I want them to have outdoor breaks

[mamapjama]

I think that it is really important for my two guys to have lots of outdoor activity. We do break up our school work several times during the day for activity, but we don't go outside until school is over.

 

My two year old will not come back in on just 15 mins. of play. So I'll spend more time gathering him up and redirecting him than makes it worth it to me. But I feel badly for my older guy especially.

 

What do those of you who have two-ish little ones at home do?

[NancyNellen]

Well, we do a half hour outside mid-morning (usually about 10-10:30). My 20 month old never comes in happily, but with a snack waiting inside, he usually forgets how unhappy he was pretty quickly. The snack is the only thing that makes that do-able on a daily basis.

[beansprouts]

We take an hour for lunch. If it is nice I encourage all my kids to get out for a little while.

[Sasharowan]

I have staggered breaks for the older ones so that the 2yo gets 30-45min. outside while the others get 10-15 min. It helps that the youngest is 7 (of the older ones).

[Sophia]

It is really important for two boys to get outside and play.

I would get them outside around 10 for a half hour of play, and show them what they will be doing when they come back inside before heading out.

For your older one, that may be his reading, math, etc., but your younger one may have cars or blocks or whatever waiting for him.

I found myself repeating "because that's the rule" to one of my little ones who would challenge me when she didn't like the change in plans until she learned she needed to follow the rules.

 

I'm fortunate in that I am able to stagger my older dc schedules to play outside with my little ones now which is a huge blessing because my youngest could LIVE outdoors.

[Jenn in Mo]

Two things - our dining room opens directly to the back porch and yard. When it's super-focus time, we leave the french doors wide open and work at the table while enjoying the outdoor breeze (and the flies, unfortunately) while the little girls play within easy reach.

 

If it's not crack-the-whip time, we'll all go outside to do schoolwork. They do their reading on the swing set or up a tree. They sit at the bistro to do their math. We skip chemistry to do nature studies. History gets done while the littles are napping or content to play around us and listen in. Spelling is usually done while I cook supper - I shout words over the bar separating kitchen from dining room while the boys scribble their words on white boards and hold them up for me to check.

[snickelfritz]

It helps my dd's get back in without too much complaining and it settles them down while I get school stuff ready to go. For us, it helps get the wiggles out to go outside first. We tidy the house, go outside, then come in and do school.

 

I usually figure about 30 minutes for our morning outdoor break. It's hard for me to switch gears much faster than that, so that works for us.

Edited October 2, 2008 by snickelfritz

[mamapjama]

Thanks everyone! I always gave them their snacks before or as we go out thinking they were hungry and needed energy to play etc. But I took your suggestion and held the snack off. My two year old happily came inside! Sometimes you get so used to doing things a certain way that changing gears slightly makes a big difference :001_smile: