Homeschooling with toddlers

From Above Rubies

IT PAYS TO PLAN

A little bit of planning and organization in the summer has saved my sanity this school year. Here is what I did:

For my 1 1/2 year old I bought six Rubbermaid shoebox size tubs (97 cents each at Wal-Mart) and filled each with a quiet activity. When it is school time she gets to pick a tub and sit and play quietly at our dining room table with us while I teach my kindergartner.

The different tubs include:

1. Empty tubs with lids (such as margarine tubs, empty bacon bits tub) and plastic frogs. This is Hannah's favorite! She puts the frogs in a container, twists the lid on and then takes them out and puts them in another container and so on. When we were on Christmas break she kept looking up to the shelf in the kitchen where I keep her tubs and asking for her frogs.
2. Wooden blocks for stacking.
3. Board books to look at.
4. Plastic zoo animals (elephant, monkeys, giraffe etc.).
5. Plastic play food and dishes to cook with.
6. Empty measuring cups (1/2, 1/4 etc.) to stack together.

The basic rules are one tub out at a time and to pick up her things when finished. Each tub has no more than 15 or 20 objects to pick up. I get out one tub per subject (math or reading time) and she needs to be happy with this the whole time. No asking to switch after five minutes.  

For Theo, my four-year-old, I found a great book called Preschool Activities in a Bag by Paula Reetz and Sherri MacLean, www.ActivityBags.com. This book was a lifesaver. It gives instructions to make simple and inexpensive activities to keep your preschooler busy and learning while schooling older children.

In the summer I made 20 activities. Each activity is kept in its own zip lock bag in a file cabinet in the corner of our dining room. When it is school time Theo picks an activity to work on. Some of his favorites are cutting out shapes, matching lower case to upper case letters, and sorting coins. 

All the supplies for each activity are contained in the bag so Theo can independently set up and clean up. The other big advantage of having all these activities ready is that I can grab a bag and set both my four and six year old to work on something educational while I do office work. This is much better than letting them watch T.V.

I concentrate better with everyone in the same place; I don't send the younger ones off to go play at school time. Instead, they sit at the table and do their school work. This way they learn that school time is “sit and work quiet time” and they look forward to this time.

HILLARY CRANDALL
Denver, Colorado, USA
crandallquiver@q.com

PAINT WITH WATER BOOKS

We use "Paint with Water" pictures with our toddler while I work with the two older children. I give him two pictures at a time to "paint" and this is his homeschool "work".  I keep it in a folder and store it with the older children’s work folders so he feels big like them.

The "paint with water" books are great because they only require a little dish of water and a brush--the color is already on the page and spreads when the brush goes over it. There is no mess and the only liquid they use is water.

CHARLENE WITEK
Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
charlenewitek@yahoo.com

YOUNGER CHILDREN FIRST

I recently purchased Susan Bradrick's CD, "Twenty-four Hours is all you get." She makes a wonderful case for putting time with the younger children first--a priority above the school-aged children.

Instead of finding something to fill up their time, they get focused attention in the prime hours of the day. More time can be devoted to the school-aged children while the younger ones are napping.

She really helped me understand that I cannot afford to waste these fleeting, crucial, tender years with my youngest ones.

I am adapting this principal into our daily routine. I begin my day with the four-year-old cuddling, reading with me and being with me in my room while I make my bed, read my Bible, pray, etc.

He really relishes this time with Mommy, and will say "I didn't get my cuddles" if we miss it. I also spend time with the little ones while the older ones are cleaning up after breakfast/first school session.

ANN HINES
Willow Springs, Missouri, USA
6rubies@gmail.com

BAG SWAP

A group of homeschooling moms and I are getting together for a Toddler Activity Bag Swap!  Ten of us!

The bags will follow certain rules; they must be very inexpensive, if not free, to assemble. They must allow a toddler to use them independently (though it may take a few minutes for mom to demonstrate the first time). They must be easy to clean up, and there must not be any parts that are a choking hazard for littler babies lurking around.

Each bag will be assembled in big Ziploc bags with a little white zipper handle, NOT the type that has to be pressed together.

