Unless there is only one child in the home or siblings are spaced 20 years apart, chances are that most home school families are going to run into a problem that I'm facing.
What do you do with disruptive toddlers while trying to educate older siblings?
I'm still trying to figure this one out, but here is what I tried first: giving her WeBlittle pumpkins and gourds from our recent pumpkin patch trip. This lasted about five minutes until she tried eating the small, green gourd. Based on her facial expression after the first taste, I'm going to guess it was pretty bitter. :)
Next up was giving her manipulatives - these were a special treat since she's usually not allowed to have them. These entertained her for an afternoon, but the following day she was bored again.
I tried other engaging things like puzzles, play-doh (which she ate), color crayons (which she chewed up - do you sense a theme here?), and felt boards. I realized that she was much happier and much more willing to sit content when she was doing what she saw her big brothers do. For us, our best toddler-taming strategy has been to include her right along with the boys. When we do Bible time, I insist she sit in my lap and listen. When T does his reading exercises and K is permitted to use the DoodlePro, L is happy drawing on the DoodlePro, too. Now, she anticipates that activity, and as soon as T's Green Reader makes an appearance, she toddles off and drags out the DoodlePros. It's really cute!
A new thing we're doing in the evenings is playing educational games before bed. Even though L has no concept of what's truly happening, as long as we give her a piece of the game to play with, she's a happy camper.
This is what's working for us for right now. It's having positive results other than keeping her occupied, too. By teaching her to sit still during our "Together Time" (often called "Circle Time" by other families), she's learning to sit still in church. She's learning, to a degree, the songs that I'm teaching the boys, sounds to certain letters, and how to behave while I need to give my attention to someone other than herself.
Each family structure is different, and this probably would not work with a baby/toddler younger than mine. There are lots and lots of ideas and possibilities for keeping track of toddlers while teaching older children, and we're enjoying researching and trying some of them in our own family.
Toddlers can be troubling and trying, but they can also be a blessing and a joy. In the trials of toddlers, remember: they're simply helping Mommy be more creative with the resources on hand (hence the pumpkin idea)!!
Sounds like L's going to be very ready for school once she's old enough! It's similar for us. We include our L when appropriate, although it's very different teaching him v. Naomi at his age. Sometimes he's disruptive when we need quiet or concentration, so I have to occupy him for a short time with someone else. Or sometimes when he's really absorbed in something, like his books or lining up his cars, I'll switch something around to take advantage of that time.
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