feed anyone else's self-doubt!

 

And of course you have a dead car, lol. It's kind-of like last Friday--I call it the Day of Poop. :D

 

Is your dh home for a month, or home for good? Either way, I can only imagine how hard it is to be w/out him & then try to fit him back in. I think dh & I would fight for a month before we figured out how to be together again, & that would be the worst of it for me.

 

I want to race over & help you somehow, but...then you probably wouldn't get school done, lol, & I know I wouldn't. I'm interested to know how HOD goes.

 

I guess I know my own tendency to make things MUCH harder than they need to be, & so I'm wondering if there's...anything...that could make life easier. I don't use the computer for school. I don't use textbooks. I don't used boxed curric. (Why?) Maybe I could put SOTW on to play in the car & drive around. Maybe that would make things harder! :lol:

 

Just looking for brilliant solutions I've overlooked. I've read enough of these threads over the yrs though, that I think I know the answer. Love your kids, & pretty soon they'll all be bigger. Do the best you can w/ what you've got, & over time, that will be good enough. Maybe even better than good enough. :glare:

 

He'll be home for good - at least til the next time. He's got almost 2 months of leave, so we may kill each other before the next time. Can you imagine going from nothing to him being there 100% of the time? I'm thrilled and dreading it all at the same time. Luckily we've discussed the fact that there will be an adjustment period - we know it's going to be trying. Not expecting all roses and sunshine, just really glad he'll be home.

 

I've used the CDs of SOTW for the last 2 years and we all love them. Especially my 6yo. We've listened all the way through the first 3 and now are just listening for fun. Of course, we do spend quite a bit of time in the car and have been on several long road trips. I'm amazed at what they've picked up from just listening though and the interest it has sparked in them to explore further on their own.

 

BTW, I agree with the bolded part above. I don't think there's a magic bullet - just do it and in the end it will work out. My mom made me a cross-stitch for my wall that says, "It will be alright in the end. If it isn't alright, it isn't the end." I live by those words these days. My other favorite mantra is "Even if it s*cks right now, it's going to be good." Pretty soon we'll be sitting around dealing with teen angst and wishing for the relative peace of younger kids.

[JudoMom]

Here are some things I do:

 

-I run errands (grocery shop/household type stuff) early before dh goes to work. I leave the house before 6 & get home before 8 (I go to Walmart & Sam's, usually). I make a meal plan once a week and stick to it. It's got to be a pretty big emergency for me to run to the store at a different time than my once a week early morning run.

 

-The boys aren't allowed to bring toys to the main living area without permission. This keeps it picked up, or if they bring a toy I know who did it and who needs to put it away.

 

-I have little clutter. Too much stuff makes me nervous. I don't have more than I have space for.

 

-As long as we were hitting Math and they were reading I was happy (thrilled if we got to grammar & Latin) until this year. And now that the baby is 3.5, everything is running more smoothly.

 

-If I get a week's worth of work ready for everyone on the weekend (it takes me anywhere from 1-3 hours, usually), we are able to get a lot more accomplished.

 

-The younger guys watch a lot more PBS and videos that I think is optimal. Ds3 loves all of the Leap Frog videos and he'll watch them for as long as I'll let him.

 

-We listened to SOTW on cd in the car. We also listen to Latin for Children chants, Song School Latin, and any other educational cds I have.

 

Honestly, I was at the end of my rope earlier this year. I felt like such a dismal failure after yet another year that was less than what I'd planned and hoped for. I contemplated sending them to school, I contacted K12, I looked at Sonlight. Sending them to school wasn't an option, I figured the oversight of a K12 teacher wasn't for me since I got irritated that a person called me about my interest in the public charter, and then I realized that if I couldn't follow my own stinkin' plans I probably wouldn't follow somebody else's plans. So I buckled down and made concrete plans for the year.

 

We've been back at school for a couple of weeks and I can tell you this is the easiest year I've had so far. I don't have a baby or toddler, the older two can do many things independently, and I know what we're supposed to be doing and where we're headed with our books. I didn't realize how hard it was to homeschool with a baby and toddler, because I was in the midst of it. But dang, that's hard.

 

All of this to say: I'd work on a routine, and I'd focus on math and reading. Anything else is icing on the cake. Really.

 

All of this to d

[hornblower]

I'm in serious awe.

 

I feel like a big lazy slug. I have two kids who can both feed themselves (& 2 dogs who'd like to feed themselves LOL) and I feel like I'm constantly trying to catch up......

 

Seriously though, with those ages I agree with MIchelle - take it easy. You could do the 'classical unschooling' method & the 'scatter pebbles' method. You take all the great resources, curricula, ideas & you scatter them on the kids' path. If they get into something, great. If not, move on. If you have lots of good stuff in the house & mix it up with some outings to parks/museums etc, then I think at that age you can let things go a bit.

 

One thing I would do - because things around here go so much better when I do it - is to make up a meal plan for the week & make sure all your supplies are home. Make it like a restaurant menu for every single day, all meals, and include beverages. You might switch Wed lunch with Thurs dinner when the time comes but at least you know what is happening & what's available. Have snacks listed too so if your 8yo wants something you can easily see what's avail. Try to make some of the meals something your 8yo can mostly make - sandwiches, heating canned soups (or home-made frozen), prepping salad - these are all things they can help with or mostly do at that age. And then, prepping those meals counts as school!

 

best wishes ~

[Remudamom]

You can do it. We've always homeschooled, and our first year I had five kids, with four of them under two yrs old. Buy paper plates. Make sandwiches. Have fun.

