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Things to Keep Kinder Busy -- New to Teaching Two!


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My older DS has school from 8-12. I plan to teach my Ker when my older is doing his online classes, but I need some help in keeping my Kinder occupied when I am assisting older DS with his assignments. It's been awhile since I taught a Kinder, so please help a mama new to teaching two out!

This is what I have so far:

Brain Pop
Salsa Spanish
Mystery Science

Smartick
Prodigy 
Math Seeds
Reading Eggs
Liberty's Kids
Leap Frog Videos
Super Why
Magic School Bus
Wild Kratts/PBS Kids
Endless Alphabet
Dragonbox
Nature Videos
Sid the Science Kid
Bill Nye
Walking with Dinos
Carmen San Diego
Logic workbooks

Any other thoughts on how to keep the Ker occupied that doesn't involve crafty things?

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I don't know what most of those things even are, but none of them seem physical. From some Googling it seems like a lot of screens and sedentary media. Ker is more likely to be bored/wander off from a screen as the weeks/months go on so maybe a beginners work out/yoga/tai chi/dance DVD? A bike? a trampoline? A couple of different types of balls so that you can work on aim/control with ball handling. Some self correcting puzzles/worksheets? An instrument? Simple chores?

Is the Ker particularly disobedient? You seem to have plenty of things already. So if you guys aren't physical by nature it shouldn't matter that it's mostly screens so long as s/he knows how to operate the various apps/DVDs, why do you need more stuff? K is what 5/6yo?

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22 minutes ago, Gil said:

I don't know what most of those things even are, but none of them seem physical. From some Googling it seems like a lot of screens and sedentary media. Ker is more likely to be bored/wander off from a screen as the weeks/months go on so maybe a beginners work out/yoga/tai chi/dance DVD? A bike? a trampoline? A couple of different types of balls so that you can work on aim/control with ball handling. Some self correcting puzzles/worksheets? An instrument? Simple chores?

Is the Ker particularly disobedient? You seem to have plenty of things already. So if you guys aren't physical by nature it shouldn't matter that it's mostly screens so long as s/he knows how to operate the various apps/DVDs, why do you need more stuff? K is what 5/6yo?

 

None of the above are physical. The physical stuff comes in the afternoons. We live in an RV during the school year, so he cannot be outside unsupervised and there is no yard to which I can just kick him out. He is also extremely extroverted and is used to being in preschool or playing with big brother, so he doesn't just sit alone and play Lego. He is extremely strong-willed, bordering on ODD. We are working on it. He just turned 5. 

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29 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

None of the above are physical. The physical stuff comes in the afternoons. We live in an RV during the school year, so he cannot be outside unsupervised and there is no yard to which I can just kick him out. He is also extremely extroverted and is used to being in preschool or playing with big brother, so he doesn't just sit alone and play Lego. He is extremely strong-willed, bordering on ODD. We are working on it. He just turned 5. 

Well does he like media/screens enough to hold his attention?

If not you'll probably need something added to his routine like hand-stitching or knitting or some other fiber-craft,  how-to drawing books, mazes/pencil skill books, a physical dvd (or 3) a box-"garden", simple chores,  and re-usable toys like felt boards, puzzles, cooking/food prep, etc.

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5 minutes ago, Gil said:

Well does he like media/screens enough to hold his attention?

If not you'll probably need something added to his routine like hand-stitching or knitting or some other fiber-craft,  how-to drawing books, mazes/pencil skill books, a physical dvd (or 3) a box-"garden", simple chores,  and re-usable toys like felt boards, puzzles, cooking/food prep, etc.

 

Yes, he adores screens. He would happily play video games all day, which is what I am trying to avoid. I guess I should have been more specific that I was mostly looking for edu TV, apps, docus, etc.

Sadly, I can't imagine either of my boys being occupied by knitting, I have no space for a garden/area for physical DVD, and they are both too short to do any cooking or chores. 

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3 minutes ago, Slache said:

I didn't ignore you. We posted at the sane time. I still say check Michael's. And for robotics and building sets.

