The Homeschool Blogger

The Start Of My New Business......

2011-09-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

How is everyone doing? Sorry I havent updated my blog in a while, but I just wanted to let you know that I have started a small business selling shabby chic/vintage inspired (and any other lovelies) home decor items. As yet I do not have a website set up, hopefully that will be up and running soon insha Allaah, for now I just have an online album with the current stock, and will be adding more items soon.

The p&p rates included on the photo description are for those within the UK, if your outside the UK and would like to order something, then just leave me a comment and I will let you know how much shipping will be to your country.

Also for anyone who would like to order from me, if you can leave your email address in a comment, stating which item your interested in, I will send you my paypal address, don't worry I won't be publishing your comment.

Click Here to see items currenly in stock.

And I totally understand that those who read this post and don't know me personally, may be wary of placing an order, I would be the same. All I can say is I am genuinely trying to establish a business on here, I decided to use my blog as a portal to share what I am selling, at least until I get a website.

Any of my friends who know me personally, would be nice to get a testimonial in the comments!! lol.

But as soon as I have a website, I'll be posting the link, so watch this space! ;)

TIME 4 LEARNING REVIEW DISCLOSURE...

2011-09-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Snow.......And Lots Of It!!!!!

2010-12-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

I thought it's about time that I uploaded some photos of the snow we've had recently, we've had alot and it's absolutely freezing right now and very icy, tonight it's about -8, alhamdulillaah we're indoors nice and cosy!

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Thanks for stopping by!! :)

Toddlers Property Laws....

2010-12-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this today and myself and even the kids found it quite hilarious, so I thought I'd share........

If I like it, it's mine
If it's in my hand, it's mine
If it looks like mine, it is mine
If I saw it first, it's mine
If your playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine
If it is mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way
If it's broken, it's YOURS!

Totally sums up a Toddler, Don't you think?!

Hotspot No More - Before And After Pics

2010-12-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Following on from my previous post on Fly Lady, this afternoon's next step was to choose a hotspot (a spot where alot of things get dumped and builds up quickly) and set the timer for 2 minutes, and, well put it out!

The kids helped me with this, quite happily and when the timer went off even though it was a small job, I felt I'd accomplished something huge, right now my desk is still clean except for a tissue that one of the kids has left, oh and my camera which presently is connected to the PC.

I was a bit sceptical about posting any photos on here, but I thought 'hey why not!' it's all part of the process and I'm going to use my blog to track that insha Allaah (God Willing). But being the inconsistent person I am I may slip now and then, I'm hoping I wont but if I do I'll just have to jump back in and take off from where I was.

OK so here goes, the before and after pics!!

I'd like to point out that not all that mess in the first photo is mine ! I do have 4 messy kids!!

Would love to hear if anyone else is also using Fly Lady's routines and how far you've got.

Re-Starting Fly Lady

2010-12-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well I've recently re-started fly lady's routine and am feeling very optimistic, I have tried a few times before, but have soon fallen by the sideline. I'm hoping this time can be different. My sink is shiny, for the last few days I've got dressed to the shoes, some days would be spent in my pyjamas, how depressing is that?!

Today I noticed my ten year old daughter got dressed fairly quickly after waking up, she seemed to be following me with the 'not getting dressed thing' but I thought to myself it's so true, they learn by example, how can I keep telling her to get dressed when I'm there still in my pj's in the middle of the afternoon.

Today I'm going to tackle my hotspots, seems like there's so many! but bit by bit our home will start coming together and hopefully start staying like it.

Here is a picture of my sink, as you can see it's not the best of photos though.

12 Awesome Tips To Be A Great Mum

2010-12-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Just another post I came across on Zenhabits.net, a really good read and great tips for us mums!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Vered of MomGrind.

I’m a mom.

I am also a woman, a wife, a daughter, and a friend.

Recently I started blogging. As it turns out, I am a writer too.

I am wearing many hats and doing so is not always easy. I was grateful to discover this article by Leo, where he shares useful tips on how to be a great dad. When I read Leo’s article, I was curious: do these tips apply to moms? Can I incorporate his advice into my own life?

Obviously, a great mom loves her kids, takes care of their basic physical and emotional needs, and spends quality time with them. But what are the subtler, less obvious ways to become a great mom?

1. Stay true to yourself. You don’t have to give up your own passions and interests once you become a mom. It’s important that you find time for what YOU love to do. Reading, writing, exercising – make these a priority and find a way to incorporate those into your routine. Easier said than done, I know, but you should at least aim to keep doing what you love, even if you don’t get to do it as often as before. If you take care of your own needs, you will be happier and will function better as a mom.

2. Don’t be a martyr. The kids didn’t ask for it, they don’t need it, and they certainly don’t need to pay the price that comes with being mothered by a martyr. Need some time alone? Let the kids watch TV for an hour and go read a book. Feel like you haven’t had adult interaction in ages? Leave them with Dad for the evening and make plans to have dinner with a friend. Getting to the point where you are utterly exhausted is not good for you or for your kids.