 

I am the worst person in the world to cope with mess, but I managed. You can too.

[LivingHope]

Sometimes when there is an unbalance between homeschooling and homemaking here in our home...we take a day to a few days to regroup. I believe that if the daily chores (laundry, dishes, bathroom) are getting done, then all will be okay in the long run. It is easy to mix projects with daily chores and then, all of a sudden, to feel overwhelmed.

 

Keep to the basics for awhile in both home and school (read aloud, a little math, a good book for quiet time). In a few weeks you may feel less overwhelmed. I believe that children who are chore helpers will gain valuable skills. Don't worry about what they are not getting when engaged in your home rescue plan. They will feel just as much peace from helping.

 

My husband pointed out that the characters in The Swiss Family Robinson did more hands on work during the summers while academic studies were the focus during the winters. I know this is fictional...but it is a good reminder that we go through phases. We are in a more working mode right now. I gotta get things together before my husband's work load increases in 2 weeks and he is more out of town (then we'll focus more on academics).

 

Janell, mother to six children ages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

[CalicoKat]

at the ages my kids are? What does it take to make it work, if so? Is there a magic curriculum?

 

Everything I read is based on all of them being younger or some of them being much older. But none can cook supper unsupervised, & they're not all young enough to shrug & figure they're not learning anything vital this yr anyway.

 

I mean, sometimes I *feel* like they're not learning anything vital, lol, but that's the problem. I spent the weekend looking at SL, but deep down...I think that would only help a tiny bit, kwim? After beating my catalogue to death, I went to look at a bookshelf & had to step over so much mess--after cleaning house for company over the weekend!--that I thought, gee, even if I had a plan for Monday morning's school...I wouldn't be able to get to it until I'd unearthed my house.

 

Then one baby started screaming & pulling on me while the other snuck into the bathroom & started drinking from the toilet, & I though, huh. It may not be the lesson plans that are my biggest problem. :lol:

 

And then I realized we had nothing planned for dinner, & it was time to go to the grocery store. :001_huh:

 

So what do you think? Don't tell me to have a plan, please--I do. And I spend all of my time either planning or making the plan work, & we're surviving fine, but hs'ing? Ahh. I'm not sure it will get done well. (Or maybe I'm sure it won't!)

For me the answer was workboxes. Ownership of MY plan is transferred to each student.

 

Their daily plan is laid out according to my plan and it's now their job to get their workboxes done. Of course, I plan so hopefully I'll only have one kid per box/hour needing to "work with mom" stuff. Hopful and sometimes successful at not being pulled in 3 directions are once.

 

Not a perfect system, but they're getting more done because they're not sitting and waiting for me to point them in the new direction.

 

Still working on figuring out the group time (history, science, foreign lang. art) stuff. I need to do that before they start their workboxes I think. :)

 

We've been using workboxes for 3 weeks now and I must say that the kids feel better about their work because they can see it all and they know what has to be done before there's play.

 

I also put the baby's toys in shoe boxes so that I don't neglect teaching her to pickup/put away before moving onto the next thing. Also they're the toys she can't have unless we're doing lessons so they're interesting each day.

 

I feel less like I'm spinning out of control with workboxes. I have 3 kids in your age range + 2 more. :) (10,8,6,3, and 2)

 

Meal - I have to have a plan. I use the Menus4Moms grocery and menu planning. I don't have time to do this right now and it's nice when it pops into my email grocery list, recipes, and menu to hang on the frige.

 

House cleaning - ugh. There are a few dailys (dishes, laundry, and general pick up). The rest has to wait until the weekend.

Edited August 3, 2009 by CalicoKat

[FlockOfSillies]

I survive with paper plates and a mother's helper. I also have the kids do as much housework as possible.

[Aubrey]

What can you do to simplify? I started using paper plates. I buy the really cheep ones that are just a step or two above a paper towel so they are cheep but they hold a hot dog and fruit, kwim?

 

This has made my life so much easier.

 

I have also identified my two most time consuming and disliked chores and I am training the kids to do them. I know yours are very old yet but they could fold laundry. That is the thing that never gets done around here so I am teaching my newly minted 8 yo to fold and put away the laundry.

 

Is there one thing that your oldest could at least do part of so that it got done?

 

Well...I finally figured out that having the big kids help w/ chores...helps w/ chores. It doesn't free me up to do school, because, lol, I need *them* to do school *on.*

 

Realizing that has helped, but fixing that is a little more tricky. But, yeah, they do a decent amt of chores.

[Aubrey]

I survive with paper plates and a mother's helper. I also have the kids do as much housework as possible.

 

Another friend w/ 4 kids came to this conclusion about a week ago, & I finished her sentence for her. I'd begun to suspect that an 11-14 yo kid would make all the difference.

Edited August 3, 2009 by Aubrey
2yo hit enter

[Quad Shot Academy]

I guess I know my own tendency to make things MUCH harder than they need to be, & so I'm wondering if there's...anything...that could make life easier. I don't use the computer for school. I don't use textbooks. I don't used boxed curric. (Why?) Maybe I could put SOTW on to play in the car & drive around. Maybe that would make things harder! :lol:

 

 

Our kids are close to the same age and I can say that once my youngest hit, three, it got much easier. I agree with a pp in that I do all of my shopping and chores off of school hours. My computer is about the only thing I can do that I can keep up with school too.

