S/O homeschooling with a toddler

[delaney]

How? How? How in the world? how? He is 16 insane months old and impossible to entertain!

[IsabelC]

I struggle with this issue too. I don't have any more suggestions to add to the last thread on the topic, except this: when all else fails, remember that it's temporary. In a year or two, your toddler will be a preschooler who can entertain himself reasonably well. :grouphug:

[NancyNellen]

Yep. My just turned 3 year old tried to wash the dog in my shower yesterday with 3 bottles of my nicest shampoo and conditioner. This was after he filled his cup up with toilet water and drank it. Oh, and there was the little Sharpie incident. Four can't come soon enough.

[violinmom]

I have 2yo twins turning the house upside down while I work with my 3 oldest. I try to get them to play in the sandbox, etc, etc. I also try to pull a fun toy or thing to do that they haven't played with in a while, and that usually gives us a bit of uninterrupted time.

[patchfire]

Yeahhh... it's a trip. Right now we have school in one big room where half is baby-space and half is school-space. That helps. We also end up doing some school ahead on the weekends, or at night after Daddy's home... you get the idea.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I read aloud during breakfast so that my dd (22 months) has her mouth full.

Some great activities to keep them busy are a bucket with some cups and a little water. I always have to mop it off the floor later, but it keeps her quiet and I have a clean floor afterward. She likes markers, they usually end up all over her face though. She just started becoming interested in TV, so I use that. Her favorite is Elmo's Adventure or something like that its a movie. During Art and Music I let her participate, or during any crafts we have she gets to be involved. She loves puzzles, lacing cards, blocks, the abacus, and play-do. I make my play-do edible because she kept eating it. Stickers and a blank sheet of paper will also keep her busy for awhile, at first I had to peel them all for her.

We still do History, foreign language, and phonics while she is napping. Nap time is the biggest break.

[Lovedtodeath]

It is very difficult. Part of the time we have MFW preschool for him at the same table with us, along with a big preK book from Walmart and colored pencils. Then when we take a break after about 45 minutes we will do his music class and some chores.

 

Sometimes he plays video games or educational games either on the TV or computer. We also have a room devoted to a bunch of toys and we have our school desks and things in there. We haven't been using it as much because it is harder for me to move around in (broken foot).

 

Then we also do school outside part of the time and that helps. Some days if we have a very intensive lesson for math or spelling we will do those after Dad comes home and he will keep our baby occupied.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[babysparkler]

Ugh... last week my 2.5yo took scissors to our blinds in the living room, and a sharpie to "write letters" on the wall... while I was giving a spelling test in the next room. I can't take my eyes off of him now-a-days, which makes everything harder. I miss the "nursing-baby-in-my-arms" stage. :glare:

[JudoMom]

How? How? How in the world? how? He is 16 insane months old and impossible to entertain!

 

Don't worry--it gets better around 3.5-4.

 

Other than that, I've got nothing. :leaving:

[delaney]

Don't worry--it gets better around 3.5-4.

 

Other than that, I've got nothing. :leaving:

Well that's a relief!!:lol:

[razorbackmama]

As I was reading this, my 2yo found the gum she had earlier in the day (not sure where she had left it) and put it back in her mouth. Yum yum.

 

Sharpies...oh yes. Been there. Her current fascination is scissors.:001_huh:

 

One thing that SOMEWHAT helps is that I schedule an older child to play with her periodically during the day.

 

Videos can be my friend, although at 16 months, she wasn't really into them yet.:glare:

 

I've heard of people who put their toddlers in preschool/day care so they can actually HOMESCHOOL. I can so understand.

 

It will be such a happy day once ALL of my kids are in school. Sure I'll have 6 of them doing school at a time, but that will be a CINCH compared to schooling with a toddler on the side!!!

[mom2hunangirls]

The only help I can offer is that it's not just you and if misery loves company...I'm here with ya!

 

18mos-2yr was by far the hardest 7 months of my life. While bringing her into our lives, we were stranded in China in the worst natural disasters in 80 yrs (not the earthquake) and we had to SNEAK out of China on a flight that never happened officially...I knew then that this lovebug was going to be my storm.

 

She's 2.5 (3 in May) now and I still want to crawl in a hole when we have to do school with her here. My first dd I could discipline and instruct her to "stay here and play with this". My "Hurricane" has taught me that I was more lucky than good at instructions with dd1.

 

And sadly, big sister will want to do what ever little sister is doing if I did find something that would hold her attention. *sigh* But I decided that Leap Frog, Little Einsteins, Blue's Clues, and Team Umizoomie have a beloved place in our Tot School. It's a phase. I hope. I pray.

 

Hurricane goes to Mother's Morning Out 2 mornings a week. On those mornings dd1 and I double up and work hard so that we have as little as possible to do the other 3 mornings. In the fall, Hurricane will go to pk3 for either 3 or 5 mornings a week. I have to send the little one to school if I'm going to teach the older one anything!!

