Children occupying themselves while you do school with other

[MelInKansas]

children.

How do you accomplish this? Especially with the 6-7 and under set?

This has become a big issue. I see it becoming even bigger next school year, because my tentative plan right now is to do LHTH with my 2YO and 4YO and Beyond with my 6 YO.

I guess my question is two-fold. Give me some more good ideas for how to keep my little 18 month old occupied and happy when I'm doing school time with BOTH of her older sisters (we do worship, scripture memory, rhyme in motion, and history/storytime with my 4YO and 6YO together in LHFHG). Of course the 18 month old just dances while we do worship time. She loves the rhyme in motion, she just waves her arms around while we do the actions. I've finally come down to trying to encourage her to have crib playtime (which actually sometimes she was asking for) while I do history and storytime reading because otherwise I cannot get through the reading. 18MO is extremely talkative right now and always has something exciting to tell me about her baby doll or something.

As I think ahead to next year, I really can't figure out how I'm going to get through both the curricula a) in a reasonably timely manner each day and b) without everyone thinking they have to be part of everyone else's school time. My 6 YO will want to do the fun stuff with LHTH, even though she's done it before. My 4 YO will want to do school with her older sister again. It overwhelms me to think about it.

I guess I just feel like I really need to figure out how to have each of my children do some quiet activity while I do something with a sibling. I actually have a lot of manipulatives and fun things for toddlers/preschoolers I bought at a homeschool sale (homeschoolers were selling off their used stuff). I need to get them out and maybe start scheduling those things so I can get school done more easily?

Thanks for your thoughts. God has always given me what I needed when I need it, so I am really looking for His great provision again!

[creativemommy]

This year in our home we are doing Beyond with my 7yo ds and LHTH with my 4yo dd as my 21mo dd runs around. I will tell you it is not always easy, but it can be done with some planning & prayer & constantly reminding myself this is only a "season."

I had high hopes for getting all our school done in the morning as we had last school year when my 21mo dd took her morning nap. Over the summer she dropped the morning nap, so when we began in the fall using the same similar schedule from last year, it was nearly impossible to get school done while supervising her because of the constant interruptions. She is very active, into everything, climbs everything, so I couldn't even confine her in a play gate or pack'n'play to play.

I realized I had to rearrange our days so that our school time would be after lunch when the youngest dd takes her afternoon nap. This has worked out really well. It leaves our mornings free for appointments/errands. I think the total time we spend schooling on HOD is 2 hours...Beyond & LHTH as described below...

When we sit at the table after lunch, I usually give my 7yo ds something to begin on his own (copywork, spelling words, etc.) then work with my 4 yo dd on her LHTH/math. Occasionally my ds will want to listen in/help my dd with her LHTH. It's okay. He'll then go back to whatever he has to work on for his school.

When my 4yo dd is done with her "school" I give her a "project" to work on by herself (file folder games, large floor puzzle, snap beads, SuperMind, a busy bag activity, lacing cards, magnetic paper dolls on a cookie sheet, etc). I try to pick something different every day but she's allowed to stay in the same room my ds and I are in to do his school. She loves to listen to the storytime books. After she's done with her "project," she's free to go to our playroom to play so I can work with my ds on the rest of his school for the day.

On the days with my 21mo doesn't sleep as long as she should I usually end up holding her at the table while I finish with my ds OR I send her to the playroom to play. We have the playroom set up so nothing small is in it (Legos, Polly Pockets, etc) for now.

This is what works for us. I know every family is different so hopefully others will respond with what works for them so you can have more ideas to choose from for what may work for you!

[MelInKansas]

Thanks, those are good thoughts. I hadn't really considered the fact that by this fall, my 4YO probably won't be napping anymore. She shows signs even now that the nap isn't always necessary. And yes, it's very difficult with my toddler to get anything done in the morning. I think right now we'll probably continue with the 1/2 in the morning, 1/2 in the afternoon thing (I do most of the R side of the guide with my 6YO while the other 2 nap, or right before the 4YO's nap). Today I gave my 18 MO her pacifier while she had "crib time" and she at least wasn't crying during it.

I do need something to keep my kiddos (olders especially) occupied in the morning. Their whole attitude about everything is SO much better after we've done school because they've had some attention and some focus on good, pure, right things instead of playing unsupervised for so long which leads to fights. But I like the idea of freedom to run errands and get other things done in the morning. I also am working on trying to get my kids more involved in chores.... again... we had a decent rhythm of this going in the fall but it's since all fallen apart.

Again, thanks! I appreciate any other thoughts as well.

[mrsrandolph]

I have allowed younger siblings to sit in on older kids lessons *if they want to* as long as they do so quietly. The younger child may write on a whiteboard, play with playdough, or color. I have some little icons posted on the table. One means "be quiet", one means "leave the school room",and one means "go to your room".

If the little one is being too loud, I simply point to the reminder to be quiet. I don't have to stop my lesson or say a word. If the child continues to be disruptive, I make them leave the school room, but allow them to play elsewhere, so I point to the "leave the school room" sign.

