Schooling with a Newborn and Toddler

Schooling with a Newborn and Toddler: Our Week In Review

Homeschooling with a newborn and a toddler in the house is quite the adventure. This week I really put my foot down as far as putting them both on a schedule. When the baby was first born I kind of let things slide a bit but now we are getting back into the groove. The baby is finally on a good eat, wake, sleep schedule. This means I feed him, give him a bit of a wake time then put him down for a nap. His naps alternate between sleeping in the swing and the bassinet. He has fallen into this schedule quite well which does wonders to help him sleep longer stretches at night. 

As for the toddler, he is all over the place. The funny thing is though, when I put him in the pack-n-play for play time, he loves it. And, this week I have had him having playtime in his highchair too. I was shocked when today he hung out in his highchair for over an hour playing with Play-doh while his siblings sat nearby playing Settlers of Catan. I definitely need to use the highchair more often when I need him contained and entertained for a bit! 

This week was quite productive. We are trudging through and I plan to finish my boys up by Christmas so they can begin their new grade level in January. We school year round so this method has been working well for us. They are almost done with their work for the year and are pretty motivated to get it all done so they can enjoy the holidays without extra work hanging over their heads! We are almost done with Apologia's Chemistry and Physics book and I can't wait to begin their Astronomy book in January. It will be a new change of pace in our science and I look forward to the new direction. I was surprised that my seven year old pushed through over the summer and has already moved on into second grade! I was thinking about holding her off until the boys started their new grade but she was ready now, so I figured, why not?

We tried out a new homeschool co-op in our area this week and the kids are begging to return next month. They already knew most of the kids in the group from other homeschool events and activities in the area but having the opportunity to be a part of an official group got them excited. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, they participated in a show and tell sharing what they were thankful for. They made cookies for the local fire department and created blessing rocks to hide around town for unsuspecting people to find! Of course they also had plenty of playtime with their friends, which is always a plus.

We have another busy week ahead of us and look forward to sharing it with you next Friday!