 

All of my kids have an area, desk or bag where they keep their book work. Book work is anything workbooky that they can do mostly on their own. The older two go off to a room or corner and work through it; if they need help, they save it until I am done with the two littles (about 1 hour). The older two also do daily fiction and non-fiction reading following the outline in WTM. Then, we fit in teacher led subjects like science, history, grammar and spelling as we can. I have considered things like Sonlight and HOD, but I honestly think we would get 1/2 as much done, as it would all depend on me, my energy, my mood and life's distractions. Anyhow, I like them being responsible for their own education and learning to be self directed. They still require direct supervision, encouragement and help, but not to the degree that something teacher led would require.

[Rosy]

My kids are 8.5, 7, almost 6 and 4. We started full-time hsing when the oldest was just turning 7 but did some light school before that (workbooks, reading together, etc). I think that first year we did school while the baby was taking morning nap, and I bought school toys for the middles. That worked for a little while, though I felt like I was spending more time keeping the middles out of trouble than teaching my oldest.

 

That evolved to the younger kids playing and/or watching movies and/or computer time while I taught the oldest...then I decided I needed to start teaching my 2nd child as well. Fortunately my oldest is pretty self-reliant. We dropped the subjects that required my attention (except math) and she taught herself for about half of this year.

 

I think the main thing that has helped me is learning to drop my idealism and set manageable goals. For us that has meant all we did this year was core subjects. We barely did science. She read SOTW on her own. DS only did reading, writing and math. It might sound awful, but we can catch up when the littles aren't so little. But they'll never be little again, kwim? In a couple years they'll be much more self-sufficient, and your olders will be mostly self-directed.

 

I think the mother's helper is a great idea--could you work out a swap with another hsing family?

Does your DH enjoy reading to the kids? Maybe he could do a read-aloud with them every night while you clean up after dinner?

Can you guys do drill while you do chores?

Can you get books on tape from the library?

 

Sonlight could be a good option for you, you'd be able to do your older two mostly together. I don't know how you'd do two cores when your littles get older (that was my biggest problem with SL) but maybe it would work for now?

 

Hope you figure something out! And seriously, they're not going to be doing any better at public school--at least at home there are only 3 other kids to distract them, not 30! :)

[LivingHope]

My 5, 7, and 9 year old boys do dishes, laundry, vacuum, and all sorts of other things around here. You may be surprised how much your young children can really help you when you heighten your expectations of their capabilities. I encourage you to experiment with them. We are a team and...I always can count on my helpers to do the put away jobs...dishes, laundry.

 

Janell

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I know this has been suggested several times already but I'll say it again. Meal planning has saved us! I make up a list of 4-6 meals each week as well as veggies, fruits, milk, bread, etc. that we'll need and dh goes shopping a designated night of the week. We rarely have to go shopping in between. That way we always have what we need for meals and I don't have to scramble for meal ideas when it is time for dinner. I try to know what we're having by the night before so that I can pull our meat, if necessary, and figure out when I'll need to start making dinner for it to be done on time. If you don't want to pick out meals yourself, you could try the book that a pp suggested or there are a few websites that also have suggested meal plans. I get e-mails from Menus for Moms, but only use it for ideas once-in-a-while.

 

My kids are a little closer together than yours, but I have ideas planned for the younger kids to tag along during dd's lessons. Whether it is doing the same thing dd is doing or something similar but a little different (like using other math manipulatives during dd's math time), there will be something for the littles to do. Of course they will be allowed to play if they want to but will be welcome to be with us if they want to. We'll also have lots of breaks with fun things for the littles to do. Anything that doesn't work with the littles around will be done during naptime. They just love being together so I think trying to get them all involved in school time will be what makes it all work. School time will take longer this way but it will keep us all happier.

 

As far as the house, have you looked at Flylady? I by no means follow her ideas to a T, but I've pulled out some great gems that have made a big difference. Get rid of what you don't love/need/use. Have a general routine for your days and specific ideas of things that you want to get done each day(in our cases it will be school work and chores, for mom and kids). Pick up the clutter, especially before bed. The kids should help with this. We pick up everything before we leave the house, before meals, and before bed. And get whatever you can ready the night before. For now, we set out clothes for the next day and I make sure I know what we are having for dinner. But once school starts I'll also have school stuff ready to go.

 

Good luck! You can do it.

[NancyNellen]

*Have the older 2 take turns playing with the younger 2 while you school the other one. My 6 year old plays with my 2 year old for 30-45 minutes every morning in their bedroom. They are only allowed out to go to the bathroom.

*Teach the little ones to have quiet alone playtime. Whether in a safe room or in a pack and play or crib. I have found those times crucial for getting schooling done.

*Well-timed DVD's

*My little ones have always done 'table time' - puzzles, Play-doh, Wedgits, Dot-paints - toys that only come out at that time.

*Alternate chore time. Have one do chores while you school the other & vice-versa.

*Save history/science/read-alouds for the afternoon quiet/nap time.

*Do you have grocery delivery in your area? I just love this!

 

And then, yes, acknowledge that you are in a phase of interrupted life. When my kids were that age, our days frequently felt like one big, long fire-drill. That's OK. And totally normal. Prioritize what you need to get done every day, and then be thankful when there is time for anything extra. They will learn. Never fear. And before you know it, they will be older and more helpful, and days will go more smoothly.

