A Week In The Life of Eclectic Homeschoolers: Homeschooling with Sick Kids

   

     Homeschooling is rewarding and exhausting, full of proud moments and not-so-proud moments, and children who are healthy and happy...and sick and grumpy. 

    We had one of those sick and grumpy weeks this week. We had a great finish to the previous week of school, spent some time outside in the beautiful sunshine...but when I was making dinner, Ean came to me saying he wasn't feeling great. And then it just went downhill from here. Thankfully not the stomach bug, but fevers, runny noses, and coughing. By Tuesday Owen had it, which I could tell something was off before the thermometer told me he had a fever because he was biting everyone's heads off. 

    On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was in complete survival mode. I sent everyone to get pillows and blankets, and we watched movie after movie, everyone fitting in naps when they were drowsy. It was honestly horrible.

    But by dinnertime Wednesday, I knew we were nearing the light and the end of the tunnel because no one was watching the movie, preferring to pummel each other with pillows, and being extra upset when they felt like they were being pummeled more than their fair share. 

 

    I couldn't help but think, as I listened to them yell and fight with each other, about my favorite chapter from Little Women, one that isn't in any film or TV adaptation, which is a shame because it teaches a wonderful lesson that I think more people would benefit from.  

    I reread the chapter that night, and was pleased to find that it still is the very best chapter.

 

    In Chapter 11, titled "The Experiment", Meg and Jo find themselves without work for a week. The children Meg watched over were on holiday with there parents, and Aunt March also left on holiday. The girls stated they were going to do absolutely nothing except what they wanted to do during their break, and all the girls decided that sounded like a good idea. They asked Marmee if it was okay, and Marmee agreed to it, stating that hopefully they would learn that "All play and no work is as bad as all work and no play." The girls disagree with her concern, and proceed with their plans of a relaxing week.

 

    At first it was wonderful, but things quickly turn sour for them and they no longer are enjoying their "break". When they talk to Marmee about their horrible experience, I love Marmee's council, especially the last bit:

 

    "Then let me advise you to take up your little burdens again; for though they seem heavy sometimes, they are good for us, and lighten as we learn to carry them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for everyone; it keeps us from ennui and mischief; is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion."

 

    I just love that. It is helpful to remember as a homemaker, but it is also helpful to remember when thinking about how to best raise and educate our children. I didn't turn around and make my kids do all the things when they were still recovering from illness, but I did brainstorm ideas of what they could do that would gently challenge their brains and their bodies so there was less ennui and mischief and more good health and spirits, as Marmee suggests. (by the way, apparently ennui means 

"a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement." The kids were definitely experiencing that).

 

    So Thursday and Friday we did things a little differently. We didn't pull out any textbooks or our usual curriculum, but here is what we did do that worked rather well.

 

Outside Time

 

    When kids still have fevers, we did NOT go out for a walk on our local trail. But when they were recovered from at least that part, we did go on a short walk and get some fresh air because it has been sunny and over 40 degrees. On Friday we even took a picnic blanket, sourdough bread and Nutella, and our read aloud books and we enjoyed the outdoors for over 2 hours. Elsie even got in her nap outside. It was refreshing and renewed our energy and spirits. Obviously this could have been different. Runny noses are horrible to deal with when it is super cold outside, so under different circumstances we might have stayed indoors. But I am so glad we could include outside time as a part of our schooling experience this week.

 

Read Aloud Books

    We read from a lot of books, both the ones I am reading to them and audiobooks. Right now we are reading "The Bears on Hemlock Mountain" by Alice Dalgliesh, and the boys are absolutely loving it.

 

 

      This is a great book for small children, but definitely worth a shot if you have small boys. The character is a 8-year-old boy who gets to go all alone on an adventure to his aunt's house on the other side of Hemlock Mountain. And of course, there might be a bear or two.

    I have a study guide to go with it from Progeny Press, but we didn't do anything from it. Just read a chapter each day. The boys love the story, and were happy to talk about what was happening in the chapters we read.  

     We also made sure to read from the Bible. I didn't require Ean to read any verses, as he is still learning to read and it is exhausting for him, but on Friday he requested he practice words from the verses, so I allowed him to. 

    Our other favorite read aloud activity was audio books using our new Yoto Player. I have been sssuuupppperrrr hesitant to join the Yoto player community, mainly because although it isn't a screen, it is still technology that I don't want my kids to rely on for entertainment. But I am so glad I gave it a shot. On days that we need some quiet time, and the kids are having a hard time settling down, all I have to do is  suggest listening to an audio book, and they quickly settle down with quiet activities. As an added bonus, I don't always want to/ can't read books to them when they request it. So this is a nice alternative. I also like to listen to some of the books (Daniel Tiger is starting to get a little boring, I admit, haha).

