Homeschooling "Olders" when you also have "Littles"

[CathyCDK]

We have two dd, 8 and almost 10. We are also foster parents, and currently have a sibling group of 3, ages 5, almost 4 and 2 1/2. There is a 12 month old baby that we don't currently have, but could in the next couple months.

 

Up until this group, we've had babies and toddlers, and for some reason, we were able to get a lot more done during the day. For the first month that the children were here, we accomplished very little school. When their case worker suggested daycare, I didn't resist. The kids have been in daycare for 6 weeks, and they love it and are doing great. However, I am not embracing the world of daycare. I don't know if it's just this daycare center, or the whole idea of daycare that I don't like. For one thing, I really miss the kids. I get to spend about an hour with them each evening after dinner. Another thing is that I don't really see any academic progress in any of them. The oldest just turned 5, and I'm thinking about bringing him home. But I want them all home! They are all at or beyond age level developmentally, verbally, and cognitively. They are ready for some educational activities and preschool.

 

When I think about having them all here all day, everyday, I get scared, because I remember how chaotic it was here before they started daycare. But, I think, if they were all ours, like other families with lots of "littles", we would not have them in daycare. And if we get to adopt them, the state will not pay for daycare once the adoption is final. So this is a situation we may end up facing soon anyway.

 

I said all of that to ask this, lol: For those of you who have prechoolers and toddlers, how do you homeschool your olders and get things accomplished? How to plan to meet everyone's educational needs, and have time to get it done? What do your "littles" do while you are working with the "olders", and what do the "olders" do while you are working with the "littles"? What do all of them do while you are doing other things, such as cooking, cleaning, or just taking a break?

 

I appreciate your replies!

 

Blessings,

Cathy

[Julie in Austin]

If it were me (and it might be soon, since we just got our foster care license!), I would bring them home due to what I have read about the need for hurt kids to spend as much time with the primary caregiver as possible as well as my personal feelings about daycare.

 

In your situation, I would assign the 8yo to play with the littles for two 20 minute periods so you could work with the 10yo, and the same for the 10yo. I would allow the littles some educational TV time to work with the olders. I would also have nap/quiet time. (I have done all of these things when mine were littler.) I might also consider having a mother's helper in to play with the littles. (I've never been able to afford that with my own, but might be able to with the foster care stipend.) I'd also look into curriculum that was less teacher intensive. I've also had really good luck with activity bags!

 

Hope this helps.

[AuntieM]

I am facing this challenge as well, with a sophomore, two 7th graders and a *very precocious* soon-to-be-5yo. She deserves school time attention as well - she reads quite well and wants to do math - I am just struggling to fit it all into the schedule.

 

I have made her a play area in the basement and she has a couple of PBS shows she is permitted to watch, but that doesn't give her the personal interaction that her individual personality craves. It was much easier with the twins, they could play together when I worked with my older on more difficult subjects. I am hoping to be able to arrange more time with grandparents and auntie to help fill some of her time. I just don't want them to think I'm considering them just babysitters, i want their time together to be enjoyed, not obligated.

 

My biggest issue of prayer this season is whether or not to send her to the neighborhood public school for K next year, strictly to meet the daycare need. Next year I will have a pair of 8th graders who require lots of attention, plus a college-bound junior involved in the college application and entrance testing process. I just don't know how much she might balk at coming back home for 1st grade the following year (well, probably she'll be doing 2nd grade work, one of the biggest reasons I'd bring her back home then).

 

I will be looking at all the responses in this thread. :lurk5:

Edited January 4, 2010 by AuntieM

[Sugarfoot]

This is my biggest challenge right now. Actually, it's been my biggest challenge for the past 2 years. I keep waiting for things to get easier, but they're not.

 

My older DC are in 8th and 6th. My oldest is dyslexic. He reads well now, but still needs more from me. It's so hard. I feel like I'm failing often.

 

My 3 y.o. is VERY high strung. She's loud. And precocious. Her 2 y.o. brother is busy, but less demanding. Except when she's pestering him to the point that he starts crying for me.

 

I have some Montessori materials for them that they know how to use, and that will keep them busy for awhile, about 20-30 minutes. I feel like they're getting they're educational needs met, too. They'll play on the floor while I read aloud. They will watch an educational DVD for about 20 minutes with a snack. They both have a 2 hour nap/rest period.

