Yesterday I touched on the benefits of homeschooling sick children. I discussed how homeschooling could improve a child’s health as in the case with my children. I also talked about how one family in particular was harassed by the school district and how the problem was resolved.
I feel this subject needs a bit more attention because a sick child needs special care, and exposing them to large numbers of children and strict rules can be detrimental to the health and recovery of a sick child.
As much as we hate to think about children that were are very ill with diseases such as cancer, needs a transplants, or has an autoimmune disease, it is clear that they will not only miss a lot of classroom time, but classroom time may even worsen their illness. Homeschooling provides an environment where a child can learn whether they are in the hospital feeling poorly, as well as on their best days. In addition, it gives parents the opportunity to keep the child away from people who may be carrying germs during times when their immunity is low.
If a parent of a sick child is interested in staying with the public schools system, some schools will provide tutors to sick children. However, many curriculum’s can be used with the help of a laptop, or simply a stack of books.
If you are homeschooling a sick child, my advice is to keep it simple, focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic. For social studies, you can study maps and maybe go on “virtual trips” around the world since your child may be limited in where they can go. In addition, you can read biographies and historical novels to your child. For science, you can visit science museums when your child is well, and look for books that explain different science subjects as well. Some books that I particularly like for science and social studies are Kingfisher history and science encyclopedias, and Joy Hakim’s History of US and Story of Science books.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?