Loud Homeschool
 

Does anyone else homeschool in an apartment complex? My neighbor has complained to me about my kids being too noisy during the daytime. I had let them dance to some worship songs mid afternoon. They complained about stomping, shouting, etc through the floor and vents. I occasionally yell to be heard above my kids so I guess I need to work on that. I also kind of feel like it is an invasion of privacy to have lived here almost a year and not known they could hear my talking, phone conversations etc.
I am at a bit of a loss what to do. There are several public and charter schools in the area but from nine too three most kids are in school, some eight to four etc. The three local schools have different time schedules and different weeks and days off. So on those days I don't really keep the volume especially low.So I try my best to keep us inside and quite during those times, well I guess dancing and fiddle lessons are not quite quiet:shrug3 I grew up homeschooled in the time when you just did not leave home during school hours.
We have three months left in our lease and I already feel like I am waking on eggshells. My landlord says we can move in two months as I paid the lasts month rent when we moved in. It is still too winter and too cold to go out much during the day, aside from the occasional quick walk.
Ugh, how can I make two young kids be quite for six hours a day? I have never rented on my own before and need the landlord reference to get a new apartment, or a house I pray!

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

This does not sound like a homeschool issue at all, because life with kids is just sometimes loud! I wouldnt be considering putting them in schools because of it. The neighbors can evidently hear you guys sometimes and what is the difference if it is during school hours or in the afternoon or on weekends? :scratch Are you guys upstairs over these neighbors? Could you move to a downstairs apt? I think I would make sure they didnt do especially loud things in the early morning hours to be a good neighbor.Is there a community room you could use to do loud activities like that? Oh I see you are already planning on a move. You should not feel like you have to make your kids be quiet during school hours.But maybe not anything too loud or boisterous right now no matter what time of day.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

Usually daytime you expect to hear some noise. Does your apartment have posted quiet hours?

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I definitely wouldn't put them in school because of it. And I agree that during the day some noise ought to be okay. Do any of the neighbors have special concerns like working nights, insomnia but they sleep during the day, sleeping babies, kids with autism who can't handle the noise, etc?

If you need a place to get out from time to time and aren't opposed to fast food :shifty you can always take them to a restaurant with a play place, order a bit of food and stay and homeschool your big kids there while your little kids play (and of course give the big kids some time to play, too). I don't like to feed my kids fast food every day but I think occasionally is okay. Or if you have an indoor mall with a play place you can do the same there (and no need to buy food).

But I wouldn't feel any obligation to make too many special accommodations other than perhaps trying to keep the stomping down. It's only for a few months anyway.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

There are adults only apartments out there if people are not happywith kids sounds,you know?Agree tho to try and keep especially loud activities down and when you look for another apt downstairs end units are great! Unless you get really loud neighbors above you :giggle. Is good to kind of listen when you go to see apts. Some building are better built tan others too. My oldest dd stayed in a downstairs end unit condo one time and we didnt ever hear any neighbors up or next to

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I would say the same as others have. We have lived in apartments and I always expected noise. It's just part of apartment living, especially during the day. I would try to keep quieter at night and maybe do the dancing somewhere else but too me daytime noise is expected when you live in an apartment.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

The only other thing I might consider is whether or not the neighbor has a small one whose naps are being disturbed. If that is the case, you could ask for a phone number so you two could work together to make everyone comfortable. So maybe she calls when the baby is going down for a nap so you know not to have dance party at that time :shrug3

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

It is sad but some people are so used to neighborhoods and apartments being kid free all day with so many in daycare or school and after school programs. I read recently where a family had been taken to court in TX about not leting their 4 kids play in their backyard during the day

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

WOW!!

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I don't quite understand this. They were taken to court for not letting their kids play during the day or was it the other way around and taken to court because the kids were seen I the back yard playing during school hours? My kids are mostly busy doing lessons, art, hand works, music or indoor play during the day and it is seldom above below zero so they maybe play in the yard once or twice a week. (We go out hiking or mountain biking on the rare occasion it is warm enough I the winter so it's not like I deprive them of the great outdoors.)

---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

I wasn't think of putting them in public school, but hoping for alternatives for being at home or being loud at home. One thing I need to get over myself is the I homeschool so I have to stay at home during the day unless I am going to a coop or meet up etc.. Although I grew up I the country my mom was very specific about not bringing us into town or to the city during school hours.
I actually have no clue where the mall is around here:shrug3 but that would be fun to check out. I am very opposed to fast food but might consider a fast food playground if spring doesn't arrive soon!

---------- Post added at 07:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 PM ----------

Life with kids is loud and in the ad for my apartment it clearly state the apartment was for one family or a couple, not multiple college students. That being said were the only family in the building. So I can understand how the neighbors are not used to kids in general. The only neighbor that has brought it up is the one directly below my apartment. I try to keep us relatively quite till about eight and then by eight at night my kids are asleep. I think the neighbor works evening shifts so mid afternoon might have been middle of the night to them! It took me forever to get used to the sound of them coming in at three in the morning.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I don't know what the homeschool climate is like where you live, but here homeschooling is very normal. We go out all the time. I've never thought about staying indoors during school hours.

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Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I'm wondering if your mom kept you in because maybe homeschooling was less accepted at the time & she didn't want to get in trouble or maybe just to avoid the hassle of busy bodies.

as for keeping your kids quiet, maybe try to shift the noisy activities to a little later in the day if possible. You know this neighbor works the wee hours so I can understand a little grumpiness if you're having dance parties before 11 (my hubs used to work the 7PM-3AM shift so I get it) but after that, I wouldn't be inclined to adjust too much. Obviously, you want to be good neighbors but when you have a neighbor who has unreasonable expectations(if they expect quiet ALL day), it's going to be hard to make accommodations & I wouldn't worry over much.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

We don't do much fast food either but when the kids were little sometimes I would go and just by an ice cream cone for them to share or just a drink for me. That way I felt like I had bought something and they could play. Where we live its the summers that keep us inside. We lived in an apartment until they my youngest was seven and we would have been stir crazy if we stayed home all the time.

Also I definitely wouldn't worry about keeping the kids home during school hours. This is our 8th year homeschooling and we have never had any trouble being out and about during the day. If people ask we just say they are homeschooled and if they are really curious I will give them the whole explanation of why it doesn't take us seven hours to complete their work since I only have two students.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

You can also look into healthier fast food. I feel better about Del Taco's bean burritos than I do about any fast food burgers or nuggets, so when we want fast food we go there (however I do not like their play places very much because parents can't observe because it's all up high). The place with the best and most open play place where I can watch my kids best is a more standard nuggets and burgers place. We don't go there much but we do occasionally.

Re: Loud Homeschool
 

I haven't heard of this case, but I've always felt a little self conscious about my kids being loud in the backyard during the day. Taking them places hasn't been an issue, as homeschooling is popular here.

OP - do you have a library nearby? Obviously that isn't a place to burn off energy, but it can be a free outing or a new study spot. During the school year ours is nearly empty from lunch time until 3pm.

Some of the larger churches in this area have free indoor play equipment that is open to the public. We haven't been to one in a while but I'm planning to try one this spring.