 

I can't be supervising him if I am working with big brother, so I think that robotics/art/crafts are probably out.

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2 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

I can't be supervising him if I am working with big brother, so I think that robotics/art/crafts are probably out.

I disagree. Snap circuit Jr is fine. I think there's a young version of Lego mindstorms. I do believe I'm only making very expensive suggestions though.

Our art bins have paper, activity books, pens, pencils, colored pencils and markers. They were selected with a lack of supervision in mind.

Yoga kids.

The back wall of the toy section at Target and Wal-Mart tend to have like Etch-a-Sketch and that stencil thing with the wheels.

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4 minutes ago, Slache said:

Spirograph. Whatever. You knew what I meant, right?

 

I did, yes. And I appreciate the suggestions. Really. But, this kid has had a decked out art supply drawer for years, along with an Etch A Sketch, coloring books, puzzles, etc. and he doesn't touch any of it. 

So, I think I am just not communicating well this evening.

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2 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

I did, yes. And I appreciate the suggestions. Really. But, this kid has had a decked out art supply drawer for years, along with an Etch A Sketch, coloring books, puzzles, etc. and he doesn't touch any of it. 

So, I think I am just not communicating well this evening.

No, I'm just throwing everything out there just in case.

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My just turned 5 K'er would not be able to handle that much sitting alone time.  My ODD/ADHD kiddo would have been even less able to handle that gracefully at that age.

In your shoes, for the K'er, I would prioritize physical activity, social skills, and learning to (semi-happily) follow routines over academic skills.

So I would flip it around if possible and have Ronen and Sacha both at the table working at the same time.  Then, that leaves Sacha's online time for you to sit outside while Ronen runs around, read aloud to him, play a card game with him, etc.

That is pretty much what I am doing with my 4, who are 9, 7, 5, and almost 3.  While my two big boys are doing independent work, I read to the little two, take them outside to ride bikes on the sidewalk, play a board game with them, do a craft, etc.  That lasts for about an hour, and certainly involves learning, but is not sit down academics at all.  Then they each play alone for about 45 minutes; this is the semi-happily follow routines portions of the "curriculum", because none of my kids have loved playing by themselves, but they have all learned to accept that it is a part of their day.  I find they are much more able to keep busy by themselves if 1) they have had some time with me already and 2) they know exactly when independent play time will end.  Listening to a good audiobook helps too.

While the little two play, I sit with the big kids' and work through their more teacher-intensive subjects. 

After independent play is over, we all have a snack and sit down to finish up school.  The toddler does busy bags or "washes" dishes in the sink, the K'er sits next to me and does his school subjects, the big boys finish up whatever is left on their schedules, and I direct the whole circus, teaching and encouraging and refereeing.  It is a busy time, but it is fun and productive.  I actually like that the K'er can eavesdrop on me explaining a grammar point to the 2nd grader and that the toddler can listen in on our Spanish lesson.

There certainly are some days that I need a little more time to work with the big boys, and on those days I'm not opposed to the little two playing educational apps for half an hour, but the screen time tends to actually make them more whiny and needy, so while it does buy me time in the short term, I always end up paying for it in the long run.  Instead, as messy and distracting as it is, I would rather set them up with Playdoh or painting or baking soda and vinegar and eye droppers...which I think ends up being more educational for them anyway.

Wendy

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21 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

My just turned 5 K'er would not be able to handle that much sitting alone time.  My ODD/ADHD kiddo would have been even less able to handle that gracefully at that age.

In your shoes, for the K'er, I would prioritize physical activity, social skills, and learning to (semi-happily) follow routines over academic skills.

So I would flip it around if possible and have Ronen and Sacha both at the table working at the same time.  Then, that leaves Sacha's online time for you to sit outside while Ronen runs around, read aloud to him, play a card game with him, etc.

