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Some ideas [2008-01-23]
These might work for you. I went to college and had three children and a full-time job (transcription). My employer let me work at home too and on a flex schedule, just had to get the work done and I aimed for weekends, but you may want to work pm - that works too. I had to be at the hospital at set times too, 6:00 - 3:30 three days a week for clinical and then two days a week at school all day long from 7:00 to about 4:00. I had my mom (thank God for moms) pick up my kids from school (they were a little older than yours). I picked them up from her house after I got out of school, about 4:30. I went home and then fed everyone, then baths were early and some homework and everyone had to go to bed early. Like at 7:00. They could leave the lights on and play with a toy or talk for a half-hour and then they had a half-hour of reading time - quietly after that and they mostly always fell asleep that way. I then had a few hours to do my homework (nursing school has lots of it) and clean up the kitchen, maybe type for an hour or two. I went to bed early as possible and listened to recorded lectures until I fell asleep. I got up every morning at 4:00 a.m. for four years. Even on the weekends. I listened to recorded lectures at those times and cleaned the house, made lunches, and did the laundry. It is peaceful at 4:00 a.m. and things you study are best remembered if you study for some reason. On weekends, I made up enough dinners for the rest of the week and froze them, typed reports for work (cramming 40 hours worth in is not easy. I did it with a little bit done during the week on lighter days, but for three hours without fail on Saturdays I went to the library to work on school stuff alone - my mom again! It helps to listen to lectures (recorded) while you drive and while you get ready in the mornings. I had a study group too (three of us) and that helped a lot. We divided up all the material we had learned before exam days and exchanged our notes and study materials in that way. I was married, but my husband was gone on business five days a week, so he was no help. Just get a pattern going and stick with it no matter what (except illness). It is easier to clean in the morning when kids are asleep. Get rid of all the extra toys and knick-knacks - you won't have to dust them or put them away if they aren't there. Make sure you have a freezer and a dishwasher because they are your best friends. If you can't fix dinner, eat out or get takeout, but be sure it does not become your only source of food. Plan ahead and you won't have to do that often. Sometimes I cheated and took all the clothes to the laundromat because you can do it all at once (like in two hours) in case that has fallen behind. Sometimes I thought I would lose it, but I didn't. I survived and graduated, did not get fired from my job and my kids are all okay. Take vitamins. Learn to like coffee! I never drank it until then. Good luck. You can do it!
60 independent ideas for preschoolers [2006-10-30]
This is from the cathswap yahoo group, Gwen one of the mods wrote it:HTH :) For what it's worth, I've compiled my list of 60 activities for my
preschooler to do independently while I'm doing lessons with Heather and/or
Jared. (If you're not homeschooling but still have a preschooler at home,
this may help you get some just for you time...)
Rachel will be encouraged to participate with our lessons as she wants to
or is capable (like listening to stories during Language Arts or History;
she can certainly do art but I'm not going to force it and hopefully these
activities will keep her occupied and out of trouble.
Feel free to pass this on to anyone else whom you think may find this
helpful.
Preschooler Ideas for Younger PAVCS Siblings - 3 and up
Since I'm using all the provided curriculum boxes for the kids (from K12), I
decided to take the biggest box --the one that the art clay, plaster of
Paris, etc. came in, and designate it my three year old's school box. This
way her school box is just like her siblings'. This box will ONLY be used at
school time, and will only be used at the table. You can take any box and
decorate it and make it the special box...brought out only at certain
times and each time having something different in it.
Inside will be her own pencil box that will have a set of markers, (crayola
washable, naturally) a pair of Fiskars kid scissors, a box of crayons, a
pencil, a pen, and a glue stick. Each day I will put some papers in there
for her to either color, cut up, paste things on, or practice writing
(simple mazes and such for her to follow, etc.)
Each week I'll put one or two interesting books that she will enjoy looking
at. There will also be one or two special activities that will change from
day to day, made up of (mostly) educational toys and stuff that I currently
have on hand but has been put away for a while.... Each day there'll be
something different to do, either loose in the box or in a zipper top Ziploc
bag (the kind with the slider zipper is easier for the kids to manipulate
than the traditional ones).
The idea of this box is for her to entertain herself with little or no
guidance from me while I work with her older siblings. She will more than
likely be participating with us during some lessons (she likes to play
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with the phonics tiles, LOL) .
Here are Some ideas for the activities. Some will be in a zippered bag, some
won't. I have 60 activities, so that I'll have enough for 2 per day per
month. At the end of the month I'll start over again. The key to the success
of these is to keep them a surprise and limit access to them so that the
novelty does NOT wear off. Some seemingly obvious things, like legos and
matchbox cars are missing from this list because they play with them almost
every day. I got the ideas for many of these activities from various
websites with preschoolers in mind. I do not have these in any particular
order. Obviously they need to be mixed up so there aren't a whole slew of
similar activities piggy backing day in and day out......Also, I'm not going
to insult your intelligence by reminding you about choking hazards, which
some of these activities may contain...use your common sense based upon your
child, and you'll be fine!...
1. sock match...several pairs of colorful infant socks that she's outgrown
in the bag to match up or just play with. If I know her she'll have them on
her hands and feet for half an hour.
2. dominoes...to build with and do who knows what with...
3. Discovery Toys Tinyville Magnets (these are magnets in shapes like
people, vehicles, animals, buildings, cloud, stars, moon, etc...) and the
magnetic white board
4. Play Doh, with geometric shaped cookie cutters
5. Play Doh with farm animal cookie cutters
6. Paint in a bag...put two colors of paint in a doubled Ziploc bag, seal it
with clear tape, and let her squish them to mix the colors. There will be a
couple of different color combinations
7. More magnets --from a magnet kit...lots of different plane figures and a
magnetic base to build upon
8. Blues Clues Cards there are nine sets of four cards, three clues that
go with one card. Got these at a dollar store that was going out of
business...got them for 50 cents! :-)
9. Mixies cards (11 sets of three different cards that form a
picture...these came from somebody's birthday party favor bag)
10. Puzzle Pairs (Discovery Toys two piece puzzles of things that go
together, like a sock and foot, sink and soap, etc)
11. Memory...for Rachel I'll probably only give her 24 cards at a time as
opposed to the full set of 72; this way I can get 3 activities from one
memory game and she won't be overwhelmed!