3. Don’t try to be perfect. This is true for life in general, and is a major personal goal of mine, regardless of motherhood. Striving for perfection is always a bad idea, because life is messy and unpredictable and full of surprises. Trying to create perfection, or to maintain complete control, is simply impossible and should never be your goal. Once you become a mom, life is messier and crazier than ever before, so it’s more important than ever to let go of that perfectionism. You need to accept that the house will sometimes be untidy, that once in a while dinner will be takeout, and that the kids will sometimes have to entertain themselves while you recharge and regroup.

4. Ditch the guilt. Guilt seems to be one of the most common side effects of motherhood. A friend once told me that she feels guilt every single day. I too am often guilty of feeling guilty. But I am working on it: guilt is unhelpful and a terrible waste of time and energy. Once you make a decision, whether a major one like staying at home vs. going back to work, or a small one like allowing the kids to play a computer game while you have some time for yourself, try to avoid second-guessing yourself. You are doing the best that you can. No one is perfect, and you are not expected to be a perfect mom or to never make mistakes. As long as you love them and provide their basic needs, your kids will turn out fine. Really.

5. Be Patient. Raising kids is hard work. Kids are noisy, messy and incredibly demanding. Yes, you will lose your patience once in a while. I do. But for the most part, try to take a deep breath and see them for the small, helpless people that they are. I am not a patient person by nature, but motherhood has taught me to be more patient than I ever thought I could possibly be.

6. Listen to your children. REALLY listen. This is a tough one for me, but I keep trying. We tend to assume that we know more than our kids do, which is true to some extent of course, so we don’t really bother to listen. In addition, we often act as problem-solvers, dishing immediate advice, when all they need is for us to listen to them. A couple of months ago, my 8 years old told me about problems she was having with friends at school. I immediately offered a solution, and it was obvious she was disappointed. She wasn’t looking for a solution. She simply wanted me to listen.

7. Be their mom, not their friend. Set limits. In a way, it was easy for previous generations. Parents were parents. Kids were kids. Families were patriarchal. Everyone listened and obeyed to the father. Now, families are democratic. We negotiate, talk things over, and listen to each other. We make important decisions together. This is great, but kids still need us to be their parents and set clear limits. We should listen to them and respect them – but we are not their peers. When I was a pre-teen, I used to snap at my mom, “I’m not going to be your friend anymore!” She would look at me calmly and respond, “Well, you are NOT my friend. You are my daughter”. It used to drive me crazy, but she was right. Our job is to be our kids’ mothers – not their friends.

8. Teach them simplicity. You will do them a big – a HUGE – favor, if you teach them at a young age to avoid associating happiness with the accumulation of material possessions. The younger they are, the more likely they are to listen to you, so start early. My kids are 6 and 8, and I often feel that now is the time to instill my values in them, before they are teens (or pre-teens) and peer pressure takes over. When it’s time to declutter, I allow my daughters to be part of the process, and we talk about how we don’t need all that STUFF. We never go shopping as a fun outing. They know that shopping is a necessary evil, something that you do when you really NEED something. Instead of buying books, we borrow books at the library. We reuse as much as we can. Together, we take pride in living in a clean, airy, uncluttered home.

9. Don’t push them too hard. I was raised as an overachiever, and I can testify from my own experience that overachieving does NOT lead to happiness. I do want my kids to be successful. I want them to reach their full potential and to be financially secure. But I am trying not to push them too hard and to maintain a relatively relaxed approach to success at school and to after-school enrichment activities.

10. Teach them self-esteem. I am borrowing this one from Leo’s list, because it is so important. In fact, I agree with Leo that high self-esteem is the single most important gift that a parent can give their kids. A person with a high self-esteem values herself and will not get into, or stay in, an abusive relationship. A person with high self-esteem is more likely to be happy and to reach her full potential. How do you teach your kids self-esteem? Exactly the way Leo said: by showing them that you value them, by spending time with them, and by talking with them and listening to them.

11. Teach them to be self-reliant. Another one that I struggle with every day. It’s very tempting to help your children in a way that robs them of the opportunity to help themselves. At every developmental stage your child reaches, she can do things by herself. If you do them for her, you are not really helping her, but rather holding her back. Gently teach her independence and let her do what she can do, and what is appropriate for her to do, by herself. The sense of accomplishment that comes with being independent is immensely important for a child. I once read in Penelope Leach’s book something that left a huge impression on me: good parents work themselves out of the picture – slowly. As much as I like to feel needed, I try to let my kids be as independent and self-sufficient as they possibly can. Ever so slowly, I am working myself out of the picture.

12. Laugh and have fun! When you’re a mom, it’s easy to become so absorbed in the logistics of taking care of your kids – what Leo refers to as the “mom stuff” – that you forget to relax and have fun. But kids are fun. They give you a wonderful opportunity to be a child all over again, and to do things that you never thought you would do as an adult (jumping in puddles is so much fun!) and see the world through their innocent, curious eyes. Haven’t noticed interesting insects and colorful butterflies in several years? You are going to start noticing them again once you have kids.

So, are the lists any different? They’re different in some way, and similar in others. While both emphasize being good to your kids and to yourself, my list places more emphasis on the “be good to yourself” part. I think that the biggest mistake dads make is that they become so absorbed in their careers that they do not spend enough time with their families. The biggest mistake moms make, in my opinion, is that they become so absorbed in their families that they do not spend enough time on their own passions. Leo’s list helps dads find their balance. My list, hopefully, helps moms find theirs.

Whether you’re a parent or not, how many hats are YOU wearing? Do you have any tips for doing it all and keeping your sanity? Do you ever feel guilty because you are not giving 100% to any single aspect of your life?

Read more from Vered at her blog, MomGrind (or subscribe to her feed).

Poor Bird!

2010-12-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

This evening our cat Madinah killed a bird and brought it home as a gift, Thanks Madinah! When we spotted him in the kitchen, he was tossing it up in the air, feathers were all over the floor, wasn't a pretty sight. This is not the first time our cat's brought us a present home, we've had a couple of birds and mice, and now we've got the cat flap in this house it's easier for him to bring things home.

Not long back, Madinah brought home a mouse which he was playing with, but the mouse got away and ran into a hole in the utility room, it lived here for a bit, but now it seems to have gone, well I'm hoping it has!

Hahaha

2010-12-14T07:52:00.001-08:00

This has got to be one of the most adorable and funny videos on You Tube, you can't help but laugh along with it, guaranteed to cheer you up if your feeling a bit down.

Just nattering

2010-12-14T05:45:00.001-08:00

Well, lately I've been getting quite a few late nights, no suprise to some! There's been a few projects I've been working on online, will tell you about those some other time! This has resulted in late mornings, kids arriving to school late, house in a mess, right now I really think I need some fly lady in my life!

I have the book Sink Reflections, I've subscribed to the list, and have literally over a thousand unopened emails in one of my accounts, I get started, with the shiny sink, laced up shoes, getting dressed in the morning, but then before I know it I'm back to stage 1, why is it so difficult for me to get past the getting dressed in the morning step?

I saw a blog earlier called 'chronicles of an inconsistent mother' I thought that would have been the most perfect name for my blog! why didn't I think of that, lol, or another good one could be 'chronicles of an inconsistent blogger' I wonder if that's available, hhmmm!

7 Secrets To Raising Happy Children

2010-12-13T05:13:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share a post by Sean Platt for Zen habits.net, who have given permission for the blog content to be used.

Nature and nurture are in a never ending battle to claim the disposition of our children. While it’s true that the apple rarely tumbles too far from the tree, it is also true that there are a multitude of things we as parents can do to safeguard the childhoods of our children, limit their exposure to the more damaging elements the world will see fit to introduce in time, and do our best to raise a healthy and happy child.

We might not be able to help the variety of our branches, but we are the ones who control the nutrients in their soil and the sunlight in their sky.

In addition to the obvious things such as making sure your child is consuming the right nutrients, staying hydrated, and getting the quantity of sleep and exercise a growing body needs, here are 7 secrets that can help you raise a happy child.

1. Let your child know you are excited to see them when they enter the room. Let them see the light dance inside your eyes when their gaze drifts into yours. Be mindful of their presence by showing them your smile and greeting them warmly. Say their name out loud. Not only do children love to hear the sound of their name, they also long to feel validation from their loved ones. Think about it from an adult perspective – wouldn’t you love it if the face of the person you loved most lit like a holiday parade every time you entered the room? Your child loves you the most, imagine the returns after a childhood filled with such affection.

2. Teach your child it’s okay to be bored. As parents, it’s often our instinct to entertain our children each and every waking hour. When we don’t possess the time or energy, it is all too easy to allow the glowing blue babysitter in the living room to do the heavy lifting. But when we rely on television, or any other form of autopilot attention, we succeed only in limiting our child’s development. Children have vivid imaginations that flourish upon nurturing. But without the opportunity to coax their creativity, it will only whither on the vine. Allow your child idle minutes to develop their creativity with hands-on activities to stimulate their thought. A few sheets of paper and a box of crayons can keep a well rounded child busy for far longer than an episode of Dora.

3. Limit your child’s media. Related, but not limited to number two. Limiting your child’s exposure to media isn’t only a positive move for promoting their creativity, it is an excellent method to broaden their attention span while grooming their ability to stay calm. Your child will have plenty of exposure to more than you want soon enough. During those precious years when you are the designer of their decisions, you must make sure they are learning to live a life independent from the over-exposure that is often too easy to rely on. Yes it is difficult, but we owe it to the next generation to search for the right road rather than the easy one.

4. Let your child know they are more important than work by giving them eye contact and attention. Your child doesn’t just need you around, they need you present. Play with your child, interact with them, find out what is important to them by asking questions and listening to their answers. Your child deserves at least a little bit of you each and every day, at least a few minutes where you are not considering your email or allowing your thoughts to wander over what’s been left sitting on your desk. Letting your child know they are important is like giving them an insulin shot of happy.

