Guest mama03 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Help! Feeling very overwhelmed homeschooling my 1st grade son with a 3 yr old and newborn. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get back on track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Keep first grade simple. Math, reading, spelling *or* phonics, and writing every day. I'd skip grammar unless you're doing something super gentle like First Language Lessons. Everything else can take turns. Science one day, history the next, etc. Aim for no more than an hour of actual work. Read alouds can be at bedtime or some other part of your day when dad can help. (Science and history can be relegated to read alouds and discussion for that matter.) I tied my wee babes onto me with a ring sling. They were content to nap there, and I could easily flip them sideways to nurse and keep on schooling. I also kept a bouncy chair or one of the tiny baby swings in the front room for baby to rest in. (My last one slept better surrounded by kid noise than down the hall in a quiet room.) Fill the 3yo's "momma cup" before attempting school with the 1st grader. This could be focused play with just you and him, or even getting a two-fer by having him help you load the dishwasher or a load of laundry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 My baby is now nine months old, so I am just out of that phase! I have a second grader, Ker, and 3yo as well. Best advice I got was to not worry about getting it all done for the first six months. Get in a reading lesson every day and a math lesson several times a week. Get some audio books. Don't stress, and if you end up "behind", it's homeschool, so you can work through a summer vacation to play catch up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 You shouldn't try to get back on (the old) track. You have a new tiny person in your family. You are going to have to forge a new track to make room. Don't stress about doing it all, not right now. If you can keep steady with completing about 2 full school days spread throughout the week, you will be doing great! That is 4 half-days per week. When I had my youngest, my Big Three did Time4Learning for about 3-4 months. They enjoyed it. It fulfilled state requirements without requiring much from me. It met a temporary need, and I was excited to start our REAL school as soon as I was physically able. We are still not "back on track" though. I had school down to both an art and a science when it was just 3dc all around the same age. Having a (now) toddler is just very very different. When she was tiny, I could keep her in a wrap and continue on with school. As soon as she was mobile, I knew that there was no way that HSing could be 3 desks all in a row, finished by lunch, etc... It's good though. Different, but good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Agreeing with others--keep it simple: reading and math. Year round schooling works best for me, gives me more wiggle room when we miss a day or a week here and there. Enjoy your baby! Mine is 3 months old and is on my lap right now :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I think my biggest "tips" would be 1. Learn to babywear. It will save your sanity and your laundry routine. and 2. Utilize naps. Unfortunately that whole "Sleep while baby is sleeping" rule doesnt work for homeschooling mommas. Read aloud while baby is sleeping :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 One thing that helped me was to spend some one on one time with my 3 year old before working with the 5 year old. When I had an infant our schedule constantly changed but we did as much during nap time as possible. He's now 2 and pretty good at playing independently while I work with the older ones. When he starts getting needy, I pull him on my lap or take a short break and read to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I think my biggest "tips" would be 1. Learn to babywear. It will save your sanity and your laundry routine. and 2. Utilize naps. Unfortunately that whole "Sleep while baby is sleeping" rule doesnt work for homeschooling mommas. Read aloud while baby is sleeping :) I disagree with #2. When in survival mode, sleep while baby sleeps. The biggers can have some quiet time or watch a video. You have to eat, sleep, and shower daily. Being Mommy trumps being Teacher, and you have to sleep to be a good Mommy! Audiobooks can fill a void if needed. (Winnie the Pooh narrated by Peter Dennis is fantastic!) If you read aloud with tiny babe in wrap now, read aloud as baby is nursing to sleep later, you will find you have a toddler who is soothed by mommy reading aloud. It's not always perfect and easy, but I purposely read aloud with Baby Girl in the room (playing, coloring, nursing, etc...). It's good for her. She has a vocab the size of Texas, and I credit much of that to her "auditing" books for Big People! It's good for mom. No one likes me when I'm sleep-deprived! Also, this is the time to use paper plates, buy the already chopped veggies, yogurt in individual containers, etc... Streamline the mundane to carve out time for those blessed moments on the couch with your 3 favorite people! :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritamarj Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 In the evening,I prepare/put on the table ( what my 7y.o dd can do independently) things for the next day. In the morning ,that is what she does till the baby( now 15 month old ) goes for the nap. Then , we work together for a wile. My schedule have changed multiple times in the last 12 months 😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I disagree with #2. When in survival mode, sleep while baby sleeps: I suppose my advice came from the perspective of being a foster-parent. If you always have a baby (or two) in the house, it's not survival mode anymore so much as life-as-usual. If you feel that you are in survival mode, yes, by all means sleep as much as you can. Sleep deprivation can cause/worsen PPD and I'd hate for my comment to make anyone feel they can't school light, take a few months off, do whatever they need to be healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I recommend a woven wrap. They're expensive but will be comfortable for so long, and they are great for infants, especially after the nursing every three seconds stage (although they're helpful in the early stages too). I could usually count on a solid two or three hours of sleep in the wrap for the first six months or so, maybe longer (although they get hard to reach around after that). My other advice: don't waste the hands free time! If you need to nap when the baby naps, then do so, and be gentle to yourself, because this stage will pass. But I tried to never to while baby wearing that which I could do while nursing. I could do Latin, for instance, while nursing and only having one hand free, but math might be trickier because I might need to write. So I would try to never do Latin while the baby was sleeping happily in the wrap. I'd do math then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSinNS Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Keep it simple, school with baby on lap, in carrier, or wherever. And keep everything as simple as possible. Your six year old has many, many years to learn all the content, but you only have a short time with your kids being little. Oh, and nap whenever it is humanly possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I school while nursing (twins). Keep all your child's books in a little tub, have them drag it over and sit beside you on the couch. And take it easy. It's OK if school gets done in little chunks across the day. Hugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I school while nursing (twins). Keep all your child's books in a little tub, have them drag it over and sit beside you on the couch. And take it easy. It's OK if school gets done in little chunks across the day. Hugs. I was just about to post something similar and found that Jennifer had beaten me to it :). Cuddle your baby and have the others bring their books to you. You can all snuggle up and read/count/add etc. When baby is settled, play a game or do something active with older kids for a little while. It's a special time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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