When teaching more than one together: WDYD when they are sick?

[Annie N]

I have 4 children, and after a few years of dealing with this, I have figured out that if I am teaching them together, we fall behand because they take turns getting sick. I absolutely cannot teach them all everything separately, but I also cannot keep them all together because that is how we get behind. I am Totally Stuck!!!!

 

While they each have subjects they do independently, one is too young to do very much on his own (and he is extremely extroverted and has trouble [but is improving] just playing on his own); and there are several subjects that if we are going to progress on, I need to teach, not let them do it on their own.

 

So, what do you all do when this happens? Mine usually go through colds one at a time (overlapping only on the weekends), once every tow or three months, so it's not a minor or infrequent occurence. (My oldest actually doesn't have colds all that often, but she does have Other Problems, iykwim)

 

Thanks very much!!!!

[teamturner]

I struggle with this too. I have 4 as well although I'm only schooling 3. Up until now, I've stopped teaching and just waited for all to be well to resume. Although, the kids have to either have a really, really bad cough, vomitting, or a fever for me to not expect them to do school (at least the 3R's). I did have 3 with whooping cough in January and it really made us get off schedule. So this year I started earlier (8/4) and I'm easing into the full load but I'm probably going to school all the way to the end of May when all the other schools will be ending to account for some sick time in there. Plus I'm giving us a week off in October, week at Thanksgiving, 2 wks at Christmas, and a week for Spring break. We are doing 4 quarters of 9 weeks each but the last quarter will probably be 11 weeks but we should be able to have a lighter load in the final weeks as we finish some subjects early. :001_smile:

[WTMindy]

Unless they are puking or have a bad fever, we do school. I am such a meanie! I might go a little easy on them, but I figure they can at least listen to history being read or science...or something! :001_smile:

[Brindee]

 

Unless they are puking or have a bad fever, we do school. I am such a meanie! I might go a little easy on them, but I figure they can at least listen to history being read or science...or something! :001_smile:

I'm part of the "West Coast Meanie Mom" Club too! There are a lot of things they CAN do while they're sickish, and can even get a little "ahead" in things they can accomplish while sick. Once they're well, they can more easily catch up on math and anything else they couldn't do while sick.

[Pink Fairy]

We do school except for fevers and puking, but this year we had a lot of both and that really threw us off. Especially my two in the same grade--I didn't want the well one to get too far ahead of the sick one. I never did come up with a great solution, so I'll be watching with interest. :lurk5:

[6packofun]

At the end of the day, instead of bedtime stories, I read the most important school material to the sick ones in their room(s). We just forego written work and sick kids stay in their rooms most of the day. I even do this with my teens and it's actually kinda nice!

[Peela]

Count me in the meanie club- we work through colds too. Although, I might take it a bit easier than normal and skip some of their normal work- I would try and do our together work no matter what.

[Amy in Orlando]

Another meanie. I WILL change our routine a bit if one or more is sick. I might do more reading aloud or use an educational video where I had planned something more involved.

 

We did a year of back to back strep throat, me and the kids, I ended up just having everyone who was healthy keep working and when we were finally all well again, we did a week of catch up.

[Amy in NH]

We use sick time to catch up on our reading.

[WTMCassandra]

Unless they are sick enough that they will go to bed and sleep, they do some form of school. Sometimes it's on the couch with a reduced workload (e.g., just a few math problems instead of a whole lesson). I usually have some backed-up history titles I can assign for silent reading. The one subject that is really tough to do is Latin unless it's a workbook day as opposed to a DVD lesson day. So I might let Latin slide a day or two until the sickie feels better. They are usually required to listen to the history/science read-aloud from their perch on the couch.

[Annie N]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions :)