If you have a large family...

[Gentlemommy]

And you don't subscribe to the "the baby IS the lesson" (meaning, you don't take a lot of time off of school when a new baby comes, and you maintain a rigorous {whatever that means for your children} education) philosophy... HOW do you do it with babies/toddlers?!?! Sigh. Right now, I just have 3, dd2, dd5, and dd7(almost 8). The two bigger girls are easy peasy. Dd7 does need some more supervision as she tends to get distracted easily, but she is a hard worker, is diligent in what she does, and is compliant and does school with minimal complaining. Dd5 is even easier, often getting her etc and Miquon workbooks and just working through the next few pages without any help from me. She is very precocious, and eager to do school. She's quick to pick up the material, and actually prefers me to explain and then leave her alone.

Dd2 is the problem. She's very very TWO. She gets into everything, distracts, destroys, and just generally causes chaos. Lol. I have such a hard time keeping her entertained and out of trouble, and giving my other two enough supervision. I know this is a phase, and soon enough, dd3 will be old enough to play on her own.

However, I'd like more kids! Currently we are awaiting our first foster placement, which will be a child under five years old. I know we will need to take a day or two off here and there to welcome the foster children to our family, but I'd like to maintain a regular schedule. I don't want to use the excuse of having a new baby or a demanding toddler forever, kwim? I know my kids are still young, and it will get easier, but what if there is always a young child? And the older children get to the pint where just playing isn't enough?

I know there are families with many more kids than I have, and somehow they make it work for years having babies and toddlers. I need to know their secrets!!!

Tell me about your day, your schedule, your tips and tricks, curriculum, ect. How do you make it work, while welcoming more and more little ones? Thanks!!!

 

[Rbsmrter]

I know exactly how you feel. I have a 5, 4, and almost 2 y.o, with a new baby on the way. I was thrilled to find out I was expecting but my immediate next thought was "how in the world am I going to do this?" In the past few weeks we've explored quite a few different options, including private and public schools, but when my oldest told me she liked the schools, but just wasn't ready to leave the family for that long everyday, I realized I was going to have to make it work. We live on an island and are about an hour from the closest big city, so we have zero homeschooling resources around us. I miss the support, encouragement, and interaction we had before we moved!

 

I've realized that I can't do everything well so I've had to let some things go. I like to make most of our food, rather then buying processed food, but there is no way I could make three meals a day from scratch! For now I think of two breakfasts and two lunch that we alternate each day for a week. The kids have yet to complain about repeating meals. I prepare it all on Sunday so the daytime meals are ready to go for the week. Our dinners are simple, but healthy. I usually stick with tried and true meals and don't try anything new or fancy. I double the portions so that I can put the other portion in the freezer and repeat the same dinners the following week, so all I have to do is think of 7 meals.

 

My 2 y.o is my biggest challenge by far. She's a little daredevil and gets into all kinds of trouble. It amazes me what she has managed to figure out. She's also very needy and still loves to be held. Luckily she does still take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. One of my hardest revelations was realizing that I needed to give up that hour of quiet time for myself and spend her nap time doing school. I realize its just one season of life and I find plenty of ways to sneak in alone time after the kids go to bed. We cant always get everything done during her nap time, so we still use to school during her awake time. Snacks are definitely her best friend :) Shes's pretty active but she will tend to sit next to me with toys for a short amount of time so I try to cycle out toys every week so that things seem new to her. Sometimes the simplest things (pulling tissues out of the tissue box) have entertained her for longer than I could have imagined.

 

I also tend to be a planner. We school very little during the summer and I spend the time planning our most time consuming subjects. For example, SOTW. Its not necessarily complicated but it does require quite a few books and supplies. I planned out the entire year by weeks. I put every book, coloring sheet, art supply, etc that I needed for that week into each section (I just used milk crates). That way I knew all I needed to do was pull stuff out and go, and it managed to cut down on any excuses tha I came up with, although moving did set us a few weeks behind! I also did that with our other subjects but usually that just involved making a few copies and setting aside a few books. I did sit down on Sunday nights and set out manipulatives and supplies that I knew we would need for certain subjects. With a new baby coming in September I'm guessing ill be planning as much as possible this summer. We've used work boxes in the past and we might need to revisit them for the first few months while I'm adjusting. It makes it so much easier for DH to jump in and help when he is home and the expectations for my daughter are very clear. It also frees me up to spend some one on one time with the little ones. I just need to make sure I figure out enough incentive to keep my easily distracted daughter from dragging her feet :)

 

I can't wait to hear what other people have to say. It's definitely a challenging time with lots of little ones but I'm looking forward to hearing the creative ways that people have managed to make it easier!

[claluck]

I am so not sure how I am going to do it lol. I am expecting my 7th the first week of April. My plan is to take one complete week off and one halfway week and then full swing into things by the following week. It might be all pipe dreams lol but thats my plan. I currently have a just turned 11 year old, a 9 year old, twin 6 year olds, a 4 year old and 2 year old. The twins are in public school (Dad wants them to public school K and first grade), I will bring them home in second grade. So I do have it easier there. But the 4 year old and 2 year old are their own world of challenge. I made up a schedule just for her for the day keeping her well fed and with lots of variety in activities. We do playdough, and sorting, lacing, cars, all sorts of stuff. I just keep her going. If its a good day I try my hardest to get the 2 and 4 year old playing together. They just need to get started and can keep each other occupied for hours. I just need to get them there you know. I have also worked hard at making my kids be as independent as possible. I schedule into my day certain things. I have had to make a few of our read alouds into audio books, I just pause them occasionally to make sure they understand what is going on. It was just too hard to read myself with a toddler jumping on my lap and my 4 year old whining about whatever.

