Home schooling is an effective way to stay in control of your child's education, values, and social contacts. And because effective home schooling involves interactions with others, you and your children are still susceptible to viruses and germs that can make the rounds during the school year. Here are 6 steps to take to keep you home school schools healthy.
1. Designate a Consistent Space for Study -Using a desk or table that is set aside for school materials confines germ laced materials that are welcomed in from the library, outside classes (for gym, dance or art), public and private schools (if you have other children who attend these), and even other home schooled children to a surface in the house other than the kitchen or dining room.
Separate school surfaces from eating areas allows study areas to stay set up, makes it easier to wipe down surfaces where germs are most likely to collect, and less likely for germs to be ingested from surfaces where food is handled or ateen.
2. Keep Hands Clean -Insist on washing hands when moving from the study to play or eating. Hand washing is still one of the best ways to eliminate germs that can enter the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Keep soap handy and easy to reach at every sink and stock book bags with hand sanitizer for those places where washing with soap and water is not possible.
3. Keep Tissues On Hand- Take this suggestion literally. Tissues in hand when coughing, sneezing, or dealing with a runny nose are a first line of defense against getting rid of germs without having them collect on hands. Tissues also stop the tiny water globules from traveling and inviting someone other person's body through intervention or ingestion.
4. Sanitize Common Areas Frequently -Using a sanitizer to wipe down desks, chairs, tables, computer keyboards, door knobs, and any other common surfaces that are used is a good way to stop the spread of germs through contact. This is a particularly important if you and other home school parents share the teaching responsibility and pool children together during the week.
5. Say Yes to the Flu Shot – Because home schooled children are in contact with fewer people, their immune systems may not be as rugged as those children who are in the company of hundreds of children each day. Getting the flu shot gives your child a better chance of avoiding the flu altar, or suffering a milder case of it than they would without the shot.
Adults who are in constant contact should also get the flu to protect themselves as well as the children.
6. Use a HEPA Purifier to Filter the Air- Because you will likely spend more time in your home, the air quality needs to be conducive to learning. Airborne pollutants such as dust, dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mold and mildew spores, bacteria and viruses can keep your student from feeling fit and interfere with the educational success that you are working so hard to achieve.
These pollutants are also one of the most frequent means that bacteria and viruses use to spread. They attach to the bigger guns and then wait to be ingested or inhaled, and wreak havoc on their new victim.
By removing the large airborne pollutants, you dramatically reduce the number airborne bacteria and viruses that are in your home, while making your home a great place to learn.