That is pretty much what I am doing with my 4, who are 9, 7, 5, and almost 3.  While my two big boys are doing independent work, I read to the little two, take them outside to ride bikes on the sidewalk, play a board game with them, do a craft, etc.  That lasts for about an hour, and certainly involves learning, but is not sit down academics at all.  Then they each play alone for about 45 minutes; this is the semi-happily follow routines portions of the "curriculum", because none of my kids have loved playing by themselves, but they have all learned to accept that it is a part of their day.  I find they are much more able to keep busy by themselves if 1) they have had some time with me already and 2) they know exactly when independent play time will end.  Listening to a good audiobook helps too.

While the little two play, I sit with the big kids' and work through their more teacher-intensive subjects. 

After independent play is over, we all have a snack and sit down to finish up school.  The toddler does busy bags or "washes" dishes in the sink, the K'er sits next to me and does his school subjects, the big boys finish up whatever is left on their schedules, and I direct the whole circus, teaching and encouraging and refereeing.  It is a busy time, but it is fun and productive.  I actually like that the K'er can eavesdrop on me explaining a grammar point to the 2nd grader and that the toddler can listen in on our Spanish lesson.

There certainly are some days that I need a little more time to work with the big boys, and on those days I'm not opposed to the little two playing educational apps for half an hour, but the screen time tends to actually make them more whiny and needy, so while it does buy me time in the short term, I always end up paying for it in the long run.  Instead, as messy and distracting as it is, I would rather set them up with Playdoh or painting or baking soda and vinegar and eye droppers...which I think ends up being more educational for them anyway.

Wendy

 

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure how I can really teach Ronen to read and write while simultaneously helping Sacha with his assignments. Sacha's online classes run 1.5 to 2.5 hours/day, so I was thinking that I would spend that time one-on-one with Ronen. That leaves another 1.5 to 2.5 hours each day when I was thinking that I could have Ronen watch edu TV or play on edu apps while I work with Sacha to get his work done. This would only be Tues/Thurs/Fri from 8-12. The boys will both go to their charter school on Mon/Wed, and have PE and free play all afternoon. 

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16 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure how I can really teach Ronen to read and write while simultaneously helping Sacha with his assignments. Sacha's online classes run 1.5 to 2.5 hours/day, so I was thinking that I would spend that time one-on-one with Ronen. That leaves another 1.5 to 2.5 hours each day when I was thinking that I could have Ronen watch edu TV or play on edu apps while I work with Sacha to get his work done. This would only be Tues/Thurs/Fri from 8-12. The boys will both go to their charter school on Mon/Wed, and have PE and free play all afternoon. 

Is your older dc going to need that much of your direct time? Is there nothing that he can work on independently for half an hour or so while you spend time with the younger dc?

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5 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure how I can really teach Ronen to read and write while simultaneously helping Sacha with his assignments. Sacha's online classes run 1.5 to 2.5 hours/day, so I was thinking that I would spend that time one-on-one with Ronen. That leaves another 1.5 to 2.5 hours each day when I was thinking that I could have Ronen watch edu TV or play on edu apps while I work with Sacha to get his work done. This would only be Tues/Thurs/Fri from 8-12. The boys will both go to their charter school on Mon/Wed, and have PE and free play all afternoon. 

Since my younger kids will never be only children, I figure learning to work with distractions and rudimentary independence are important kindergarten goals.  I carve out 10 relatively uninterrupted minutes to do a phonics lesson with my K’er.  If my older boys have questions during that time...well, moving on and staying productive until I am available to help is an important skill for them to practice. Then my K’er can sit next to me and work on Explode the Code for 10 more minutes while I work with his brothers but am available to help him as necessary.  Later, while I cook dinner, he reads to me for practice, and when he first wakes up he does 30-60 minutes of free reading before breakfast.  He seems to do much better with his reading lesson/practice spread throughout the day instead of in one longer chunk. 

Math is handled much like reading. My goal is to spend a few minutes teaching his lesson, spend a few minutes doing problems together, and then have him complete his practice problems semi-independently. At first I check in after every problem, but soon he is doing several and then a half dozen and then the rest of the page on his own. “Writing” is pretty much a non-issue.  His handwriting takes about 5 minutes.  He sits next to me, I demonstrate a letter, I keep half an eye on his work while I teach the older kids. I correct and redirect the handwriting as necessary. 

