I wrote this recently on a thread in the wonderful Spell to Write and Read discussion groupon Yahoo!
and was rather pleased with it. The ironic thing is that today M has been in front of the TV for I don’t know how long, but today is not a school day ;-)
As my 2nd child was born the Spring before my oldest started homeschool kindergarten, I’ve never had homeschool without a little one around.
I could NEVER get my oldest to focus on spelling if the youngest watched TV, because TV makes everything else stale and flat (like the White Witch’s Turkish Delight ruining regular food) So, TV got rationed to during dinner prep time, because I’m not very civil then, and zombie children seem like a great idea at that point!
I gathered ideas for working with little ones from Mary Pride’s books, the catalog from "hands on and Beyond," http://www.handsonandbeyond.com/default.html
who were of course trying to sell me things, and from Home Education Magazine, Old School House Magazine, and Practical Homeschooling. Most beginning to homeschool books also have a chapter on what to do with the toddler besides using the nap time for the hardest parts of the big kids school.
Here was the best stuff that worked for me: A small session of "school" with the little one before the big one got his school, so he felt included; singing a patty cake song, reading a picture book, going over memory verses from Sunday school while he bounced on his bouncy pony, dancing to music, playing rhythem instruments with a cd of folks tunes, getting out special art supplies, playing "run around the clock," gluing together words and letting him run to them, gluing verbs together than doing them…I also made sure he had some dedicated face time with me or his dad to count on regularly. Sometimes the little ones get jealous of the attention the big ones get during school, even at the same time those older ones want to peel potatoes instead!
We zoomed through cursive first this Fall because the 5 year old begged for it, and we have gotten up to list E writing in crayon on huge sheets oh paper,. so these little school sessions can really add up! I don’t have to report him for kindergarten until next year in my state, so he accidentally got a head start.
I also include him in the older one’s school whenever I could, read alouds, nature walks, math games….but he also has stashes of special school time stuff on top of the refrigerator that only come out at school time: some play doh, and sink toys. These have stretched out his attention span nicely, though I did have to train him to keep at it with, "What else can you do with it?" and, "If you are done, then clean up now." sorts of thing. With my oldest, I was always running around setting up stuff for him least he be bored and unpleasant!
OK, I am leaving the computer now to get M dressed, and to live up to my ideals as a frugal, hands on Momma.