12. Animal Lotto..she can match up all the animals on the boards...
13. Spirit jigsaw puzzle...I printed out a horse picture colored to look
like Spirit and am gluing it to felt, then cutting it out in simple shapes
for her to put together. I will probably put a couple more like this in
there too.
14. Pattern blocks (mine are from K12; easily obtained from curriculum
suppliers for a few bucks)
15. Wooden Geometric Solids...these will keep her occupied for at least a
half hour; as with above, easily obtained from suppliers, often for under
$10 for a nice set of 12 hardwood blocks
16. Math linking cubes- these are the multi link cubes, not unifix cubes.
The multi link cubes are connectable all the way around, unlike unifix cubes
that only connect one way.
17. Lincoln Logs
18. dry rice with a funnel, measuring cup, measuring spoon, and containers
19. Lacing beads with shoe laces (the long heavy duty ones from Glenn's old
workboots work really well)
20. Giant pegboard and rubber bands
21.Rubber stamps with farm animals
22. Rubber stamps with numbers
23. Discovery Toys Playful Patterns
24. Discover Toys AB Seas alphabet fishing game
25. Discovery Toys Itsy Bitsy Spider Game
26 Discovery Toys Bright Builders (being a former consultant has its
advantages!)
27. Stickers! Lots of STICKERS. Draw shapes on a piece of paper and give
lots of tiny stickers to fill in the shapes with. You could also write the
child's name on there to put stickers on each letter...so the name shows up
in stickers. the smaller the sticker the better as it takes more time to
fill them in.
28. Animal cards...you know those clubs where you get wildlife cards? Well
I picked up half a set at a yardsale and the kids love looking at the
pictures...that should keep her busy for 20 minutes
29. Mr and Mrs Potato Head Not sure if it's educational, but it should keep
her busy for a half hour, hopefully. LOL
30. Bucket of Goop (three parts cornstarch to one part water) in a small
empty oxyclean bucket with a scoop, funnel, graduated cylinder from K12, and
another container to pour the goop into. Messy and fun but easy to clean up.
31. Watercolor paints I miss those old Paint with water books where all
you had to do was have a paintbrush and water. The new ones come with a set
of watercolors attached, but in this case, I'd really like the books with
the pictures already colored and you just swipe it with a wet brush to
paint. Maybe lacking in creativity, but hey. After painting one picture
Rachel will probably have the paint set ruined by not rinsing out the
brush...my idea here is for her do to something WITHOUT guidance from
me...oh well...
32. Lacing cards. Using the shoe laces from the lacing beads. I'll cut out
shapes from light weight cardboard and cover with contact paper before
punching holes in it. Someone else suggested using old bleach bottles but
I'm afraid that cutting them up will ruin my scissors. LOL
33. Felt shapes and felt board...using cookie cutters and other things as
patterns, I'll make some little people and geometric shapes for her to play
with. I'll cover a piece of sturdy cardboard with felt.
Bananas for the Monkeys Original Author Unknown: Cut five monkey shapes out
of brown felt and fifteen banana shapes out of yellow felt. Number the
monkeys from 1 to 5 and place them on flannel board. Have the children
identify the number on each monkey and place that many bananas in front of
it.
34. Puppets in a Bag --yarn, facial features already cut out, a brown lunch
sack, and some glue...a puppet kit!
35. Glue, Yarn, and shapes...sorry, no creative name for this. I'll draw
some shapes on construction paper and give her a small (the tiny size)
bottle of Elmer's glue to squeeze onto the lines I drew (helps build small
motor coordination) and then she can put the yarn on the shapes. Other
times, do this with her name, or a house, or something similar. I buy the
tiny bottles once, then get the more economical bigger bottles to refill
with later as needed. I don't even buy Elmer's half the time.
36. Collage in a bag...rip out some magazine pages with interesting pictures
for her to cut out and paste on a piece of paper...maybe following a certain
theme...like one time have it all healthy foods...another time, families and
kids, animals, flowers, etc.
37. Bean Sort - Since she's pretty much beyond sticking a bean up her nose
and requiring Glenn to remove it with needle nose pliers, I figure this is
now a safe activity for her to do with only moderate supervision. (yes
that's what happened and I got rid of our Don't Spill The Beans Game after
Heather and I were traumatized by this. Rachel, interestingly, didn't care
too much one way or the other. Heather was much more mortified by the sight
of her daddy heading toward Rachel's nose with those pliers...I didn't look.
:) ) Lots of different beans in a bucket for her to measure, pour, sort, and
throw on the floor for me to vacuum up.
38. Eyedropper, small container of water, and a mini ice cube tray or
Styrofoam egg carton. If you're feeling adventurous, use colored water to
make it interesting. Demonstrate how to use the eyedropper both to fill and
empty the cups... Would also work well with mini muffin tins, I suppose...
39. Colored Pasta - color your own pasta, using wheels or any other pasta
that has large openings (easy to lace.) Use small amount of rubbing alcohol
and several drops of food coloring in an airtight container or Ziploc. Leave
the pasta in for a few minutes ; shaking it up or stirring a few times. Take
it out to dry in a single layer. . then provide laces to string them up. You
could provide some color or shape patterns on cards to duplicate.
40. Penny Count (source:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/3446/keeplittleones.html) I will make
a more compact version on a single sheet of paper, and use circles the same
size as the counting tokens (bingo chips) that came from PAVCS...match the
colors and number amounts! But I thought the whole idea was pretty neat:
Make a poster board showing cells of numbers. Example: Draw a square,
write 1 in it. Draw or tape down 1 penny in the square. Do the same with
each square...up to ten or twenty...your choice. I'd start with 10 first and
then draw two more squares at a time up to twenty as child gets better at
this skill.
