preschool Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Jan 19 2014

{Day 19} Homeschooling Big Kids With Babies and Toddlers Around

{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}

To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.

One challenge that may come from homeschooling is keeping everyone busy at the same time. While in theory, it’s nice to imagine the older children working while the younger children nap or play quietly, in reality, this doesn’t always happen. Homeschooling is real life! Babies and toddlers underfoot, children whining or complaining about something, those who need help with things that cannot wait, and constant other interruptions can make for a very stressful, unpleasant day.

No family is immune to hectic days. But there are ways to keep things running more smoothly — at least most of the time. Using a few basic techniques, and following them consistently, will start to bear fruit in just a few days. Within a few weeks, homeschool households will be operational — with less chaos and happier people – in no time flat.

One of the ways to homeschool with fewer interruptions is to use a daily schedule. Schedules come in many shapes and sizes, but the goal is always the same — to make sure that everyone knows what he or she should be doing throughout the day. Though counter-intuitive for some people, schedules pretty much always work when families stick to them. Plus, they can be adjusted as the needs of every child change, even adding in “free time” for those who feel that schedules are just much too rigid for the way they think.

Another way to keep a homeschool running smoothly is to combine children and activities together. The best way to occupy a younger child, is to assign an older child to read or play with the younger sibling. This activity benefits both children, and frees up valuable time for parents to work with the remaining children, uninterrupted, for a short while.

Since keeping children busy isn’t the only goal, quality learning activities must be provided throughout the day, too. This is where the third tip comes in. Selecting a homeschool method that is best suited to the kind of family and number of children in the household is crucial. It would be pointless, for example, to use a curriculum that requires absolute quiet or requires frequent timed tests given throughout the day. Families with several little ones demanding constant attention would be much better off selecting a unit study the whole family can do together, using short workbooks that can be used any time of day, or adopting a relaxed approach for a time period.

Perhaps the best advice of all is to learn from other families like yours. Parents will glean hundreds of valuable tips just by talking to other parents of similar age children. Comparing frustrations and coming up with solutions to common challenges is one of the great benefits of knowing other area homeschoolers. Hundreds of Internet blogs exist to help in these areas, too.

NEXT LESSON

Further reading:

Homeschooling tips for sleepless moms

Keeping Preschoolers Busy While Homeschooling: It can be done!

Teaching Big Kids With Little Ones Around

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Sep 25 2013

Advice for moms having trouble homeschooling with babies and toddlers around

I frequently get questions from moms having difficulty homeschooling with babies and toddlers in the house. Typically, there is an older child trying to school kindergarten or 1st grade while mom has his younger siblings under foot.

In the story, one of the siblings is very little — usually a newborn with typical infant needs – and the other is somewhere around 18 -36 months — just beginning to explore the world (i.e., needs constant supervision).

In a nutshell, if mothering itself wasn’t enough, now homeschooling has been added to the routine.

In a nutshell, if mothering itself wasn’t enough, now homeschooling has been added to the routine.

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In this scenario, mom becomes frustrated by not “completing” homeschooling by the end of every day. The school-age child is not being served, she feels, plus the babies are not receiving the attention they deserve, either.

Several weeks into the homeschooling experiment, mom becomes exhausted performing this dance, trying desperately to be both “good” homeschool parent and “good” mom to all 3 children.

Ultimately, in many, many cases, the situation leads to the inevitable discussion about placing the older child in school — at least for now, until the babies get a little older.

This is a recurring complaint.

Many, many, many, many moms have expressed it before.

I can absolutely relate to the frustration and exhaustion felt by the end of a very unsatisfying, totally unproductive day.

HERE’S WHAT I RECOMMEND that has worked for me, and has worked for countless other moms in the same situation. And though (for some of you) this may shatter the image you have long held of homeschooling, remember it is a temporary solution to a problem, can always be changed back at any time — plus…IT WORKS.

1. Give up the curriculum.

Put all structured curriculum products on a shelf for the time being. If the thought of it sitting there bothers you, hide it or loan it to a friend to get it out of the house for a little while. While you’re at it, put away all time-consuming, day-by-day, planning-type sit-down-at-the-table kinds of activities, at least for now.

2. (Optional) Stock up on workbooks.

Many families like seeing production in homeschool, and many kids like the fun and stimulation offered by completing pages of school work. Some dads, in particular those not completely sold on the concept of homeschooling quite yet, sometimes want to monitor learning and progress, too. If this sounds like your family, stock up on inexpensive workbooks (not worktexts) and offer them at times you believe school work is in order.

3. Read about alternate methods of homeschooling (those that do not involve structured learning).

If you haven’t already, learn about relaxed ways to homeschool and ways that children learn without formal schooling. Also study lapbook creation, notebooking, copywork, unit studies, plus anything that families can do together (indoors or out) without being chained to a table and chair. Start HERE if you need a reference point.

4. Get lots and lots of books.

This can be done as a family, and can become an ongoing project in the household, too. Scour closets and drawers for books you already own, then begin stocking up at clearance and warehouse sales for everything from early readers to reference materials. Whether this becomes an actual homeschool library or simply baskets of books scattered throughout the home, make books accessible to every child in the family, and encourage reading every day, throughout the day.

5. Add fun to every day.

In later years, you may question whether homeschooling must always be fun, but during these years, try adding something fun to each and every day while the children are young. Take a nature walk, go to the park, blow bubbles and make chalk drawings outside, make Play Doh sculptures, or do anything that adds an element of pleasure each day. This strategy helps ease tensions that can build up, plus it means you all go to bed at night remembering something positive about the day.

I have written much about this topic. Click below to learn more about homeschooling with little ones around, then click links within each post to navigate this topic on my web site:

Homeschooling with little ones around

Homeschooling tips for sleepless moms

Homeschooling with babies and toddlers around

And if I can help you select products to free up your time, create schedules to outline your days, help you determine if learning is really happening, or anything else to put you at ease, please CONTACT ME. I’d be honored to help.

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Feb 28 2013

Homeschooling tips for sleepless moms: Part 2 of 2

In a previous post, I talked about ways to help sleepless parents have the best experience possible during the homeschool years. You read about the kinds of products and methods tips that work well when moms and dads are tired (and whose nerves may be stretched to the limit).

In the second part on this topic, I’ll share with you some additional tips that worked well for me, and have worked for the many other families I have shared them with.

Remember that these early years are precious ones that will never come again. Making the most of this season of life means balancing everything that needs to take place on a daily basis — not just homeschooling. While high expectations and over-the-top homeschooling efforts can result in productivity and earn bragging rights, they only add to the problem at hand. Thinking in terms of “less is more” helps put this concept into perspective.

Proceed down this list to see if any of these additional tips can be implemented in your homeschool today. Then, get ready to enjoy a happier, more carefree day!

1. Set small, doable, daily goals. Too-high expectations can easily end up as failures when days do not go as planned. Setting smaller goals that are easier to reach creates a greater sense of well-being and accomplishment when goals are met at the end of each day. Daily goals do not need to be very elaborate, and may be planned by the week, or even by the day. Goals that include things like reading aloud, playing cooperative games, creating artwork, working with flashcards, practicing penmanship, and memorizing learning songs are examples of doable activities that most families should be able to reach, no matter what the circumstances.

2. Create centers all around the home. Creating learning areas around the home guarantees that children will never be at a loss for something fun-ducational to do. These learning areas — or “Centers” – may consist of groupings of related items that families already own, or can be put together by purchasing inexpensive books, toys and other resources to keep children busy and learning. Endless possibilities exists for centers, including centers about space, insects, magnets, light, music, weather, building, dinosaurs, and so many more entertaining learning topics. Changing centers out from time to time keeps activities fresh and sparks interest in new topics, too.

3. Fill a “Waiting for Mom” basket. I have written extensively about this topic and it remains a favorite among conference attendees, as well. I coined the term years ago and still use it to this day! The idea is nothing more than having a box, bin or basket full of materials ready for when they are needed. I called ours the, “Waiting for Mom Pile”, because it resembled a pile of papers that I kept in the middle of the dining table. I used it extensively for many years when one or more of my children were idle and waiting for me throughout the day. I filled mine with educational worksheets, dollar-store workbooks, penmanship and coloring pages, science activities they could alone, small collections and objects, audio cassettes, and more. Fill yours with anything you like and place it within easy reach. When children call for activities, direct them to the basket, and gain valuable moments of quiet while they continue to learn and grow. Award credit or rewards for completion of activities if you like.