 

I have a brief individual tutoring session with each of the big kids after the littles go to bed, and we really try to focus on whatever they need.

 

I have to start each day with a plan to meet each child's needs. I feel like I fail often, yet my older children are doing well educationally, and my littles are thriving. I think that as a Mom, we want so much for them that it's easy to see our failures and miss the successes.

 

Good luck! :grouphug:

[cathmom]

Huh. Yeah. I don't get much done. It's a constant struggle. Couldn't they go to some sort of half-day program?

[Dobela]

I was a foster parent for 5 years and we never had the option to preschool/daycare or homeschool. If the plans were for the child to return home we had to allow the child to go to preschool. If we had concerns about the preschool then we could ask for a change in location or for the child to be referred to a developmental center or head start where academics and such were a larger priority. usually the children we had also needed counseling and developmental therapies of some sort, even just speech therapy, and those were met by the center. The reasoning was that they had deficits to make up and that if the child returned home, most likely the parents would need the support and observation that a center could provide. The only time I could homeschool was when the child was either from a different county, under age 2, or never in a preschool. Once they were public school age they had to attend ps unless the adoption plan was for me to adopt and then even homeschool was not recommended by most social workers. I could however pick the cihldren up earlier in the day - say 2 or 3, if I wanted though.

 

Now, as far as homeschooling them all together, it takes planning and organization. Lots of it. You have to train your olders to be more independent for sure. I found that a timer was my best friend the few times I had older foster children at home. I also made up my own system like the workboxes that others do so that there was always another new activity waiting that was academic. However, I must say that for my own 2yo this doesn't always work. She is so, well, 2 LOL.

[GaHadley]

I agree with some of the PPs to let your older kids work and play with the younger ones. They can do educational games with them and just fun stuff.

 

Fix them some different activities for them to rotate through - rice bins, water tub, etc with kitchen gadgets are lots of fun for kids.

 

Playdoh

blocks

lacing cards

coloring

water painting

file folder games

 

set a schedule so that they always know what's next - some tv, some alone play time, time to sit and read books, may be a game on the computer, a school time with you, a play session with an older. . .

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

If you don't already have it, the book "Managers of Thier Homes" by Steve and Teri Maxwell is great. It has lots of tips on how to entertain littles and meet the needs of the olders. It has a charting system to help you manage your time and each of theirs.

 

Here is what their website Titus2.com says about the book:

 

"A homeschool mother's greatest challenge may be "getting it all done." Managers of Their Homes offers solutions! Responses by families who have read Managers of Their Homes and utilized the Scheduling Kit indicate the almost unbelievable improvements they have realized.

 

Who wouldn't like to accomplish more and have time left over?

How does one schedule school time? What about schooling with babies and toddlers? Are you struggling with keeping up in areas such as laundry, dishes, or housekeeping? Does it seem like there is no time for you in the day? Are you missing special time with your children? Do you feel stressed over the busyness of your days or not accomplishing all you want? Are your children doing what you want them to do each day? It doesn't matter whether you have one child or twelve, this book will help you to plan your daily schedule..."

[GaHadley]

If you don't already have it, the book "Managers of Thier Homes" by Steve and Teri Maxwell is great. It has lots of tips on how to entertain littles and meet the needs of the olders. It has a charting system to help you manage your time and each of theirs.

 

Here is what their website Titus2.com says about the book:

 

"A homeschool mother's greatest challenge may be "getting it all done." Managers of Their Homes offers solutions! Responses by families who have read Managers of Their Homes and utilized the Scheduling Kit indicate the almost unbelievable improvements they have realized.

 

Who wouldn't like to accomplish more and have time left over?

How does one schedule school time? What about schooling with babies and toddlers? Are you struggling with keeping up in areas such as laundry, dishes, or housekeeping? Does it seem like there is no time for you in the day? Are you missing special time with your children? Do you feel stressed over the busyness of your days or not accomplishing all you want? Are your children doing what you want them to do each day? It doesn't matter whether you have one child or twelve, this book will help you to plan your daily schedule..."

 

 

I agree - the MOTH book is well worth the investment - it's very encouraging to me and does have lots of ideas for making it all work!

[SonshineLearner]

I would see if I could do daycare for part time... For me... probably 9am-right after lunch:-)

 

Carrie:-)

[FloridaLisa]

Homeschooling olders and youngers has looked different in our home each year. In July, as I'm planning and putting our schedule together, I feel completely overwhelmed! This last summer I told my husband that I just didn't know how it would all work. He grinned and reminded me that I say that every year. :001_smile:

 

Here are some things that have worked for me over the years:

 

*routine: We do not use a timer but we do have a routine. Once we're in the groove, there are days that can flow pretty well. Our routine includes morning chores before starting school. That is sooooo essential for me to know that breakfast dishes are cleaned, floors are swept, laundry is started, beds are made.

 

*independent work: Each one of the kids (except perhaps the 2 yr old) should have independent work that can be done while you are teaching others. For the youngers, you can assemble workbooks, copywork, a basket of books, computer software, etc.

 

*checklists or a written schedule for your olders. This will help your olders stay on track while you are teaching or tending to the youngers. Each weekend, I make out a detailed schedule for each of my older kids. It takes some time, but it helps me stay focused, gives me a chance to stay on top of their work and gives them the necessary guidance/accountability. And there are many days that we don't get to everything on the schedule or that I make a mid-week change, but it gives us rails on which to ride for the week.

 

*staggered start times: This was a HUGE help for several years. I capitalized on two of my early risers by getting my one-on-one teaching time with them in early in the morning while the others were still getting breakfast, beds made, ect.

 

*morning bath time for the littlest: you may laugh but I can get a lot of teaching done while a toddler plays in the bathtub! One year, I gave a long toddler bath every day while teaching several lessons in the bathroom to differnent bigger kids.

 

*let olders take a turn with the littles while you teach: I've always been careful here not to require too much help from my olders. My olders are busy enough with full academic loads. And I've not always used this. But this year, it's working fabulously. I have 4 olders (oldest is dual-enrolled at college) take turns providing different stations for my two youngers. The beauty is that it's not just playtime, it's learning time. My youngest two rotate through a math circle time, then outside play/snack time, then read aloud time and then a hands-on activity.

 

*teach kids together when you can. We begin our day together with Bible time, scripture memory, prayer. It's great training for the littles to learn to sit quietly. A bag of pretzels or Cheerios can help. :001_smile: Similarly, teach the 4/5 year old together when possible and your two olders together when possible.

 

*naps. We have *always* had a quiet time/reading time after lunch. For at least one hour, every either reads independently or naps. I generally do not use this time to teach, though I occasionally will work in a quick phonics lesson with my emerging readers. This one hour is time for me to refill and refresh; time when I can *think my own thoughts.* Again, part of a routine that really refreshes everyone.

 

*play area: I don't have it in this house, but I set up a playroom in our former house. This was so helpful when my kids were your children's ages. It was competely child-friendly and my youngers could play for a while I taught with an ear and eye on them. That worked out really well.

 

There are lots of other ways that it can be done including teaching in the evenings and Saturday studies, setting up boxes of special toys to be used only during playtime, etc. Finally, training your kids is critical to success: about the routine, their responsibilities, expectations, behavior during school, managing little ones during their station time, listening to olders during station time. I expect to have to re-train and remind this week a bit as we've all been out of routine for several weeks!

 

I hope something here helps. I wish I could be more specific, but really, I have had to learn to pray mightily and watch as the Lord gives me creativity and answers as to how to manage each year.

 

Many blessings,

Lisa

[angelmorris]

There are a couple of things we all do together such as start the day with a prayer, song and gospel study (grapevine) then we talk about geography together and when I read aloud they listen. My littles are still in the learning letters phase so we do a letter a week. After we do the things stated above I have my older kids do something they can do alone while I talk about the letter/shape/number ect we're working on that day. Then I give the little girls coloring pages/ worksheets related to that subject to color/cut and then glue into a folder to keep. This takes several days of work for them. If they tire of that they can go play or I have a huge arsenal of quiet educational activities for them. Pattern Blocks, Lacing cards and beads, Puzzles, Magnetix, Legos, Chalk boards/white boards, Magnetic letters/numbers, leap frog videos, simple games they can play together ect.

Aside from that I make it clear if your at the table you must be working quietly otherwise your welcome to go play quietly. They do pretty well with this and we seem to get along pretty well most days.