When Sickness Strikes....

Cold and flu season is officially here!  

This means it's time to lock the family in the house, cancel all outside activities, living in a fog of disinfectant spray, make anyone coming into the house go through a thorough sterilization process before entering the home and when you HAVE to go out....wrapping yourself and your children in bubbles to keep all the germs away.  After all, you don't have time for sickness!!!

Okay, not really.  Though I am sure some have thought about it.  

Many homeschool parents find themselves worrying about how to keep up in times of illness, especially when it goes on for more than a day or two.  I know, I use to be one of these homeschooling parents.

From 2011 Bryce wasn't feeling well but insisted
on doing his school work.

My crew usually gets sick all at once for about a week during the winter.  This year has been different.  We've been fighting some viral cooties off and on for the last two weeks.  The first week Eric and I were sick and this week the kids had it....thankfully for only a few days.  

I don't have a set game plan for sick days.  Everything is based off of the demeanor of whomever is sick.  For example, we took a few days off last week because I am a huge, cranky baby when I am sick (yep, I admit it) and I knew that my patience just wasn't there.  It wouldn't have been productive or fair to the kids to try to go on with business as usual. 

I have two secrets for those who worry about getting behind: 

If you set your schedule, you can't ever really be behind!  Think about this for a minute.  Who dictates your schedule/curriculum?  You do.  There is no authority figure standing above you monitoring then whens and hows of your curriculum......there's just you.  If you miss a few days just move those plans to another day.  Trust me, you will get it all done.  And don't forget, if you really feel like you need more time in the school year you can always work on the weekends or homeschool year around.  The flexibility is there, use it to your advantage.

Just because someone is sick, doesn't mean learning stops.  Wrap the kids (and yourself) in blankets, grab some hot tea and read together.  Afterwards, talk about the books.  Watch documentaries or other educational shows together.  Play board games.  All of these things either teach them something new or they help to review something they know.  It just so happened when the kids were sick the other day, the kids watched The Magic School Bus.  When Eric came home Abbie explained to him (with proper terminology) just what was going on in their bodies that made them sick.  The kids also told him about all the animal facts they had learned through the day.  His response was, "I thought you took the day off" to which I smiled and replied, "We did."

So, try not to stress about sick days....it's counterproductive and HORRIBLE for your immune system!

How do you handle sick days in your house?  Share in the comments!

Here's to a healthy cold and flu season!  :-D