My ideal kindergarten is like the one that I attended in days of yore.  Lots of fine motor work, science and art play, outside time, games and puzzles, stories, and short daily bouts of table work for academics and, just as importantly, for practice sitting and focusing.

Wendy

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What I did was sit the kinder kid on the other side of me with their own workbooks. Alphabet colour book, Alphabet maze book, Letter of the day worksheet, Number book. A Kumon cutting book ( for fine motor), a story book with a scrap book. I read the story book and they drew a picture of what I was reading ( beginning narration) and they work through a page of each then get to play a simple counting game then they get to do a reading eggs or whatever on the ipad. The kinder kid felt all big and grown up that they had school too. They were learning basic skills like sitting and working, drawing and some introduction to numbers and letters.

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6 hours ago, Ellie said:

Is your older dc going to need that much of your direct time? Is there nothing that he can work on independently for half an hour or so while you spend time with the younger dc?

 

He's very independent, but is taking 2 high school level online courses this year, which I'm assuming will need more support than he typically does (he is 9.5). That's why I was thinking that I'd spend the 1.5 to 2.5 hours that he is in class to work with my younger each day.

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6 hours ago, wendyroo said:

Since my younger kids will never be only children, I figure learning to work with distractions and rudimentary independence are important kindergarten goals.  I carve out 10 relatively uninterrupted minutes to do a phonics lesson with my K’er.  If my older boys have questions during that time...well, moving on and staying productive until I am available to help is an important skill for them to practice. Then my K’er can sit next to me and work on Explode the Code for 10 more minutes while I work with his brothers but am available to help him as necessary.  Later, while I cook dinner, he reads to me for practice, and when he first wakes up he does 30-60 minutes of free reading before breakfast.  He seems to do much better with his reading lesson/practice spread throughout the day instead of in one longer chunk. 

Math is handled much like reading. My goal is to spend a few minutes teaching his lesson, spend a few minutes doing problems together, and then have him complete his practice problems semi-independently. At first I check in after every problem, but soon he is doing several and then a half dozen and then the rest of the page on his own. “Writing” is pretty much a non-issue.  His handwriting takes about 5 minutes.  He sits next to me, I demonstrate a letter, I keep half an eye on his work while I teach the older kids. I correct and redirect the handwriting as necessary. 

My ideal kindergarten is like the one that I attended in days of yore.  Lots of fine motor work, science and art play, outside time, games and puzzles, stories, and short daily bouts of table work for academics and, just as importantly, for practice sitting and focusing.

Wendy

 

This is all helpful. Thank you. I think it's going to be a major adjustment for our homeschool this year and I guess we just need to find a new groove. I was never intending to homeschool Ronen, so Sacha and I have never had to really think about all this before. Sacha's work level continues to ratchet up each year, and he's never done anything in short bursts, so I'm intimidated by the thought of trying to help both. We could spectacularly crash and burn this year!

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2 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I just remembered that your preschool is what we in Aus call Kinder.  that was my 4 year old recommendations.

first year of school - what we call Prep or Foundations has a fair bit more seatwork

 

Yes, he went to 3 years of preschool, so already knows letter sounds, how to form capital letters, and basic addition. So, I think our main focus will be getting him to read and write, which I guess would more resemble first grade than K. My older was much more accelerated at this age, so I'm having a hard time remembering what we did so long ago. Plus, things change, and I hoped I might learn about new resources. 

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33 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

This is all helpful. Thank you. I think it's going to be a major adjustment for our homeschool this year and I guess we just need to find a new groove. I was never intending to homeschool Ronen, so Sacha and I have never had to really think about all this before. Sacha's work level continues to ratchet up each year, and he's never done anything in short bursts, so I'm intimidated by the thought of trying to help both. We could spectacularly crash and burn this year!

