[sleepypeanutsmom]

Hi~
My dd is 5 years old and I always imagined that the fall she turned 5 years would really be the start of our homeschooling adventure...field trips, classes, etc. What is a little silly about this thought is we have been doing this all along!

Anyway, now that fall is upon us my illusion is a little different than the reality as I am expecting twins in Sept/Oct.

I am concerned since I know I won't be able to give her the attention that I have in the last 5 years as well as having difficulties leaving the house in the first few months. Wondering if you have any tips for homeschooling a child with a baby..or in our case, babies?

Thanks!

 

[Momto4under5]

Congratulations to you on your growing family! The fall that my first daughter entered K, I also had a 2 year old daughter and 10 month old twin boys. After two weeks of doing the school every day thing, I'd had enough, and that began our journey into homeschooling. It was by far the best thing I ever did, and made our family so much more relaxed and stress-free. I too had big plans for our year, but found that I wound up just concentrating on phonics and math for her for that year. The babies will sleep a lot, and naptimes provide a one-on-one time to get 'school' done. My daughter also enjoyed workbooks at that age (lucky for me!) so she did a lot independently also. Little babies are easy to take on any stroller-friendly fieldtrips, and connecting with a co-op group in your area that has park days, etc. would let your daughter enjoy time playing with other children while you relax (as much as a mother with twins can!) with the other Moms. It's normal to wonder if you will be able to give her all the attention you want to, but if you know in your heart that this is what you want for your family, I think you'll find that it all comes together. It's amazing what they learn while just being with you and helping with their new siblings.

For me, the hardest year was when I had a 1st grader, Pre-K and the twins were 2. They wanted to be in the middle of everything, which is great but also a challenge at times! This year they are almost 3, and we're now able to do some subjects together as a family.

I think the best thing to do is just be flexible, and set very basic goals for the year as far as school goes. There are so many things that are important to learn that do not come from any formal learning, and your daughter will be fortunate to have you allowing her to be a part of that!

Best Wishes!

 

[Lovenest]

I am looking foward to the replys on this thread as I have a 4 year old. We think when he is 5 we will have another baby. He is our only child, and he is the center of our world!
I hope that it will work out well with that space gap, but it also worries me. But, we are not ready to have another yet.

 

[phathui5]

You can do it!

Things won't go how you envisioned them, but it can still be a good experience for your family and she will still be better off home with you than in school.

Don't worry about classes for her at this point. My ds is almost six and isn't taking any outside classes right now. So don't beat yourself up over that. And perhaps a lot of the field trips in the beginning can be handled by Dad on evenings or weekends.

 

[lauracd]

...and make little goals. You'll be busy and exhausted for awhile. So if you get 15 minutes of math done in those early sleep-deprived days then great! Field trips to local places like the zoo would be great and would take the pressure off of you. Good luck with all that. I'm still trying to decide if two is good for us or if I'd be crazy to have one more. I'm partly worried about the same things you are on the homeschooling front and my babies NEVER sleep so I know I would be too exhausted to accomplish too much during the day.

 

[DharmaDisciple]

I had my baby boy on September 2nd. My dd (then 4 1/2) would have started school on the 5th (or so), but we always knew we would homeschool.

Babies sleep a lot and when I was nursing we would sit on the sofa together and read. A child can learn a lot just from being read to and conversations, nature walks out.

Go easy on yourself and don't be afraid to just be for the first month or two. Ooh also it is showing your child- child development, being involved in siblings care.

My dd was never jealous of her brother because she was with us all day too. It worked out just beautifully.

Good luck xxxxxxxx

 

[Mary-Beth]

It might not be what you anticipated but it will be a year of lots of learning for your dd...she will learn about pregnancy and birth, newborns and nursing. That is all very important and not to be overlooked. You will have moments when the little one's are sleeping or snuggling quietly with you to read to your dd. You can encourage her make up a song, or poem for you and her siblings. This is learning!

It might not be a year of fancy field trips but that can wait a year or so.

Perhaps, your partner or a friend or family member can help by taking your oldest out to the park or someplace special. You will be fine! She will not fall behind and you will learn together how to take care of twins!

Congratulations!

 

[sleepypeanutsmom]

Thanks mamas! I feel so much better hearing your stories and the reminders to relax and let everything happen as it may. I think many of you are right...she will learn so much from having the babies here! I appreciate your support!