5. Let your child make a few of the rules. You don’t have to make them the boss to let them feel empowered. Often, power struggles with our children are the direct result of them feeling a loss of control. You can easily curb these instances by allowing your child to feel like they are part of making up some of the protocol. By at least appearing to give your child some of the control, you are helping them understand household law inside and out. This will lead directly to a willingness to follow.

6. Teach your child – don’t assume it’s all happening outside the house. Home schooling is every parent’s job. Whether your child attends public or private school, or receives all their schooling at home, it is essential to the world’s best future that parents are the ones to fill in the blanks. There are plenty of skills not taught in school that play a massive role in determining who your children will grow up to be. Children are not raised in tupperware, and when they finally leave us to enter the world far away from our watchful eyes, they must have the sharpened tools that will help them be the best that they can be.

7. Model appropriate behavior. In my opinion, this is the most important item on the list. Children do as they see, not as they’re told. If you want your child to be mindful of others, you must be mindful of others yourself. If you want your child to by happy, you must smile without hesitation. There is no one more influential to your child than you. At least for now.

Raising a happy child is hard work, but it is something that can and must be done. Once you focus on the needs of your child and ensure you are doing all you can to meet them, your efforts will be rewarded. You will have a healthy and happy child, fortunate to have been raised in a family where childhood wasn’t permitted to simply fade away.

Sean Platt is a diligent dad and creative blogger who also tweets.

Memories Of My Childhood.....The Good And The Bad

2010-12-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

1. The day I decided the front garden needed a makeover, I found a tub of white paint and decorated the concrete floor. My step-Dad was not a very happy man that day!

2. The day I was wheeling my bike up the slope in the garden, and fell off it and knocked my head on the corner of the house, I was in need of stitches, but the nurse had a hard time trying to catch me, in the end I got my way and had butterfly stitches instead :D

3. My younger brother being born, he looked just like a little monkey! But sooo cute.

4. Stealing an egg from a bird's nest behind our school, and taking it home, wrapping it up and placing it somewhere nice and warm in hope that it may hatch, somewhere like the radiator!! Yes.....it did actually hatch one day while I was in school, that day my mum was NOT very happy!!!

5. Having a bath with one of my cousins, I noticed a big brown thing floating in the water, boy, did I scream the place down and couldn't get out of there quick enough! lol. My mum and Aunty found it hilarious!

6. The day my brother Andrew came home from the Gulf War, he'd been gone for ages, and we had a massive banner up in the street welcoming him home. We were so happy to have him back safe.

7. The day of the fancy dress party.....I went dressed as an arab, with black shades and a yashmak on my head! lolol. Thanks to big bruv who brought it back from the Gulf.

8. Sledging down the grassy slopes by the railway track, such fun!

9. Having a game of Tennis in the street, with one of the boys I fancied, I was so over the moon when he said '3 love' !!

10. Getting knocked over by a car in the lane behind our house, I broke my collar bone, and made the lovely white sheets on the hospital bed a lovely grey colour :D

11. The day my mum got married to my step-Dad, she looked lovely, and was so happy :)

12. Getting punched in the stomach by a very nasty boy who lived not far from us, my stepdad sorted him out!

13. going to the Beach in the summertime, with all my cousins, we'd have so much fun in the sea, then spend time trying to remember where our parents were sat, often with towels over their heads to protect themselves from the seagull's droppings, lol.

14. Days when the pop man would stop outside our house, and would have loads of chocolate bars by the front seat, was such a treat back then, as the only shop in the village was the post office and seemed to hardly ever be open.

15. Chip butties from the chip van

16. Books from the library van, don't see them often anymore.

17. Staying in Cornwall with my stepdad and younger brother Marc, in a caravan outside Uncle Derek's house, in the morning my stepdad had the most awful hang over, from drinking Cider! the noises from the bathroom were disgusting!!

18. Again in Cornwall at the beach, me, Marc and our cousin Ryan went looking for rock pools, and my stepdad went back to the beach for something, when he came back, the tide was in and we were trapped, the waves were crashing against the rocks, I had a tantrum and threw my towel into the water, lol, I was terrified! My stepdad finally rescued us, but that was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life!

19. Up one night being very sick, laying on the sofa, my mum giving me schweppes tonic water to drink(have never liked that drink since that night) and telling me to breathe in and out slowly. She was watching Inspector Morse on the TV eating a pack of crisps, and me heaving every time a food advert came on. That night stands out in my mind alot.

20. Spending holidays with my Dad in Glynneath, getting very spoilt, and having a great time with my cousins.

Time to write a blog post.

2010-12-12T10:39:00.001-08:00

I have finally made myself sit down and actually write something on my blog, yes....I know it's been a while since I posted last, and I apologise. Since moving alot of things have changed around here, my two girls who you could say I was homeschooling part-time, as they used to go to school in the afternoon back in Birmingham, are now in school full time!