[Aubrey]

I know this has been suggested several times already but I'll say it again. Meal planning has saved us! I make up a list of 4-6 meals each week as well as veggies, fruits, milk, bread, etc. that we'll need and dh goes shopping a designated night of the week. We rarely have to go shopping in between. That way we always have what we need for meals and I don't have to scramble for meal ideas when it is time for dinner. I try to know what we're having by the night before so that I can pull our meat, if necessary, and figure out when I'll need to start making dinner for it to be done on time. If you don't want to pick out meals yourself, you could try the book that a pp suggested or there are a few websites that also have suggested meal plans. I get e-mails from Menus for Moms, but only use it for ideas once-in-a-while.

 

I do do meal planning--not great at it yet, but last night when I was having my fall-apart-nothing's-working-freak-out, we were at the end of the 2-week plan posted as well as the end of the last groc. run. My ils had been here for the weekend, too, so that threw things off. It really doesn't take much, & this is an area that needs help for sure, but sometimes I feel like I can't get everything done for all the planning, lol.

 

My kids are a little closer together than yours, but I have ideas planned for the younger kids to tag along during dd's lessons. Whether it is doing the same thing dd is doing or something similar but a little different (like using other math manipulatives during dd's math time), there will be something for the littles to do. Of course they will be allowed to play if they want to but will be welcome to be with us if they want to. We'll also have lots of breaks with fun things for the littles to do. Anything that doesn't work with the littles around will be done during naptime. They just love being together so I think trying to get them all involved in school time will be what makes it all work. School time will take longer this way but it will keep us all happier.

 

Yeah, I know. But 1yo...*sigh*...is 1. (And 2yo was 1 ALL last yr!)

 

Really, 2yo's almost a breeze. She worked a puzzle happily for 5 min (maybe 10), then colored happily for 10 min (as long as someone had a crayon mindlessly scribbling beside her), & then watched Ses St. She's also happy to sneak in here & spin in my office chair, lol.

 

But she's freshly potty-trained & sometimes has accidents & often needs help.

 

And there's the 1yo. Have I mentioned him?

 

When my 6yo was 3, she *liked* to listen to SOTW. I think by the time we get to that age (I hope), we'll be fine again. But from here, 3's a loooong way off! :001_huh:

 

As far as the house, have you looked at Flylady? I by no means follow her ideas to a T, but I've pulled out some great gems that have made a big difference. Get rid of what you don't love/need/use. Have a general routine for your days and specific ideas of things that you want to get done each day(in our cases it will be school work and chores, for mom and kids). Pick up the clutter, especially before bed. The kids should help with this. We pick up everything before we leave the house, before meals, and before bed. And get whatever you can ready the night before. For now, we set out clothes for the next day and I make sure I know what we are having for dinner. But once school starts I'll also have school stuff ready to go.

 

Good luck! You can do it.

 

Yep. I like Flylady. We use the Mgrs of their Chores system, & it works great. But weekends are pretty hard on the house, & I find that Monday mornings are always more difficult because of it. (And like I said, we had co. over the weekend.)

 

The kids do help a lot. There's just a lot to do. Today they've done nothing but school & chores (& eat) from 8AM to 4PM, & they'll still have evening chores tonight. Honestly, I don't think that's bad for them, esp since our schoolwork is decently fun--read alouds, outside observations, etc., but I don't think I need to ask them to do any more.

 

We have a plan most of the time. We can keep the house clean enough, & everybody sort-of fed. We can do that & school, too, well enough--IF nothing. goes. wrong. IF nobody comes to visit, nobody gets sick, etc. IF everybody minds the first time w/ a good attitude, everybody naps when they should, etc.

 

And you know, we can pick up the pieces from the above just fine, too, ONCE IN A WHILE. But it gets to be so frequent...goodness! I've decided to start saying NO to everything. No matter what. Just as a principle.

 

I think in time, NO may help, but it's hard, esp when I don't have a good reason other than, if we do, things will just be OFF. For a WEEK. lol Then we can lift the NO policy in a year.

 

After 1yo's birthday on Sat, & after Mom leaves town on Sun. :smilielol5:

[Aubrey]

*Have the older 2 take turns playing with the younger 2 while you school the other one. My 6 year old plays with my 2 year old for 30-45 minutes every morning in their bedroom. They are only allowed out to go to the bathroom.

*Teach the little ones to have quiet alone playtime. Whether in a safe room or in a pack and play or crib. I have found those times crucial for getting schooling done.

*Well-timed DVD's

*My little ones have always done 'table time' - puzzles, Play-doh, Wedgits, Dot-paints - toys that only come out at that time.

*Alternate chore time. Have one do chores while you school the other & vice-versa.

*Save history/science/read-alouds for the afternoon quiet/nap time.

*Do you have grocery delivery in your area? I just love this!

 

And then, yes, acknowledge that you are in a phase of interrupted life. When my kids were that age, our days frequently felt like one big, long fire-drill. That's OK. And totally normal. Prioritize what you need to get done every day, and then be thankful when there is time for anything extra. They will learn. Never fear. And before you know it, they will be older and more helpful, and days will go more smoothly.

 

These suggestions work brilliantly for a 2yo. 1yo's having none. of. it. And they can't quite play together unsupervised--2yo can't quite process 1yo taking toys away, & 1yo can't quite help it. :lol:

 

Grocery delivery would be cool.

 

I've been thinking about trying a more assignment sheet, independent approach, just "meeting" w/ ea kid separately, but I'm pretty sure 6yo couldn't handle that very well yet, & I'm not confident that 8yo would do great. Most of what they're doing right *now* is exactly the same.

 

8yo's backed up on his math to memorize facts before moving on, so they do that together. (I don't figure this will last too long, but it's nice for now.)