2) Give your child a basket or plastic container of pennies and have him
match up pennies that you have put down with the picture in each square.
(Ex. In the 2 cell, he would put below your example 1, 2 pennies in a
one-to-one correspondence. Check him when he is done by having him count
each cell with you. Repetition is what teaches counting!
3) Eventually test your child by showing him only a number 3 printed on
a index card and have him lay down 3 pennies and say 3. You might even
write the word three along with the number 3 back in step one so that
the child is learning a sight vocabulary word along with the printed 3.
You would only do this if your child already knows the alphabet though. Then
you could hold up a card that says three and see if he can lay the correct
pennies down when seeing the word too.
41. Super ball or small car and a paper towel or Christmas paper tube. If
you feel creative you could make a marble run of sorts with a couple tubes
(see www.familyfun.com) I probably won't...she'll be happy enough with this.
Why get more complicated than you need to? I could also let her color it
with markers if she wanted.
42. Magnet and paperclips, washers, a nail, etc.
43. A large (big enough to climb in) box. 'Nuff said.
44. A giant piece of paper (or PAVCS posterboard) to color on...whatever
desired...just give the paper and markers and you're set.
45. Lots of colored pom poms and tweezers to sort them out...look for
tweezers that will be easy for little hands to manipulate, like the ones
that come with the game Bed Bugs...heck, look for the Bed Bugs game. LOL
46. Treasure Hunt: large pot or box filled with corn meal, oat meal, rice,
etc, with small treasures hidden inside...individually wrapped candy,
coins, Barbie shoes, game pieces, etc. Make a picture checklist with all the
items to find!
47. Colored Straws and scissors: nothing more to say. LOL straws are good
for scissor practice because one snip and you have instant results. Provide
Elmer's glue and paper and it's time to make a mosaic!
48. Discovery Toys Busy Bugs This can be duplicated with any manipulative,
but I just got the game off ebay for $10. Might be able to find something
similar in a homeschool catalog... kind of like the penny poster above, just
using something different to play with and put the problems on index cards
instead of the poster. You could use stuff around the house like coins,
counters, buttons, pasta...make up index cards with patterns to
duplicate/put simple problems on there: show items with number and number
word under it, or do a simple problem like 2+2= etc...... This activity will
be accompanied by a couple bug books and hopefully a neat bug video from the
library!
49. Sticks, chunks of moss, rocks, leaves...with small rubber animals or
dinosaurs...add some sand in a 9x13 baking pan...don't worry about sand on
the floor...that's what vacuum cleaners are for!!!!! On a nice day do all
your school work outside...heck, let the older kid SKIP schoolwork to do
this outside... :-)
50. Magnetic Treasure Hunt: like the treasure hunt (#46) above, only this
time use metal items and a magnet to attract them! Be sure your magnet isn't
too strong or your kid will get several treasures at once!
51. Memory 2 see activity 11
53 Memory 3 see activity 11
54. Checkers and a small purse/canvas bag.... Checkers are cool cause they
stack. If you can get more than two dozen, that's even better. Dollar stores
often have checker games.
55. Chess pieces. Get a cheap chess/checkers game or two at the dollar
store. Rachel likes to play with the pieces like they're alive. :-)
56. Magnetic Marbles I picked these up at a dollar store. Amazing the things
you find at these places! I know that they'll be interesting for at least
fifteen to twenty minutes...maybe more.
57. Popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue. Bob the builder at your service! Real
cool if you have colored sticks...or just color them with markers when done.
This is great for eye hand coordination and small motor building. You could
put the glue in a small plastic cup or on a paper plate and have child apply
it with a cotton swab to avoid excessive glue....
58. Rubber Stamps with letters
59. Viewmaster and reels --I'm trying to collect educational rather than
twaddle reels (cartoon characters = twaddle). I want to find reels of
animals and places that are real.
60. Farm Animals and Barn. Our barn was being abused (read: animals left all
over the house) plus we really don't have shelf space for the barn to be out
all the time. So I'll bring it out from time to time...maybe when nothing
else is working and Rachel is being a real pill.
I had one other activity but I forgot what it was. :-P I thought of it after
I shut the computer down for the night and made a note to add it here when I
got up in the morning. HA!
Hopefully we won't need two of these every day, making them last even
longer. Having them all ready in their bags will be handy too...
Other suggested ideas: set up a play store with empty food boxes; book and
tapes; educational videos, painting with water and a paintbrush, cleaning
windows, kitchen chair tunnels, puppet theater,
One thing I am going to try not to worry about is THE MESS with some of
these activities. Messes happen. Elmer's, crayola markers, and watercolors
wash off. Sand and rice vacuums up. (You'll note I didn't put finger paints
or tempera paint activities here...#1, that's not recommended without
supervision...because tempera stains...and #2...well, tempera stains. LOL
I've chosen things that will have a moderate clean up factor, if any. I may
even let Rachel use the vacuum hose to clean up any spills...the other two
will probably fight her for the privilege. LOL And when they're old enough
to actually handle the vacuum, it's no longer fun for them and they don't
want to do it!
Any ideas for me..... [2006-09-22]
Hi, I work as a MT. I have about 6 years experience. I work for a local clinic that is going overseas in January. My job is very flexible and very understanding of moms. I have a 3.5 and a 11 month old. I went on the job board and I am overwhelmed by all the responses I see about different companies. If someone could email privately about a company that is flexible and has steady work I would really be appreciative.
Parent/child ideas [2006-07-20]
Board games range from about age 3-adult, puzzles, cooking (since they love stirring), badminton, horseshoes (plastic for little one), and my favorite is art-coloring, drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.
NEED IDEAS: What are your favorite make-ahead meals? [2006-07-14]
I would love to hear your ideas/recipes for dinners that you can make ahead of time and re-heat (or serve cold). I love to do this on gymnastics day when we're away when I would normally start dinner. Thanks!
