A woman charged with killing four of her young children and their father smiled and posed for cameras during her first court appearance before telling a judge she did not want a lawyer.

Four young children and their father have been found apparently stabbed to death in a home outside Atlanta, and police said the mother - now charged with their deaths - was the one who called 911 to report the killings.

Police have found four young children and a man apparently stabbed to death in a home in the US state of Georgia and have taken the mother into custody.