Ideally my older kids don't work in shorts bursts either, they just have my focused attention in short bursts (other than during the 45 minutes when the littles are off playing by themselves).  For example, Peter should (and normally can) be relatively focused on his AOPS work for 30-40 minutes.  I would never schedule that during our uninterrupted time because he doesn't need that much of my attention for AOPS.  Instead, he works on that at the same time everyone else is working on school.  I check in on him frequently to keep him on track and check for understanding.  I'll check answers if he wants me to, or help him get started on a problem if he is struggling.  But I'm easily able to pay enough attention to keep him moving, while also supervising the 2nd and K'er doing their math and keeping the preschooler out of too much trouble.

Wendy

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14 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

too short to do any cooking or chores. 

 

 

No such thing as too short to do chores! He's probably almost as tall as my dds, who are in college, lol. Also, that's what foldable stools are for.

Short kid chores: Cleaning the floor, baseboards, and appliances with a damp rag. If the floor is carpet, get him one of those little brooms (without the long stick) and a dustpan, he can sit on the floor and sweep the carpet. Dusting. Cleaning the toilet. Basically, knee down and figure out what he can reach. I'll be the first to tell you that this won't be particularly helpful to your housecleaning, but it will keep him busy. 

Other suggestions: Tangrams. Geoboards. Sorting, which is good for the brain and muscle control. My kids used to love having a bin of uncooked beans and rice. They would plunge their hands through it, put it in a cup and dump it back in, use slotted spoons to sort the beans from the rice.  Use two bins that nest together, put the beans and rice into sturdy ziplocks, and this takes up very little storage space. Water play; you can use the bins for this, or a stool and the sink. I mostly didn't worry about getting water on the floor and stuff, I figured everything could use a cleaning anyway, but you could always use a towel to protect carpet. Hang it to dry, no need to wash it every time as long as it's a designated towel. Whiteboard, I have never met a kid who didn't love a whiteboard. 

I would also experiment with different locations for helping Sacha with his work. Parks would be lovely if he can focus at a picnic table, and then lil bro can run around and burn off energy. Even places where he can't run around, like Starbucks or the library, offer a change of scenery. I think all morning in an RV is going to be tough even if you spend the entire afternoon outside. 

13 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure how I can really teach Ronen to read and write while simultaneously helping Sacha with his assignments.  

 

 

You get the knack of going back and forth! Give Sacha a little sign or flag he can put up when he needs help, that keeps him from interrupting you at critical moments. 

I can't remember if dad is around? If he is, some of this can be done in the evening when he is home. 

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Teach your Monster to Read is fun. Free for desktop and not too expensive as an app. Could you also teach him some solitare card games? For example, Pyramid generally is played matching the cards that make 13, but if you remove face cards, you can play with tens, which is more useful to memorize. Will he do mazes? Draw, perhaps on a white board or boogie board? Draw a little squiggle first, then challenge him to turn it into something he would see outside, or something funny, etc. Screens will probably be your friend, but you'll also want to break them up some, I'm sure.

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I know you don't have a yard to turn him loose in, but what is the setup where the RV is parked? Or does it change a lot? 

I was just thinking that a cheap webcam might enable him to do messy stuff outside while you guys work inside. We use one to keep an eye on the cat when we're gone overnight (she is too old and cranky to kennel). It streams to computer or phone, and it has sound - you could both hear him and talk to him. 

Obviously, even with keeping a close eye on him, this only works if he can be a safe distance from the road and trusted not to randomly run into the road or under the RV and so on. The general surroundings will matter also, but it might work in some places. If there was space for a small table even, he could do messy water play, build with various things, anything that's a bit harder inside, with the plus of fresh air and a little change of scenery.  

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16 minutes ago, katilac said:

I know you don't have a yard to turn him loose in, but what is the setup where the RV is parked? Or does it change a lot? 

I was just thinking that a cheap webcam might enable him to do messy stuff outside while you guys work inside. We use one to keep an eye on the cat when we're gone overnight (she is too old and cranky to kennel). It streams to computer or phone, and it has sound - you could both hear him and talk to him. 

