What do you do with…?
How do you homeschool with Busy?
Last year as I was considering homeschooling, the most pressing question on my mind was, “What do you do with the baby/toddler/preschooler while you are homeschooling the other one(s)?!” Ettin (not yet two at the time) seemed to be in to everything and had a very short attention span, how was I going to get anything done? Well, we figured it out with a preschooler—we kept important activities off the floor (which was hard for the Montessori wannabe teacher in me. Aren’t kids supposed to do all the big fun projects on the floor?!). And I’d get him to help when he could. Ettin, being a rather independent sort, was actually as happy to leave us to our schooling and play with toys all by himself (a rare occurrence when you have brothers close in age) as we were to do school on our own. It worked.
22 month Ettin working in his high chair with Giant:
Doing arts and crafts with us:
But then I had a baby. How do you homeschool with a baby?! One that is going to need you every hour or so, and wants to be held all the time, and cries and eats and poops and can’t be left on their own for fear that the unattended preschooler might just “help” them or try to “play” with them?! And, let’s be really honest, how do you homeschool after having a baby? Nursing and mothering is exhausting. I need naps almost as much as that baby does! Well, we figured that one out too. Babies do cry, and then they sleep. They eat, and then they sleep. They poop, and then they sleep. And when they don’t sleep, they are really content just being held. The new ones are not terribly busy and into things, but they do love being part of the crew. So, while I did put off some activities until the baby was sleeping, it wasn’t for very long. And my own sleep? Blessedly, I found I didn’t need naps as much as I did with my last son. And when I needed to, I actually could still take naps. Sometimes we all slept, sometimes the oldest watched something educational (hey, he’s learning spanish, it counts, right?). But it worked okay.
Galoot hanging out during lesson time:
Galoot hanging out in a snuggly pack thing:
Galoot sleeping in a nearby baby chair while we worked on school stuff:
Galoot crying. Often.
Galoot sleeping. Often.
But now my baby is no longer content to sit on the floor. This boy moves! He’s walking, he’s down to one nap a day, and he has little understanding of the word “no” or time outs. So what to do with a busy toddler while you homeschool?
(aside from devouring that cuteness every time I pass him?)
Here is what we are trying:
Sometimes we try a barrier (Galoot is stuck behind the benches in the far left of the picture):
Because schooling can be a little too…exciting when he is given free reign:
Sometimes we keep him and his friends busy with food:
Actually, food works well as a distraction. For a bit.
Often he’s off inventing new games for him and a friend to play (like rolling off mommy’s bed):
Sometimes we use the barrier reinforced with the keyboard (entertaining and confining all at the same time 😉 ):
And sometimes we just shove them under the rug (kidding—they shoved themselves under the rug):
More and more I’m finding it easier to include than exclude. He loves being a part of the fun,
…playing music:
…eating holding the gymnastics book:
…playing piano:
Or sitting on the table while we do our work:
Sitting under the board while we do our work:
…sitting strapped in to his high chair while we do our work:
This actually works quite well. He is not getting into stuff,
…and he feels like one of the school boys:
Yum. School.
And then, with all his busyness, the boy still needs those blessed naps:
Sometimes right in the middle of our living room:
And it is during this peaceful time that we work on baby unfriendly things (like robots), while admiring the whirlwind that is our Busy Galoot.
Now to figure out homeschooling and keeping a house clean. Hahaahaaa!