At the time we felt it was best for them to go to school, as our homeschooling routine was taking time to get started again, and we didn't want them falling any more behind. So the two girls and my son who was in school in Birmingham all attend the same school, and I just have my youngest son at home now who is almost 3 insha Allaah (God Willing).

Recently my daughter Tay. who is 7 said she wanted to stay at home and be homeschooled again, she has asked this a few times, and I'm in two minds whether to actually bring her out or not, I do worry that after a few weeks or months when the appeal maybe wears off, that she will start missing school again, I just want them all to be settled for now, we've done alot of moving over the years, the kids have changed schools a few times, and now they're a bit older it's more important that they feel settled.

I feel very passionate about homeschooling, and in my ideal world, I would be homeschooling all my children and be doing a very good job at it, insha Allaah, but things aren't always red and rosy. I do intend to bring my eldest daughter out of school when she reaches high school age insha Allaah, she's just turned 10, I think that will be a challenge, as she loves school, and having the chance to see all her friends, down here in Cardiff, there are a couple of sisters who homeschool but their children are alot younger than her.

Actually one of the main things which pushed me to put my eldest daughter into school, was one morning she was actually crying as she could hear all the school children going to school, that made me feel really sad for her. Back in Birmingham, my friends who were homeschooling had daughters around the same age as her, so she didn't feel she was the only one at home, and she would enjoy seeing them, it is different here.

For now I want to concentrate on my youngest son insha Allaah, and possibly my daughter Tay. if I do decide to take her out of school. Masha'Allaah he can count up to 10 and a bit higher, and we do some informal learning together, for example matching things together, pointing out colours, reading etc.... Insha Allaah will keep you updated.

Now that I'm not homeschooling the girls, I have wondered what I can do with my blog, Insha Allaah I will still post up things I may have done with my youngest son, although like I said that's mainly informal learning right now, but also I wanted this to be a place, to record our daily happenings, somewhat like a family journal, the other day, myself and the kids were looking through the blog at old posts and pictures, and it was so nice reading about things we had done, but had forgotten about, and I also came across a photo of my youngest son, which was probably taken when he was about 1, so I thought that would be nice for them insha Allaah. But I'll try not to bore anyone who may be reading......I am still very passionate about homeschooling, I miss it alot, but we'll see what happens.

Ok.....well that's it from me for now, sorry for babbling too much, I will try to write more regularly from now on.

Recent Finds...

2010-04-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Parts of speech placemat

The head of the class

Oxford home schooling

100 inspirational blog posts for homeschoolers

Intellego unit studies

Muddle Puddle

52 science experiments to do at home

World Geography map drills

Aleks Quick tables

Human Body primary project

Random Links :

Dollybowbow

School of photoshop

Oli

On cloud 9...

2010-04-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

Dd(9)'s been busy this morning making her very own castle, below, here's the instructions if your child wants to make one for themselves.

Letting it all out

2010-04-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

My apologies for no posting's for a while again (sigh), when am I going to get this whole 'blogging with discipline' thing going that I've so proudly placed on my sidebar, to be honest my blogging mood goes up and down, some days I feel so enthusiastic to post something on my blog, but then other days, zero, nilch, almost a bit like how I'm feeling now. Sometimes I also don't feel motivated to post anything, when it seems like I'm just blogging to myself, I'm sure we all like to recieve comments, even a few words of encouragement, salaams, or any kind of feedback, and I do appreciate those who have left comments on my blog, you know who you are, maybe I'm craving a bit more interaction on my blog, maybe I need to make more interesting posts, as I know I'm not the best of bloggers.

A few times I have had thoughts of calling it a day with this blog, and I'm not saying this as a cry for sympathy or attention, I just need to get these things out, instead of just thinking them, that's what this blog is for isn't it? when I think like that, I try to cast it aside and stop feeling sorry for myself, and instead try harder with my blog, but as you can see when I've got all these feelings going on in me, the whole blogging thing gets more and more put to the side (another 'big' sigh ). Alhamdulillaah I have quite a few followers now, but I don't know who's reading and who's not, would be nice to hear from you :)

Anyway, enough of moaning for one night, I just want to say that we're soon to be moving back to Wales insha Allaah, this has been on the cards for a while now, but went down to Cardiff a couple of weeks ago to see some houses, and saw one I really liked, actually it's just by our old house, so we'll be in a very familiar location :) The main focal points of the house are the kitchen and bathroom (it's huuuge!!) Masha'Allaah, and very modern, so right now we're not getting alot of home learning done, the packings mainly down to myself, hubby's busy trying to get the house painted (to cover all the scribbles on the walls and grubby little fingerprints :D ).

We will be moving on the 28th April insha Allaah, which is just a little over 3 weeks, I have so much to do, but as usual being very laidback about it all, :D I was determined with this move to get things done asap and well before the moving date, as yet I haven't done too bad, but if I don't get a move on now, it will probably be alot of last minute, throw everything in boxes packing!! It certainly won't be the first time :D Well, I'm now gonna leave you with a few pics of what the girls have been up to lately, and please I hope no one has taken any offence with anything I've written in this post, that's not what I intended.

