I actually haven't dropped off the face of the earth as some people have been insinuating lately! Promise! We're just into school full-swing, and let me tell ya! That will eat up your time! But the truth is that I love it. It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job (in addition to being a mother) that I have ever had the priviledge of doing!
My husband and I decided well before our children started arriving in rapid-fire succession that we would homeschool them all, and it is kind of scary how quickly those years before school went by. This will be the fourth year we've been homeschooling. It has changed over time, as I have been learning right along with my kids how to best guide them, praying all the time that God give me the wisdom and patience to teach them. Now I think I'm fairly comfortable instructing. With each new thing they master, I can't help but feel incredibly excited that I actually had a hand in their learning! It's amazing!
This year was a bit of a suprise year because the little Fluffies are quite the little over-achievers and jumped on the learning band wagon so whole-heartedly that I felt it was best to go ahead and start them in first grade instead of spending another year doing Kindergarten level stuff like I had originally planned. They've been doing fantastically and I couldn't be happier with their progress!
Fuzzy is into second grade and doesn't quite share his sisters' enthusiasm for learning or over-achievement, but he's doing well over-all, so I can't complain too much.
With the heavier curriculum load for the three older ones, I was somewhat concerned about Little Stinky. We do school in the morning, and he only naps in the afternoon...occasionally. And he's busy. He has a couple of little preschool books that I've let him work on, but the truth is, he is not quite there yet. After browsing Pinterest and various blogs for ideas, I came up with several little learning activities that he could do while we're doing school. I thought I'd share what I came up with just in case anyone else is kind of drawing a blank on what to do with their wild toddler while the rest of the kids are trying to do school!
This one was simply matching the colors and gaining familiarity with seeing their names spelled out.
Matching shapes.
These simple puzzles are still his favorites. He loves the frog (but wants me to put it together).
This one was for more precise matching of colors and patterns. I was impressed that he did it so exactly like the examples!
Straws and pipe cleaners for motor skills.
My husband suggested this one, and it goes over quite well, though I try to encourage him NOT to set it while the other kids are doing school!
Learning how his name looks.
This is a color and simple pasting activity. He had zero interest in it. LOL
He gets a kick out of matching all these, and it takes a little time for him to go through the whole pile.
These I grabbed at Walmart for $1 each. He LOVES stickers right now and has a blast with these ones!
Other things he loves are coloring books, Betty Lukens Bible felt quiet books that my mom made for the older ones years ago, and his own bin of basic Legos like Fuzzy's. And puzzles. Giant floor puzzles or little puzzles he can do on his desk make him really happy! I have to do a little moderating for cleaning up and trading out activities, but as long as they keep swapping out, he isn't too terribly restless. He did lose interest for a little while, but some new crayons and coloring books freshened it up and he's back into "doing school" with us again.
