Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel (Top 4 Homeschooling Cheats. Because We Have To.)

Rough week for us, busy-ness-wise; we've been working on a tax mess that's been lingering for a couple of years now (they're fault, not ours) and assorted other household odds and ends.  But hey, gotta give to Caesar what is Caesar's, right?

That's a rhetorical question.

So anywho, what with me being the Grand Poobah of All Things Paperwork around here, I've been exercising as many options for homeschooling as possible that involve me NOT being super involved.  And we spend more time IN our PJ's than OUT of them.  Now I sound like a terrible parent.

I PROMISE you, I'm not doing this ALL the time.  But most SAHMs who also homeschool will probably admit that there are times (Morning Sickness anyone?) when we have to do what we can to keep the kids occupied so that WE are not.  So this week, I'll share a few of the tricks up my sleeve.

1.  Nursing time is reading time.  I know a lot of you out there are already aware of this one, but for those of you who don't: DO IT.  I have a sling that I wear several times a day for when my little French Fry is feeling clingy and I have to do it, but nursing is always more relaxing when I get to sit down.  And it's even MORE relaxing if I don't have to keep getting up from nursing to chase after somebody else.  So nursing time is reading time, so at least a couple of the kiddos will sit still for like, two seconds, and my oldest (who's almost 6) finally started reading, herself, so we work on her reading skills together while I'm sitting.  It has the added bonus of making children feel like you're paying attention to THEM, which generally keeps them better behaved during times when you're not.

2.  Play-doh is my best friend.  Seriously.  All the kids love creating things, digging in and pulling and squishing.  Play-doh is awesome.  And if you're motivated, you can even make your own.  And if you dig out your homeschooling mom instincts, it's an educational tool.  Back when The Boy was seriously lacking in the fine motor skills department, we got him learning the alphabet shapes, not by writing, which was frustrating and discouraging for him, but by drawing/printing the shapes on paper and having him use Play-doh to fill them in.  I'm so ingenious I surprise even myself, sometimes!

3.  History time is also play time.  We've been teaching our kids based on a history paradigm, beginning with the first humans, who probably lived somewhere in the Fertile Crescent, up through Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, etc.  So when we talk about Nomads, for instance, as soon as the lesson is over, they're put to work using whatever materials they can scrounge (cushions and blankets, mostly) to build a tent just like the nomads would use.  They pretend they're outside, surviving on their wits, maybe herding their animals with them, or whatever.  And it'll keep them entertained for a REALLY LONG TIME.  Because whatever games they were playing before, are like forty times FUNNER because it's IN A TENT.  It keeps going until your 2 year old destroys the tent for the fifth time and the kids complain to you about how nothing is working to keep it up.

4.  Get the older kids to teach the younger ones.  You might think, having children, only 5, 4, 2, and under 1 year old, that this is an option that is completely non-feasible.  But you would be wrong!  Just yesterday, I bought myself some extra time filling out paperwork (YAY!) by asking Mo to be a Teacher.  Which was a big deal to her.  And her job was teaching Sophie her colors, using some colorful baby toys (which were safe, so I could let French Fry play along with them).  5 year old feels like a big girl, 4- and 2-year olds occupied competing for right answers, baby teething on their lesson.  Mission Accomplished.

So these are tricks I pull out occasionally when it's needed- not the ONLY things I use, but I feel way better about doing something to keep their bodies and minds occupied without resorting to videos or computer games. 

What are your go-to's for keeping those kids busy during the winter, and it's too cold to go outside?