Layered Learning

I was at a loss the start of the school year on how to manage both my second grader and my kindergartner. My 2ND grader was used to having me all to herself for school, and really did not like having to share. My kindergartner needs a lot more hands on help. My morning would go something like this; I would be helping one child, and the other would constantly interrupt and try to get my attention. Back and forth, all day for the first week. I knew that this could not go on and be a healthy, fun school year for all of us. I also wanted to be the most time efficient considering I have 2 other children not yet school age. So now we do what I've nicknamed Layered Learning. This would probably seem really obvious to all of you reading this, but I'm quite proud I thought it up. Every subject, we do at the same time. I just gear it to each kids level of learning. I do spend one lesson a day with each alone, usually Language Arts. They really bloom under the one-on-one contact. My 3 year old is even sitting with us and demanding a lesson to do. I purchased the Handwriting without Tears curriculum, and there's these wooden shapes you can use to form the alphabet. So she sits down and matches all the pieces to the letter pages. We are all really enjoying school now. Since we are all doing the same lesson, they are both getting my attention at the same time and all the struggle is gone. Sometime it takes me awhile to figure out practical solutions, so I was really stoked to come up with such a neat solution.