New Grad Help [2008-12-04]
Help! How did everyone get their start in the MT business? I just graduated from Penn Foster and I have a medical office background and have worked as a medical claims insurance analyst for 14 years. I have applied to every online MT business I can find, but with no luck. Does anyone have an ideas?
Thanks
Kim
I did it - it is possible! [2008-11-05]
I started working from home when my son was just almost 2-1/2. Before that, I worked at a hospital and he was shifted from babysitter to grandma to daddy four days a week.
I know you said you canmommy sitter. That's where a child (they say ideal is 8-12 years old) comes to play and entertain the children while mommy has something else she needs to get done in the house (or take a bubble bath!). It wouldn't cost much to pay a child so young and the child's parent would be reassured by your presence. Plus, a child that age with no younger sibling might truly enjoy playing with a 1-year-old. That might work until your husband comes home.
Keep working at it. Sometimes it just takes a while to adjust and kids go thru periods of straining at the confines of a schedule. Work at figuring out a schedule until you find one that works. You CAN do it! And it's worth it!!
WOW - Kudos to you!! sm [2008-01-23]
I thought it was rough working a full time job, MT part time nights, kids and practices but to throw school in on top (although I look at the local college classes all the time and think I really should go back). YOU have given me inspiration and encouragement. Ideas you have posted will go into effect in my household immediately. You are so blessed - thank you!
work from home [2007-09-26]
I have been working for a transcription company for a year with on the job training. The company hassincegone downhill as to accounts have gone elsewhere and other things. I am looking for any ideas as to a company that would hire me. I am a stay at home mom trying to make some money and take care of her family. Any suggestions.
Job possibilities [2007-09-09]
If you want to keep your daughter with you here's a few job ideas
Babysitting other people Not sure what the state laws are...
Depending on where you live you could try doing landscaping/gardening and take her with.
Housesitting/pet sitting. A limited home health job where you mostly take people shopping and to their appointments. House cleaning. Doing some of the cooking for small catering businesses. Freelance writing/interior design. Leading workout classes.
Stop beating yourself up [2007-08-07]
Okay first realize that you are not superwoman. You are going to work yourself into a severe case of depression and anxiety. I have a 5 and a 3 year old and am working about 30 hours a week, but I am not home schooling. My husband has 2 jobs and that helps out a lot. He works part-time 2 nights a week and Saturdays on his part time job and we keep Sundays for family time. You are going to have to make sure that you get enough sleep because cutting out the sleep is not the answer. It will only make things worse. Can you work on Saturdays? I try to work at least 10 hours on Saturday so that I get a lot of my time in then and have to work less during the week. Also you may want to set up a small desk next to yours and make that school.That way whenever you give an assignment that they have to work on themselves, they work right next to mommy. This way you can get some of the typing done while you are teaching. Also, this may be obvious and you may have done this already, but make sure you are using your Expanders to their full extent. I have the ShortHand program and I just found out that I am not using it nearly as much as I should. I can save a ton of time and make my lph much more profitable.
There are my ideas/thoughts. I am so sorry you are going through this and I will say a prayer for you.
Sue-Ellen
How old are your twins? Mine are 4 with a 6yo big brother. [2007-06-01]
The worst so far that they have done is fill the bathroom and their brothers video game with shaving cream, and crumble goldfish crackers all over their beds. (They liked the way it crunched when they moved). I am so looking forward to all their other great ideas.!!
After reading the below posts sm [2007-05-30]
I thought there were some wonderful ideas. My daughter turned 2 in Janurary and she gave her to the Easter Bunny (actucally sat on his lap, I sure he had not idea what was going on)for other children. My son who is 2 years older truely just seemd to outgrow his. One day on the way home from the mall he fell asleep without his pacie and didn't ask for it again until the following nite. I just laughed at him and he laughed as well. He was almost exactly 2 becuase I wanted to try to get it away from him before his sister was born 2 months later. Good luck!
Ok, I gotcha (sm) [2007-05-27]
I get what you are saying now. That is so tough.
IThe Shelter of Each Other by Dr. Mary Pipher and she talks a lot in it about this problem of people having no time for anything, especially themselves. I highly recommend it for anyone who feels that way and is unhappy with their family situation.
Basically since you can't make more hours in a day, you may have to make some hard choices. It sounds like a big part of your problem is your husband's work schedule and your essentially having to be a single parent when he's not there, correct? And on top of that, you have your own work obligations. Frankly, you need more support, and you *definitely* need some you time. It's not fair to you or your kids if you can't recharge your batteries some way.
Do you and your husband ever get a date night? Or when he is off, can you take an hour or two to yourself? Even going to the Walgreen's or Wal-Mart to browse the aisles without children hanging off of you is amazingly refreshing (or it was to me, when mine were small!).
As far as the girls fighting, I don I have boys myself that are 3 years apart and for the most part they get along. Could it be a bid for attention? In other words, mommy fussing at you for fighting is better than mommy working and not paying attention to you? Know what I mean? It seems like when I have a deadline is when the boys start, and if I think about it, it's usually on days when I haven't been able to give them any time. Just a thought.
I hope some others chime in with Some ideas that could help. My heart goes out to you.
I think at times I'm a bad mom... [2007-05-26]
I hope someone can give me some sound advice on my problem. I work at home doing MT and have three children 6, 4 and 2. The 6yo goes to school (out for summer now) and the other two go to babysitters usually all week. There are times when I have things come up during the day to where I have to type in the evenings to get my quota. The kids just don They are constantly fighting (the two girls 6 and 4) and I don Hubby is a police officer and works rotating shifts so he is not usually home in the evenings. I am 39 and this is my second marriage. I have a 19 yo from prior marriage and at times I just feel like I am missing out on what should be the time of my life that I am able to do whatever I want without kids around. I know that sounds horrible to say, but it I want to enjoy my kids (because they are good kids for the most part), but I Any suggestions? They know mommy is working because it Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.