 

My plan for after the baby, I have been trying to stock up some freezer meals. I wont use them every day but they will be there to pull out on the days things don't seem to be going well or the days my husband will be home late. I am like the previous poster, there are ZERO homeschooling resources nearby and I only know two other families who homeschool, one of which does not do it the way I do (I wont go there but they are the kind that make people look down on homeschooling, their kids are way behind and lazy and lack any social skills). I buy everything I need online (thank you amazon prime) including lots of things most people can run to the store for. (I live 4 hours away from a walmart or any similar store).

 

I just tell the kids they can get the school done, or do it in the summer. They are pretty motivated to get it done now. I set the expectation and they seem to follow for the most part. I would say it has been pretty successful, I was a total blob the first 4 months of this pregnancy with terrible morning sickness. And they somehow managed to get it done. Threre were days that were more flops than successes but.... I am sorta turning into a blob now too as I get down to the last month lol. But we are doing okay. Nothing fabulous, our work is taking a tidge bit longer but we are getting it done every day. We will see maybe I will eat my words in a month and come crying on here about how hard it all is but even though I am nervous I am trying my hardest to be optimistic. I think I learned alot when I had my twins about letting go in some areas. It might not all be pretty but it gets done. If I can manage to keep them fed, relatively happy, healthy and my house clean (this doesn't mean its not messy) I figure we are doing okay. We get there eventually. Granted I also have an awesome husband who is pretty helpful and supportive when he is home.

 

Christina

[LittleIzumi]

I completely abuse iPad privileges with my 2-year-old. Bad me. Plus I'll bring out toys he hasn't used in a while. But mostly when the K'er is done, I send her to play with him so I can finish with the older girl who needs more attention.

[Gentlemommy]

Oh, trust me, if she would play with the iPad, I'd totally let her. She won't. Well, no, she will for like 12.5 seconds, and then she's off destroying something. Lol.

[alef]

Have a very basic checklist of things that need to be done every day regardless of what else is going on, keep this list very short. Teach the older children that they need to do the things on that list every day. Then have a longer list/schedule for good days, but know that the most important things will happen even on not-so-good days. School year-round so the kids are used to a routine and you don't have to spend time re-teaching the routine after a long break (and so that you have more time to get through the work you want to get through in a year).

[Heidi]

I wait on a few subjects until they can be done more independently in depth. Grammar is one, science, classical studies, history in depth, literature guides, ect. Those things can wait until 3rd or 4th grade, imo.

 

I try to train the littles to play quietly during the important parts of school; for instance my ds3 can look at books or color in the same room, he can play loudly in a different room, but if he won't cooperate he gets to sit in the laundry room until he is ready to follow the rules. That works well for him.

 

My dd1.5 I will set her another room with toys or put her in a high chair with snacks. If nothing works, I delay the teacher intensive subject, have them work on independent subjects until I can teach again.

 

I school through the summer if I know I will need to take off a few months for a new baby.

[prairiewindmomma]

Spend time with the two year old first thing...Fill her little love bucket. Then assign one of the children to play with her while you work with the other one on one.

 

Use dvds judiciously....I like to make it part of the daily routine. If your toddler has a daily routine, they will transition between activities more easily.

 

Utilize naptime for schoolwork, use other parts of your day to do housework.

 

Have your 2 year old help you with housework and use that as part of a bonding time. Mine have all loved to pretend to fold clothes, to play in soapy water at the sink, and to push the button on the dishwasher and washing machine. They also love sweeping with a small broom or using a dustbuster.

 

Get audiobooks at the library that come with the accompanying storybook or have an older child read to her as part of their phonics work. Two years olds are generally incredibly appreciative of being read to and it can make a nervous beginning reader relax to read to them (as compared to you--at least this has been true of my perfectionistic children).

 

Blanket train your child from a small age. Teach them they have to stay on their blanket and play with toys quietly. We start with a 3 minute timer and work our way up to 15 minutes as a toddler and 30 minutes as a preschooler.

 

Create a bazillion busy bags.

 

Be sure to wear them out with physical activity and feed them snacks. Most meltdowns here are from low blood sugar or needing to move their little bodies.

 

Put them to bed at a consistent time. Let an older child stay up with you to go over any schoolwork you didn't get a chance to talk about during the day. (Good for older kids, especially.)

[2squared]

I wait on a few subjects until they can be done more independently in depth. Grammar is one, science, classical studies, history in depth, literature guides, ect. Those things can wait until 3rd or 4th grade, imo.

 

 

I prioritize schooling to skill subjects for the littlest ones, and I aim for efficiency. We do not do projects or activities or experiments. My Ker only works on reading, math, and handwriting for about 45 min/day. My 3rd grader focuses on writing and math, and content subjects were added this year, but they are covered entirely through his independent reading. Formal science and history don't start until 5th grade. I try to major on the majors and go from there. With a young household, we don't often get past the majors.

 

FWIW, I need a break from school. I would mentally break down if school work went past 4:00 or so, and I have to be realistic of what I can truly do in any given day.

[stm4him]

I have 6 children ages 11 and under and another due anytime in the next 3 1/2 weeks. This year I am teaching 4 of them. I cannot offer much in the way of advice on housework or meals beyond what is given here. I think all I can manage to do these days is teach, do all the laundry (kids put their own away after age 3), straighten up here and there, and take care of the kids. My husband and oldest daughter and son do the large majority of the cooking and food serving now and most of the kitchen chores. I keep them all clothed and educated :-) My husband runs all the errands and does the grocery shopping most of the time. I used to order groceries online from Harris Teeter for either pickup or delivery but we buy most things in bulk now so we do a big store run to Sams or Costco once or twice a month and the rest my husband does by popping into the store every few days for what we need.

 

What I can offer advice on is curriculum. There were years when I was pleased with the basic housework routines in place and/or our meal schedule but I felt very guilty about schoolwork not getting done. Now it is the opposite and although the housework that doesn't get done frustrates me I know it is a season; but their education is important no matter what. As these guys get older and older they can help more and more around here (I have only 2 that are 8 and up which are when they become truly helpful) but missing out on foundational years of learning is much harder to regain later. I'm sure you already believe that.

 

For us I have found that Classical Conversations has really, really helped shape our vision and goals for our homeschool. We spend the morning doing memory work together and even my little kids can join in and sing and dance through it. I spend some time reading the context behind the memory work and then my older ones get started on notebooking what they've learned. Next year I'm hoping to have them doing coloring and cutting projects related to our memory work. I do grammar on a whiteboard with my two oldest for about half an hour. Next year I will work with my oldest alone and then work with the next two together on writing and grammar. They have copywork books to do from CC while they wait. It also has art lessons in it and coloring pages that go with our timeline. Then I pull them individually to work on phonics or spelling and reading. After lunch and break we do math while the littles have quiet time or nap and then I teach the third and fourth their math lesson while the oldest two read their literature and books related to our memory work and review their Latin and Greek flashcards. One day a week they work on Latin and Greek and logic workbooks (mostly independently) and we clean the house up. In the evenings (when I'm not too tired) we have a family devotion after dinner with hymns, manners, and a story related to the catechism we are memorizing or the character trait of the month. Then I read to them (including a Bible story), and I have a Bible study time with the oldest two. That is our day in a nutshell. We are enjoying our days much more now. We do the Bible study and math while littles are down so we can concentrate. There are times in the morning between memory work and lunch where I find the kids have made a big mess with preschool or craft activities or their toys in their room. So we deal with a lot of messes because I am not good at multi-tasking and tend to become very engrossed in the lessons I am teaching. But we try at least once a week to pick up all the mess and put it back where it goes. As sad as I am that this is our last baby I am looking forward to days when perhaps I have enough energy to stay on top of the messes on a daily basis instead of weekly.

 

Find a curriculum that keeps you unified together as a family in what you are learning as much as possible. I just started a blog but don't have my first few posts up yet. If you keep checking my site you may see them this week (unless I go into labor...lol). They are called Reliable Rotations and Predictable Routines and it explains the basics of our day right now and how I am making classical education work in our large family. I hope it will be helpful...

 

sevilleclassicalchristianacademy.com

[happycc]

I too am going nuts. I have a very very challenging 3.5 yrs old. I tried to start back to school immediately but it was hard to sit after the birth from the tear and it was hard to talk with Bell's Palsy and then it has been hard to think with this horrible cold cough with largynitis. So tried to go full swing from the get go but it isnt happening like it should. My 3/5 years is extremely destructive and aggressive and I have to watch him at all time to keep him from hurting us, the house and the baby.

 

However what I have done is farm one kid out to take care of him while I work one to one with another child or two. I try to make sure I do spend some time with him daily so he doesnt feel left out. He has brought me to tears many times since the baby's birth.

 

I say also early bed time for him. We also have decreased screen time for all the kids now and including myself. We will work in the evenings as well as the weekends now. I will cut out the phone too during school hours. People (I have friends who don;t homeschool and they just don;t get it) just won;t be able to talk to me while I am schooling.

 

Definite schedule...everything is scheduled down to the half hour including when the youngers are farmed out.I have to admit FLL/WWE and AAS have not been worked back into the schedule yet. I am thinking of having dad take the little ones out of the house on the weekends so we can do these without interruptions.

 

8am-wake up, all kids do chores- one does dishes, other does laundry, other does garbage and floors, breakfast, dressed

9am-school starts, older kids work independently while I do preschool---Get Set for School program from Handwriting without Tears

one kid is farmed out to watch little ones while the others work and I work with one or two of them

11;30 lunch prep

12 lunch

1pm right back to school and school until dad gets home

dinner

then schoolwork (kind of like homework)

then bath ( 3 times a week or so)

then bedtme

 

Some days vary due to activies and those really throws us off schedule some especially my son's speech therapy. The speech therapist cannot give us a definite time or day each week. Frustrating.

 

Early bed time for the younger one. Then I have more time to teach.

Hubbie cooks dinner or bring things home unless he works overtime. He does all the grocery shopping. He cooks mass amount for us to just microwave and warm up food during the day.

The newborn is not yet on a schedule yet although it will be time. I put on the schedule when he gets changed and fed. Then we rotate someone holding him, tummy time, free play time on the mat with the feet piano toy, sitting in the swing, sitting in his bouncy seat, sitting in his car seat, sleeping in the bed, being read to, being sung to and outside time about every half hour,

[Holly]

I was always irritated with the suggestions that you can take off until the baby is older. That doesn't exactly work when you are planning on more DC! ...Not to mention the fact that it's easier to HS with a newborn than a 2yo (IMO)!

 

Here are my suggestions:

--prioritize schoolwork: For us it would be Bible memory, history, literature, math, and phonics...These are done everyday in my house. If those are finished, we add writing/copywork/grammar, piano, and science. If we manage to finish those, I add in extras like art, music, poetry, etc.

--Find independent materials: When my youngest was born, I invested in some Evan Moore workbooks, Explode the Code, etc. I also had a big box of educational activities (puzzles, games, file folder games, dollar store workbooks, easy-to-clean crafts, etc.) When I was busy with the baby, I'd direct them over to the box. It would keep them working at school until we could get back to lessons.

