Tips for Keeping Your Home School Child Healthy
By Mimi Rothschild
One great reason for having your child in home school is the health benefit. Your home school child won’t be eating questionable or objectionable food from a cafeteria. They will be eating meals that you prepare for them or that you make together. You also don’t have to worry about the budget cuts affecting your child’s physical activity, whether through sports, recess, or physical education. Again, as the parent in a home school situation, you can make sure that your child gets plenty of physical activity, making it an important part of your home school curriculum. There are other things you can do to ensure that your child stays healthy, and you may even find yourself improving your health as you implement the following ideas into your daily home school routine.
The most important thing that you can do to ensure proper nutrition and healthy living for your child is to make sure he is properly hydrated. This is especially important for home school kids who may spend a good deal of time indoors exposed to dry, hot air during the winter. Making sure your home school child is properly hydrated can ward off false food cravings (when the body mistakes thirst for hunger), and having enough water helps ensure that all the mechanisms in you child’s body, including his metabolism, are performing at optimal levels. Your home school child may also notice a decrease in the amount of hand lotion he needs, and he may even concentrate and focus better, because the body simply works better and is less easily fatigued when it is properly hydrated.
Another thing you should include in your home school plan is snacks. At traditional schools, there may only be time for one snack and lunch, and as students progress through the grades, they lose their snack time. Experts recommend eating 4 to 6 small meals or snacks every day to keep the metabolism pumped up. When you eat that often, your metabolism stays in high gear all the time. For home school kids, having a constant supply of food, every couple of hours, wards off cravings as well as low-energy periods that eat into the efficiency of your home school schedule.
Make sure that your home school child is getting plenty of protein. Many kids don’t get adequate protein, and this is problematic for several reasons. One of these reasons is that protein is very important for building muscle and repairing and growing a young body. Second, protein will also help keep your child’s metabolism in high gear. Check with your family physician for precise protein intake guidelines for your child. Home school offers you many opportunities to make sure that your child is developing habits that will help keep him healthy for the rest of his life.
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