If the child is out of control, I send them to their room, so I point to the "go to your room" sign.

I can do all of this without saying a word, and they are trained to respond without complaining. : )

Best of luck to you!

[tjswaine]

Here are a few helpful threads:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7889&p=57468&hilit= ... ies#p57468
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4462&p=32774&hilit= ... ies#p32774

[MelInKansas]

I have allowed younger siblings to sit in on older kids lessons *if they want to* as long as they do so quietly. The younger child may write on a whiteboard, play with playdough, or color. I have some little icons posted on the table. One means "be quiet", one means "leave the school room",and one means "go to your room".

If the little one is being too loud, I simply point to the reminder to be quiet. I don't have to stop my lesson or say a word. If the child continues to be disruptive, I make them leave the school room, but allow them to play elsewhere, so I point to the "leave the school room" sign.

If the child is out of control, I send them to their room, so I point to the "go to your room" sign.

I can do all of this without saying a word, and they are trained to respond without complaining. : )

Best of luck to you!

Hmmm this seems like a really great idea. But first I'd have to have a school room! The training seems very valuable though, and the dedication to school time getting done. Do you also have your older 2 doing things at the same time, perhaps the oldest independently? I would love to be able to do this with my 6YO next school year. Have her work on some of her workbooks while I do some of the LHTH activities with 2YO and 4YO.

[Mommamo]

Well, here's what we do. (I should probably post this to the schedule thread, now that I think about it)

We're doing Bigger with my 7 yo and LHTH with my 5 and 2 yo.

We start out by doing the L side of the guide during breakfast. Theoretically everyone is quiet and eating during this time. In truth though, I have a hard time with the 2 yo being noisy and disruptive, but we're working on it. So my littles are hearing all this history they'll be doing later, but I think it's no big deal because they'll enjoy hearing it again in a few years. After everything that I need to do, C does anything hands-on or written from that side of the guide. If it's an art something, the little ones join in too. Then we all stop to do morning chores.

After morning chores we do "circle time" and sing a few songs, read a story, and do LHTH. The 7 yo joins in because she doesn't want to be left out. She enjoys that time with her siblings, and I honestly don't mind at all.

So then we go on to C's (the 7 yo) idependent work. While she does handwriting, the littles and I work some more on the letters we've learned so far in LHTH. Then they do some little workbooks/coloring books while I do C's math lesson. She then does her workbook assignment while I do a little "math lesson" with the little ones. Mostly we just play with manipulatives, do patterns, etc. If she has a science notebook page to do then she'll do that while the littles and I do a puzzle or something. We're all still in the room together though, unless they're being too noisy, and she'll go in the kitchen to finish.

Then I have the little ones go play together in one of their rooms while C and I finish up. They are allowed to stay in and listen if they'd like. They enjoy the stortime. At this point we do grammar, storytime, Emerging Readers, science (if there is reading involved or a hands-on activity) and I think that's it. I might be missing something though...

It sounds pretty smooth. It doesn't always work out that way unfortunately, as I'm still training my littles to be respectful. But since we do so much together it does go pretty well.

[my3sons]

Good question, and you are wise to think ahead! I am happily teaching 3 HOD guides now, and we finish in a very timely fashion. I have picked up a lot of tips over the years from reading books, from talking with other homeschool moms, and from this wonderful board. My best helps for teaching multiple dc with a toddler racing around are...

*Have a schedule with blocks of time for each child
*Have older sibling play with toddler while I teach another child
*Have blocks of teaching time for me with each child and have other dc occupied with something
*Variety for the littles - every 30 minutes are so toddlers need something new to do; changing rooms, who they are with, and what they are doing is important.
*Routine helps, and so does training. I try to train the toddler to have a routine through the summer months, then when we begin school, the toddler's routine is already in place.
*Have dc do only the guide they are supposed to be doing. Once and awhile, we get together for a LHTH acting out moment or to enjoy a snack someone made for school, but having everyone do each other's school makes the day go so much longer.

Here is our schedule, in the hopes that it makes clearer what I am trying to say about blocks of teaching time and rotating things:


There are some good ideas for what to do with a toddler here:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4987&p=36744#p36744

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

[erin.kate]

I have allowed younger siblings to sit in on older kids lessons *if they want to* as long as they do so quietly. The younger child may write on a whiteboard, play with playdough, or color. I have some little icons posted on the table. One means "be quiet", one means "leave the school room",and one means "go to your room".

If the little one is being too loud, I simply point to the reminder to be quiet. I don't have to stop my lesson or say a word. If the child continues to be disruptive, I make them leave the school room, but allow them to play elsewhere, so I point to the "leave the school room" sign.

If the child is out of control, I send them to their room, so I point to the "go to your room" sign.

I can do all of this without saying a word, and they are trained to respond without complaining. : )

Best of luck to you!

Just wanted to pop in and say this is fabulous!