Homeschooling a 7 year old with a baby in the house. Any advice on how you did it.?

Question

My sons father seems to think I will be unable to homeschool because I have a baby who takes up a lot of my time.

Any advice for me would be appreciated!

I have other questions too if you can answer, I am seperating them so I can give tons of best answers!

Answer 1

We use The Charlotte Mason Curriculum and MEP.  They are great programs and very flexible. They draw on your child's natural abilities and all the resources are free, if you have the internet and/or a local library.

My wife is a mother of four (1, 3, 5, 6) and she does several things to get the "classes" done.

1. She divides up the day. She gives them  a break and her a break. It gives her time to get other things done alone or with the help of the kids. She has a morning session and an afternoon session

2. She organizes her day, week, month (as best she can) and she is flexible. Things happen every so often (or every day) and if something doesn't get done, she postpones it the next day instead of squeezing it in all day.

3. When she is sick or really busy one day, it becomes a "school holiday." She is less stressed out and so are the kids.   She, by the  end of the week, some how cathes everybody up to where they are supposed to be.

4. She makes some subjects a group activity and others more one on one. It helps, so the young one can go do something else and the older ones can focus without any distractions.

5. She doesn't stop for spring break or winter break. Summer session is very light though, so they don't forget things from the previous year.

6. The Charlotte Mason method is a lifestyle. It is about teaching kids about real life. If you need help with the baby, let the other child(ren) help. You will find that your home will become a smooth running machine and your "doubtful thomas" husband will wish his office would run so smooth.

Answer 2

You will need some help. There just isn't any way to focus on the seven year old while having a young baby there all the time. What if right in the middle of a spelling lesson, the baby needs to have a diaper changed? Is it fair to your son and his education that he has to wait while you go and change the baby?  The baby has a lot of needs and this kind of interuption will happen continuously all day long!

Maybe consider getting a mother's helper? Usually this would be a teenager or college student who can help with the baby while you teach your son. It is different than a babysitter because you are physically there but the mother's helper can tend to the baby.

Answer 3

Please don't worry about this.  Many homeschool families do fine with the baby and the schooling.  I even found it easier because I didn't have to juggle the school and bus schedule with a newborn and feedings and everything. Your time is your own and it's flexible, so if you have to delay math or whatever to deal with a hungry infant, you can do that.  I'd set my son to doing his math problem sheet and then feed the baby.  My greater challenge now, is trying to get things done with a really busy toddler around!  You said in another question that your boy is advanced.  My kids are all one to two grade levels ahead, too.  You don't have to worry too much about them falling behind.  I like that school becomes a family affair.  I've found that homeschooling has made my kids a lot closer to each other.  They have not been separated by age or grade and they truly seem to understand that yes...they ARE their brother's (or sister's) keeper.

Answer 4

I would say that sometimes you can have school while the baby is sleeping - it doesn't take much time to hs a 7 yo.  Also, you can do MANY things with a baby on  your lap, or you can sit on the floor with both kids and be teaching your older child, but the baby will be included in the little group as he has his baby toys to play with.  You might even include baby in learning games, such as...every time your son gets a certain # of math combinations right, he runs a lap around the baby, or makes a silly face to make the baby laugh, or...whatever he would consider fun.  The baby would probably find it great fun, too.  I think that as long as you don't treat the two activities -  homeschooling and caring for baby - as two things that can't be done at the same time,  you'll find lots of ways to do both.