Help with Home Work Suggestions

I second Kathy N. We used the loftbed solution in my daughter's room, and it worked great. The one we bought had a desk and a set of bookshelves on the interior side, and a dressor and cabinet on the the exterior side. When she was little, she loved sleeping near the ceiling, and the desk area often doubled as a cave, tent, club house etc. by dropping a blanket over the opening. This solution served her until midway through high school, when she really needed a lot more desk area. By then, we'd moved to a larger house with a bigger bedroom.

Setup the toddler with "homework". Just make it age appropriate and fun. A woman I know did this when her son was younger and her daughter had homework. It could be just coloring or playing with playdoh, sorting objects, etc. When he turned 3 he asked for his homework when sis did hers. It doesn't make it perfect but helps get the toddler to stay in place for a while and busy.

I currently have two doing homework with a busy little one underfoot. This is how we do it.... Dad usually does homework with the boy right after dinner while I entertain the other two. When he is done, I go work with the girl while hubby watches at least the littlest one,the boy is old enough to stay out of the way. But, on occasion when our "master plan" doesn't work, we resort to Plan B, and that is to bring out the iPad to keep the littlest one occupied while we do homework quietly.

Possibly try something like this in the older childs room?
http://www.target.com/p/X-Loft-Bunk-Bed-Silver-Twin/-/A-1...

Get a folding screen. That way, it is portable and will provide a "partitioned" off area, for your older child to study... and it will visually provide privacy and less distraction. And you can put the folding screen anywhere around, where the older child may be studying.

http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=folding+screens&ca...

And when the older child is studying, verbally tell the Toddler, to keep away... and keep the Toddler busy, elsewhere, with things to do.

You need to have a routine of things... and times when the older one does homework, and then the younger one will, through repetition of the routine, hopefully come to understand not to bother the older sibling. You have to also verbally enforce this.

Or have the Toddler nap, at homework time.

A TV tray in the bedroom or you could have your hubby try to make a table top attached to the wall with hinges so the table top can be lowered for doing homework and then raised so it is flush with the wall when not in use.

Can't they stay after school and do it there?

I agree with "It'sacrazylifewith5". No matter what age, they can start good routine habits. at "homework time" the toddler also get's "homework". Anything that they can do while the older one does their work. Now they will not sit still as long, so it is recommended that you set up a timer. Teach them "homework time" and set the time. A few minutes at most in the beginning, but as time goes on you can up the time. You will LOVE the structure later!

B.
Family Success Coach

You could always get a tv table to pull out so that they can be in the bedroom and then put it away when they are done.
Other than that, I love the tag-team approach but that didn't always work for us since DH used to work until 8pm.

Few ideas:
That is when the toddler gets to watch his/her special movie or favorite TV show.
That becomes the little ones bath time. (Assuming that is a happy time)
Take him/her outside to run around, letting your older child know you are giving them their much deserved peace and quiet.
Do a puzzle or read books in the little ones room, door closed.
Blow bubbles or Give him/her some chalk that they only get while older child is doing homework.
Start teaching him/her that this is "homework time", which is just like "library time", we whisper, we sit still, we walk slowly, etc.

Hope that helps. It does get easier. I would also commiserate with my oldest, saying that you really understand how frustrating it is, but that your sure glad they are