Thanks everyone for the replies below - sm [2007-05-14]
What great ideas! The weaning during the day has actually been working lately because she thinks shebig girl when she only gets it for her nap and at night.
I'm wondering though, this is my first baby (I also have a 3-month-old), at what age do they actually understand that stuff that you all mention - the garbage truck, the burying in the backyard, the binky fairy, etc...
My little one understands so much and she is very smart, but how do I know she (She will be 2 next month.) I guess it's just a new mom question...
Thanks to all!! [2007-04-04]
Thank you all so much for the ideas and feedback. I will give them a shot. She slept good last nite and only woke up once at about 3 am. I told her she had done really good and that the night was almost over and she pretty much went right back to sleep. We had a hard time getting her to bed in the first place though. The funny thing about all of this is that she has a toy spider, big plastic ugly thing, that she calls Charlotte and plays with and even sleeps with. Wierd.
Thanks again!!
I feel sure this is a phase, but at the same time [2007-04-03]
this doesn't solve your problem. I really like Barbara's idea. Rosie O'donnell had a similar problem with one of her children and she pretty much did the same thing with a spray bottle and it worked. I totally agree with you to not bring her into your bed. That will just create another problem. You also might try getting books like the Mrs. Spider series (I think that is what it is called) and share with her the great stories and wonderful pictures. You might show them to her in the library first to see how she reacts, you defintely don't want to make things worse. You might also get a flyswatter, maybe in pink and put a big bow on it and let her sleep with that. Just a couple of ideas, hope this resolves soon.
schedule with 2-1/2 yo twins [2007-02-19]
I was reading some of these postings trying to get schedule ideas. My day changes daily. That is the only thing I can say. I am grateful that they do entertain each other, but that only goes so far. As my GYN said to me, the only thing predictable about children is that they are unpredictable. It is just refreshing to know that I My hubby does all he can to help me before he goes to work every day and does breakfast and the morning routine, so that does help.
Gone Nuts [2006-12-14]
Anyone else start going crazy from staying in the house so much? I do! With kids, it makes it even more difficult to find time away. We are on a tight budget, pay check to pay check, which makes it difficult to go out and spend 40 bucks on dinner....Summertime is much easier - any ideas for these deary, boring, winter months before I lose my mind!
My SIL had it for 6 months, but that's rare. [2006-11-27]
This site seemed to have some good ideas.
http://www.maternity-clothing-fashions.com/morning-sickness.htm
60 independent ideas for preschoolers [2006-10-30]
This is from the cathswap yahoo group, Gwen one of the mods wrote it:HTH :) For what it's worth, I've compiled my list of 60 activities for my
preschooler to do independently while I'm doing lessons with Heather and/or
Jared. (If you're not homeschooling but still have a preschooler at home,
this may help you get some just for you time...)
Rachel will be encouraged to participate with our lessons as she wants to
or is capable (like listening to stories during Language Arts or History;
she can certainly do art but I'm not going to force it and hopefully these
activities will keep her occupied and out of trouble.
Feel free to pass this on to anyone else whom you think may find this
helpful.
Preschooler Ideas for Younger PAVCS Siblings - 3 and up
Since I'm using all the provided curriculum boxes for the kids (from K12), I
decided to take the biggest box --the one that the art clay, plaster of
Paris, etc. came in, and designate it my three year old's school box. This
way her school box is just like her siblings'. This box will ONLY be used at
school time, and will only be used at the table. You can take any box and
decorate it and make it the special box...brought out only at certain
times and each time having something different in it.
Inside will be her own pencil box that will have a set of markers, (crayola
washable, naturally) a pair of Fiskars kid scissors, a box of crayons, a
pencil, a pen, and a glue stick. Each day I will put some papers in there
for her to either color, cut up, paste things on, or practice writing
(simple mazes and such for her to follow, etc.)
Each week I'll put one or two interesting books that she will enjoy looking
at. There will also be one or two special activities that will change from
day to day, made up of (mostly) educational toys and stuff that I currently
have on hand but has been put away for a while.... Each day there'll be
something different to do, either loose in the box or in a zipper top Ziploc
bag (the kind with the slider zipper is easier for the kids to manipulate
than the traditional ones).
The idea of this box is for her to entertain herself with little or no
guidance from me while I work with her older siblings. She will more than
likely be participating with us during some lessons (she likes to play
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with the phonics tiles, LOL) .
Here are Some ideas for the activities. Some will be in a zippered bag, some
won't. I have 60 activities, so that I'll have enough for 2 per day per
month. At the end of the month I'll start over again. The key to the success
of these is to keep them a surprise and limit access to them so that the
novelty does NOT wear off. Some seemingly obvious things, like legos and
matchbox cars are missing from this list because they play with them almost
every day. I got the ideas for many of these activities from various
websites with preschoolers in mind. I do not have these in any particular
order. Obviously they need to be mixed up so there aren't a whole slew of
similar activities piggy backing day in and day out......Also, I'm not going
to insult your intelligence by reminding you about choking hazards, which
some of these activities may contain...use your common sense based upon your
child, and you'll be fine!...
1. sock match...several pairs of colorful infant socks that she's outgrown
in the bag to match up or just play with. If I know her she'll have them on
her hands and feet for half an hour.
2. dominoes...to build with and do who knows what with...
3. Discovery Toys Tinyville Magnets (these are magnets in shapes like
people, vehicles, animals, buildings, cloud, stars, moon, etc...) and the
magnetic white board
4. Play Doh, with geometric shaped cookie cutters
5. Play Doh with farm animal cookie cutters
6. Paint in a bag...put two colors of paint in a doubled Ziploc bag, seal it
with clear tape, and let her squish them to mix the colors. There will be a
couple of different color combinations
7. More magnets --from a magnet kit...lots of different plane figures and a
magnetic base to build upon
8. Blues Clues Cards there are nine sets of four cards, three clues that
go with one card. Got these at a dollar store that was going out of
business...got them for 50 cents! :-)
9. Mixies cards (11 sets of three different cards that form a
picture...these came from somebody's birthday party favor bag)
10. Puzzle Pairs (Discovery Toys two piece puzzles of things that go
together, like a sock and foot, sink and soap, etc)
11. Memory...for Rachel I'll probably only give her 24 cards at a time as
opposed to the full set of 72; this way I can get 3 activities from one
memory game and she won't be overwhelmed!