 

They're doing the same writing assignments (observation, etc.), but being graded differently. And honestly, 6yo's always had more of a propensity for language, so that sort-of levels the playing field.

 

This is the 1st yr they've been together on everything, & I have to say, it's fun. *They* like it. It's motivating, & as long as I'm careful, the competition's been good.

 

That also means splitting them up creates more teaching time.

 

I think I may be suffering end-of-summer syndrome, where I feel like we haven't been doing anything because, well, it's summer. We haven't been doing MUCH. And we can't do a LOT.

 

But I went ahead & restarted full school today, to comfort myself that it CAN be done (well...to see if it can) & that we WILL/ARE.

 

We got it done. The house is ok. Kids are alive. I need easier plans for b'fast & lunch, but nobody starved (contrary to their proclomations, lol). But nothing went wrong, either, kwim?

 

Maybe it's ok after all, though. Not ideal, but ok? I decided to do more of the reading stuff while babies are up. The little one was pretty noisy, but I'm thinking if I keep at it, maybe I can "train" him to be quiet enough during story times. Anyway, that alone bought us a lovely extra hour & made a *bunch* of difference.

[NancyNellen]

Maybe it's ok after all, though. Not ideal, but ok?

 

I think this is just it. Sometimes it's our ideals that mess us all up. When our kids are little, the ideal is making it through the day having accomplished the necessary, and doing so with a smile on our face and a content heart. It also includes being ready for whatever curve balls come our way, because that's what having little ones is all about.

 

It sounds like you had a perfectly good day. Congrats!

[Rosy]

We have a plan most of the time. We can keep the house clean enough, & everybody sort-of fed. We can do that & school, too, well enough--IF nothing. goes. wrong. IF nobody comes to visit, nobody gets sick, etc. IF everybody minds the first time w/ a good attitude, everybody naps when they should, etc.

 

And you know, we can pick up the pieces from the above just fine, too, ONCE IN A WHILE. But it gets to be so frequent...goodness! I've decided to start saying NO to everything. No matter what. Just as a principle.

 

I think in time, NO may help, but it's hard, esp when I don't have a good reason other than, if we do, things will just be OFF. For a WEEK. lol Then we can lift the NO policy in a year.

 

 

That totally sounds like my life! The plan works wait...until life happens. And no matter how much you try to leave room for life happening, things come up that you can't possibly foresee. Minimizing distractions (aka saying no) does help...so does lowering your expectations. (that probably sounds bad, but there are just things you can't accomplish while parenting a 1 year old).

[Mama Anna]

I'll deliver my third on or around Sept. 5. This will be the first year hsing with a baby. Is it really as bad as it sounds?

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

 

Whew! Anyway, the only advice I can offer is about meals. We do a meal-planning system, but a little bit differently. We have a pantry with a certain stock of stuff in it (a la Frugal Zealot). Once a month, I restock anything that's low, then buy fresh stuff and "oops-we-ran-out" on the other 3-4 weeks. Our meal-planning is based around our pantry contents instead of the other way around, and we do a lot of substitutions in our scratch cooking. (Of course I'm a cheater on this because my dh likes to cook and often will. May God bless him and the mother who raised him!!) This is all rather tedious, convoluted, and may not help you at all. But the biggest advice I have to give is . . .

 

LEFTOVERS!!! Gotta love'm!

 

Dh also works evenings and I'm a morning person. This means that making dinner while tired, frustrated presently pregnant, and among screaming quarreling children will often break me. However, we eat our main meal for lunch and make certain in preparing it (Dh and I just had a refresher conversation on this) that there will be enough left over for the following day's dinner. Then all I have to do it pop something in the microwave, maybe cut up some fruit, set the table, and try to spend part of the girls' eating time (they can both feed themselves by this time, though) washing dishes so that I only have one more rack to do after they go to bed.

 

Is it any help?

 

Mama Anna

[skaterbabs]

Well, your younger two are along for the ride. Your 8 yo is old enough to have a good size portion of independant work, or at least two or three things that can be done while you instruct the 6 yo. The 6 yo can do cutting and pasting types of things nearby while you instruct the 8 yo.

 

Honestly, this is where I feel a SMALL amount of busywork (especially at 6-ish) is not a problem, especially if it's "busywork" that improves fine motor skills. Your 8 yo is old enough to learn how to make things like cereal, toast, sandwhiches and so on. At that age, Yacko was learning how to warm leftovers in the microwave and load the dishwasher and take out the trash. Again, 8 yo can take out the trash while 6 yo does math. For that matter, 6 yo can take out the trash, clear/set the table for meals, fix cereal & sandwhiches too. And your 8 yo can certainly learn to handwash the dishes. (Obviously you'd want to do knives or other sharp/delicate things.)

[LNC]

When my kids were younger (I have 4 total very close in age) - I homeschooled the schoolage child/children during baby's naptime. And, the toddler/preschooler played between our school table and the window on a quilt that we called his "secret clubhouse". Toddler/preschooler was not to leave the clubhouse - and never did! They really felt like it was their special alone time but near me - and they still talk fondly of those memories. I had a variety of boxed educational pursuits for him to choose for his clubhouse time. Toddler/preschooler also had table time to practice whatever table skills he was working on - this really helps transition to school skills and lengthen attention spans. During times they were all awake we read picture books galore. They learned soooo much just from those. For dinner prep and pickup times I had them watch videos or educational tv. I could get a lot done during a 30 minute show! I loved those days and they were really some of my favorite mothering years!

