Sunday, July 24, 2011

Homeschooling Challenge #1 of 1 billion

P7240050

Sensory exploration tubs for table time with toddlers.

We’ve been doing some sort of official-ish Pre-K type activities at home the past couple of weeks. Right now this feels like more of a practice for me figuring out how homeschooling is all going to work with our family and in our home. I’m really enjoying the challenge of finding engaging and educational activities, learning Aaron’s learning styles and adjusting my teaching and parenting styles so we don’t both go insane. But, despite all that, the biggest challenge to our at home learning has been…dun, dun, duuuuunnnnn…the twins! Two 18 month old boys who’s only objective in life is to touch, feel, explore, climb every inch of space they can and then eat whatever has just been found and explored. As you can imagine this poses a challenge when I try to get into learning with Aaron. I found last week that the babies can sit in their booster seats for up to 30 minutes and do a lot of their exploring at the table. So, I sat them down and started giving them whatever scrap of paper, ribbon, q-tip (clean, of course), thing I had laying (or is it lying??, we’re in trouble when it comes to grammar time) around. So, cheap crafty momma brain turned on and came up with an empty coffee can filled with said bits of things that I can change out each day to keep things new and interesting. The twins can play nicely on their own for a certain amount of time. That quiet play combined with this learning will hopefully allow Aaron to get some learning done as well. I imagine for a while that we will have to have our reading time and any other focused learning happening when the twins are napping in the afternoon. Each day is a new and different. The home-schooling journey is beginning!

And, yes, I realize that we’ll be adding a newborn into the mix in 12 or so weeks. It’s all about adjusting and finding what works for the moment!

2 comments:

Spence Ohana said...

Great idea! I have to hand it to you, and any other moms that homeschool, I admire your patience to get through all the obstacles and challenges that schooling your children with younger children posses.

Stephanie said...

You'll get your routine soon. And remember, you can do "school" anywhere, my kids like having school on the porch or on the couch better than at the table. Workboxes have totally helped us out. And you can always spread out your day...maybe do some workbook stuff when you can get the twins to cooperate at the table, and then do reading practice when Daddy's home.