12. Animal Lotto..she can match up all the animals on the boards...
13. Spirit jigsaw puzzle...I printed out a horse picture colored to look
like Spirit and am gluing it to felt, then cutting it out in simple shapes
for her to put together. I will probably put a couple more like this in
there too.
14. Pattern blocks (mine are from K12; easily obtained from curriculum
suppliers for a few bucks)
15. Wooden Geometric Solids...these will keep her occupied for at least a
half hour; as with above, easily obtained from suppliers, often for under
$10 for a nice set of 12 hardwood blocks
16. Math linking cubes- these are the multi link cubes, not unifix cubes.
The multi link cubes are connectable all the way around, unlike unifix cubes
that only connect one way.
17. Lincoln Logs
18. dry rice with a funnel, measuring cup, measuring spoon, and containers
19. Lacing beads with shoe laces (the long heavy duty ones from Glenn's old
workboots work really well)
20. Giant pegboard and rubber bands
21.Rubber stamps with farm animals
22. Rubber stamps with numbers
23. Discovery Toys Playful Patterns
24. Discover Toys AB Seas alphabet fishing game
25. Discovery Toys Itsy Bitsy Spider Game
26 Discovery Toys Bright Builders (being a former consultant has its
advantages!)
27. Stickers! Lots of STICKERS. Draw shapes on a piece of paper and give
lots of tiny stickers to fill in the shapes with. You could also write the
child's name on there to put stickers on each letter...so the name shows up
in stickers. the smaller the sticker the better as it takes more time to
fill them in.
28. Animal cards...you know those clubs where you get wildlife cards? Well
I picked up half a set at a yardsale and the kids love looking at the
pictures...that should keep her busy for 20 minutes
29. Mr and Mrs Potato Head Not sure if it's educational, but it should keep
her busy for a half hour, hopefully. LOL
30. Bucket of Goop (three parts cornstarch to one part water) in a small
empty oxyclean bucket with a scoop, funnel, graduated cylinder from K12, and
another container to pour the goop into. Messy and fun but easy to clean up.
31. Watercolor paints I miss those old Paint with water books where all
you had to do was have a paintbrush and water. The new ones come with a set
of watercolors attached, but in this case, I'd really like the books with
the pictures already colored and you just swipe it with a wet brush to
paint. Maybe lacking in creativity, but hey. After painting one picture
Rachel will probably have the paint set ruined by not rinsing out the
brush...my idea here is for her do to something WITHOUT guidance from
me...oh well...
32. Lacing cards. Using the shoe laces from the lacing beads. I'll cut out
shapes from light weight cardboard and cover with contact paper before
punching holes in it. Someone else suggested using old bleach bottles but
I'm afraid that cutting them up will ruin my scissors. LOL
33. Felt shapes and felt board...using cookie cutters and other things as
patterns, I'll make some little people and geometric shapes for her to play
with. I'll cover a piece of sturdy cardboard with felt.
Bananas for the Monkeys Original Author Unknown: Cut five monkey shapes out
of brown felt and fifteen banana shapes out of yellow felt. Number the
monkeys from 1 to 5 and place them on flannel board. Have the children
identify the number on each monkey and place that many bananas in front of
it.
34. Puppets in a Bag --yarn, facial features already cut out, a brown lunch
sack, and some glue...a puppet kit!
35. Glue, Yarn, and shapes...sorry, no creative name for this. I'll draw
some shapes on construction paper and give her a small (the tiny size)
bottle of Elmer's glue to squeeze onto the lines I drew (helps build small
motor coordination) and then she can put the yarn on the shapes. Other
times, do this with her name, or a house, or something similar. I buy the
tiny bottles once, then get the more economical bigger bottles to refill
with later as needed. I don't even buy Elmer's half the time.
36. Collage in a bag...rip out some magazine pages with interesting pictures
for her to cut out and paste on a piece of paper...maybe following a certain
theme...like one time have it all healthy foods...another time, families and
kids, animals, flowers, etc.
37. Bean Sort - Since she's pretty much beyond sticking a bean up her nose
and requiring Glenn to remove it with needle nose pliers, I figure this is
now a safe activity for her to do with only moderate supervision. (yes
that's what happened and I got rid of our Don't Spill The Beans Game after
Heather and I were traumatized by this. Rachel, interestingly, didn't care
too much one way or the other. Heather was much more mortified by the sight
of her daddy heading toward Rachel's nose with those pliers...I didn't look.
:) ) Lots of different beans in a bucket for her to measure, pour, sort, and
throw on the floor for me to vacuum up.
38. Eyedropper, small container of water, and a mini ice cube tray or
Styrofoam egg carton. If you're feeling adventurous, use colored water to
make it interesting. Demonstrate how to use the eyedropper both to fill and
empty the cups... Would also work well with mini muffin tins, I suppose...
39. Colored Pasta - color your own pasta, using wheels or any other pasta
that has large openings (easy to lace.) Use small amount of rubbing alcohol
and several drops of food coloring in an airtight container or Ziploc. Leave
the pasta in for a few minutes ; shaking it up or stirring a few times. Take
it out to dry in a single layer. . then provide laces to string them up. You
could provide some color or shape patterns on cards to duplicate.
40. Penny Count (source:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/3446/keeplittleones.html) I will make
a more compact version on a single sheet of paper, and use circles the same
size as the counting tokens (bingo chips) that came from PAVCS...match the
colors and number amounts! But I thought the whole idea was pretty neat:
Make a poster board showing cells of numbers. Example: Draw a square,
write 1 in it. Draw or tape down 1 penny in the square. Do the same with
each square...up to ten or twenty...your choice. I'd start with 10 first and
then draw two more squares at a time up to twenty as child gets better at
this skill.