Obviously, even with keeping a close eye on him, this only works if he can be a safe distance from the road and trusted not to randomly run into the road or under the RV and so on. The general surroundings will matter also, but it might work in some places. If there was space for a small table even, he could do messy water play, build with various things, anything that's a bit harder inside, with the plus of fresh air and a little change of scenery.  

 

I can try to do some stuff outside. We are right on the ocean, so it does get windy. Perhaps, I can set up some sort of art station outside on the picnic table. We have to move every 90 days, so I try not to accumulate too much stuff. And, frankly, I am just not a crafty person.

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4 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

I can try to do some stuff outside. We are right on the ocean, so it does get windy. Perhaps, I can set up some sort of art station outside on the picnic table. We have to move every 90 days, so I try not to accumulate too much stuff. And, frankly, I am just not a crafty person.

 

I wasn't even thinking of crafty stuff so much as water play. My kids would play with water endlessly, they did it inside quite a bit but outside is fun and adds some variety, and you can fling things, lol. And other things that are sensory rather than crafty: shaving cream, sand, bubbles, rice and beans, rice with small objects to search for, flour and water. All of these things can be done inside in a bin, I just think that outside wears them out more and gives them more sensory input. All of these items are cheap. The sand, rice, and beans can be used again and again, but are easily disposed of when needed. You can even let him use pots and tupperware in lieu of bins, if you aren't the picky sort. 

If there's a patch of dirt not covered in pretty grass or flowers, digging is another thing that would occupy my kids for a good while. 

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11 minutes ago, katilac said:

 

I wasn't even thinking of crafty stuff so much as water play. My kids would play with water endlessly, they did it inside quite a bit but outside is fun and adds some variety, and you can fling things, lol. And other things that are sensory rather than crafty: shaving cream, sand, bubbles, rice and beans, rice with small objects to search for, flour and water. All of these things can be done inside in a bin, I just think that outside wears them out more and gives them more sensory input. All of these items are cheap. The sand, rice, and beans can be used again and again, but are easily disposed of when needed. You can even let him use pots and tupperware in lieu of bins, if you aren't the picky sort. 

If there's a patch of dirt not covered in pretty grass or flowers, digging is another thing that would occupy my kids for a good while. 

 

I mean, he used to do that stuff when he was a toddler/preschooler, but now he is more into Pokemon, Minecraft, Legend of Zelda, Magyk the Gathering, etc. these days. They've also been raised on the beach and on a boat at a marina at a hotel with waterslides/pool, so other than water gun/water balloon fights, I don't think he'd be interested in that kind of thing. His big brother is 9.5, so he really does what the big kids do, which is more thrill-seeking stuff vs little kid stuff. My husband is an adrenaline junkie, so I think my kids are likely exposed to more crazy activities than most kids their age. My older DS just jumped off a 40 foot pier at lifeguard camp like it was no big thing. Maybe, I am wrong. I will certainly try it. I guess the worst that can happen is ants and a ginormous mess. ?

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19 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

I did, yes. And I appreciate the suggestions. Really. But, this (newly 5yo) kid has had a decked out art supply drawer for years, along with an Etch A Sketch, coloring books, puzzles, etc. and he doesn't touch any of it. 

Emphasis mine. OP, could it be because those aren't really items that really capture the attention of, or are in the ability range of a 1-4 year old? Most art supplies, puzzles and EaS require a certain level of mental focus and physical control/dexterity to do anything with. Toddlers aren't known for their ability to sit/stand still for more than a few nano-seconds at a time. Pick one or two things and work on them with him for a week.

19 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

 

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but I am not sure how I can really teach Ronen to read and write while simultaneously helping Sacha with his assignments. Sacha's online classes run 1.5 to 2.5 hours/day, so I was thinking that I would spend that time one-on-one with Ronen. That leaves another 1.5 to 2.5 hours each day when I was thinking that I could have Ronen watch edu TV or play on edu apps while I work with Sacha to get his work done. This would only be Tues/Thurs/Fri from 8-12. The boys will both go to their charter school on Mon/Wed, and have PE and free play all afternoon. 

