{photo by Myriams-Fotos}
Tis the season… cold and flu season, that is. We aren’t talking about being homesick, but about being home, sick.
At the beginning of the year we shared tips on health and wellness, and we certainly hope everyone is staying healthy so far this year, but we know that from time to time we all get hit by something or other. And depending on the severity of the illness (and who is sick), often we still want to get at least some school done on our home days.
So what do you do on home days when someone in the family is sick? Here are a few thoughts, and we’d love to hear yours as well!
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{photo by Rachel Bostwick} |
When the kids are sick, there can be a whole range of options, depending on age and the illness. Obviously if kids are in bed, completely miserable, barely conscious, then you don’t want to push any school work on them, and just let them convalesce. If they are only feeling a bit lousy but still want attention and something to do, read aloud the literature to them, watch related documentaries (try Monday Mix-ins?), and try teaching the easier subjects while curled up on the couch or in bed with them (usually mom’s bed, right?). You might even be able to get a math lesson done in bed, or at least practice math facts and maybe play a math game. This is also a good time to let them play with blocks, board games, quiet toys, puzzle books, etc. to keep from getting bored.
If you have one kid who is sick and others who are well, even the well kids sometimes have to have a lighter day, so that mom can give the sick child some extra love. Focus on what is most important for the next school day, keep up with math as much as you’re able, and of course, read with everyone. Audiobooks are always a great option for sick days too – for both the SLOCA literature as well as fun books.
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{photo by David Mao} |
If mom (or dad, if he’s the homeschool parent) is really sick, like in-bed-all-day-sick, then older students should be able to work through some (or a lot) of their grids independently. Maybe you can do a little of the reading aloud to them while you’re in bed, but if even that is too much, try to enlist your spouse, an older sibling, a friend, or another family member to come over and do the reading. Or get an audiobook of our current literature (some of our history books can be found as audiobooks as well) and let everyone listen to that. Math is usually the trickiest thing to get done if mom is completely wiped out. In that case, sometimes a fellow SLOCA parent in the same level who doesn’t live too far might be able to include your child in their home lesson time. Or again, maybe your spouse can tackle math that evening. Do you know a college student or babysitter who might be willing to come over and do math and/or some other school work with the kids? If nothing else, play catch up on Friday or the weekend. Catching up later might be the only way to get in the grammar and spelling too, but that’s okay.
Kids often have sympathy for mom if she’s sick, so you may be able to rally them to step up their focus and responsibility, since you can’t sit side by side with them. They may even work together and help each other out more than they usually do! But if the best you can hope for is that they find something to eat and don’t destroy the house, let it go and come back to the most important things when you are feeling well again.
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{image by ArtsyBee} |
We know that in reality, not much gets done if mom or the kids are feeling terrible. In an ideal world, we’d cuddle all day reading books and playing math games, listening to classical music. But there’s also laundry and doctor visits and temperature-taking and medicine-dosing and let’s face it… we are going to allow some TV or a movie (or two). Aim for balance and be gracious with yourself and with your kids, knowing that it’s temporary, and you’ll be able to get back on track soon. Taking care of yourself and your kids comes first!
What about you? Do you have any tips or ideas that work well when you have sickness in the house on a homeschool day? Please share in the comments below!
