How to Home School With a Baby In the House

With some creativity and a lot of flexibility, it can be done.

(Psst... push play to see video.)

What to do with baby when you want to read-

I laughed at myself for naming one of my posts, "How to Homeschool With a Baby in The House".  I'd really like to read the "e-how" article on that one, too, if someone ever gets it figured out.    I am just kidding.   The truth is that I don't think there is a magic plan, but here are a few of our strategies:

•  I Adjusted our schedule to be more of a checklist than a rigid grid of times and subjects.  That allows us to flex around baby's schedule and mood
•  Teach the most "mommy-intensive"subjects during nap time
• Set aside one day a week for focused, uninterrupted study time without baby.  (On that day, my fabulous mom takes baby for the day.  It is a special day for both of them, and we are able to get a little more done.)
• Be creative.
• Be flexible.

 Homeschool looks different than it did before baby, but we are still learning and growing. There is no secret to it.  Like everything else, we just have to keep moving forward.  

However, in the midst of it, I try to remember the lessons that are unique to this season.  My girls are learning  to be kind when their baby sister colors on their math work or patient when mom is busy.  They are learning how to love a little person even when she is making life more challenging.  These lessons are as important as page 53 in the language arts book or lesson 90 in Saxon Math.  In fact, these character lessons are at the very heart of our choice to home school.

Baby A teaching the girls.

So, things may get a little crazy, but by the end of the week we have completed all of our  lessons- even some eternal ones, hopefully!