Finally, I believe strongly that preschoolers do not need a formal curriculum. The idea that children so young should be limited to learning some set of arbitrary benchmarks and be made to sit at a desk or structured setting to achieve early learning is preposterous. Individuals and companies selling preschool curriculum products prey upon parental fears of producing children who are not school “ready”. I encourage all parents to do what feels right to them during those years, within their budgets and time limitations. I caution against succumbing to intense pressure about purchasing expensive curriculum products for very young children. And, no matter what research, homeschool “expert” or authority is linked to the development of the product, be aware that many options exist for preparing early learners. Expensive packaged preschool curriculum systems should be viewed as one of thousands of resources in a universe full of opportunities for young students — not a quick fix solution for homeschooling the very young.

Other posts you might like:

Homeschooling with little ones around

Clean enough

Chore charts for non-readers

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT,Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Feb 22 2013

Homeschooling tips for sleepless moms: Part 1 of 2

When my children were very young, they hardly slept at all! They weren’t daytime nappers, and only occasionally dozed off briefly in a car or stroller. If that wasn’t enough, they were light nighttime sleepers who would wake at almost any sound.

Those were priceless years, but sleepless years for my husband and I. He worked outside the home and thankfully managed to hold it together on his own. My days, however, revolved around 15-minute or 30-minute chunks of time when one of the babies or toddlers dozed off — or if I was lucky, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. Nights yielded slightly longer periods of sleep, though not much more. It was a joyous yet very exhausting season of my life, to say the least.

I called my physical and mental state of mind back then, “The Mommy Zone” — I was eternally tired, and sometimes cranky and frustrated, too.

Sound familiar? I hear this from many of you, too. It’s a question I receive a lot from new homeschoolers and parents of the very young.

How are moms supposed to homeschool and take care of the home and family when stressed and fatigued? Is enrolling the children in school or preschool the only answer to regaining sanity and catching a wink of sleep?

Are you there right now?

Looking back, there were many things I did “right” about homeschooling my kids during the Mommy Zone years. Homeschooling provided the freedom to enjoy my children and the togetherness of our family, and gave me the flexibility I needed to allow learning happen differently each and every day. But I made some mistakes, too. Looking back, I guess I got smarter with every new child and experience, but I sure wish someone had told me how to get it right the first time!

In this post and the next, I’ll share some of my best tips for homeschooling when sleepless and weary. I hope these can help you move through those years more easily, and spare you some of the frustrations I experienced after making some incorrect choices.

1. First and foremost, avoid rigid or very structured curriculum and methods for your homeschooling. Placing too many demands on any family member is stressful enough — try adding failure to meet daily milestones to the mix. When mom is already performing a balancing act and is tired to boot, not getting enough done quickly turns from disappointment to failure. Using lots and lots of books, unit studies, any type of relaxed kind of homeschooling approach, and taking advantage of unschooling strategies is extremely helpful when children are very young and moms are stretched to the limits. Getting creative with road-schooling activities in the car and on trips to and from errands, and wasting no time counting all of the education that happens unexpectedly in the record books, helps too. Learning will still take place by leaps and bounds, but the sense of completion will come more from having a good day than how many questions were answered on a test or worksheet — and that’s worthwhile, too.

2. Next, take advantage of store-bought materials during those years whenever you can. Though it will temporarily squelch any dreams you had of creating your own fully-customized and homemade homeschool materials, there is nothing wrong with not doing everything 100% yourself the first few years (or ever!). Use packaged homeschool products; allow children to benefit from quality television, audio and video games; purchase educational toys and games at department store or online; fill the house with books or e-readers; and freely download games and activities on your computer completely guilt-free. Moms who come into homeschooling with a “Super Mom Complex” thinking they’ll develop everything themselves and keep up with their friends are most at risk for early homeschool burnout; but, anyone can fall into the trap of feeling inadequate when tired and stretched too thin.