Edited August 4, 2009 by LNC

[Aubrey]

I'll deliver my third on or around Sept. 5. This will be the first year hsing with a baby. Is it really as bad as it sounds?

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

 

Whew! Anyway, the only advice I can offer is about meals. We do a meal-planning system, but a little bit differently. We have a pantry with a certain stock of stuff in it (a la Frugal Zealot). Once a month, I restock anything that's low, then buy fresh stuff and "oops-we-ran-out" on the other 3-4 weeks. Our meal-planning is based around our pantry contents instead of the other way around, and we do a lot of substitutions in our scratch cooking. (Of course I'm a cheater on this because my dh likes to cook and often will. May God bless him and the mother who raised him!!) This is all rather tedious, convoluted, and may not help you at all. But the biggest advice I have to give is . . .

 

LEFTOVERS!!! Gotta love'm!

 

Dh also works evenings and I'm a morning person. This means that making dinner while tired, frustrated presently pregnant, and among screaming quarreling children will often break me. However, we eat our main meal for lunch and make certain in preparing it (Dh and I just had a refresher conversation on this) that there will be enough left over for the following day's dinner. Then all I have to do it pop something in the microwave, maybe cut up some fruit, set the table, and try to spend part of the girls' eating time (they can both feed themselves by this time, though) washing dishes so that I only have one more rack to do after they go to bed.

 

Is it any help?

 

Mama Anna

 

LOL--you've had such wise advice in the past, I"d assumed you'd already graduated at least one kid!

 

Cooking w/ leftovers? Used to, sure. Now that we've doubled our kids in 2 yrs, I still haven't caught up to the mind-bending amt of food we eat in ONE sitting. Plus, our freezer's...well...cute. It would be good for playing house. :001_huh:

 

Honestly, to cook more at a time, I'm having to use different pots...pots I used to use to cook 1 week's worth of soup now do one night's worth of green beans. I mean, there's room in there for more green beans, but...at the rate 1yo's eating, that won't be true for long, lol.

 

Congrats on #3! My experience is completely warped. Dh quit his job & started seminary & we moved when #3 was 3mos old, so hs'ing w/ a baby was hard for us, but not nec. because of the baby, lol. Plus, she was colicky, & I got pg w/ #4 when she was about 6mos old. :w00t: So hs'ing w/ a baby got harder, lol.

 

But the hard part is hs'ing w/ a 1yo. They like to be held. all. the. time. They need to be changed sometimes. And in between? They like to dig in the trash & drink from the toilet. And dump everything off of every shelf in the house as fast as possible.

 

I think a person can take it for a yr, because at the beginning of the yr, the babe's not quite that bad, & at the end, he/she's better.

 

But 2 yrs of it in a row? :001_huh: :willy_nilly:

 

I just keep looking at 2yo & thinking, a yr from now, that will be the hardest thing we've got going. I can make it. I can make it.

 

And meanwhile...the bigs keep getting bigger. When I got pg w/ #3, they could *just* make their own sandwiches. In the last couple of weeks, ds8 has started doing some of his chores--taking out the trash--w/out me even having to ask. Just saw that it needed doing & thought he'd do it. :D

 

Some blessed day, everybody will get their own shoes on, & I won't even have to check that they match. :lol:

[1bassoon]

Some blessed day, everybody will get their own shoes on, & I won't even have to check that they match. :lol:

 

And you know what, Aubrey?

 

That day is coming, and it's all a blur and you turn around and wonder. . . .

 

"How is it that my baby can be almost 5??!!!"

 

Hang on, girl.

[tricia]

In the beginning of our homeschool adventure (22 years ago) I only did the schooling when the littles were down for a nap. Because the older school age ones didn't have to do that much since they were so young and just beginning. It worked out great. Then as the children kept coming I would have them do what they could on their own and we would work on the other stuff during naptime. It works. Life is crazy. But they learn. Somehow!!:001_smile:

[FriedClams]

I am missing the baby element - but I want to just throw in some things that might help -

 

+ Books on tape. SERIOUSLY way more relaxing for me than reading aloud and it does the same thing (IMHO). We snuggle as a family and listen, laugh, etc. Then the kids "catch up" dad (read "narrate"). It way easier than reading aloud and we've tackled some great books this way.

 

+ I've thought about this - but haven't done it - but it may help you ---- pack lunches the night before. My sister is a teacher and she and her DD pack all the lunches as they clean up dinner. I've thought it would be easy for larger families to do the same. One tupperware filled with PB&J, chips on the fridge top, paper plates ready, apples sliced and tossed with a little sprite and in 10 minutes the lunch rush is taken care of. You could do this with anything for lunch - but have it 100% ready at dinner.

 

+ Train the kids. My 8 and 6 year old kids put up all the dishes from the machine. Perfect? No. But it's so easy to get the kitchen cleaned up with no dishes in the drainer/washer.

 

+ Cinderella Hour. You know - the time BEFORE the ball. We scramble hard for an hour on Friday afternoon to clean for the weekend. Then we relax all weekend. Another cleaning party is for about 30 minutes Sunday night before Monday. The rest of the time it's "lived in".

 

+ Play pen training. Our parents did it to us and we lived through it. I think it kept me alive from the stories of my youth....

 

HTH. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!! You rock. Hang in there!!!!!!!

