I am hsing my 7 year old dd in the 2nd gr. this year. Even though this isn't my first year I feel a whole lot busier this year than last. I also have a dd who just turned 2 and another dd who is only 3. I am having a lot of trouble this year keeping them entertained and such while I do work with my 7 year old. I try and include them whenever possible with paper and colors, play-doh, and whatever else I can find but it's really a challenge this year. I know it will get easier....right?! :shock: I guess I'm just looking for ideas and seeing what others are doing with their toddlers all day! :?
Tina TX needs to answer this question for you.......... She has tons and tons of good ideas to keep the younger children entertained! I have an 11 yr old dd who is in 5th grade. My 4 yr. old dd is doing kindergarten work this year. Of course, hers doesn't take very much time at all. I'm fortunate in that she has always been wonderful at entertaining herself. She loves to build things with blocks, sometimes she'll watch a movie, and she's very creative- she's happy with a piece of paper and some art supplies. Her newest means of entertainment is typing- she'd sit at the computer for hours and copy books! Good luck! I'm sure for now it's frustrating, but in a few years they'll be in school too. Heidi
Yep keeping those little ones busy. :roll: Try making up bags ahead of time. The bag will contain everything they need for the *task*. You could have one bag with crayons & coloring pages, another bag with foam alphabet letters to glue on *whatever*. My old socks have been the hit. Something about a big sock that lets the imagination run. :lol: They put them on their hands, on their feet, fill them up with things, etc... What a about a felt board with the story already on cd or tape for them to play and *tell* the story as they put the images up. My oldest LOVED this when he was 3. Counting bears and buckets - counting & color sorting My two year old loves to draw. He will *ask* by saying "draw". He loves the glue, scissors, paper, markers, you name it. I would have never given those things to my oldest at 2 but...our 2 year old loves them and uses them very well. :lol: Then of course there are the make a tent ahead of time for them to play in type things. We also have computer software that is age appropriate that gets thrown in there for maybe an hour a week. Of course there is always the *school time only* toys. Which we don't do but...I know several have had success with it. Just figure out what your little ones enjoy and *cater* to it. )
Cutting empty cereal boxes in the middle of your kitchen floor while you're teaching at the table was always popular with my younger two! Heidi, when I first read this, I thought the same thing...talk with Tina!!!
Lori...... HERE I AM!!! :lol: Yes, Yes......I have ALL kinds of fun things! When I started, dh shoved a couch in a schoolroom so I could nurse the newborn (now 4) and let the toddler (now 8) play at my feet. I set up the room complete with diaper changing station,etc. :wink: I think what helped the most with both of them was the good ole ziploc bags. I literally made probably over the course of the years at least 100 if not more. You buy the gallon ziploc bags and prepare them ahead of time. Yes this takes time to get together, but SOOOOOO worth it because you can use it for a year or more. Also you can do this with other mothers in your group who have similar aged children. Have them make 5 or so concepts, and so on. It just so happened I didn't know of anyone with similar circumstances so i made them all. I learned a lot :shock: :lol: Here are the rules: Each bag has to be INDEPENDENTLY owned and operated. :lol: That means NO supervision to very little from you. They have to be slide lock bags so they can open it themselves. Don't let them have but a few at a time, and put them in their *school drawers or containers*.. Here are the ideas for the bags: Make each bag contain a number, or letter of the alphabet, his name on laminated paper, envelopes,plastic egg shells, beads, stencils,stickers, toys. So for the number 4. I cut up a huge number 4 from cardboard(you can buy some of this stuff too if is easy....and lot of it is cheap :wink: Then I would put 4 of whatever in it, mostly toys, but i added fun things like jelly beans (yep add some extra ones for eating) and he had to count 4 and glue on the number. GLUE included in the bag...... Sheila said she had found glue dots, so that might be interesting to see. But anyway I must have bought a dozen o rso small glue bottles and just kind of rotated them when I had the chance..... In that same page goes 4 coloring sheets, or 4 beads to string like fruit loops on licorice for a necklace........ Also stickers to put on the four. Who cares if he/she just put four stickers on the four, let them collage the four...give them tons of stickers, it keeps them busy, is good for fine motor control,etc... I always included somehting different in my bags, like a small toy from the dollar store, a whistle, a dollar book of foa,etc..... I did through number 15 ,one for each bag.. Make each bag different. Put play doh in one, stencil in another one to trace the number. I had bags with stencils in them along with map pencils and markers,,,,,, I had to show them at first and then they liked pictures with the stencils..... Some bags I did nursery rhymes...I save these bags when I had a little time with them......but you can make finger puppets out of paper..........The key here is for you to do this in your time and then you can get the back down and you have all the pieces cut, just glue to make little red riding hood, 3 pigs, humpty dumpty,etc... The other bags had every letter of the alphabet in it... I went to the dollar store and bought tons of cheap stuff to stuff in those bags... YOu can make the letters from cardboard or buy them.....Buy big ones ......so they can collage and maybe glue the toys on the letter AFTER they play with them for a while :wink: sometimes i put food in the bag the night before when I wanted to bring it down for them...little box of raisins for R, apple jacks for A, sugarfree gum for G, cheerios for C,etc.. A color sheet of the letter too........ Some other bags I kept back too when I could supervise a little more were bags for *squeezing and touching*.... I took blue hair gel and put little plastic fish in it for ocean view... I stapled that too :wink: but I also watched it.... I add a shoe lid and made holes in it and put shoe laces in the bag. They had to thread the laces through the holes and practice shoe tying... Of course, they hardly got to that because they had to fit the shoe lace through the hole :wink: I cut out shapes in construction paper and then outlined real basic shapes on paper. an icecream cone, a house, a castle, a red light....Then they hadto glue the cirlce that fit the ice cream cone on it , and a triangle on the cone....... i did a lot of these too.....then I had markers in the bag in case they wanted to add a few more details...like some real important *scribbles*,etc... I laminted their names and put in dry eraser markers and they traced their names....... Of course, all this gets better as you go along...... The idea is to not inundate them with them......keep them wanting more, and give them a variety.......don't do all numbers......then letters,etc.. switch it around... A few more just came to mind: I took a dozen and half empty egg carton and wrote either letters or numbers on each egg spot. Then I used a permanent marker and put the numbers on plastic eggs that you get at Easter time and put those in the bag.. They had to look at the egg and match it up in the carton to the correct number or letter. I used 2 gallon ziplock bags for this.. Also I used the rest of the eggs to put a number, toy, or letter inside the egg....They had to *crack the egg* to see what the toy was. My middle son like nuts and bolts :roll: :lol: so I put them in a bag and he played for hours trying to put those nuts on the bolts....good motor development... Use toothpicks andhave them punch through a design or picture from acoloring book or one that you made. Hold it up to the light to see the pattern on the other side. This is excellent fine motor skill for holding pencils later.... I also used every scrapbook paper puncher I had.. I put a different one in each bag, and they punched holes....... I would put the pictures or paper together and tie it with yarn so they made like a little book..... Also, use stamp/stamp pads in these ziplock bags.....I have stamps that are numbers, letters and pictures... have them stamp you a story with their pictures and put the *words* . :lol: They will think they have written a story with those long stream of unintelliglbe letters :wink: These are the first makings of masterpieces and future compositions.... Okay.........i will stop here and let you catch up............ I have more ideas for patterning, etc. but i will let you absorb this first. :wink: Blessings TinaTx
Thanks for all of the great ideas! I babysit a friends 3 year old during the day. I have been having a problem coming up with new ideas to keep him busy while we are doing school. I love the baggie idea! I know what I will be doing while he is at home next week. Thanks again. Terry
Tina - I don't know what we would do without you!!! Thanks - those are some great ideas! Ya know - you could write a book (in all your free time lol). I'd sure buy it!
Shaina... Glad you liked the ideas:wink: I do keep all of my ideas and homeschooling journey in written form.. I actually started with my children when they were babies. Ii wrote down everything that worked , what didn't work, how I was feeling at the time.....Now with no more infants,Ii just stare at the notes. They are a good read and amusing. :lol: I wonder if I will do the same when I'm finished homeschooling? :lol: Or like you said cash it in for some bucks
You'll make multi-copies of your notes and give them to your daughters-in-law for wedding presents so they will know how to bring your grandkids up right, LOL!
