FairProspects Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) So I have taken the advice of many of you long time homeschooling moms to start with my K'er and then release them to work with the older child. The problem is in our small family, my extremely social youngest does nothing but bug us and freak out the older who needs a quiet work environment. What do you do with your social K'ers when they are done with their work that is not a screen? I don't have time to direct anything with him and neither of my kids can handle doing any work independently. Younger ds does not read yet and left to his own devices, I found many broken items and huge liquid messes. I just cannot keep up with his activity level and teach his brother!! I'm about to send him to PS K, because I cannot figure out how to homeschool these two and maintain my sanity at the same time! Edited May 17, 2012 by FairProspects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeplessnights Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 With the ages of your kids, I would do a block of work in the morning, take a long break to do something active/fun/group-related together, and then send the youngest to his room for quiet time while I finish up with the older. That's similar to what I do. I'm also thinking about special projects like sewing crafts, various kits, his own garden project, lego construction following directions, or (our favorite) let him take something apart. My kids also work on similar subjects at the same time. First comes math. I give my oldest his lesson, then send him downstairs while I work with the youngers, etc. This way they are both busy at the same time. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I work on the core subjects with my big girl at night when my small girl goes to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Well, I only have the two girls, but I would send Sylvia into her room to play (tons of toys). She did a good job. She also sometimes did workbooks for fun or read. Another thing my girls loved at that age was a plastic basin filled with water and different containers and funnels. On a towel on the kitchen floor. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilbean05 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I give them something to color or a pretend job with the play kitchen. I will even turn on a Super Why or Word World for a bit while I work with my older kids on their core subjects. Overtime, they end up wandering into the room and listening in on what we are doing, but rarely does it become a big distraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 We also have a hard time working when little ones are free. Mostly I do focused things with the olders in the morning before the little ones get up (fortunately the sleep late), or in the afternoon during quiet time. We also do lots of switching around so that one of the big kids can play (read take the littles outside) while I work with the other big kids (in the past I have also had my sis for a lot of school, but next year she'll be in college). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 I work on the core subjects with my big girl at night when my small girl goes to bed. Unfortunately, this would never work for my SPD'er older. He is way too fried from coping with life by bedtime to do anything academic. Well, I only have the two girls, but I would send Sylvia into her room to play (tons of toys). She did a good job. She also sometimes did workbooks for fun or read. Another thing my girls loved at that age was a plastic basin filled with water and different containers and funnels. On a towel on the kitchen floor. ;) I could only wish! Ds is far too active to read or do workbooks. And the water with funnels is what I find in the bathroom that I am trying to avoid :D. I give them something to color or a pretend job with the play kitchen. Ds is beyond these activities. He is 5.5 but a wiggly boy. We don't even have a play kitchen any more and he rarely sits still to color. I appreciate the suggestions, but no one else has crazy active boys who can't work independently and are close in age? Coloring, desk work, or reading are not going to happen here..., playing outside (weather dependent) sometimes works for a bit, but not very long when ds is out there by himself - do I just have to deal with the mess/destruction until he is older? I supposed I could come up with some projects for him, but that is more planning :tongue_smilie:. I really do think my kids are *more* than average - more difficult, more intense, more active .*sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 :grouphug: Snap circuits? Legos? Paper airplanes? Run around the house 3 times, do 1 math problem with older. Run around house 3 times while you do 2nd math problems with older... Make one airplane, fly airplane 10 times while you do 3rd math problem... :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I solved the problem by having a third child, so there are always 2 kids to play together while I'm working with the other. :lol: I know, not exactly helpful to you. :tongue_smilie: I do feel your pain though. DS1 is very distracted by the other kids. He's getting better, and the other kids are getting better, but some stuff will just have to wait until everyone matures a bit more. :tongue_smilie: Can your younger one listen to an audio book and play Legos while you work with older one? How about computer with the headphones on? (not ideal, but sometimes you