--Use your crockpot, breadmaker, etc., whatever helps you get dinner done while you have time! My kids always seemed to be fussiest while I was making dinner. Having it done ahead of time (like while they were napping) was a huge help!

[NASDAQ]

I only have four - 6, 4, 2, nb.

 

I start schoolwork with the oldest two right away in the morning. I don't know why their minds slowly go to mush over the course of the day, but it happens. Math, reading, etc. are always in the morning. Music practice is always in the afternoon.

 

I school six days a week throughout the year. I do school every single day that it's possible to do it. The day I brought the baby home? We did school. As a result we school on about three hundred days of the year, and if those days end up a little shorter, it's not a problem.

 

As long as the two-year-old isn't breaking anything, I let him run pretty free. Sometimes the baby sits on my lap. Sometimes I just walk around with her.

 

I keep most of my non-school life on auto-pilot. I repeat the same basic meal plan every week (chicken on Tuesday, etc.) so doing my shopping is easy. I always go on Tuesday afternoons.

 

I have someone in to do the heavy cleaning on Friday mornings.

[allymom]

I am getting ready to have my 6th in a few weeks, with a deployed husband. Kids ages are 9 (almost 10), 8, 5, 3 and 20 months. In the last month I've worked hard to get my 8 and 9 year old more independent with their school work because I realized quickly after my husband left that it was not working for me to be doing FLL or WWE or RS math with them. I adore these curriculums and think they are superior to many others...but with this many children, I need them to be as independent as possible. So we changed to workbooks for grammar, writing and math (although my 9 year old was already doing MUS, my 8 year old preferred RS and did well with it). We still do science, history, Bible and phonics/spelling together. And we try to do that during naptime as much as possible. The independent bookwork they do in the morning. My 5 year old also have a few workbooks she works through (ARFH, ETC, and Singapore K). Most of them require help every few minutes with reading instructions or figuring out a problem, especially the 5 year old. And my 8 year old requires constant nagging to stay on task. However, I do not have to be 100% focused on teaching a lesson, so I can still pull my monkey 20 mo. old off the counter or get him snacks, or pick up after him as he destroys my house in a matter of minutes. He's kind of at a crazy age. Newborns are easy, so I'm not too concerned. Fall will be much harder when the baby is more awake and active and my 20 mo. old is just a crazy 2 year old still. My 3 year old adores ABC Mouse and Starfall and will spend as long on them as I'll allow (and he's learning a lot too, and can add number under 10!) so I pretty much let him play on the computer for several hours a day, which feels really wrong to me. But it is educational and he's learning and it keeps him from antagonizing his little brother. Another thing I do, if things are getting too nutty, is to send one of my older girls to play with the younger boys, while I work with whoever needs help. Even if they are not done with school, it gives them a nice break and keeps the peace a bit, while I'm able to focus on the child who needs it. Then when that child is finished, they can trade places and the other dd can come back to finish her school work. We don't have a strict schedule, might be easier if we did, but it just doesn't work for me. But we do have a general flow to our day and my kids know what to expect in what order and that works well enough for us. I don't plan to take more than a week off school once the new baby gets here.

[blondeviolin]

I completely feel your pain. Check out my post from today here! Luckily my kids are young and ahead, so even if I feel like we barely touched the basics, I'm still feeling like I got stuff done.

 

Somehow I got completely lucky and this baby will be born within the last two or three weeks of our scheduled school year. I have no clue how it will all work out next year, but I figure some kind of schedule will evolve. It has to, right? :-P

[SilverMoon]

I have 6, ranging from toddler to teen. The toddler is not quite 2.5 yet, and he is the last one. Once I was on my feet again babies were easy. I just wrapped mine onto my chest in a sling (older style, like a Maya Wrap) and did school like normal. It's easy to hold a book and nurse at the same time. It's toddlers that make it difficult at times. :tongue_smilie:

 

We all take a couple/few weeks off when the baby is born, regardless. Each DC is expected to read from good literature at their level daily, though. When I'm ready to get back into the daily flow we start with just language arts and math. Once that groove falls back into place the other subjects come back too.

[SorrelZG]

My four range from seven to two and although there have been tough times when I've tried different things, these days things are great and I don't have much trouble. I'm trying to figure out just why that is. :p I'm certain it would be a whole different story if I had an infant and/or was expecting.

[genny]

I only have 4 (6,4,2,8months). I stick with getting the 4R's done. We start schooling first thing in the morning and are done before noon. I'll be adding science once the snow is gone (outdoor science....plants, nature walks etc...).

 

My 2 year old is a crayon wall coloring, jump off the couches active girl! She loves starfall and so I let her play on there. Also, since I have 4, I have the middle 2 play together while I school my oldest.

 

Baby is crawling and cruising right now so he's content going off and exploring. I pour a bunch of toys on the floor and he's a happy camper. Otherwise, he's quite content just crawling around looking for adventure;p (he's my first mellow baby...it's great!

[Jane Elliot]

I have 12 children and homeschooled for almost 20 years with babies and toddlers in the house. I'm still homeschooling, but my baby is 5 now, by May I'll have graduated half my kids, and life is very different now than it was during the baby years. Those years were the best (and most exhausting!) of my life. Here are a few things that helped: 1. I had a schedule. Managers of Their Homes was helpful with this. (Read the whole book before looking at the schedules in the appendix.) I also used checklists and everyone knew what was expected. 2. I prioritized the 3 R's in the early years. It takes 15 minutes a day (5-6 days a week, consistently) to get a 4-5 yo reading before 1st grade. Nothing is more beneficial to a child's education than the ability to read early and well. And nothing is more helpful to a homeschooling mom. Never skip the reading lesson. 3. Everyone had permanent chores. When one of my sons was 6yo I spent a month teaching him to clean bathrooms well, and that was his job until he graduated. (He's happily married now. :-) 4. I used open-and-go curricula for the 3 R's (primarily the recommendations in WTM) and then read aloud every time I got the opportunity. P.S. I'm sorry. I'm working on a brand new laptop and cannot figure out how to format this post so that it's easier on the eyes.

