5 Ways to Homeschool When You're Sick

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We’ve all been there. Some days you’re just so sick you don’t know how you’re going to get through the homeschooling day. School has to get done, and you can’t get out of bed. So what do you do?

Relax, Mom! Have a warm cup of tea and try one of these 5 ways to stay on track – from bed!

Language Arts:

No matter what the ages of your children, if you still have your voice, you can read to them. If your throat hurts too much, you can have them read to you! If your children are proficient at writing, have them each write a page about something that interests them. This is not the time to be critical or to actively teach. This is a time to not lose what they have learned in the days you have actively taught. And you’re sick, remember? Respect that your body needs time to rest and get well.

Math:

Again, this is a great time to get back to the basics. Are you having your child memorize her math tables? Then have her work on that. If you have a CD or video to help with math memorization, play it. This kind of work can be done by your child independently when you’re not firing on all cylinders.

If your child isn’t working on memorizing math tables, find workbook pages at a level that your child can complete on her own. Even though she may be simply practicing skills she already knows, the practice will be beneficial to her and will help allow you to get the rest you need.

Science:

This is my absolute favorite to tackle when I’m sick. No, no, I’m not a glutton for punishment. For science, the television is my friend. Netflix streams tons of documentaries that you can search through on instantwatcher.com to find just the topic you need to go along with what you’ve been studying.

Also, if you’ve never watched Ted Talks or Ted Ed videos, it is not too late to start. There are some pretty neat ones that explain how a battery works, for example, or how solar panels work. Check them out! (They even have a math section, if the above worksheet idea wasn’t quite up your alley.)

History:

The nice thing about history is that it repeats, so you don’t have to learn it. (Haha…just kidding!) We take history pretty seriously around here. If your children are memorizing a timeline, make them put some extra work into it. Otherwise, pull out your Kindle (and it is on sale right now) and search for public domain historical fiction in the time period you are learning about. The public domain historical fiction serves to reinforce what you’re studying by telling a story.

Otherwise, stick to good old Netflix again. Just be careful with ratings–there has been a surge of interest in historical dramas, and many of these have been made for adults with MA ratings.

Memorization:

You can tell I’m partial to this method. I like memorization because not only does it give the student mental pegs to hang information on later (and it can help make these pegs strong) but also because the work of memorization is all theirs. With all the work you do organizing, planning, thinking, and just sheer hair pulling, I’m sure you could use a break. This is it. Have them memorize.

So there you have it! Being sick while homeschooling is no vacation, but with these five tips, at least you won’t have to worry about falling behind!

Purva Brown is the Classical Unschooler. She homeschools / unschools three children. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and The Classical Unschooler.