[TracyR]

We don't have a dw, so we kind of wash at them several times a day. Because otherwise, we'd have to give up eating on them. :lol:

__________________

 

We don't have a dishwasher either and so what I've found is that using paper plates and disposable spoons and forks(occasionally not all of the time mind you)really help keep dishes down during the week. Sometimes we have those 'poopy days' too but I just end up putting away what we were doing, read a story before bed and call it a day.

[Peri]

I would just stress the basics. Put science and history on the shelf unless you wanna give it to them over the weekend as a fun project and no real work involved. Just math, reading, writing, and spelling.

 

Close the bathroom door and put a bunch of toys on the ground near by ... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

[Jami]

You are terrifying me, Aubrey!

 

I finally got my three to 7, 6, and 4 and then went and had another one! :001_huh:

 

My little one just started crawling and pulling up and I'm nervous. Very nervous. ;) Now you've got me REALLY scared of life with a toddler while homeschooling.

 

Does your little guy nap? Can you get an hour or two of work in during that time? We've got at least one chunk of time usually in the morning where I can count on a decent nap.

 

The last time I had a 1 year old and also had a 3 and 4 year old, I didn't do much more than play, color and read. And by the time I wanted to start real Kindergarten work, Sophie was 3.

 

:grouphug:

 

I think I survived the years with several littles by being really strict about naps/rest time. That gave me time to clean things up. Bedtimes have always been really early too. Any chance the littles could go to bed an hour or two before the bigs and you could do school then?

[lmrich]

Just hugs and encouragement from me. I love the idea of listening to books on tape. I fondly remember listening with the kids while expecting #3 and I would doze off. They had to tell me what the story was about and I could really act like, "wow, tell me what happened next!" They thought I was a great actress.

 

I also used to make lunches the night before just as if we were going to school. It helped alot and the kids loved getting to use lunch boxes.

 

Best of wishes and get some sleep and I bet you will feel better soon.

[Terabith]

Yeah, there is a world of difference between one and 2. One year olds are still babies. Complete with no attention span and no impulse control.

 

I don't know what the layout of your house is, but I wonder if judicious use of baby gates could help? My guess is that the one year old and the two year old can play alone for a few minutes at a time, but that they can't really play TOGETHER without hands on intervention. Could you partition off some space and take turns working in the area of the 2 yr old and the 1 year old? Or what about letting the 2 year old take a toy in the play pen? She might be amused by being in the play pen.

[Aubrey]

You are terrifying me, Aubrey!

 

I finally got my three to 7, 6, and 4 and then went and had another one! :001_huh:

 

My little one just started crawling and pulling up and I'm nervous. Very nervous. ;) Now you've got me REALLY scared of life with a toddler while homeschooling.

 

Does your little guy nap? Can you get an hour or two of work in during that time? We've got at least one chunk of time usually in the morning where I can count on a decent nap.

 

The last time I had a 1 year old and also had a 3 and 4 year old, I didn't do much more than play, color and read. And by the time I wanted to start real Kindergarten work, Sophie was 3.

 

:grouphug:

 

I think I survived the years with several littles by being really strict about naps/rest time. That gave me time to clean things up. Bedtimes have always been really early too. Any chance the littles could go to bed an hour or two before the bigs and you could do school then?

 

It's not the having several littles that's a problem, see. It's having littles & middles. Middles are big enough to need to do a chunk of school. More than the 30 min to an hr of preK or K. But they're not big enough to change diapers.

 

They do a LOT that's WAY helpful. I wouldn't want to have two babies so close together w/out them, but...they need stuff, too. And the more you need from them, the more you expect from them. In the long run, I figure that's a good thing, but in the short run, it means that if you lose 20 min here or there because of a bad attitude, it's a BIG deal, because you maybe only have 45 min to start w/, since you're working around naps. And that can be pretty disappointing for mom, kwim?

 

It's not always a bad attitude. Today we nearly woke the babies up because we were so excited about our history lesson. Sometimes somebody forgets & runs down the hallway. They're kids, but I need them to think like adults, lol.

 

C sleeps app 3 hrs/day; A sleeps about 2. She was SO difficult last year, but now? When she gets tired, she'll just go lay herself down. She's gotten so easy I worry about making sure I've paid enough attention to her. And C's really a pretty easy-going baby, he's just gotten to that age--where you're on the cusp of everything--language, movement, & it's frustrating because you can see what you want & where you're going, & you get thwarted at every turn. Plus, there are some crazy mood swings as development happens, & it feels INSANE. Or so I'm often told. In a loud, foreign language. LOL

 

Like I said, though, it's just a yr. You'll be fine. I'm nuts because I'm going on my 2nd yr, but really, I'll be fine, too. L's doing SO much better that he's been a lot of help & really supportive, &...I learned from last yr w/ A, right? And the lessons are fresh, right? So I should be really good at this soon, right? Or it will be over. Either way, lol.

 

But, hey. You might want to hit the books hard while you can. ;)

[Aubrey]

Just hugs and encouragement from me. I love the idea of listening to books on tape. I fondly remember listening with the kids while expecting #3 and I would doze off. They had to tell me what the story was about and I could really act like, "wow, tell me what happened next!" They thought I was a great actress.

 

I also used to make lunches the night before just as if we were going to school. It helped alot and the kids loved getting to use lunch boxes.

 

Best of wishes and get some sleep and I bet you will feel better soon.

 

I know. I've thought about the lunches. I *hate* making lunches, lol. And soggy sandwiches. But we've got a package of brown lunch bags that have been politely suggesting themselves to me for some time.

