| Home school organization is essential when | | | | needs completing. |
| teaching multi-aged children at the same time. | | | | #4 Involve young children in daily household |
| As a busy home schooling parent, you need to be | | | | chores. |
| as efficient as possible. If you have toddlers, | | | | While your older children work on lessons, use the |
| babies or preschoolers in your family, you have | | | | time to complete simple projects and housework |
| even less time to waste. | | | | that your preschoolers can help with. |
| When schooling multiple children, look for ways to | | | | Do "school" while working on household chores. |
| make the best use of your time and energy. | | | | Young children love to help with laundry - sorting |
| Here are five tips that I use to maximize my | | | | colors, pushing buttons, adding soap, putting |
| time and successfully educate my multi-aged | | | | clothes into baskets and matching socks. |
| family, while trying to keep my home in order and | | | | Nothing compares to the fun interaction and |
| my housework done! | | | | relationship building that occurs while cooking in the |
| #1 Teach your children together. | | | | kitchen with children! Learning happens and meals |
| Unit studies are a great way of teaching | | | | get prepared at the same time, albeit with a little |
| multi-aged kids at the same time - even with | | | | more mess. |
| different learning styles. They are especially | | | | #5 Include younger children in lessons, whenever |
| convenient when your children are close in age. | | | | you can. |
| Lessons and projects can be easily adapted to | | | | To increase your home school organization, find |
| your children's unique learning styles. Expect more | | | | projects or hands-on activities that everyone can |
| from older children and less from younger ones. | | | | do together. Your younger children will love to |
| #2 Use self-teaching curriculum with older children. | | | | participate in your older student's activities. |
| What is self-teaching curriculum? | | | | Buddy-up your older children with the younger |
| Curriculum that can be completed independently | | | | ones. The many questions young children ask will |
| by students, with minimal teacher involvement. | | | | definitely reinforce what your older children know |
| Lessons are written in a conversational style and | | | | and working together helps everyone to develop |
| can be completed without the need for constant | | | | patience. |
| or direct teacher instruction. | | | | It does take extra work, flexibility and patience to |
| As a home school parent, you will not spend all | | | | achieve a small measure of home school |
| your time teaching. Your student gains | | | | organization. When schooling multiple children, |
| independence and you? More time. | | | | especially with preschoolers around, home school |
| #3 Swap work. | | | | organization often looks like disorganization. |
| While you mark your child's work, have them do | | | | Relax. |
| a job for you. Your children can do many odd | | | | Your life home school may never be completely |
| jobs around the house. | | | | organized. However, the blessings that come from |
| Fetch or organize laundry, clean the bathroom, | | | | a family working together, far outweigh the |
| play with the baby, change a dirty diaper (always | | | | challenges of trying to achieve home school |
| on the top of my list!) or any other project that | | | | organization perfection. |