2) Give your child a basket or plastic container of pennies and have him
match up pennies that you have put down with the picture in each square.
(Ex. In the 2 cell, he would put below your example 1, 2 pennies in a
one-to-one correspondence. Check him when he is done by having him count
each cell with you. Repetition is what teaches counting!
3) Eventually test your child by showing him only a number 3 printed on
a index card and have him lay down 3 pennies and say 3. You might even
write the word three along with the number 3 back in step one so that
the child is learning a sight vocabulary word along with the printed 3.
You would only do this if your child already knows the alphabet though. Then
you could hold up a card that says three and see if he can lay the correct
pennies down when seeing the word too.
41. Super ball or small car and a paper towel or Christmas paper tube. If
you feel creative you could make a marble run of sorts with a couple tubes
(see www.familyfun.com) I probably won't...she'll be happy enough with this.
Why get more complicated than you need to? I could also let her color it
with markers if she wanted.
42. Magnet and paperclips, washers, a nail, etc.
43. A large (big enough to climb in) box. 'Nuff said.
44. A giant piece of paper (or PAVCS posterboard) to color on...whatever
desired...just give the paper and markers and you're set.
45. Lots of colored pom poms and tweezers to sort them out...look for
tweezers that will be easy for little hands to manipulate, like the ones
that come with the game Bed Bugs...heck, look for the Bed Bugs game. LOL
46. Treasure Hunt: large pot or box filled with corn meal, oat meal, rice,
etc, with small treasures hidden inside...individually wrapped candy,
coins, Barbie shoes, game pieces, etc. Make a picture checklist with all the
items to find!
47. Colored Straws and scissors: nothing more to say. LOL straws are good
for scissor practice because one snip and you have instant results. Provide
Elmer's glue and paper and it's time to make a mosaic!
48. Discovery Toys Busy Bugs This can be duplicated with any manipulative,
but I just got the game off ebay for $10. Might be able to find something
similar in a homeschool catalog... kind of like the penny poster above, just
using something different to play with and put the problems on index cards
instead of the poster. You could use stuff around the house like coins,
counters, buttons, pasta...make up index cards with patterns to
duplicate/put simple problems on there: show items with number and number
word under it, or do a simple problem like 2+2= etc...... This activity will
be accompanied by a couple bug books and hopefully a neat bug video from the
library!
49. Sticks, chunks of moss, rocks, leaves...with small rubber animals or
dinosaurs...add some sand in a 9x13 baking pan...don't worry about sand on
the floor...that's what vacuum cleaners are for!!!!! On a nice day do all
your school work outside...heck, let the older kid SKIP schoolwork to do
this outside... :-)
50. Magnetic Treasure Hunt: like the treasure hunt (#46) above, only this
time use metal items and a magnet to attract them! Be sure your magnet isn't
too strong or your kid will get several treasures at once!
51. Memory 2 see activity 11
53 Memory 3 see activity 11
54. Checkers and a small purse/canvas bag.... Checkers are cool cause they
stack. If you can get more than two dozen, that's even better. Dollar stores
often have checker games.
55. Chess pieces. Get a cheap chess/checkers game or two at the dollar
store. Rachel likes to play with the pieces like they're alive. :-)
56. Magnetic Marbles I picked these up at a dollar store. Amazing the things
you find at these places! I know that they'll be interesting for at least
fifteen to twenty minutes...maybe more.
57. Popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue. Bob the builder at your service! Real
cool if you have colored sticks...or just color them with markers when done.
This is great for eye hand coordination and small motor building. You could
put the glue in a small plastic cup or on a paper plate and have child apply
it with a cotton swab to avoid excessive glue....
58. Rubber Stamps with letters
59. Viewmaster and reels --I'm trying to collect educational rather than
twaddle reels (cartoon characters = twaddle). I want to find reels of
animals and places that are real.
60. Farm Animals and Barn. Our barn was being abused (read: animals left all
over the house) plus we really don't have shelf space for the barn to be out
all the time. So I'll bring it out from time to time...maybe when nothing
else is working and Rachel is being a real pill.
I had one other activity but I forgot what it was. :-P I thought of it after
I shut the computer down for the night and made a note to add it here when I
got up in the morning. HA!
Hopefully we won't need two of these every day, making them last even
longer. Having them all ready in their bags will be handy too...
Other suggested ideas: set up a play store with empty food boxes; book and
tapes; educational videos, painting with water and a paintbrush, cleaning
windows, kitchen chair tunnels, puppet theater,
One thing I am going to try not to worry about is THE MESS with some of
these activities. Messes happen. Elmer's, crayola markers, and watercolors
wash off. Sand and rice vacuums up. (You'll note I didn't put finger paints
or tempera paint activities here...#1, that's not recommended without
supervision...because tempera stains...and #2...well, tempera stains. LOL
I've chosen things that will have a moderate clean up factor, if any. I may
even let Rachel use the vacuum hose to clean up any spills...the other two
will probably fight her for the privilege. LOL And when they're old enough
to actually handle the vacuum, it's no longer fun for them and they don't
want to do it!
good help, thanks [2006-10-29]
Thanks everyone for the ideas and support. I think I am going to do what I do for church (we just moved and our new church does not have a nursery, just a cry room) - I am going to have a bunch of toys/items designated for only while I am working, and keep them in a box. When it is time for me to work, I will pull out the box. Of course, it will have to be more varied than the church bag since it will be every day instead of once per week, but hopefully that will help.
I like the idea of putting a tarp down for them to do crafts on. I may have to try that.
Thanks again!!!
So now they are not napping [2006-10-27]
Hi all. It has been a while since I posted on these forums. So long, in fact, that this WAHM board is new to me.