While it may be that only a very few 4-5 year olds can learn to read and write easily, but most of them can do all the prewriting and pre-reading activities designed. Get some of those Kumon maze/cutting/tracing/coloring books. Breathe new life into the things that have become a part of the background for him by cutting the spines off of his current coloring books and taking the pages out.

You don't have to color the entire picture, pick one feature of the picture to color, then flip through the stack of coloring pages and look for examples of things that grow, things that are fruits, something made of metal, etc and color that one thing. You can trace it in crayon and he can color within the lines.

Show him how to use an EaS again and every day or every couple of days show him a single small thing and then task him with simple things on the EaS. Draw a line, draw a box, draw a triangle, draw a box and a triangle, draw a line 3 times, etc, etc, etc.

Take out a small subset of the art supplies and show him how to use them, then give him tasks that use them all week long. Work with him. Use crayons to make a picture, have him use the same crayons to color it in, etc. Or have him do "copy work" of coloring book pages by placing blank paper over a coloring page and tracing it.

The focus should be on gradually introducing him to following directions at house-work, play and even during seat-work (the level of the seat-work should range from laughably easy to comfortably within his grasp , you don't want to fight a war on all fronts if he's naughty/strong-willed.). You don't need to teach him to read and write if he's not ready. But there are tons of things you can do that aren't reading/writing.

Also, my life is just so much better I start our days with a bout of vigorous physical activity, then group work, then break off to independent work. So you might want to think about flipping/rearranging your routine to start with physical activity for the whole family.

Bikes, can be mounted to the exterior of vehicles, maybe a pogo stick or scooter would be fun for him. If you're parked near grass, give him a spade and have him dig 2 holes in the ground big enough for a toy, then fill them in. Have him set out the food and dishes that you need to make lunch/dinner.

Let him wash the doors/floor/put away the shoes, learn to fold pants/shirts and have him practice each day by folding the sleep clothes you guys have taken off. My kids perfected how to fold by folding the dirty laundry in the hamper each day, (we'd just shake out the basket and they'd refold the clothes)

Use bread bag ties to wrap and secure cords of appliances and technology.

Trace shapes on used cardboard boxes and have him cut them out. 

Get a few new "activity" books that don't require a ton of reading/writing.

You can put off all academics for a semester or a year, but still build in plenty of learning and life-skills that can challenge him and keep him interested.

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Khan academy has a young kid app can’t think of what it’s called. 

I introduced Minecraft at that age. Just creative mode. Because I wanted my kid to build things but I didn’t want the baby to eat the Legos ? and stepping on them wasn’t fun either. 

Sounds like you have a tablet or something. There is a site that lists all the free and other significant price drop kids apps on Fridays. Read the descriptions and download any interesting ones. Let him play them and if he hates them delete them off. That’s how we found a lot of our apps. 

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On 8/14/2018 at 8:14 PM, SeaConquest said:

 

Yes, he adores screens. He would happily play video games all day, which is what I am trying to avoid. I guess I should have been more specific that I was mostly looking for edu TV, apps, docus, etc.

Sadly, I can't imagine either of my boys being occupied by knitting, I have no space for a garden/area for physical DVD, and they are both too short to do any cooking or chores. 

 

You know my kid, and how short she is, generally running between 2nd and 5th %ile. She’s been doing chores since she was a toddler, and started stovetop cooking at age 5. A few of the chores were useful, and others were just getting started on the habits of chores and learning the basics, but they all filled time. By now, all the chores I give her are things that are useful. The cooking needed actively taught at age 5 and I couldn’t just leave her on her own in the kitchen until she was 7, so that would probably be less useful for keeping him occupied in the meantime.

