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How to Survive Homeschool Sick Days

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Cold and flu season comes to everyone eventually, even homeschool families. Moms rarely get a day off, but sometimes sick days are necessary for both you and the kids. So what do you do when it’s time for a homeschool sick day? As with anything else in life, having a plan in mind can help when the time comes. Here are some tips to help you survive the homeschool sick days.How to Survive Homeschool Sick Days. Even homeschool families need sick days sometimes. Here are some ideas for how to cope when you need a homeschool sick day. CLICK HERE to grab these sanity saving tips!

Homeschool Sick Days

If you need to take a homeschool sick day once in a while, it’s not the end of the world. That doesn’t mean the kids will “get behind” or stop learning!

Some homeschool families do sick day “make-up” work on the weekend or on what would usually be a holiday vacation time. Others homeschool year-round so they can take a planned week off every month or a few weeks off every six weeks or some variation. This allows for time off built into the schedule so there’s no pressure when you need a sick day.

If need be, remember that half days count, too! If someone isn’t feeling well in the morning, try a later start. If you hit an afternoon slump due to allergies or headache, just end your studies a little earlier on those days when you need to.

When you’re just dealing with a minor cold, you can cut back to just one or two subjects for the day so you don’t get worn out. Remember that part of learning is life skills, which means knowing how to listen to what your body needs and getting some rest when you’re not feeling well.

Some homeschool moms have a backup plan that includes getting a friend or family member to help out when they’re sick. Do you have someone who could take over your lesson plans if you’re not well enough for an extended time?

Learning Never Really Stops

There are still learning activities you can do when the family is feeling under the weather. If Mom is sick, there are independent learning activities to consider. If the illness has hit the whole family, here is a list of things that can be educational even while recuperating:

  • Reading in bed
  • Watching educational documentaries together as a family (Don’t forget about Amazon Prime and Netflix!)
  • Doing Mad Libs
  • Listening to audiobooks
  • Educational games on the couch or in bed
  • Making lapbooks
  • Coloring

Don’t forget resting and snuggling!

Remember, you don’t have to replicate school at home. Take the time you need when you need it. That’s one of the advantages of homeschooling in the first place!

Starting Back Up after Homeschool Sick Days

One of my best tips for starting back up after homeschool school days is this:

Just like when you were sick, you needed soup. So now that you’re well, you need a different diet until you boot up to 100 percent. I would do two subjects like math and maybe reading. Then call it a day as you rest more and get the house in shape. Do that for a few days, then fold in another subject. It’s almost like starting a new year. Ease into it.

Also, never underestimate the value of books, games, and hands-on learning. Apps and computer games can be learning supplements when you’re not up to par yet.

You can also use an educational movie or documentary that directly ties into whatever you’re learning. It can supplement your unit study and spark rich discussions. Map work is another great thing to try as you gain strength after an illness.

Some Perspective on Homeschool Sick Days

We all know that it’s tough on the family when mom gets sick, but when you’re also the teacher it can make things even more complicated. If the flu or a cold strikes the whole family at once, don’t worry about taking some needed time off. A little bit of planning ahead and lots of TLC can help you get through those homeschool sick days! How to Survive Homeschool Sick Days. Even homeschool families need sick days sometimes. Here are some ideas for how to cope when you need a homeschool sick day. CLICK HERE to grab these sanity saving tips!Look at these other tips for sick days:

Hugs and love ya,

 

How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study – Step 2: Separation

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re wanting to homeschool out of the box, but are unnerved about the planning part of unit studies, you’ll want to start first with understanding the learning process.

How to create a homeschool unit study is done easily when you follow my mnemonic I-SIP.How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study - Step 2: SeparationI-SIP is something I created after I looked back and understood the 4 steps I followed regardless of whether unit studies are lengthy or quick.

The I-SIP steps are immersion, separation, individualization and personalization.

Homeschool Unit Studies: Moving From Immersion to Separation

In my first post on how a unit study unfolds, I shared points to identify the first step which is immersion. It is the one that can be most tempting to quit unit studies because you get totally immersed in an overwhelming amount of information.

Today, I’ll be sharing Step 2 which is separation and giving you tips on how to separate all the information or resources you’ve amassed. A lot of any good thing still needs to be spaced out and manageable in the best way to teach your kids.

At this point because you didn’t really limit subtopics, but explored them along with your kids, you now have an idea of the ideas or subtopics that interests your kids and which ones do not.

The length of time to stay in the  immersion or Step 1 varies for us with each unit study. When I first started doing unit studies, we would stay days or weeks on this step.

Looking back, I almost quit unit studies because I went overboard with the amount of information I tried to cram in.