I had been working full time but due to a recent move, and a lack of affordable preschool options, I have cut my hours back to 10-15 per week. I planned on working two hours each day during my three and four-year-olds' naps, but they just hit the phase where they are resisting naps. I was spending more time getting up and putting them back in their rooms than I was working. Plus, I was yelling a lot - not a good situation. I know two hours is not a long time to try to keep them occupied while I am working, but my 3-yr-old is very busy. I usually let them watch a movie or video for an hour (which I would normally do anyway while getting chores done or whatever). The remaining hour is sticky. I do really need to work the two hours straight, as it takes me a while to download schedules for work each time I log on. I do not have the two hours at night to do it for various reasons.
I would love any ideas on activities that they could do independently of me for that hour. We have puzzles, blocks, legos, etc... I am just looking for anything along those lines that you have found to be occupying for preschool aged kids. As long as my 3-yo is involved in something like a puzzle or legos, he can pay attention to it for 30 minutes to an hour - he just needs to be engaged or he will start dismantling the furniture!
Thanks for any ideas. Next year one will be in Kindy and I am considering part-day preschool for my youngest, so I just need to get through this year. I have considered quitting, but really would like to try to make it work out. I use my pay for things like cub scouts for my oldest and extras for my kids and our family (like passes to the local zoo, etc...).
Thanks to all for the wonderful advice... [2006-08-14]
I hope to implement some of these great ideas this week. Hope this works and hope I can be strong to see this through. Part of my problem is I enjoy him being next to me, too, but I know he needs to finally be in his own bed so we can both get some sleep and he can learn some more independence prior to starting preschool. Pray for us!
See message [2006-07-26]
I have a boy, so can't help you with girl party ideas, but I got some great ideas for my little boy's last party at birthdaypartyideas.com. I also went to birthdayexpress.com - you could get an idea for a theme there and then go to birthdaypartyideas.com where you can find what other people did with the different themes. Hope this helps!
Thanks [2006-07-17]
Thanks for all the advice....I do work wee hours in the morning before he gets up ...so I guess its more like trying to work half a shift w/him. I think I'm going to buy a box of batteries and get all those toys he has not touched forever going again....I guess I'll just give myself a raise when he goes to school!!! Thanks for all of the ideas ...I'll be trying them all!
To Dawn - help with toddlers [2006-07-17]
I homeschool my children and do MT work and believe me it can get quite hectic!!
Here is an idea that definitely works! Get an activity box (or tote), one for each day. In that particular box put things in that he can only play with while you are doing your transcription work. BE VERY FIRM WITH THIS -- ONLY WHILE DOING YOUR TRANSCRIPTION WORK!
For instance, in Monday's box - you could have an assortment of construction trucks, one coloring book with crayons, several picture books, with other assorted toys. I only gave a few little ideas here because you'll need more in the box than this of course, but you'll see the pattern as I continue to explain.
In Tuesday's box - micro machines (make sure there are no construction vehicles because you used them Monday), markers with a different coloring book or activity book, different picture books from Monday.
In Wednesday's box - airplanes (no cars), army men, no coloring book today find something different - some of the slimy squishing things they have in the stores to mold and make things with!
Lincoln logs one day, legos the next, tinker toys another day. Do you get the idea??
Use your imagination but keep that box changed every day and don't tell him what you are going to put in it. Toys can be very expensive but you can find all kinds of stuff at yard sales or even the Goodwill (just clean with Mr. Bubble or Lysol to get rid of dirt/disease).
If you have the space, I know there used to be a little airport set up (my son had one years ago) and the day he gets airplanes, he gets to use the airport. The same for cars - the little garage setups that they have now to go with hot wheels. One day you could do farm items, animals, tractors, barn etc. Tell him how to use the small Lincoln logs for bales of hay to feed his animals and show him how to make a fence with his Lincoln logs. This consumes a lot of time just setting up his farm. Find something that you feel safe in letting him have that he can haul with his construction trucks,i.e. buttons, decorative stones like you put in a vase to hold flowers, use your imagination. My son played by the hour with little moveable men in my shoe (his boat) until I actully bought the big Fisher-Price pirate boat. I have even taken the cookie trays that some cookies come in and they make great boats!
The little decorative stones could be used for him to make designs with different colors one day. He can make a item and then you can guess what it is.
Remember, as soon as you are done with your transcription work --the activity box is put away and does not come out again until you go back to work. Always make this box as interesting and exciting as you possibly can. Reward play time. You play quietly while mommy works until the timer rings (timers are great!) and then we will have cookies and milk. You play while mommy works and when the timer goes off, we'll go outside and play for a short time (15 minutes, but play hard and wear him out, play tag, running and catching a ball, anything with lots of activity so that he gets the energy out of himself and he is ready to come back in for another quiet time! If your not big on giving lots of sweets or candy, eat lunch but don't have dessert, save the dessert for a reward time. We can have ice cream after another quiet time.
Boy, this turned out long but I hope that it will help all of the brave mothers with little ones! I know that it can get hectic but hang in there, you all can do it. Mine are 16 and 13 and I have homeschooled them since Kindergarten. Would never want to send them away from me for a day of school!
NEED IDEAS: What are your favorite make-ahead meals? [2006-07-14]
I would love to hear your ideas/recipes for dinners that you can make ahead of time and re-heat (or serve cold). I love to do this on gymnastics day when we're away when I would normally start dinner. Thanks!
Help!!! [2006-07-14]
I desperately need Some ideas to entertain my son while I work. Four-year-old energetic boy.....he used to go to daycare full-time but that just got too expensive - now at home he does not know what to do w/himself. I have tried everything....What does everyones kids do at home while your working? He is my only child - so no brothers/sisters to play with....I've been taking so many breaks w/him lately it has really been hurting my line count...plus I get frustrated and interrupted all the time....he gets upset and wants my attention...this just goes in a cycle!!! I have to work a straight 8-hour shift because I also work part-time in the evenings....Thanks for any advice
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