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7 hours ago, Jackie said:

 

You know my kid, and how short she is, generally running between 2nd and 5th %ile. She’s been doing chores since she was a toddler, and started stovetop cooking at age 5. A few of the chores were useful, and others were just getting started on the habits of chores and learning the basics, but they all filled time. By now, all the chores I give her are things that are useful. The cooking needed actively taught at age 5 and I couldn’t just leave her on her own in the kitchen until she was 7, so that would probably be less useful for keeping him occupied in the meantime.

 

Sacha walks the dog, but both he and Ronen are too short to do anything in the kitchen. The RV has higher than normal cabinets, some of which I can't reach. We don't have a step stool because we don't really have room for one, and it's just one more thing we would have to pack up every 90 days. We also have a housekeeper (who also does the laundry) because I prefer not to spend my free time cleaning toilets and the like, so I have a hard time asking the kids to do stuff I'm unwilling to do myself. 

Gil, re the art supplies. Ronen likes art. He can do art. He has done tons of art and other sensory, prereading and prewriting activities the past 3 years at preschool and at various summer camps. It's more just, when at home, he likes to do what big brother and his friends are doing, and that never involves art, so the art supplies sit unused. Big brother does art at his charter school so, again, while at home he has zero interest in art. The boys mostly like playing imaginary Pokemon or Magyk battle games together. They both have bikes and scooters, which they ride to their friends houses and back, so it's just as a form of transportation. They mostly want to play with people. They are both very social and don't like solitary activities at all.

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I know this doesn't always work with 5 year olds, but in your situation I'd devote a little extra time in the next couple of months getting your little one reading as well as possible, then get him Jr editions/picture book versions of the stuff his brother is interested in our reading. Then I'd encourage him to sit nearby reading for part of the time big brother is working, doing mazes and such part of the time, and screen time part of the time.

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9 minutes ago, xahm said:

I know this doesn't always work with 5 year olds, but in your situation I'd devote a little extra time in the next couple of months getting your little one reading as well as possible, then get him Jr editions/picture book versions of the stuff his brother is interested in our reading. Then I'd encourage him to sit nearby reading for part of the time big brother is working, doing mazes and such part of the time, and screen time part of the time.

 

This is a great idea. Thank you. Reading is definitely our focus at the moment.

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35 minutes ago, acresoft said:

There for anybody, and he might want a chance to be.

 

You think a kindergarten aged, tiny child might want the chance to be confused about religion, instead of being grounded in the stability and consistency of home beliefs? 

That's not developmentally appropriate, and it's also hypocritical on your part, unless you are going to claim that your children were immersed in the culture and indoctrination of beliefs other than your own, at home, at ages 4 to 6, on the basis that "they might want a chance to be" that religion. 

 

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4 minutes ago, Tibbie Dunbar said:

 

You think a kindergarten aged, tiny child might want the chance to be confused about religion, instead of being grounded in the stability and consistency of  home beliefs? 

That's not developmentally appropriate, and it's also hypocritical on your part, unless you are going to claim that your children were immersed in the culture and indoctrination of beliefs other than your own, at home, at ages 4 to 6, on the basis that "they might want a chance to be" that religion. 

 

 

Yeah, it's ridiculous. My kids will get a developmentally-appropriate education in world religions, including the philosophies and theologies thereof. 

And then, to co-opt another religion's sacred text (the Torah) and throw it back at me as some Christianized version of the truth, it's just completely offensive and not at all what I asked in this thread.

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15 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Does your kiddo enjoy or have any stop motion apps?  That might be more self-directed, quiet play. 

 

I have never seen any. Is that like making movies? I bet he would like that. Do you have any recommendations?

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3 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

 

I have never seen any. Is that like making movies? I bet he would like that. Do you have any recommendations?

My girls have this cheapie Stikbot set. We picked ours up from WMart, but Amazon carries them. They have an app that has to be downloaded, and then you can make very basic movies (even using toys other than the Stikbot). I'm sure there are better programs out there, but you can't beat this price for testing the waters... https://www.amazon.com/Stikbot-Green-Orange-Figure-Inches/dp/B014E1PC5S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1534450900&sr=8-4&keywords=Stikbot

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