When Pollen Stops Learning

Where we live, flora abounds. We live five minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an international biosphere. They say there are more species of flowers blooming in the Park than in all of Europe combined. That’s a lot of pollen.

Skype violin lesson

My daughter plays a piece by heart for her violin teacher, via Skype.

We drink plenty of fluids and limit our desserts, to help the immune system fight all the pollen. When we feel a tingling sensation in our throats, we drink even more water and start taking Vitamin C and oregano oil (one drop mixed with a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil). When our eyes start getting itchy and watery, we even take over the counter allergy medicine to keep the symptoms from ruining our quality of life. 

All this to say, we are careful what we put into our bodies. We want to treat our bodies with respect and, by the way, this is part of anatomy and physiology for their age. How do you deal with sickness? How do you prevent it? How do you keep it at bay? If you will, when a homeschooled child gets sick, all the days could count as science. It is a practical, hands-on course in what they should do one day when their child or friend or spouse becomes ill.

We went on with allergy symptoms for about two weeks but there were no signs of infection. Until we had sore throats and a cough that would not go away. So I took them to the doctor. It was a lovely new clinic that opened up five minutes from our home and my daughter exclaimed as we left, “This was the best doctor’s visit I have ever had.”

Skype violin lesson

The teacher allowed them to do a lesson sitting.

There was no wait time – other than my having to fill out three pages on a clipboard. The lady was efficient and sent the prescription to our pharmacy online. We did not even have to carry a piece of paper to them. By the time we got to the pharmacy, the prescription was already in line to be filled out.

I have never had to cancel school for one whole week due to sickness. It was strange, but I think the kids loved it. They listened to Adventures in Odyssey a lot – we have about 45 CD sets. They have heard it all before, but it was about two years ago, so some of the material was a bit over their heads. Now they can experience it all over again from a different perspective.

The only activity I did not cancel was our Skype violin lessons. Our teacher is an internationally renowned concertmaster and it is hard to re-schedule. Besides, the kids were allowed to sit during the lessons and they actually did very well. They just had to take some breaks to blow their noses. But here’s my point: if they have enough energy to sit and program with Scratch, – which they asked to do while they were sick, – they have enough energy to hold the violin up and play a little for their teacher.

Even though I was ill too, I got a lot of things done around the house and I really should not have, to conserve my energy. By the third day, I had no energy but to stay in bed and read. So I read. I finished one book which I have dragged on and on for months, and a couple others which were due back to the library very soon. I hope to start school tomorrow, but we will see.

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2 thoughts on “When Pollen Stops Learning

  1. Hello Adriana,

    I was interested to read your pollen allergy post. I have just started having issues with allergies… this is possibly my second year getting hit at this time of year. Last year I thought it was something else, but this year… I’m thinking maybe it is related. I’m considering allergy medication, although, I haven’t had good luck with it in the past. Still praying about that. Hope all is well!

    Warmly,
    Melissa

    • Hi Melissa, well hopefully you gathered some info out of it. Our area is an international biosphere and there are more species blooming than in all of Europe combined. 🙂

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