[Hunter]

And you don't subscribe to the "the baby IS the lesson" (meaning, you don't take a lot of time off of school when a new baby comes, and you maintain a rigorous {whatever that means for your children} education) philosophy... HOW do you do it with babies/toddlers?!?!

 

Anything by Joyce Swann or her children is worth reading.

 

I like The Organized Homeschooler. It focuses more on the the big picture than the details, and I liked that, but some others don't. My situation is unique, so I needed wider rather than narrower help. I read the library copy and liked it so much I bought my own copy.

[Amy M]

I'm just posting to keep track of this conversation. I have an almost-6, 4, 2, and 1 yo (all birthdays in April!), so right now, I only do 1st grade with one, and a little preschool with the other, but it's still a challenge. I get pretty cranky when trying to explain something and interrupted by chaos or crying for the 40th time! I also don't schedule things, because it's pretty useless. With babies, your schedule changes almost monthly based on their naptimes or feedings.

 

Right now, I give the seatwork to my 1st grader while I finish dressing children and changing nappies and feeding breakfast and showering myself, etc. I quiz spelling words and poetry somewhere around this time. When baby goes down for morning nap, we do Bible, reading, read-aloud, and some memory work at the couch. Then we head back to the table and I get 1st-grader doing his handwriting page while I do preschool with 4yo while dd2 eats a snack. The older boys gets snacks when they've finished their respective projects. Then as I have time I teach math and phonics lesson to 1st-grader before or after baby wakes up and nurses. I try to fit all that in as well as a bit of foreign language in before lunch. After lunch, I read picture books to the middle two until their naptime. Then if I haven't fit it in yet, I do history or science with my 1st grader during their naps at 2:00.

 

I have a list of what I hope to get done each day, and what must get done each day. I check off boxes until it's done! That makes me much happier than trying to keep to a schedule with time allotments!

[CAmomof4]

One thing that is invaluable for me, is to get up about an hour before the kids. (And of course my baby isn't here yet so we'll see!) It helps me to organize, relax, keep things fresh in my mind. Also gives me some nice quiet "me time" to prepare myself mentally for the day.

 

Each day I have a plan of what I want to do for schooling. We accomplish anywhere from 50-75% of this. And the next day I move on. As long as I have done the reading and math, I move on. If I'm not at exactly the correct week for each subject, oh well. Because if you worry about being behind all the time, it becomes overwhelming.

[ForeverFamily]

Thank you for starting this post. I feel the same way. I have a 7yo, 5yo, 3.5yo, almost 2yo, and am due with a new baby in about 13 days. I plan on taking about 1 week off from school just for my sake. I feel like it usually takes about 3 months for me to get down a "new" routine with adding a little one to the mix, but I sure can't take off 3 months from school. I have no specific plan in place of how things will go after the new baby arrives. I am just hoping that we can keep consistently plugging away at getting done the things we need to. I am a little nervous about how things will work as my almost 2yo is one of my most needy kids yet. He gets into everything, climbs everything, and needs lots of attention. I have a feeling things will be a bit chaotic for a while. I am really enjoying reading through all of these posts though. It makes me feel as if I am not so alone.

[AngelBee]

Well....this is timely as I have been reviewing and praying a lot lately about how this will all work in July when we welcome TWO babies into the household. :D I am due with twins July 28, so realistically....I am planning on anywhere from June 15-July 28th.

 

I have ds 20 (at home but works full time during the day), ds13, dd11, ds8, dd6, dd3, and ds2. I also work outside of the home coaching dance team and we own a dance studio. I also do drop in daycare for a couple of families who work weird shedules like we do. :)

 

I bought into the "take time off" thing and it hurt me dearly. Caused major anxiety and the need to catch up. I still do not feel totally caught up. :( So I am doing things WAY differently this time...as I may not be able to fully participate while caring for and nursing two babies.

 

1) My goal is to get ds13, dd11, ds8, and dd6 as independent as I can at least for reading, writing and math. That way I can at least guarantee those subjects will continue to get done (We use a lot of literature based history and science...so those will be touched on also.)

 

2) We are broke, but I invest in Discovery Streaming and Brainpops annually. We use them almost daily and ESPECIALLY when someone is sick or I am unable to assist them right away. It can be watched on laptop, cell phones, or on google TV in my moms house (same property about 15 feet away). Ds8 also realized that our old cell phones can still use Wifi in our house, so now he does school on his own "cell phone". :lol:

 

3) Just keep swimming. I have a master check list schedule of what has to happen during the week. We just keep crossing things off until it is done. No set times right now, just keep swimming.

 

4) We school year round. My busiest season for work is Oct-Feb, so it just makes sense to us. Also gives me extra time to get 9 months of school finished. Plus in summer kids are fine with doing school for 8 hours and then playing outside for 4 hours. We do most of our school outside during the summer. I use something like this http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/07/65/01/08/0007650108834_500X500.jpg so littles are sheltered from sun and can nap.

 

More to come....have to do school :p Lunch is over.

[CatholicMom]

I am expecting our 6th in Sept. Mine are 9, 8, 6, 4, and almost 2.

