Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Keeping little ones occupied while schooling the big kids.

If you're looking for wisdom in this area, you've got the wrong blog.  If you have some to offer me, please do so.  Once in a while I walk in on a scene like this one...


which brings on warm, fuzzy feelings and reminds me of why I homeschool.  Unprompted moments of togetherness like this almost make me question their sin nature.  Almost.

Inevitabley the next scene I stumble upon will be more like this one...


Mind you, we have an entire cabinet full of preschool activities and puzzles that she could be playing with, but no she climbs up into the pantry to reach the macaroni.  In her defense, she did put every one of those little buggars back in the bag, close it up again, and return it to its rightful place in the pantry.  I'm not sure how I should feel about that.

At least it was better than discovering my preschoolers doing this the other day.




Not that there's anything wrong with swinging, I would just rather one of them not be naked.

So how do you keep your preschoolers busy while doing school with the big kids?  I ordered two more games last night and am hoping they get here REALLY soon.  (I'll be sure and get some pictures when they do arrive.)  I did manage to squeeze in a reading lesson with Prince today and a FIAR.  We're not exactly reading each book five days in a row, though.  We're lucky to hit each one three times in a row.  At any rate, Prince seems to be greatly enjoying our special time together each day.  And Queen manages to steal me away from school about a million times each day by saying those magic words, "I need to go potty, Mommy!" which are often followed by an emphatic, "Let's run!"

It gets a little crazy around here at times, but there's something to be said for never having a dull moment!  We thank the Lord for each and every one of our children- even the one that likes to strip off all her clothes at every opportunity and dump out all the macaroni.

3 comments:

  1. if i come across something that works i'll let you know. once i get my schedule settled, i'll blog about it, so maybe that will inspire?

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  2. Ok, that was hilarious! First, I didn't even realize she was naked on the swing until you pointed it out. And as for the pasta, any germs will boil off when you cook it....keep it in the pantry until you're ready to use it! :-)

    I have 5 and two are little boys: 4 and 5. Usually they occupy themselves while the others are in school by playing and entertaining themselves. But sometimes, I set out all the puzzles and come out to find the entire hallway filled with completed puzzle after completed puzzle. That's ok...it took them a while to do them! Also, I let the older ones alternate breaks (when they are working on the subjects we don't do together) and ask them to go read to the boys. The boys color A LOT, and I give them various manipulatives to play with, as well. They just kind of know when we are in school, the school room is off limits to rowdiness and running and loudness and, well....boy stuff! Generally, they do pretty well off on their own together!

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  3. When I say your first picture I was thinking, "I don't think that will EVER happen under this roof"...then I saw the following pictures and was much comforted as it looked SOOO familiar! Phew! :)

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I'm an on-the-run mom to 6 kids who studied and taught exercise science in a previous life. I love all things running, nutrition, and health-related. I usually run at zero dark thirty in the morning and am often quite hungry before, during, and after my run, but I live a rich, full, blessed life with my children, family, and friends. My faith in God is my anchor, and looking to Him and His promises allows me to live fully even when life circumstances are difficult. While running gives me an appetite, my desire is to hunger and thirst for righteousness more than for physical food.