TOS Review: Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling Older Kids with Success While Loving the Little Ones at your Feet

I had the opportunity to read Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling Older Kids with Success While Loving the Little Ones at your Feet. I received it as an e-book in exchange for an honest review. The book is from Preschoolers and Peace and is written by Kendra Fletcher. The book is written and intended to be a helpful resource for moms.

The Kindle version of the book sells for $2.99.

THE AUTHOR

The author of the book is Kendra Fletcher. She is a mother to 8 children, ranging in ages from 20 down to 5. She learned so much from having preschoolers, toddlers, and babies at her feet while attempting to homeschool her older children that she began a blog, Preschoolers and Peace, to share her experiences and to encourage other mothers who find themselves in the trenches and need some helpful advice, a shoulder to cry on, or just to read thoughts from a mom who has been there and survived. This latest book from Kendra is found at her website, www.Kendrafletcher.com.

THE BOOK, ME, AND WHAT I THOUGHT

This book is a very helpful resource to have on hand. It is packed with helpful tips of how to keep preschoolers happily and busily occupied and learning while tending to the demands of older children.

When I was asked to read the book, my first thoughts were that I no longer have preschoolers in my house. Somehow, by the grace of God, I survived that and my children have hopefully come out well in spite of all the chaotic days where I remember screaming to read a history lesson because my youngest was demanding to be held and would not quiet down, even if the sounds were happy and not upset. I remember how trying to help my oldest or middle child with a complicated math problem would somehow send a trigger to my quietly sleeping or otherwise content baby that it was time to make some noise.

I remember homeschooling with my youngest dangling over my left arm at my hip as I stood to read and educate the older two.  Where was this book when I was in the thick of it?

After all, the book is a really enjoyable and easy 47-page read that I could have read almost in its entirety during a "baby fell asleep while nursing" session.

WHAT I LIKED BEST ABOUT THE BOOK

One of my favorite suggestions was to start the day with a prayer journal. One of the ways the author, Kendra Fletcher, had used for prayer was to trace each child's hand on paper. She tucked away each handprint, and wrote prayer requests for that particular child on each one. I thought this was a nice touch to try for me, as well.

The back of the book shares links to blog posts that the author had written which is separated by and back up the information shared chapter by chapter. It also includes other helpful links where you will find, for instance, a meal organizing calendar to print.

The book has challenged me to set a schedule. While one of the best parts of homeschooling for me is the flexibility, I have been slowly realizing how important it is to have some sort of guideline to follow. I am a natural planner, so it would seem that I would also love to abide by strict schedules. But, this is not the case at all. I am so naturally driven inwardly that it's difficult for me to fathom that others, including my children, sometimes need an outward calendar of events to outline their days. So, I am working on this.

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