Advice for a new homeschooler, or any homeschooler beginning a new year or turning over a new leaf. - Ursula Rost   KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Work your way into a schedule.  Just because you've got all your books doesn't mean you or your kids know how you're going to use them (daily/weekly/does it involve experiments or supplemental activities/can my kid essentially  do this on their own, with me checking and correcting as needed, or do we set aside one-on-one time to do it together orally)    Start your kids with the basics, adding an activity every day or so.  Have them start with the cut and dry stuff, like a math workbook or penmanship workbook, while you figure out how to spread 17 science chapters over the year or make a geography unit study work for three kids at once.  After a couple of weeks, fine tune what gets done which day of the week for how long/much.  Kids actually love order.  Even the younger ones will soon know, for example, that they do math and language every day, history and science on alternate days, Monday is piano lesson day, Tuesday is art projects and karate, Wednesday is choir night, Thursday is cleanup day and Friday is a shorter day with Mass and fieldtrips.  Or whatever.   IF YOU FLOUNDER. Illness, new baby, move, kid encountering difficulties (behavioral, academic, etc), or just falling hopelessly behind.  If necessary, impose a recess for a few weeks.  See this as an opportunity rather than a hardship--for lots of reading and crafts, letting the kids construct a huge megalopolis using every Lego, block, Lincoln Log etc. in the house, until the crisis passes.  Or, if you are able to do some school, strip it down to the bare basics.  Each kid does math and language for their level, and pick middle grade texts you can read aloud to all your kids at once as you are able to for subjects like religion, science, health, history etc.   You'll find yourself stopping to explain key points in simple language to the younger ones, who'll be happy to cuddle, color, play quietly on the floor, and ask cute questions.  The older ones can doodle or crochet or fold laundry while being read to, or help present the material.  To satisfy their (older kids') need to go further in depth with these subjects, let them surf on the internet with a particular assignment, watch related videos/DVD documentaries from library, and read related fiction.  Once you're past your rough patch, just add stuff back in gradually.

This is the unsolicited advice - Jenn MacDonald   One of my biggest struggles is keeping the baby out of the toilet while I'm paying attention to the the other kids.  When I teach, my mind just isn't able to observe the big picture.  What helped us, was all 5 of us locking ourselves in a bedroom (because of the lock on the door) and doing school in there.  It's very confining for me and the noise level drives me insane, but those things don't seem to bother the kids.  I come out exhausted a few hours later, but school has gotten accomplished and I don't have any HUGE messes or accidents to deal with.    The above worked when I had a toddler and a crawler.  A few years later, we all just sprawl out everywhere in the house to do our school - the kids usually prefer the floor.  The kids who can read use a student planner and choose when do which subjects on their own.  They come find me to ask questions and for subjects we all do together, like religion and history.