DIY Lava Lamp by Science BoB

2010-03-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here's Science Bob's website.

Homeschool Creations

2010-03-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite websites - Homeschool Creations, and this is the accompanying blog.

2010-03-14T17:21:00.000-07:00
Just re-posting the owl web cam, I took it off as I wasn't sure if this was the cause of the 'currently unavailable' and what looks like 'flickr' text on each post, as it only seems to have appeared since I posted the video earlier, looks like it's not, so here it is...

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

Dd(9)'s Miniature Garden

2010-03-14T17:10:00.000-07:00
Dd(9)made this lovely miniature garden today, she took the idea from a craft book. It's a shame we didn't have any colourful flowers to add to it.

Brief update - 14/3/2010

2010-03-13T15:06:00.000-08:00
I've slipped a bit again with posting our updates, my apologies to anyone who regularly visits my blog. As of lately, the girls have been doing most work in their workbooks, mainly for maths. I signed them up to Carol Vorderman's 'The Maths Factor' which I think is a great website Masha'Allaah, Dd(6) seems to like it more than her sister, she will often go on without being told.

Dd(9) was put back on to a lower level, which she does get a bit bored of, apparently in the assesment it picked up that she needed to work more on some of the basics, so I'm just encouraging her to do at least a lesson or two a day so she can catch up on it fairly quickly insha Allaah.

The girls are loving Sequential Spelling, they're now on day 7, we were doing it every day, but have missed some days recently, I'm very excited for them to progress further with it insha Allaah.

We have done some grammar, and Geography, but things have been pretty laid back here in the last week or two, time to fasten our belts again insha Allaah !

We had our letter from the LEA (Local education authority) alhamdulillaah it was very positive, I just tried looking for it so I could put it up here, but cannot find it right now, will post it when I do insha Allaah.

Also ,here are a few photos that I took recently............

Dd(9) decided to make this house for her friend, Masha'Allaah she can be quite creative, may Allaah bless her in it ameen.

Ds(2)get's busy with his work :) the heart is a little contribution from me :D

The girls explore the globe.

...And the map :)

Our Hyacinth, we have had this in our fridge for about 2-3 months waiting for it to grow, and as you can see, it hasn't let us down, insha Allaah soon it should look like this ......

I think ours is a purple one.

English, Maths, Geography worksheets and more. (link)

2010-02-28T10:33:00.000-08:00
Just sharing another useful web link, worksheet works. I come across it while on The Muslim Homeschooler blog, jazakillaahu khairan sis for sharing :) . This site has some great grammar practice sheets, plus mathematics, Geography and more.

Grammar Land freebie

2010-02-28T04:38:00.000-08:00

Homeschool Freebie are offering free download of the classic story book 'Grammar Land' , published in 1878, apparently quite a good book insha Allaah.

The link was posted on the 24th of Feb and is still available, but won't be for much longer, you can find it here

Successful LEA Meeting ! Alhamdulillaah !!!

2010-02-27T16:15:00.000-08:00
We had the LEA come on Friday, that morning I was so anxious just waiting for the assessor to arrive. But Alhamdulillaah I was pleasantly surprised when he came, I was expecting a much older man dressed up in a business suit with a briefcase, lol, the typical office look, but he wasn't at all like that and I didn't feel intimidated by him.

He was pleased with our classroom, said it was very colourful Masha'Allaah, he looked at a little bit of the girls work, he especially liked the lapbooks. He wasn't actually here for as long as I thought he would be, probably only about 20 minutes-1/2 hour, he said he was pleased with what he'd seen, and we appear to be on the right track, (insha Allaah) and he will send us the report and would be ticking the 'acceptable' box, alhamdulillaah.

I was over the moon, it was such a relief and quite a confidence booster. I am glad that I contacted them now, rather than them turn up at my door unexpectedly or something like that.

All my thanks go to Allaah, for making it easy for me alhamdulillaahil rabbil 'aalameen (All praise be to Allaah, the lord of Mankind).

On another note, here's a few recent web links I've come across which I thought I'd share :

Rocket Maths (note: apparently for home users the flashcards are more recommended for the memorisation of Math Facts)

Primary Home Tutor

Noeo Homeschool Science (U.S)

Math U See

Hearts and Trees

Cambridge Brain Box

Science Kits (U.S)

The Maths Factor (Carol Vordermans up and coming online maths school, insha Allaah)

Science A-Z

BTW, learning was little this past week, due to various factors, and me panicking and trying to prepare for the LEA, we did some work on the human body, some maths, spelling but not enough to post up an interesting enough update, will try better this week insha Allaah !

Also to the sister who sent me the message the other day, if your reading this, afwan sis, I apologise I didn't respond to your second email, I've been a bit busy as your aware the past few days, feel free to call me insha Allaah, probably best late afternoon insha Allaah, I look forward to hearing from you :)

Anxious over LEA visit, plus great web link !