 

My plan for this time is to plan more than I've ever planned before in preparation for next year. Even the easy stuff like making a couple copies. The goal is to do all foreseen prep work this summer and file all worksheets, papers, coloring sheets, etc, in a file box according to week & child. That way all I have to do is pull out that week's seat work and put it in each child's binder. Which is a lot quicker than going through every book, ripping out lessons, crossing out things I don't want them to do, making notes, writing days on sections every week. I plan to do all this ahead of time as much as possible so I can pull it out and put it in their study binders. Right now I do all this weekly and it works really well, but I think it will help to take it one step further and do a whole year's worth of prep at one time, file it away, and retrieve it as needed.

 

Our schedule (which I plan to do next year when I have the baby, too) is:

 

Math (on the computer)

Reading (independent)

Binder work (spelling, grammar, writing, map work, penmanship, etc - any book I don't mind ripping up)

Other Subject (Mon: Art, Tues: History, Wed: Science, Thurs: History, Fri: Music)

 

I think the main thing you have to do is prep, prep, prep. Do ahead as much as possible. Also, look at more independent programs for the older ones. MUS was working fine for us, but I switched to Teaching Textbooks just to take that one subject off my plate and it helped significantly. Anything they can do on their own, whether in a workbook or independent reading or on the computer, do it! Then you have the time and energy to deal with the subjects that really need your attention and can't be done without mommy.

 

Good luck! :)

[LMD]

I don't know! I also have a 7, 5 & very very 2 year old (I feel your pain, he's a whirlwind!)! And I just found out we're expecting. I'm scared. Already school has slipped because I'm nauseas and tired. :closedeyes: I'm hoping to get back on track by sheer force of will.

[MinivanMom]

There are a ton of good suggestions here. I think it's interesting that so many moms find their toddlers more challenging than their newborns. It is definitely the opposite here. I have high-needs newborns. I have to be prepared to spend those first 3 months doing nothing but swaddling and rocking a fussy baby. I can't imagine getting anything done during that period. The things that have worked for me:

 

-Work through the summer when I know a baby is coming, so that we can take a full 3 months off after the baby is born.

-Get started on schoolwork first thing in the morning.

-Work from most important to least important. For us the order is: math, lang.arts, writing, French, read-alouds, history, science, art.

-Make good use of naptimes.

-Marry a husband who will get up at night with the baby and is willing to cook and clean. I love my husband. :001_wub: I would not have so many closely spaced children if he was not a such big support.

[Gentlemommy]

Thanks for all of the wise words! Well, we got a little surprise today, and I'll be able to put those ideas to use...we got our first foster placement. A six month old baby. He is the sweetest thing, and very mellow (which is SO odd to me, as none of mine were this way lol). Today was kind of crazy between social workers and rushing around buying clothes, diapes, play pen and formula. We shall see how tomorrow goes....;)

[christielee7278]

I try to have a lot of different activities planned each day for my toddlers and preschoolers. They learn early on that they must sit in the designated spot (high chair for tods and kitchen chair for prekers) to do their schoolwork. Only one thing at a time and they must finish it before moving on. A few things we use around here:

 

A lot of preschool activity bags.

 

A basket of dollar store *school* workbooks, coloring pages, and crayons.

 

A bucket or tub of special *school* toys.

 

Videos like LeapFrog.

 

Also sometimes I just send him to his bedroom to play. If he complains, I give him the option of a nap, bedroom cleaning, or playing. They've all decided playing is the bet choice. Ha! I like to challenge them to build something from Legos for me.

 

It takes a lot of patience and some days we just put everything away until nap time. :)

 

 

[bbcooker]

At bkfst, we do: discussion of verse of the day, SOTW, FLL, and WWE (all at the same level).

 

After bkfst, the old-enough kids have a task list individualized for each. On their task list are tasks such as: piano practice, copywork assignment/handwriting, and church club homework.

 

During lunch, we do: bible story

 

During naptime for the 3yo and 1yo, we do: Phonics and/or AAS, Rightstart math, and Dictation.

 

After this 'naptime school' is finished, each dc reads alone with mom. Sometimes reading with mom is in the morning.

 

So basically, my 3yo sits at the table with us during bkfst and lunch, and is thus occupied eating/listening. I have paper and colored pencils there for drawing. Often he sits exactly next to me and snuggles for a lot of the time. Today I excused him from the table and he did starfall on the computer. Then while the old-enough kids are doing their task lists, he plays with whomever. Mostly he follows around whomever is doing a current chore (making a bed, carrying laundry downstairs or upstairs helping them, helping an older child put away their clean laundry). The older kids love to have him help them with their assigned chores, and it keeps him occupied and watched. Obviously during naptime he sleeps. After naps he snuggles with me and listens while I read with the older kids one-on-one, or he plays while we're reading with whomever I'm not currently reading with.

[Clarkd]

We school year round and every day. It is just part of daily life. We don't have to do as much each day with the consistent schedule. I keep some working at the dining table with me while others play together on the floor in the kitchen. We only have 4 dc so far...

[Clarkd]

Oh. Sorry, forgot. We have some group activities in which everyone participates (draw write now., read aloud, calendar, salsa spanish, art, etc.)

[stm4him]

I wanted to add a few more planning tips. As I said before, we use Classical Conversations but one could do this with another similar program or plan.

 

-We have weekly topics for most subjects and we cover those with memory work (mostly singing), some background info, blank notebooks and/or free printables, and a bunch of living books or reference books on the topics.

 

-We put all subjects that can be done together on a rotation that is either every three years or every year. That way I know if we don't hit it well enough this year (or this summer) we will hit it again either next year or in three years. If you start them when they are little that means they will go through that cycle about 3 times before 7th grade.

 

-I divide them into three age groups for elementary: K3-K5, 1st-3rd, and 4th-6th. I have different expectations for each group in terms of how much they learn or retain. So the youngest group is just being exposed to the cycle, the middle group is learning how to effectively practice the material and memorize, and the third group is expected to work to mastery.

