family Archives - Simply Learning Together

When I first found out I was pregnant with my fourth baby, I was immediately scared of what it would be like to homeschool with an infant at home with us. I knew it could be done, so I just prayed for that peace until the time came.

As I write this, my baby is 4 months old.

We are still adjusting our homeschool each day/week to accommodate the baby. We have great days and we have everyone-is-in-tears-bad days. So, although I don’t have the complete solution to making it 100% successful, I will share with you some things that have helped me while homeschooling with an infant.

1. Plan Ahead – Before the baby is born

The best thing I did was start our homeschool year early. My baby was due in September, and we normally take summers off and start mid August. However, with the baby arriving shortly after we started, I wanted to set up a good routine ahead of time. By starting a few weeks earlier than usual, I gave myself the confidence to take a break when the baby was born. We were able to get in a good 8-9 weeks of school before we paused, and I felt so much better knowing that was done.

2. Rest and Take a Break

Give yourself permission to just stop. Once that baby is born, you need to rest and recover. Your family is adjusting and changing, and it may feel a little crazy at times. REST. Don’t feel pressure to start school up again. (That’s why you planned ahead. See #1) Give your other children the freedom to create and use their imagination. Teach them how to be your big helpers. Let go of school.

3. Start Back to Homeschool SLOWLY

One thing I did after a couple of weeks was plan one “fun and new” thing to do the next day. It could be a craft, baking, a walk – nothing intense. It was one task for us to look forward to and complete together. The activity acted like a practice run for trying to add something into our day. You can also start a new read aloud. Focus on that and nothing else. The reading will be so good for the kids, and you can sit and recover.

Next, I would consider adding maybe one or two subjects at a time. There’s no need to jump into everything at once. Add your book work slowly. It will be less stress for everyone.

4. Wear Your Baby

Baby wearing is a game changer. I wish I did it more with my other children. If the baby isn’t taking a nap, I can always wear him and he will sleep on me while we need to finish something up. If we are out and about, I never worry about napping for this same reason. Plus, you get both hands when you wear baby! He is happy, all snuggled up to mom…it’s a win-win! I use a Baby K’Tan, and I couldn’t live without that thing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when he gets too big for it!

5. Work on Sleep for Baby – But not right away

I am not good at sleep training, because I’m a bit of a sucker…I love rocking my babies. I am trying to start good sleep habits as best I can. It’s a slow process, but I do think it’s helpful. My third child was not the best sleeper and getting her to take a nap would take forever. I hope to set better routines with this baby. Although he is still not on a consistent schedule, he goes down for a nap pretty easy and that’s been so helpful!

Be patient with yourself. This is not going to happen quickly and easily. (This is also me giving myself advice as we are still working on this!)

6. Do NOT Try to Schedule Your Days

Just let it go…it’s not going to happen. I have to tell myself this daily! An infant does not have a set schedule. You can read all the books you want, but every single day is going to be different. One morning he will nap for 3 hours and the next morning will be 20 minutes. It’s going to be tricky to figure out how to plan everything out at first. (Another good reason to take a long break.) Once you get to know your baby better, try to develop a rhythm, not a schedule. This took about 6-8 weeks for me to “figure out.” (quoted because it’s still a work in progress) I will also let you know that my son is 4 months and still does not take consistent naps. It’s definitely tough to try and balance it all while also doing school, but this is all temporary. I feel like I’m going to blink and he will be turning one. The days are long, but the years are short.

7. Get Outside – Even You, Mama!

There is nothing like fresh air. God created us to be a part of this beautiful earth, and there is something so healing about experiencing His creation! It is so, so easy as a mom of a new baby to lock ourselves indoors and get wrapped up in feeding, and changing, and napping, and cooking, and cleaning, and burping, and wiping…..I’ve done it. Every. Time. Take some time each day to step outside. Breathe in that fresh air. Go on a walk. Sit on your back porch. Don’t stay cooped up inside.

8. Self-Care

I’ll admit, I’m not the best at this, but it really is necessary. Take time for yourself. This could be something as simple as taking a nice bath, or setting a goal to get dressed for the day! Or, you can go even further and schedule a nail/hair appointment. Set a date with some friends. Try to do these things regularly to give yourself that mental boost! Do something you love and take care of yourself so that you can take care of your home as your best self.

9. Find Your Support Squad

Find that friend that you can count on for anything – the one that’s been in similar shoes as you. Or, talk to the person you can totally be yourself with and let out any good/bad feelings you have. Get the support. I just love a good mom-chat with my girls. It makes me feel so renewed and happy. If you’re not able to feel better, talk to your doctor. Post-partum is so tough. Hormones are crazy and emotions are constantly on a roller coaster. Don’t hesitate to get the support that you need.

10. Lean on the Lord

This should be number one. I first titled this “Give yourself grace”, but then I realized, it’s not about you making yourself better. You can’t do it all. Nothing is going to fully prepare you and make it easy. It’s hard work having a baby. Add on homeschooling to your day, and it gets really tough to balance it all. I can leave you with these ten tips, but I’ll tell you this – I STILL struggle with a lot of them. I forget to take care of myself. I don’t always get fresh air. I don’t have the best napper/sleeper, and sometimes I just plan too much for the day! No one is perfect. Pray about this new transition. Let God take on your burdens and give you the strength for each day. Be kind to yourself and know that out of all the women in the world, God chose YOU to be the mama for your kids. YOU were the perfect pick for Him.