Here are some of the ideas:

• Cardboard shapes with holes punched around the edges, and a piece of yarn tipped with masking tape. Sewing!
• A pie tin and small toys with magnets glued on the bottom.
• An empty paper towel roll and a toy car to roll thorough it.
• Several cups of various sizes to stack and build.
• Chalk on dark construction paper.
• Crayons and sandpaper (an interesting change from paper).
• A big puzzle with five or six pieces, homemade or purchased from a yard sale or thrift store.
• Very big beads and a drinking straw (easier to handle than string).  Mom can make a sample pattern for the child to follow if she glues the two end beads.

Here are some ideas that one mom can do for her own toddler:

• A can of shaving cream and a nice smooth surface (counter, inflatable pool, cookie sheet)
• A shallow bucket of water with boats, scoops, etc.   
• Cornmeal on a cookie sheet to practice writing with a finger.
• A spray bottle of water and a small dry towel for "washing windows."
• Make a necklace with string and cheerios.
• Picture book and tape to be enjoyed on headphones so they don't bother other children.
• Record your own personalized tape for your child to listen while he looks at his favorite book.
• A flashlight.
• When a flashlight gets boring by itself, you can add cut-out shapes of cardboard for a shadow and light show (an older child may enjoy building a little tent of blankets and chairs to create a dark space).
• Beanbags and a bucket.
• A drop of food coloring in water, an eye dropper, and a paper towel or c
• offee filter.
• Clothespins and just about anything that can be clipped together; paper, cloth, paper cups.
• A disposable camera.
• Pictures with colored glue. If you use this on a smooth plastic surface, such as a page protector, you can peel the pictures off when it's dry!  It’s also great fun to paint your hand, let it dry, and peel it off like extra skin!
• A captured bug in a jar.

MAGDALENA ALVAREZ
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
babykneads4life@yahoo.com

ADVICE FROM AN OLDER MOM

TODDLERS FIRST

If you give your toddler the first part of the day, he or she will be much more content the rest of the day. Sit on the couch and read to them, do finger plays, talk about colors, shapes, days of the week, months of the year, community helpers or your family. Teach them some songs and have special cuddle time with them. Fill their tank with your love and attention, hugs and smiles.

SPECIAL SCHOOL ONLY TOYS

Start a list of special toys you would like to collect over time for your toddler to play with during “school.” I have a list on my organizer called “Wee Hands Busy School.” Some of the things on my list are: magnets on a cookie sheet, tinker toys, bee’s wax, baby-bendable toy, notebook, cutting and pasting box, Tupperware containers, audio tapes, sticker books, felt and pipe cleaners, etc.
I also save little toys that have a small container, like our Winnie the Poo house, which has a handle, snaps closed, and contains small Winnie the Poo characters we have saved over the years.
These toys are kept and brought out only during special school time. If you have a baby who is not walking yet, keep some special baby toys in a basket for baby to play with near you only during school time. The little ones start to look forward to this time when they have their special toys, and are kept occupied while you sit with their older brothers and sisters. They feel “big” because they are “doing school” too.

AFTER LUNCH AND BEFORE NAP TIME

While your bigger children are cleaning up your lunch mess, take additional special time to sit with your baby and/or toddler to read and sing to them before you put them down for their nap. If you are consistent with your nap time, bed time and getting up time, your toddlers will be more peaceful. Let your children work with things they can do independently during the morning hours. Use nap time to work on special projects and one-on-one with your older children without worrying about little hands disturbing your work.

HALF A DAY SCHEDULE

Toddlers love repeat activities, and function better with a schedule. If a full day schedule is too burdensome for you, try a schedule for half a day until nap time.

A sample schedule might be:

7:30 – 8:30 Breakfast and Clean up.
8:30 – 9:00 Chores (Toddlers can help empty the dishwasher, empty small trash cans and put in liners, pick up toys, straighten shoes in the closet, fold washcloths and match socks).
9:00 -- 9:20 Couch Time with Toddlers.
9:20 – 10.00 “Hands On” activities, math manipulatives, puzzles, play dough, coloring, dress up, special video or audio tapes.
10.00 – 10:15 Snack.
10:15 – 10:45 Outside or exercise.
10:45 – 11:15 Minute clean up.
11.00 – 11:30 Toddler Special School Toys while you sit with older children.
11:30 -- 11:45 Lunch prep.
11:45 – 12:15 Lunch.
12:15 Reading time with small ones while older ones clean up.
1:00 Nap time for babies and toddlers, one-on-one with older children.

LYNETTE CRIDDLE
Canyon Lake, Texas, USA
ACriddle@satx.rr.com