 

-For everything that cannot be put on a cycle like this or reviewed every year (such as math) we do independent workbooks for. They work pretty independently for Greek, Latin, copywork, and logic as soon as they can read. I do help them with IEW this year but I can see them already getting more and more independent with it so I think it will be even easier next year. Also, I do teach them a math lesson each day but when things get too busy (like today) they often do the worksheet on their own and we get to the lesson the next day or make up a lesson on a Sunday or our light school day.

 

-For all of the subjects that are leveled by grade level they learn how many lessons or pages to do daily or weekly at the beginning of the year based on my initial calculations and they just do them. I don't have to write anything down.

 

-One key (as someone said on here) is definitely planning ahead, but for me that mostly means having a playlist of memory work put together (one semester at a time), a list of living books per week, and printables organized by week as needed. I plan to do a better job next year of having that ready to go ahead of time instead of doing it week by week or month by month.

 

So I have just found that the more I have regular routines in place with their school work that doesn't involve me having to write out lesson plans or write down lesson numbers, etc. the more smoothly things go even when I am out of commission for some reason. And the more I have things laid out to repeat either every year or every three years the less I stress that they won't "get" it before 7th grade.

 

Also, now that we have finally found curriculum that works for ME and our educational goals and philosophy I STICK with it. I adjust the curriculum to meet the needs of my kids rather than putting everyone in different programs to fit their learning style. I just teach the same curriculum differently to meet their needs. That way I'm only buying the teacher's manuals and accessories for the oldest and for the others I only have to replace the workbook portion of the program. This saves money and planning time. The longer I teach a program the easier it is for me and the better teacher I become so it saves time in relearning what to do.

 

I find that programs with really detailed lesson plans are more burdensome for me and make me feel more behind then when I just have a weekly list of topics to cover as in depth or not as I choose. If we get behind that's ok too as long as we keep up with the memorization. The extra context and notebooking and reading can come later if need be because we have summer to work on it.

 

I really try to stay away from hands on projects outside of CC because I found that they took up a lot of time and energy and most of the time had less of an educational return than reading, writing, watching related videos, or discussing together. When the bulk of our schoolwork is over for the year I will squeeze in as many fun hands on things as I can but really they come up with a lot of their own creative things to make and do based on what we are learning and appreciate and enjoy it more because it was their idea.

 

I will have to take at least 2 weeks off for the baby because I am having a c-section, but they will work on their independent workbooks and reading, etc. while I am laid up. And they will use the ipad to do memory work, etc. as much as possible so they should hopefully still keep up with our co-op. It always takes longer than I want to get back into the swing of things but that doesn't mean that nothing productive is learned during their time off. And we do get back to work I work them HARD. We work long days to make up for it. And we also school year round but my goal this year is to get done with most of my kids as early as possible in the year so we can go to the beach, take field trips, etc.....

 

I don't know if any of that was helpful or useful but it has helped me relax some in the "catching up" department and helped me to still feel successful with school......

[happycc]

I am updating... I posted about a year ago and now my newborn is 13 months. 

 

Man, I thought it was hard when he was a newborn. This walking toddler is CRAZY. 

 

It is really hard to work consistently on anything long. 

 

Major interruptions from the 4yrs old and the 13 months. Actually the 4yrs old is good so long as he is in front of a screen. Yes serious abuse of screen time but it is the only time he is just quiet and not trying to hurt anyone. 

 

The 13 month old.....walking, tearing the house up.

 

I need to reorganize the house so he can roam safely. 

 

I have to wait until he is napping to get anything done plus he is a constant night time nurser. SO so so sleep deprived. 

 

Farming an older kid for the littles doesn't work anymore because 13 months just wants me or tear up the house. 

 

This too shall pass,,,this too shall pass...this too shall pass.....this too shall pass.....this too shall pass.....this too shall pass....this too shall pass.....

 

[happypamama]

I have five (11, 8, 5, 2-5, and 5 months), so I know what you mean. Honestly, I don't know. I think it helps that my current 2yo is one of my quieter ones. Homeschooling older ones when some of my others were 2 would have been hard. My 2yo has a gazillion toys, Duplos, train table, etc. to entertain him, and he and the 5yo play together a lot. Or I read to them, when I have time (I aim for a little of that every day, even 30 minutes or so). But this 2yo will also sit and look at books on his own for a long time. I spent a ton of time last spring and summer printing preschool packs of activities for my little guys, so I can always pull out some of those to keep them busy. They're really for the 5yo, but the 2yo is happy if I have a couple of sheets he can "do" also. Busy bags, pattern blocks, chalk, fingerpaint, crayons, puzzles, all that sort of stuff -- I have a space at a table for both boys, and I rotate out activities for them. And yeah, sometimes the 2yo just dumps out a lot of toys, but that's life.

 

I do have a lot of independent work for my older children, and we include the littles in picture study or science experiments or whatever. I often read aloud while they're all eating.

[LLMom]

It is hard when they are all that little.  When I had my 7th, I had a 9th, 6th 3rd, 1st, a preschooler, and a toddler.  I utilized the older children.  The 3rd, 6th, and 9th grader all took turns watching the preschooler and toddler while I helped the others.  I would rotate them. I also used nap time.    I did this for years.

[Walking-Iris]

Give the baby/toddler/preschooler attention first. I call this "filling up their cup."

 

http://www.montessoriathomebook.com/Home.html/book/the-montessori-at-home-ebook-materials-bundle/

 

Seriously consider setting up your home in some way in a Montessori fashion. Have Montessori type materials (bought or homemade available). This ebook is full of ideas. 

 

I also try to include the littlest one in the lessons in some fashion. Nurse while reading aloud, give the SOTW coloring sheets while reading, include them in projects.