2010-02-22T15:51:00.000-08:00
Assalamu 'alaykum, and Hi ! to anyone who may happen to be reading this, Sorry I haven't updated my blog recently, haven't had much chance to come and write our weekly updates, which I must admit I thought I was doing really well at ;) alhamdulillaah, but we've also been away to Wales, we came back on Friday. It was nice to have a break Masha'Allaah.

I'm not gonna write much as it's really late here in the UK, I'm busy trying to organise some work for the girls for tomorrow insha Allaah. I also have the second visit from the LEA (local education authority) on Friday morning, this has totally shook my confidence, and I've been doubting myself big time in the last week, it's the whole 'official' thing and having someone judge the work your doing with your kids, it can all feel very overwhelming and intimidating, all in all I hope that it will be a positive meeting and that he will be satisfied with my efforts insha Allaah. Will try my best to update on how it goes.

Before I go, I just want to make mention of an excellent phonics website I've just come across, I was looking for some sheets to supplement the lessons in Reading Reflex, and this site actually offers free phonic packs, 6 in total, they're nicely set out and illustrated Masha'Allaah. I just printed out some of the worksheets for the 'oa' sound, Dd(6) needs alot more practice, and I'm hoping this will be just what she needs insha Allaah.

Thanks for reading :)

The weight is creeping on......

2010-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00
Here's a handy link for checking you and your kids' BMI (body mass index), I've just checked mine and apparently I'm a bit overweight for my height (yikes !!!). I wasn't happy with my current weight, and bought some dumballs and skipping rope earlier today, and renewed my subscription with Demand Fitness. Alhamdulillaah I've never had a problem with my weight, apart from wanting to gain more, and after each child I've quickly gotten back to my usual weight, but after my recent child I haven't. I do put it down mainly to the amount of biscuits I eat ( I luuuuurve custard creams :D) plus I'm driving now, so I don't walk as much as I used to, and probably lack of exercise, so Insha Allaah things have got to change, starting with the biscuits! I'm going to 'try' and limit myself to two in the morning with my cup of tea, and the same in the evening, I won't tell you how many I normally have :/

Ok well I'm off to make some food for the kids, and prepare for my first fitness class later on, insha Allaah.

Weekly Report - 31st January 2010

2010-01-31T15:24:00.000-08:00
I wanted to get this update in before I head off to bed, otherwise it'll probably never get done! We had a fairly good week alhamdulillaah, this is a brief summary of what we did,

Maths - we worked on Number bonds (can't wait till they learn them insha Allaah), we used the number bonds machine that I mentioned in a previous post, I try to have them do at least 5 minutes of it a day.

Dd(6) did some adding/takeaway in her book and volume and capacity on Smart Kiddies.

They both practiced their times tables, and wrote them up in their book.

Played on Timez Attack - again, practicing their times tables.

Dd(9) worked on some fractions, alhamdulillaah it went well. She went on Smart kiddies first, then did some work in her book.

Also covered some division and multiplication.

Grammar - Dd(9) did lesson 43 and 44 of 'first language lessons for the well trained mind' which were 'poem-months' and 'nouns-ideas'.

Dd(6) read some Dr Seus books, she's really into them right now, so am I !

We have put writing with ease on hold for now, as we wait for the workbook to arrive.

History - Re-started SOTW, ancient history - The first nomads become farmers, I read aloud, and Dd(9) wrote down in her own words the parts she remembered.

We watched some videos on crocodiles/alligators and Cheetah's, these were the animals of the week before that they studied. We found out where the animals mainly live, and looked the countries up on the map and globe, Dd(9) wrote up a fact sheet about Cheetah's.

Geography - Local area and Continents in workbook. And did a nice set of worksheets from the Teacher file box on Globes and Continents. The girls drew up a map of the garden, using symbols for the things that are in there, like swings, plant pots etc..

Dd(9) is really trying hard now to get the hang of knitting Masha'Allaah, she's getting there, I've ordered this DVD to help her progress a bit more insha Allaah

I'm also intending to use it ;) I'd love to learn this skill again insha Allaah.

She's also started back learning to touch type alhamdulillaah.

We're intending to start doing some salt dough crafts, maybe this week insha Allaah, we've got the flour ready, and the acrylic paints and brushes, just waiting for the gloss to arrive. Here's the basic recipe for those who don't know ,

You need:

- 1 cup of salt
- 2 cups of flour
3/4 to 1 cup of lukewarm water

you can add in some glitter to the dough or some paint if you want to give it some colour.

Mix the salt and flour together in a bowl, using a wooden spoon. Then add the water until a large ball has formed. Knead at length on a lightly floured work surface (somewhere smooth and easy to clean). The quality of dough you finish with will depend on the time spent on kneading.

It's probably a good idea to make your model on a sheet of baking paper so it's easy to pop it straight in the oven when your finished.

Bake for approx 2 hours using a low temperature setting
50-70C for the first half hour then increase temperature
slowly to 90-100C and cook until the piece is uniform
in colour.

You must gloss or varnish the finished product to preserve it insha Allaah.