3. Third, prepare your home environment for the demands of homeschooling with little ones around. Think carefully about the homeschool, organizational and comfort items you need to improve functionality and reduce chaos throughout your day. This may take some time and money, but the payoff on the other end is priceless. Study what other moms do and implement ideas that may work in your home. Talk to moms of littles and those with large families and model behaviors you really like. One thing that helped tremendously for me was creating “safe places” for children in every room of my home. I placed play yards, gates, spare cribs, and even extra car seats in strategic locations all around my home (including the bathrooms) so that I always had a safe spot to place an infant or toddler when I needed a moment to myself. I set bins full of activities and toys within easy reach of children in every room of the house, and I used lower cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and office to do the same. I stocked my vehicle and outdoor spaces (including my garage where I might re-enter with a sleeping child in a stroller) with supplies I might need, should I find myself with a few moments to balance a checkbook or catch a nap for 15 or 20 minutes at a time. I was rewarded for my efforts by being able to accomplish small tasks everywhere I moved about the house, plus an occasional nap if everyone happened to be quiet at the very same time.

4. Finally, though it may seem unrelated to homeschooling, practicing exercise and good nutrition has everything to do with maintaining a happy, healthy homeschool environment for the family. Doing whatever it takes to absorb replenishing sunlight every day, eat fresh produce and whole grains, and find ways to be active (through movement and exercise) and/or peaceful (through spiritual practice or meditation) every day goes a long way when energy stores are very low and the world seems out of control. At the very least, these efforts work to help moms avoid illness and emotional duress, but more likely the whole family will benefit from more energetic and productive mom as well.

Look for the next post with additional tips and please add yours in the COMMENT area below.

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT,Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Nov 15 2012

Plan Your Own Homeschool Curriculum

Purchase this title in our e-store

Gathering homeschool resources is easy and fun!

Who doesn’t love shopping for new materials and fresh supplies?

But…pulling them all together is a different story.

Once that box of goodies arrives by mail, well…that’s when the hard work begins.

Which one of the books should your kids start first?

How long will all those lessons take an average kid to finish?

Is there enough material to cover all the subjects you wanted to teach this year?

Should you assign all of the chapters in every book — or just some?

Do any of the resources overlap? Should any be combined?

What other supplies do you still need to buy? When do you need them by?

How much work should you assign every day? Every week? Every year?

Every parent faces the same challenges at the beginning of a new homeschool year.

Reviewing materials, planning lessons, and scheduling the year is no small task!

Sure, buying a comprehensive curriculum makes things easier. BUT, it doesn’t always guarantee the system and schedule will be exactly right for your family.

Choosing materials from many different sources means you have to develop a schedule and lesson plans entirely on your own. That’s a time-consuming process, too.

That’s why I developed Plan Your Own Homeschool Curriculum — the solution for creating a well-planned and cohesive homeschool year.

This is NOT a calendar. It is NOT an ordinary planner, either.

What is it?

It’s an e-book that acts as your personal guide for planning an entire homeschool year. You’ll receive a step-by-step system, including all of the forms you’ll ever need, to gather all of the books, worksheets, lesson plans, DVDs, web links, educational games, flash cards, MP3s and anything else you want to use during the homeschool year. AND, you’ll receive a guided system for organizing everything into one giant set of lesson plans that work for YOU!

By the end of the e-book, you will have developed an organized plan for the ENTIRE HOMESCHOOL YEAR.

Buy it now

Plan Your Own Homeschool Year offers a system for:

Taking inventory of homeschool materials for the year;
Getting familiar with each specific resource, and how each should be used;
Determining how many lessons to plan and how much material to cover each time;
Deciding how to schedule the year and when to take time off; PLUS
Writing up a set of lesson plans to last the whole year.

In Plan Your Own Homeschool Year, guided instruction is used to:

Give parents a jump-start on what is covered in each homeschool book or product
Help parents organize the year into manageable chunks, avoiding last-minute planning and frustration
Explain how to calculate the number of lessons or number of chapters to assign every day/week
Demonstrate how to write lesson plans to keep the year running smoothly
Leave parents with a sense of confidence and readiness for an outstanding year!

ALL reproducible worksheets are included.

DETAILED easy-to-follow instructions make following the guide easy.

This system works for ANY family using ANY kind of homeschool resources. Whether you’re a curriculum user, an eclectic resource family, or anywhere in between, you CAN have an organized homeschool year.

I’ll show you how!

Listen to what this parent said:

“…thank you so much for putting together an ebook about planning out a homeschool curriculum. I have been searching the internet for a long time trying to find EXACTLY what you have put together. I am grateful, that you took the time to create this ebook.”

~ C.T.

Approximate length: 35 pages