 

I've tried the special school-only toys, play-doh, and all the rest...the girl is just busy. And there is no way she can be left alone. Today I thought I was watching her draw on the patio with chalk. Her back was to me, but I was staring right at her while dd did math. When dd joined her outside we discovered she was getting the chalk wet and using it as "lipstick". yep. all over her face and lips. If I let my guard down I'm guaranteed to have a mess to clean up, a trip to the ER, or a chat with poison control. We haven't actually had to go to the ER yet...but with her, it's just a matter of time and opportunity.

 

Sorry to go off on that tangent....can you tell I've had a rough, non-Mother's Morning Out day?? :)

 

She is the walking example of "God made them so cute for a reason." I love my little Hurricane.

 

And my hat's off to anyone who can school during nap time. I am absolutely in need of a nap at that point in the day. I'd school on Saturdays before giving my nap up! :D

[joni470]

I remember this stage and I almost get a headache thinking back. My third child never stopped moving after his eyes opened in the morning. When I finished teaching the house was a wreck from all of the "toys" he had played with. Many were not his toys. I did work with my oldest who was a senior in high school during the early morning hours. We could get two hours in before he woke. Then I juggled the watching the toddler from the picnic table while I did school with the 8th grader. It was exhausting. But, as others have said...it will pass.

 

Savannah

http://www.hammocktracks.com

[mom2hunangirls]

One thing that SOMEWHAT helps is that I schedule an older child to play with her periodically during the day.

 

I actually had that idea as we decided whether or not to go for #3. :tongue_smilie: I kept thinking how nice it would be to have someone to trade off with! But then it occurred to me that we might get another Hurricane and I would have to go through 18mos-2yr all over again and then I would never be able to leave those 2 alone together!

 

We still wanted to go for #3, mind you, but China decided "no" for us. But if they had said "come on" I would be scared to death! :)

 

I'm not making any sense now...I'm deliriously tired.

[razorbackmama]

If I let my guard down I'm guaranteed to have a mess to clean up, a trip to the ER, or a chat with poison control. We haven't actually had to go to the ER yet...but with her, it's just a matter of time and opportunity.

 

Oh I so hear you. I thought I had somewhat of a clue when it came to toddlers. And then #6 taught me that I don't know squat. She was my FIRST to have to call poison control for, to cut her own hair (although I did have one cut someone else's hair LOL), and to find a foreign body in her poop.

 

She is the walking example of "God made them so cute for a reason." I love my little Hurricane.

 

Amen and amen. We have said OFTEN, "It's a good thing she's so cute." AND, "If she had been the first, she would have been an only child.":lol:

 

And my hat's off to anyone who can school during nap time. I am absolutely in need of a nap at that point in the day. I'd school on Saturdays before giving my nap up! :D

 

That reminds me...that's when we do anything that involves reading aloud. I hate it, but...it's necessary.:tongue_smilie:

[2squared]

Don't worry--it gets better around 3.5-4.

 

Other than that, I've got nothing. :leaving:

 

Yeah, but I am going to have toddlers perpetually. I need a Calgon break.

 

For now I school during nap time, but that won't be enough time for the next 4-5 years. :glare:

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I actually had that idea as we decided whether or not to go for #3. :tongue_smilie: I kept thinking how nice it would be to have someone to trade off with! But then it occurred to me that we might get another Hurricane and I would have to go through 18mos-2yr all over again and then I would never be able to leave those 2 alone together!

 

We still wanted to go for #3, mind you, but China decided "no" for us. But if they had said "come on" I would be scared to death! :)

 

I'm not making any sense now...I'm deliriously tired.

 

 

I ended up with 2 hurricanes. It makes it tougher! :lol: My dd is 22 months and my ds is 5. She follows him around and acts exactly like him. She climbs on furniture and jumps off, she runs in circles for no good reason, and throws toys farther than you would think a toddler could. She can almost climb over the baby gates, I am praying that day comes many months from now instead of weeks. :ohmy:

 

I also have a ds 9 doing 4th grade work. Once you get to this grade level it is much more independent. In the mornings I go over all his LA, math, reading, and bible for the day. He then does it on his own. Later we do History and Science together.

My biggest problem is sleep schedules. Ds 5 has always been a night owl. I cannot get him to fall asleep before 10pm. He will go to bed at 830 and stay in his room but he will not fall asleep. Most nights it is 1130-12 before he crashes. I do not feel safe going to sleep before him, so I do not go to sleep before then. However, my dd goes to sleep at 7pm and is up at 6am. So, I go to bed at 12 and get up at 6. I am surviving on caffeine! :D I have tried to change one or both of them for the last 3 months and finally have given up.

So, I cannot nap during dd's nap because that would be leaving ds5 free. It is not worth the mess I have to clean up to get a little more sleep. Just pop open another Diet Coke and I am good to go!

[Mom-ninja.]

I think back to the days when my older two were toddlers and I didn't have the responsibility of doing lessons. I miss those days. I feel like my youngest misses out because I can't spend the kind of time with him like I did with my older boys.

 

I love love the toddler stage. It's the toddler stage added with home school lessons that stress me out. Wish I didn't have to teach sometimes. I actually fantasize about sending my older boys to school so I can have time with my youngest before he's not a toddler anymore.