So after doing unit studies for quite a few years, my most basic tip is that Step 1 shouldn’t last as long you may think. Whetting the appetite of your children is the goal and that can be anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Delving into subtopics deeper is Step 3 – Investigation. Slicing and dicing material is what you’re doing in Step 2 – Separation.

5 Ways to Tame the Unit Study Information Beast

Also, this separation step is the first step which makes a unit study unique to your family.

Look at these 5 ways to tame the unit study information beast.

1)  Select subtopics that interests your kids and limit the subtopics.

This is an obvious because you want your kids engaged. Allowing them to pick some of the subtopics piques their interest and your kids understand that this is their education.

By allowing them to choose the subtopics or themes to your unit study you already have kids that are engaged.

Also, it’s at this step that you narrow the teaching points so that your kids learn instead of trying to cram in too much information.

Look at my FBI sample below where I limited the subtopics to about 8.

2) Select subtopics that you need to introduce to your kids or that meet your scope and sequence goals.

Here at this point is the hidden benefit of unit studies. Folded in with subtopics that pique your child’s interests are topics or teaching points you need or want to teach your kids.

For example, when we did our FBI Unit Study, I chose a subtopic Why Formed because I knew we needed to cover Russian history and world history.

My kids chose topics like espionage and radio wave learning and I added in some hands-on ideas like finger prints and invisible ink for a fun unit study.

The point is that covering world history was so much more engaging when we studied it in light of  my sons’ desire to learn about the FBI.

3) Plan for subtopics that build character or have lasting value for your family.

Also, every family is different, but at this point I also look for ways to make teaching points for character or for real-life learning.

Some unit studies like novels or literature may be easier to adapt to teach a moral or about the effects of making good or bad choices. Other topics like science unit studies may not be as natural to find a character point to teach.

4) Start planning for hands-on ideas or projects that fit your subtopics or themes.

From the subtopics that are coming to the surface that interest your family, you can start brainstorming easy projects or hands-on ideas to cement teaching points of each subtopic.

For example, in planning our Meso-America unit study we were going to learn about rubber. My youngest son was interested in games using the rubber made ball.

Some subtopics like nature may seem an easier fit for hands-on activities while a literature unit study may not be so apparent.

Just remember that you can add hands-on activities in as you move along in your unit study.

5) Include subtopics or ideas for both younger and older children.

What I really love about unit studies is that you can cover topics or ideas for your younger and older kids. Be sure to grab a mix of them. You can see how I do that below.

Including your kids in helping to plan is part of unit studies, but this step is one that is mostly for you.

Look at my planning page from my Ultimate Unit Study Planner.

Sample of how to plan FBI Homeschool Unit StudyMy unit study theme is in the center of my brain storming ideas.

Then look how I numbered the subtopics that emerged around that main theme.

Some subtopics like espionage my boys chose, but look how I folded in number 2 which is a U.S. Government study. This was a high school level unit study and we needed to focus on a deeper study of the U.S. Government.

The green line connecting the study of the U.S. Government to the 3 Branches of the U.S. Government shows how I broke down that topic for my younger son.

In addition, look at number 7 where I added in study themes for my older boys which are communism and understanding Russia.

Here are the subtopics that have emerged after I started planning the FBI unit study and after my sons had a day or two to see what piqued their interests.

  • J.Edgar Hoover
  • U.S. Government
  • Effects of World War I and World War II
  • Other Important People During the Forming of the FBI
  • World of 1908
  • Science behind Labs
  • Why Formed?
  • Espionage

As you can see, it ended up being a balance unit study plan.

I had history, geography, and science as subjects that could easily be covered in a natural way without a forced fit.

Planning is that easy. Now, it’s time to move on to the next step which is personalization.

Does this mnemonic help you to remember how to start off planning a unit study?How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study Step 2: Immersion. If you're wanting to homeschool out of the box, but are unnerved about the planning part of unit studies, you'll want to start first with understanding the learning process. Look at tips on how to separate the overwhelming amount of information.Here are other tips, you’ll love.

Hugs and love you,

 

The Dos & Don’ts When You Hit A Learning Plateau in Homeschooling

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The stages of learning can be like the ocean. It can be churning and grinding and you can ride high on the swells and then it can dip down low and almost be motionless.

When You Hit A Learning Plateau in Homeschooling

Everybody at one time or another rides those waves of learning. Surviving the wild ride though can be quite another thing.

Also, it can be hard to know if the rest of your children are on target because you may only have the experience of your oldest child, which may not have struggled much with any subjects.

If you plow ahead with the curriculum like something is wrong with your child instead of the curriculum or the skill that is being taught, then you might be banging your head against a wall.

