The Wally girls have managed to get the flu … the Mumma has come crashing down … but as always with homeschooling, we took this as an opportunity for learning and understanding more about what was happening to our bodies while fending off the flu.

A great little visual we found thanks to TED-Ed created the insight we were after and sparked discussion around how the flu affects our body and brain.

It starts with a tickle in your throat that becomes a cough. Your muscles begin to ache, you grow irritable, and you lose your appetite. It’s official: you’ve got the flu. It’s logical to assume that this miserable medley of symptoms is the result of the infection coursing through your body – but is that really the case? Marco A. Sotomayor explains what’s actually making you feel sick.

Here’s what to expect if you get sick:

The human body truly is amazing!