 

 

    We have a TON of options, but they always request the exact same couple audio book collections:

 

    - The Mercy Watson collection by Kate DiCamillo

    - The Frog and Toad collection by Arnold Lobel

    -Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Fun in the Sun 

    

Reusable Sticker Books, Paint by Sticker Books, and Puzzles

    We used these mostly for quiet activities while listening to audio books, but the kids also enjoyed using them for play. 

 

 

The sticker books were awesome for creativity and pretend play (the vehicles and grocery store were the biggest hits). There is a spot in each book to store the stickers when not in use, and it is kind of like a shadow puzzle trying to figure out where each sticker goes. Elsie in particular pulls out the stickers not to play with them, but to put them all back on the storage spot. 

 

 

 

 Paint by Sticker books are fun for my kids who aren't at all into drawing or coloring... which is almost all of them. It has taken me forever to find art activities they would enjoy, and these have been popular in this house for a couple years now. Asa is more into the adult version of this series, but will still do the kid ones if he doesn't want to spend a few hours on a picture. I would say this series is best for children between 4-8. They are still a tiny bit challenging for my 4 year old right now, but I bet Elsie will be a pro by the time she is 4 because she enjoys puzzles so much. 

 

 

 

I pulled out some 100 piece puzzles because it was just challenging enough for my oldest 3 kids (10, 8, and 6) to have to work on them for more than 5 minutes, but not so challenging they couldn't finish them in one sitting. And these ones are extra awesome because the pictures have a seek & find element to them to add another fun activity.

 

 This ABC puzzle was worked on countless of times by the Owen and Elsie (4 and 2). They love that it says the letter name and sound. Most of the pieces are shaped so it is self correcting. There are a few letters that they can get in the wrong spot, but after a few times of doing it correctly, they know where each piece goes.

 

Games

 

     For Christmas the kids received several games. I didn't prioritize pulling them out to learn how to play them, so these sick days were the perfect time to try them! The kids were able to practice strategy, logical thinking, math and reading skills, and social intelligence. We had a lot of fun with these.

 

 

Pokemon Monopoly is the most popular game right now with my 8 and 6 year old. They play it at least once a day, but often more times than that! I played the first time to help them learn the rules, and they needed my help the first couple times they played alone, but now they can enjoy it without my help for the most part. They practice counting, strategy, and good sportsmanship. If you have Pokemon lovers, I definitely recommend this game! 

 

 

    My First Orchard is the next popular game, because Elsie can play it. Have you ever seen the Little Critter book "Me Too!"? I love all Little Critter books, but this one has to be one of my favorites. Little Critter just wants to be alone, but everything he does his little sister says "Me too!" My boys find this book VERY relatable. So I researched some games that are appropriate for even little 2 year olds, and this one is perfect. They can all pull it out and play without me having to oversee it, so it is a great activity for them to do when I am making a meal or getting a chore done.

 

 

 

    To be perfectly honest, I hate Dinosaur Escape... actually, I hate most Peaceable Kingdom games. Nothing against their mission to make games that encourage cooperation over competition...but I just find their games so boring. There are other super great cooperation games out there, like Castle Panic or Mysterium if you have older kids, but theirs just don't cut it. In this game, you work together to find dinosaurs and save them before the volcano erupts. I never ever ever play this game anymore, but it is easy enough that all my boys can play it alone, which they do.

 

 

Not as popular as the other games we tried, but not a bad game. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game helps kids with color matching, fine motor skills, and good sportsmanship. It is a lot like Hi, Ho Cheerio in that it can get super frustrating for everyone, mom included, when you have repeatedly almost collected all your colored acorns, only for all of them to disappear...again. I get frustrated with these kinds of games because just when I think we are almost done so I can get up and make lunch, we are set back another 5 minutes, and then another 5 minutes, and then another 5 minutes... you get the picture. 

TV Shows and Movies

 

    I know. I just said that I brainstormed other ideas because we had too much screen time. But I don't think games and puzzles and read aloud books would have went over well at the beginning.  They were all so very sick. Screen time was a lifesaver...it just overstayed its welcome a bit. By day 2 of screen time, I was opting for more educational and quality choices, and I don't regret it. They loved watching Pinkalicious, Daniel Tiger, and Super Why on PBS Kids, although just about any show on PBS Kids is good. My kids can get super restless after a few episodes, though, so we switched to movies. Some movies we enjoyed were The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Wreck-It Ralph, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  

 

It wasn't perfect. Having a bunch of sick kids is hard. But these activities helped us not waste away our time, and helped the kids have a fulfilling week, even when having a rough, sick-filled week. 

 

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