Reading Aloud is such a great habit to form with your family, but what if you could take it one step further?

It all started for my family during our first year of homeschool. We were reading the Little House series and kept talking about what it would be like to live like Laura and Mary. We were craving that experience, and I wanted my children to understand how different it was back then. As a result, we started digging a little deeper.

We started planning simple activities and lessons based on our chapter readings.

It was almost as if we were diving into the book world and getting lost in reading magic. My children could understand and comprehend better, and we were having so much fun learning a variety of different lessons…this includes me! I learned right alongside them.

The Read Aloud Experience is designed to be low budget, low stress, and without all the “extras”.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded a unit/curriculum for my children only to find out I need to buy 5-10 specific books to go with it. Or, it’s asking for something I can only find at a craft store, and I really don’t want to load up my car and make the trip! Many times it ends in money wasted or just an incomplete lesson.

Most supplies in the Read Aloud Experience can be picked up at your trip to the the grocery store, and there’s no required book list.

I don’t always have time for that extra craft store trip, so adding a thing or two to my grocery list makes it so easy to prepare. As much as a I would love to buy ALL.THE.BOOKS, I just can’t. So, I take advantage of my library as much as possible.

The Read Aloud Experience provides you with a list of library topics that go along with each chapter. That way, you can grab a few books (for free!) to enhance your reading. I love doing library pick-up because I search the topic and look at the book covers to figure out what I like best. I add it to my hold cart, and picking them all up is like Christmas! I have no idea what’s inside, and most of the time I am positively surprised!

homeschool create a self portrait — *“She found herself in one long gallery whose walls were covered with these portraits.” The Secret Garden –* Create a self-portrait

A variety of activities are included.

History, science, arts/crafts, music, food, nature, life skills, writing, map skills, and more!…these are the types of activities you’ll get to experience. Some are as simple as – go on a nature walk and use your five senses. Others will require a teeny bit of set up – like a science experiment or craft.

Remember, nothing is too crazy. I have four kids and 2 are under 2. I don’t have extra time to do something extremely intense. If I can do it, so can you!

All book suggestions and activities are optional.

Not feeling up to an extra activity? No problem! Is Thursday your afternoon sports practice and your short on time?…it’s ok! Nothing is required. If you’re in love with the activity but don’t have time to complete it, save it for the next day or move it to the weekend when you’re kids are wondering what the plan is for the day.

homeschool elephant mini lesson elephant snack — *“In one room, which looked like a lady’s sitting-room, the hangings were all embroidered velvet, and in a cabinet were about a hundred little elephants made of ivory.” The Secret Garden* Elephant mini-lesson

Everything is made to be flexible and adjustable for your family.

A supply list and library topic list is included for every chapter. A Planning Guide is also provided so that you can decide what works best for your family. The Read Aloud Experience can revolve around your routine and your rhythms for the day.

Involve your whole family – all ages.

Everyone can participate in the Read Aloud Experience. It’s like your own little mini book club inside your house. It’s so fun how we all can talk about the book and the things we’ve learned. Dad is usually working during the day and misses the reading, but he always gets to read our library books before bed, learning with the kids. The babies don’t always get to participate in crafts and activities, but many days they’re on the floor listening to me read.

jump rope and learn through play skip count — “The skipping-rope was a wonderful thing. She counted and skipped, and skipped and counted, until her cheeks were quite red, and she was more interested than she had ever been since she was born. ” The Secret Garden – Jumping Rope

Easily incorporate the Read Aloud Experience into your day.

Simply add the read aloud to your day and pick and choose activities as time allows. One chapter a day – It’s that easy!

You can also use this as a break from your language arts curriculum. You know that funk you get in when you just need a change? This is exactly what we did, and it was wonderful. There is just so much to learn from reading literature together!!

It is a novel unit that leads you to discuss story elements, vocabulary, and comprehension while diving into other subjects, as well. At my house, we have placed the curriculum workbook aside. Honestly, it got boring! I dreaded doing it. Now, we complete our read aloud experience, a quick phonics page, shared reading time, and that’s it for language arts. It’s been so nice and refreshing.

This is also great when you’re taking a break from school in general, and you still want to have a little bit of structure. For example, this could be summer, holidays, or a break after a new baby.

You can get the entire Read Aloud Experience for FREE!

Still unsure if this is right for your family? Don’t believe me that it’s easy and low stress? Check it out for yourself and decide. You can get the entire Read Aloud Experience for The Secret Garden free and test it out for yourself.

Remember that just reading to your children is going to be beneficial and time well spent. You’ll always cherish that time together. The Read Aloud Experience allows you to take it one step further with ease.

Complete the included science experiment and take a break from your science curriculum that day. Save the activities for a rainy day when you can’t get outside. Or, plan to do them in the afternoon during that awkward time when you’re kids keep asking about dinner. (Anyone else?)

Most importantly, have fun with it! Get the whole family involved. There’s nothing better than gathering around a great book.

Check out the following links for more Read Aloud Experiences:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

The Boxcar Children

The Courage of Sarah Noble

NEW American History through Picture Books is AVAILABLE

Check out this simple, picture-book-based American History curriculum that your whole family will love!

Tag: family

10 Tips for Homeschooling With an Infant