 

I've at least got a *plan* for lunch this week. (Do you know how many apples 5 people eat in a week, if they ea eat 1 a day? Can you FATHOM buying 35 apples at once? And I'd really prefer to do 2 wks of shopping when I go, & there are actually 6 of us, not five. But I can't buy 84 apples. I just CAN'T.)

[Aubrey]

Yeah, there is a world of difference between one and 2. One year olds are still babies. Complete with no attention span and no impulse control.

 

I don't know what the layout of your house is, but I wonder if judicious use of baby gates could help? My guess is that the one year old and the two year old can play alone for a few minutes at a time, but that they can't really play TOGETHER without hands on intervention. Could you partition off some space and take turns working in the area of the 2 yr old and the 1 year old? Or what about letting the 2 year old take a toy in the play pen? She might be amused by being in the play pen.

 

Thank you for saying this. 1 & 2 are different. 2's not a problem right now. I mean...she can be time-consuming when she, um, tries to go to the bathroom w/out asking for help, lol, but she can sit in my lap & listen to *any* story (& not even tear the pgs), she can watch a movie, she can look at books, color, play playdough, etc. All the wonderful things that little kids can do during sch time. And happily.

 

1yo, though, wants to climb on me, pull my glasses off my face, through everything w/in reach on the table into the floor, tear the pages of whatever I'm reading, watches a movie for about 10 seconds (& they're really not supposed to watch movies before 2yo anyway), takes books/toys/food away from 2yo/6yo/8yo/me!, gets mad that the playdough tastes terrible, like we're trying to poison him (ok, that was 2yo last yr, haven't tried it on baby yet, but...I'm not holding my breath, lol), & he does it all MAD IF HE CAN SEE ME. If I'm out of sight, he's ok-ish. So it's easy to forget to print something, come back here to get it off the computer, & lose myself in the silence.

 

BUT 1yo last yr was hard because I was pg. I'm hormonally balanced & determined to win. Tonight when he cried, I put him in the stroller, & we went for a walk. We might do school that way. He can be trained to be happy in the playpen. He naps well.

 

And, importantly, he's doing a great job being a baby. He's just doing what he's supposed to do, so he's not a problem, he's just in a stage of development that doesn't coordinate well w/ his sibs at first glance. Upon closer inspection, though, he's exactly what we need right now.

 

(That was for me, not you. For the way I talk, to make sure I don't give the wrong impression to myself or my dc, so I don't breed any kind of resentment. Our days are actually better by far for having him around--he's good at reminding us when it's lunch time & good at reminding us what's important & good at reminding us that we are not for ourselves.)

[Renee in NC]

But they're not big enough to change diapers.

 

 

Sure they can - mine can do it (they don't do poopy diapers.) They can unload the sink/dishwasher, put their clothes away, load and start the washer, and vaccum (I am speaking of my 6 and 8yo.):D I bet they would like it, too!

 

What really helped me was to "assign" an older child to do things with the younger children while I worked with another. Between that, art supplies, and just general play we can get a couple of hours out of them.

 

This is where Managers of their Homes really helped me. I am not a schedule person, but really thinking through what each child should be doing at different times helped. Changing from one activity to another helps as well (at the table with you, in the room with toys, etc.)

 

Of course things are not always smooth - we have days where the baby gets awakened from his nap for no good reason.:glare:

[Starr]

You can get many books read aloud by getting audio books. We did a lot of traveling when my kids were younger. It would work just as well at home. And I do love those Story of the World cds.

[Terabith]

Yeah, I think 8 and six are old enough to change diapers.

 

That's such a hard age gap, because the 2 year old is potty training at exactly the same time that you want to lock the one year old out of the bathroom because his all-consuming desire in life is to play in the toilet. And if there happens to be poop in it that the two year old forgot to flush, so much the better!

 

(I'm spending the summer taking care of a baby that turned one three weeks ago. They're a lot of fun, but it's a very frustrating developmental stage. For everyone.) Add into that a two year old and the feeling that you're supposed to be completing something educational with two older ones, and that's a lot of stress.

[iwka]

I did not read all of the posts in this thread.

 

I started homeschooling when my oldest was 6 ( I don;t do nothing "officially" until they are 6), middle was 4 and I had 6mo old. I would say that the first year it took me 20-30 min for math, 20-30 min for phonics, 10 min handwriting and about 30-45 minutes of reading spread out throughout the day and I kept it that way for 2 years. When my youngest was 2, and the oldest 8 then, I added more subjects/time accordingly. I also send the two older ones once a week for a 6h co-op program (leave and pick up when done).

 

I think that the basics are all they need at the K-3 level.

[skaterbabs]

I'd suggest using a sling or backpack with the 1 yo. They're still babiesw, and still need to be carried. Using a sling will keep them out of trouble while still involving them in your daily activities.

[Rosie_0801]

Dh works a 2nd job in the evenings, so that's not as much of an option as it might be. And he's, um, *playful.* LOL--the kids could never concentrate w/ him around.

Does his idea of fun look like someone learning something? If there is mess involved, it's quite possible...

 

And the dishes? We don't have a dw, so we kind of wash at them several times a day. Because otherwise, we'd have to give up eating on them. :lol:

What's funny? You know it takes less time to wash a bunny rug than a bunch of dishes, right? Lay bunny rug on the floor. Put chopping board with food on it in the middle. Decorate the edges with children and tell them to drop their crumbs on the blanket. The blanket can be given a shake and used again at lunch time.

 

But they're not big enough to change diapers.

 

I was changing my brother's nappies when I was 6.

 

Rosie