have to give in to the electronic babysitter :glare:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) I empathize with you. I have 2 also. Girls, but this year was 3rd and pk. I think having 2 kids (or an only) is harder in hs because there is no one to send them ofF with. Lots of people can say "I school one and the middle reads to the youngest" and they always have someone to shift with. My pk'r loves workbooks, but that doesn't help me because she's just going to ask every page "what do I do here?" and it's just not a good way to teach a 3rd grader FLL. :) I could put Legos and other things out but she'll want to show us, or not be interested long enough (maybe 5 mins). I can get some milage with mud (can see her in window), playdoh, etc....but then guess what? 3rd grader can't focus because sister is having fun and she's not. It's exhausting. I did put little sis is 3-day preschool, but not just because of this. I loved the school. They did all the "things" I would never really focus on. Cutting, pasting, movement and music....things I think are vital to development but I knew I'd likely not do as much. I there is a program you can appreciate in your area I'd say do it! Ours was pretty close to us, but there were shorter days where older and I would bring a subject or 2 and work At the park or chick fil a. I just used those days to get ahead or catch up. Otherwise, we'd school normal+. Mine couldn't do school at night (well, honestly it's me who can't) either. But about once a week I would pick one subject and do something with that at night. Sometimes I would take her under a tree and show her the new math for the week...this would make math a bit more independent that week. I did resort to educational tv. I've seen the value of it in my oldest honestly. I didn't cover skip counting as much as she knew it at 5. It was from tv. So about 1 or 2 days a week I can check the show line up and get Sid/BubbleGuppies/Dora all to work for me. I'm telling ya, those kids know facts I'd never tell them. I had never heard of a 3-toed sloth before my oldest watched Diego at the age of 3. I'm just saying. I do show them the schedule of tv school so they feel like its not a screen free for all. My oldest loves the screen to a fault so I make her watch Alton Brown or science type shows before she's allowed Wild Kratts (which is still valuable to me, but to push her up a level they become reward). At the very end of the year (she turned 5 last week) I was able to give her a timer and she had to spend that 15 mins on her own. Sometimes I gave chores, sometimes a room to play in, or a basket of pens/paper)....point was, she came back at the end and I'd do a workbook page with her, no hesitation. This went against my ADD brain, but I learned to just open a workbook and do it. Older knew to work on something if she could or color...she was not allowed to get up though. Usually little would go play after that or it was a good natural break anyway. I did not have a great year...we were too busy with outside stuff and that made our mornings high stress because of knowing we had to do x by y time. And that I had a 4 yr old that couldn't work indepently and had no one else to be with because the rest of her class (me and sis) were busy with each other. Sooo, as one who understands, I think it will have to be you and big brother that adapts...at least for a couple of years. And I don't like to plan a bunch of activities either. I just want to get done! :) Edited May 17, 2012 by mom2hunangirls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I solved the problem by having a third child, so there are always 2 kids to play together while I'm working with the other. :lol: I know, not exactly helpful to you. :tongue_smilie::) I always said I wanted 3 because 1 or 2 would be too hard to hs. :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Is there a neighbor's house he could go play at for one hour a day (afternoon when school kids are home or morning to play with a slightly younger child) while you work with your older son? Maybe a grandparent that could come a couple times a week for an hour or so to play with the younger and then stay for a little longer after the older is finished? It wouldn't give long stretches of time, but maybe enough for you to do an hour of direct instruction with your older and then he can work independently someplace quiet for another 30 minutes. There might be a local rec center that has classes (active stuff like tumbling or messy art) that would give you a little one on one time with the older a morning or two a week. You might even be able to stay on site in an unused room to make the most of the time. Good luck. My friend is in the same spot with her boys. Her really active ones are still young enough for parent's day out, which she utilizes twice a week for direct instruction time with the olders. One of those boys is really destructive if not supervised at all times. Maybe there's a small church program nearby that would allow your technically K'er to attend once or twice a week? Don't give up yet on your desire to homeschool both. Maturity will come to the younger (eventually) and you can help the older find a way to cope in the meantime. Headphones, maybe, for when he's just sitting and working but you and younger brother are in the room? I remember in school we had these huge folders that we'd put on our desks to block our view and keep us focused on what was in front of us. Would that help your oldest with sensory overload? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) Things that work here: - yoga balls to roll/bounce on - mini trampoline - single-line swing - Playdough with cookie cutters/rolling pins - jumping rope - sand box - geodome- type climber - painting at easel - sidewalk chalk - Water play (I know you want to avoid this one, but it's amazing for us.) - play bowling set DS reminded me of a few more things. - container garden they tend to (not a chance anything'll grow, but they have fun) - wheelbarrow and shovel to transfer dirt or rocks back and forth - jumbo cardboard blocks Edited May 17, 2012 by ssavings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I'm no help, but when I read the title, I was thinking, "Well, they move on to first grade, of course!" :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I solved the problem by having a third child, so there are always 2 kids to play together while I'm working with the other. :lol: I know, not exactly helpful to you. :tongue_smilie: I do feel your pain though. DS1 is very distracted by the other kids. He's getting better, and the other kids are getting better, but some stuff will just have to wait until everyone matures a bit more. :tongue_smilie: Can your younger one listen to an audio book and play Legos while you work with older one? How about computer with the headphones on? (not ideal, but sometimes you have to give in to the electronic babysitter :glare:) LOL I wish I would have thought about that a few years ago..... We do the headphones thing. I don't really limit electronics, because they seem to balance them well enough. DD has a few good aps on her ipad with headphones, or does a Polish or typing lesson on the computer which is quiet while I work with DS. There is pretty much NOTHING I can do with them together except read aloud. Oh yeah, we also have a digital piano with headphones. DD could do that for hours starting at 4 or 5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaeast Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I have a wiggly 5.5 boy, too, but we also have a little sister, 4, who entertains him well. She goes to preschool two mornings a week. My thought had been that that would allow us to get more schooling done with her out of the way, but the reality is that he is lost without her. When she's here, he plays with her and they usually make a giant mess of toys, but they are happy so I let it go and we clean it up some time later. When she's not here, he can't quite seem to figure out what to do and only wants screen time. I do give him some screen time, with headphones. I limit it to something educational, so I feel "less" guilty about it. When he's on his own, he jumps on the mini-trampoline in the basement, he uses blocks for a little bit, he likes to paint. He likes to construct things, so sometimes giving him a pile of sticks and glue keeps him occupied. He really likes to listen to books on cd. Most things are short-lived, but he'll get there in time. I don't have any great suggestions. Does he have little friends he can have over? Or go there?? I feel your pain! It will get better. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 One word: LEGO's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Here are a few suggestions that have worked in my house: Citiblocs. They are only school time toys so they get put away when school is over. These are some of the best building blocks my kids have owned. They will spend hours building projects. I've asked for the tallest tower, pyramids, elevated road ways, bridges. They are very versatile and can be used to build a variety of projects. I also recommend water play. Show him how to build a boat, give him a couple sheets of alunimum foil, and some marbles. Encourage him to build the strongest boat he can. He can test by dropping the marbles in the boat until it sinks. Dish soap, a kitchen sink, and a whisk. Lots of entertainment. A book of how-to fold paper airplanes and a stack of paper with a cardboard box for a target. C-rods. Build gradual towers. Magnetic shapes. My dd sits in front of the dishwasher and makes different designs. Push ups and sit ups. Outside time in the backyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 One word: LEGO's My thoughts exactly. I've got an active 5.5yo boy.;) He plays with legos, a pirate-structure-building toy, train tracks, a wild animal jungle set.... Mine does draw and color too though. Maybe spend some time teaching him a little drawing technique so he'll want to slow down for a few minutes...it might work. Dover coloring books...pirates and knights and Native Americans and wild animals. (My kids detest cheapo coloring books, but will color forever in the Dover books.) Depending on his maturity (haha:tongue_smilie:), a simple rule about keep all water in the tub might make some water/funnel/etc play doable. You may _______ or _______, but you must destroy the evidence when you are finished. (aka clean up) Can you teach some things together since they are close in age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I could only wish! Ds is far too active to read or do workbooks. And the water with funnels is what I find in the bathroom that I am trying to avoid :D. I just figured if it was structured... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Bummer he's fried by the evening! School at night works sooo well for us. We usually do the 3Rs at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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