Believe me, I have done it and not only does it zap you of energy, but tears normally follow.

Here are some things that have worked not only for my boys, but also for others that I have helped.

Are You Making these Mistakes When You Hit a Homeschool Learning Plateau? The stages of learning can be like the ocean. It can be churning and grinding and you can ride high on the swells and then it can dip down low and almost be motionless. Click here to grab some tried and true tips!

4 Short Cuts to Overcoming Learning Plateaus in Homeschooling

  • Do stop.  You may think that this is easy to do, but not when you feel like your kids are already behind. The reason to stop is to re-evaluate so that you can make progress. It’s hard to remember, but stay honed in on the goal that you want your children to learn instead of completing assigned work.
  • Do communicate with your child.  Don’t try to figure this out by yourself. If your child can talk and explain his feelings, then he should be able to tell you how he feels. No, you are not looking for him to figure out the problem, that is your job. Let him express how this skill or subject makes him feel. From the youngest child to the teen, all they want is to know we are listening. Listen not just with your ears, but with your heart. Listen for key words that tell you if he is frustrated.  If he is, this could mean that he is not developmental ready for the material. Too, this may give you a clue that it may be that nasty old word: rebellion. Your child may not be hitting a learning plateau at all, but might be heading toward being a learning rebel. More times than not though, my experience has been that it is a learning plateau.
  • Do take advantage of free online tests or consultations. Children just need time at certain stages in their life and learning to marinate a little longer with subjects. So going back over what they know does not make them get behind, but actually they become masters of learning. For example, when teaching a child how to read, don’t move them on to the next level book if they struggle with each page at the current level.  Move them down a notch to a book they have mastered and it will boost confidence, instill a love for reading, and give them a real can do attitude. Too, it allows them to stay at that skill level until they are ready for the next skill. Also, most homeschool friendly companies are very parent friendly and they know best how their curriculum should be used. Call them and convey your concerns. Give them a chance to give you a tip or two.

  • Vary the routine or approach. This seems to be the biggest hurdle to overcoming a learning plateau.  One year, Mr. Awesome was struggling with grammar and vocabulary.  I realized that he wasn’t understanding it when reading on his own. Even though we discussed it orally, he didn’t get it when he did the practice problems. It was hard to determine if we were on target or if he needed to go down a level.  I started doing the whole lesson orally and he got past the plateau. At that time, he learned better by still interacting with me.  We were able to go ahead with it, but I had to change what I was doing because he understood it better by using his auditory skills and hands-on index cards.  I made it fun by using index cards to stick all over him to help him remember words. We took what could have been something we both were frustrated with and turned it into fun and something memorable. I value the look on his face and the fun he has had because that is what has spurred us on now into his high school years.
  • Don’t compare children. And, I don’t mean just within your family.That is something as home educators we almost never try to do in our own home, but then we look at other families’ children and try to go there.  It never works.  For example, I have seen some kids who are very knowledgeable on rocks, or caves, or dinosaurs, but then another child who hardly mentions the words in their school. What are we to surmise? That one child is ahead and the other child is behind. A huge No!  Homeschoolers are as unique as each of your children and the truth of it is that many homeschoolers can go through their whole journey and never do an in depth study of rocks, caves or dinosaurs. Children do not need to learn the same in depth level on each subject. This is a true gem in homeschooling because we don’t produce miniature robots of each other. Find out what you want YOUR child to know from this skill or subject and move on or stay on it.

If you have to stay on a skill or level or even return weeks or months later to it, count your blessings that you have the freedom to do so.

Like the ocean, learning has an ebb and flow and you will not always be moving forward.

Sometimes you just have to float gently along and take in the sites. When you do, try to remember that floating along is still forward movement, even in baby steps. That is progress.

Are You Making these Mistakes When You Hit a Homeschool Learning Plateau? The stages of learning can be like the ocean. It can be churning and grinding and you can ride high on the swells and then it can dip down low and almost be motionless. Click here to grab some tried and true tips!

Have you hit a learning plateau yet? What do you do?

You may also love these tips:

The Dos and Don'ts When You Hit a Homeschool Learning Plateau

Hugs and love ya,

How to Go From a Boring Homeschool Teacher to Creative Thinker (Boring to BAM)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Every day we coax, cajole, and con our kids into learning. After homeschooling for a few more years, we next try to switch out curriculum because we can’t switch out kids (okay, okay). One day it clicks and we turn the table to focus on our teaching style. But deep down we never really want to admit that we may be a boring homeschool teacher. It hurts, it’s personal, and it’s a blow to our ego.

It’s complicated too because somehow we seem to tie in our quality of mothering with our teaching.

What I learned from my miserable failure was that if I was going to continue homeschooling, I had to change how I was teaching.