 

If you really think about it there isn't a science experiment or project that a toddler/preschooler couldn't help with in some way. My youngest dd has been involved in every art project. I still have fond memories of her marshmallow/pretzel "molecules" when she was a toddler. 

 

I really try to have plenty of early learning activities available. I don't like the idea that the little ones need to be "out of the way" ---if my dd is curious about what we're doing I can nearly always find a way to include her. Her own bucket of c-rods while I'm doing math with my ds, some pattern blocks, or linking cubes etc.

 

When babies get mobile and they are still too young for some things---carrying them in an Ergo on the front or back usually can keep them happy for some time. 

 

I would also pull a high chair up to the table and a snack or some sensory material to play with would keep a baby happy for a while. 

 

 

[RootAnn]

As soon as my kids could pull themselves up, they became little Destructos. My sling & back carrier(s) became my saviors at schooltime. I wore my kids until my back or they couldn't handle it anymore. Then, I'd let them down and they'd had "enough" of me for a few minutes (5? 10?) and the olders & I played a game (Simon Says, stretching, jumping/hopping with phonograms or number games) while keeping an eye on the Rover. Then, it was back on my back for 15-20 minutes of something else. Eventually, it was nap time. (And I always wished I could nap everytime the little one napped - or more often. *sob*)

 

Man, I thought it was hard when he was a newborn. This walking toddler is CRAZY. 

 

The 13 month old.....walking, tearing the house up.

 

This too shall pass,,,this too shall pass...this too shall pass.....this too shall pass.....this too shall pass.....this too shall pass....this too shall pass.....

 

My youngest is now four and life is So Much Better.  :grouphug:  Someday! You'll make it.

 

(Note that I feel weird about posting on a 'large family' thread as I only have five.)

[mommymilkies]

Honestly, if I could do it over, I would be more relaxed with a baby around.  I tried to overcompensate with more rigor and I think that there were negative consequences for us.  That said, some things that help:

 

A safe play pen for belly time if you have kids who run around the house like wild animals.

 

A number of baby carriers.  I preferred an Ergo for sleeping baby on my back (made math up on the board a breeze) and a ring sling for watching/playful baby when I was moving around the house. 

 

Having the other kids help out more-they LOVED picking out outfits, diapers, even changing just wet diapers.  They also liked getting safe snacks together when baby was older.  And playing with babies is the coolest thing ever for older kids, I think. 

 

Streamlining everything else-get rid of teacher intensive things for now.  You can be rigorous without using a teacher intensive program. If you can find something open and go, all the better.  Math in Focus (I never use the TM), Apples and Pears spelling, and SOTW audiobooks are priceless.  

[happycc]

RootAnn: Five is a big family. Don;t kid yourself! It is still a lot of work especially when you have a baby, toddler and preschooler. Add even more work if they are not neurotypical. I think it is even worse to homeschool a large age gap. It is so hard to focusing on Algebra/geometry problems and then chase a runner and still do diaper changes. It takes the focus away often when the little ones start screaming and whining and gives the older ones an excuse to not stay focus. The little ones has taught my older ones some poor focusing habits. One of mine can't stay focused for more than 5-10 minutes now. 

 

I do like the idea of the carrier/sling. I will bring mine back from the car and see if I can use it with him. He does start screaming when he is restrained so we will see how it goes. 

 

I have to admit this is much easier than dealing with teenagers. My teens are hard in their own way. I can chase a toddler and confine and protect them. Adolescents --a whole different story. You have to be quick in mind to respond to them and be ready to face the consequences of what you might say or do. They are always second guessing you. Well at least mine do because they have my ex who chooses to disagree with me about everything and make it well known. Plus they are in public school--so not my choice. I can't even begin to the tell you the problems I have had since they started school and I can't do anything about it without spending a lot of money in courts and fighting my ex who is a COP and is chummy with CPS. 

[Meadowlark]

I have 5 ages 7, 5, 3, 2, and 10 months. The biggest tip I have is developing a morning "playtime" for anyone who doesn't do school. ours is for an hour and they are trained to stay in their room. I do all of the intensive stuff I can in that time, which is usually math and religion. I also have one of the older boys take the toddlers downstairs after lunch (when they are happy) and pull the oldest one up to do spelling. Then, we do reading and read aloud during nap. This will change when they get older and have more to do, but that's what's working for us now. It's not easy! I honestly don't know how any of us do it :-)

[RootAnn]

Funny side story & the reason I am always hesitant about saying we have a 'big family.' Right after ds#2 was born, DH was feeling pretty good about having a 'big family.' He was picking up our supplies for the next several weeks at Wal-Mart when the cashier asked him if he had a big family or was 'stocking up.' DH said, "Big family." The lady behind him perked up and asked how many. DH proudly trotted out his new # of children: big number FIVE. The lady smiled and said she had 16.   :coolgleamA:

 

DH has never referred to us as a big family ever again.   :laugh:  The kids pray, "Watch over our little family." 

 

 . . . I have two major milestones in raising my youngsters:  potty training & teaching them to read. I'm 5 for 5 on potty training & 3 for 5 on reading. I was SO GLAD when the last one finally potty trained. Every time one of mine "gets it" in terms of fluently reading, I am tempted to throw a party. This parenting thing isn't for wimps.

[mamamindy]

I am so glad I am not alone!!! 

[happypamama]

Oh, yes, baby carriers. I could not manage without mine. My morning routine looks like this: nurse baby while eating/reviewing Bible verses and science vocab/reading aloud, wrap baby in carrier, baby goes to sleep, I dress toddler, do dishes, switch laundry, vacuum floor, sit down with three big kids (one at a time).