I had to move from thinking like the masses that strict desk work with kids churning out worksheets which I could put a little red mark on was working.

The truth of it was that it wasn’t working and my teaching wasn’t creative, inspiring, or motivating. And my kids told me so. Ouch!

Quitting was one option. I almost did.

Out of my stress came strength because I wanted something different. What I was doing wasn’t working and nobody was happy.

6 SIMPLE STEPS TO A SUPERIOR HOMESCHOOL TEACHER

Look at these 6 simple steps I did to make my teaching not only come alive, but to teach with passion.

Step 1. It starts with wanting something different.

It’s scary to move away from what you think is a successful way of teaching. But the first step is wanting something different than what you have.

It’s humbling realizing that how you’re teaching is not working for your family. If everybody is miserable, you realize that you have nothing to lose when you try something different.

Step 2. Then, find what is working for your kids, not you.

The classical approach worked for me, but I was overboard with my intense language arts focus.

It was arrogant of me to think that other homeschool approaches meant that other homeschooled kids were less intelligent. I mean I never said, I just felt it.

It’s a wake up call when your ideal homeschool approach doesn’t work for your kids. I had to identify what worked for my sons so that I could relearn how to teach in a way they understood.

Look at these key points that I could put my finger on at the time:

  • Two of my sons learned well with hands-on activities. I had one son that didn’t mind the textbook approach.
  • All three of my sons excelled and retained information better when it wasn’t piecemeal.
  • A mastery approach worked well for my sons.
  • Information was better retained when the reading, writing, and activities had a common theme.

From there I realized that a unit study approach is a mastery based approach.

Step 3. Educate yourself about the new approach. Sifting through what will and what won’t work.

Then, don’t do like I did. Swing to the other side or to another approach and try to totally implement everything about that approach.

Take what is working and add tips for what is not working. For example, I knew with our language arts focused teaching that our tips about how to outline were solid.

However, our writing topics were boring because they were not taken from unit study topics that my sons chose.

Using our books on how to outline and do paragraphs, we added in our unit study topics on the American Civil War and the Amazon Rainforest.

FROM EXHAUSTING TO ENERGIZING

Now, our learning had a small spark to ignite.

Step 4. Now, push yourself. Yes, the hardest part.

Determined that I had the wherewithal to try something different, that I could identify what was and wasn’t working, and that I didn’t totally didn’t throw out everything, I focused next on my actual teaching.

This was the hardest part of the whole process because by nature I didn’t view myself as a very creative person.

I remember thinking that when it was time to prepare unit studies, my ideas were dry, uninspiring, and hard to do. They were.

Being creative for some people happens naturally. For me, it takes work and time.

Creativity is like any other teacher skill.

It needs to be nurtured, cultivated, and trained. Look at my article The Creative Process: 5 Ways to Cultivate Inspiration & Ideas as a Homeschool Teacher.

Instead of lingering on in our classical approach, key to my inspiration for another approach was to walk away right then from what wasn’t working.

Going cold turkey was the only way that worked for me. Instead of gradually cutting down on our classical approach, my motivation was high because I stopped the classical approach and implemented the unit study approach.

Why linger in a place where we were all miserable?

Step 5. Education is key – for the teacher. Is that the same thing as cultivating a growth mindset?

The next step was investing in books or reading material to help improve my teaching. Sure, my kids need study resources, but I do too.

Step 6. Practice what you teach.

The last step that propelled me forward was putting into practice what I was teaching.

Creating lapbooks was opposite of what I felt comfortable with as a teacher. Forming a co-op seemed time consuming at the time, but again I needed a place to hone my skill and a place for my sons to retain what they were learning.

Designing my website here where I could share the skills that I did have like organizing materials, creating printables, and making unit studies spring from my now creative juices. It gives me a place to both share and retain my ideas.

You certainly don’t have to blog or do a website, but what I am saying is that you want a place to organize and keep your now overflowing ideas. It’s true that creativity breeds innovation and then it’s hard to contain all of your creations.

Self-analyzing is not easy by any stretch, but worth it. There is nothing I miss about my old way of teaching.

Each child is unique and we accept those differences. As teachers, we are just as unique but certainly need to be challenged to be creative out of the box thinkers.

Every day we coax, cajole, and con our kids into learning. After homeschooling for a few more years, we next try to switch out curriculum because we can't switch out kids (okay, okay). One day it clicks and we turn the table to focus on our teaching style. But deep down we never really want to admit that we may be a boring homeschool teacher. It hurts, it's personal, and it's a blow to our ego.Click here to go from Boring to BAM!

Do you need help starting now?

You’ll love these other articles.

Hugs and love ya,