We will upload some photos of ours when we've done them, can you believe the usb cable I thought I had ordered for my camera phone, was actually still sitting in the basket at the amazon website, lol, looks like I didn't put it through the checkout after all!, so still waiting for that to arrive, plus have ordered a new camera, which I'm hoping I'll have no problems with insha Allaah, I'm missing my photography :(

Bit more on our trip to Thinktank

2010-01-28T05:37:00.001-08:00
Following on from my post a few days ago, the trip to Thinktank was great, we definitely want to go again soon insha Allaah, there was a floor each for past/present/future/collections (I think!). There was a lovely part called kids city, and it was split into sections like, a dentist's, garage, health centre, cafe, street and they had a water area where the children could play with the toy boats and watch them go over the bridges, Ds(2) really enjoyed that part. I felt quite bad that I couldn't let him out of the pram much more than I did, I had to watch the other kids and he just wanted to explore, maybe next time insha Allaah I will let him have more time, maybe a day when it's a bit quieter, we went on a Saturday, so as you can imagine, it was rather busy.

It was interesting walking through the museum, and looking at all the antiques, there were some red cups which were made quite a while back, I can't recall the date now, but they were gorgeous! Masha'Allaah, would look really nice up on a unit.

We saw the oldest working steam engine, which was used to pump water to the canal between Birmingham And Wolverhampton, which was quite amazing to watch. We saw so much there, that it's hard to remember it all, we missed the human body section, which is a shame because we've just started to cover it, next time insha Allaah.

As I mentioned I did take some photos, not as many as I would have liked, but I was relying on my camera phone, which had limited memory. I'm still waiting for the usb cable to come, I don't know why it takes so long for some things to arrive, I ordered it at the end of last week, but as soon as I get it will upload some insha Allaah.

On a different note, I had my first visit from the LEA (local educational authority) yesterday, I was very nervous, I didn't really know what to expect, but alhamdulillaah the meeting didn't last long, and it went quite smooth, the lady who came said that she was happy to refer me on to the assessor, so I just hope the meeting with him goes just as well insha Allaah.

Yesterday after they had gone, Dd(9) asked me ''Do the LEA have babies?'' Lol, I said of course they do, they're human like us! You just wonder what goes on inside their heads sometimes :D

practice with number bonds link

2010-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00
Number bonds machine

Weekly Report - 23rd January 2010

2010-01-23T14:22:00.000-08:00
Our week went pretty well, we did the usual subjects :

Maths: Worked on times tables, Division. We've taken a small break from Singapore Maths so the girls can learn more of their number bonds, recommended in the book before moving on to further units. So mainly doing their work in their Schofield and Sims Workbooks.

Grammar : First language lessons, Dd(9) did lesson 36, which contained the story of 'The hen and the golden egg' and involved written narration work. Alhamdulillaah we are starting to do a bit more narration now, the more they do insha Allaah the better their mind will become at remembering the passage/information read to them, insha Allaah.

Dd(6) worked on lesson 3 - common and proper nouns, and lesson 4 - proper nouns - first names, in which she was required to write down names from our family, with the capital letters being emphasized to her.

Reading Reflex : Dd(6) is working on the 'oe' sound, and was required to sort all the ways that sound could be spelt, she did do well, Masha'Allaah, but I think she's going to need alot more practice before moving on to the next sound, it would be great to have some books containing that sound so she could practice more, she has been reading some Dr Seus books which is helping her to progress a bit faster with her reading alhamdulillaah, and is helping her gain more confidence, Allaahumma baarak feehaa (may Allaah bless her in it ameen)

Handwriting - Dd(6) did some more pages in her workbook.

Science - I read to Dd(6) about crocodiles and alligators from the 'First encyclopedia for animals' and she narrated back the main points she remembered, and I wrote it down, she wasn't too bad alhamdulillaah, it's a start anyway.

Dd(9) - Her animal was the cheetah, same method, I read, she narrated and wrote down on paper to be filed in her folder. I feel I have to explain something, I am kind of starting from about year 1 with her for Science and even Maths, she was in school for a while before we moved to Birmingham, but when we moved here and I started to home educate her, I didn't know what she'd covered and what she hadn't, for one she didn't really have a clue how to do a sum, not even by using her fingers, I had to show her that, she didnt know her times tables etc.. and with Science she could recall working on certain topics, but not much. She was a bit behind when she went in there, and I was told she would get extra help to catch up, but I'm not sure if she did get the help she needed, Allaahu a'lam.

I feel in a bit of a mess with it all really, I feel I shouldn't have to be going back this far, but I feel I have to, because I don't want to be leaving anything out, and I feel it's very important to set the foundation, to fully master the basics, because if not she probably will struggle with higher work. She does go to school also in the afternoon, and alhamdulillaah, there she is doing work more to her age group, and doing quite well alhamdulillaah.

As mentioned previously in my other posts we're using the methods set out in the WTM, for first grade, the child would first of all study about 20 animals, supposed to be 1 each week, then after that would be the human body, then plants, what I'm trying to do right now is work on each throughout the week, so for example this week we did the animal kingdom, and also started on the human body, which roughly takes about 10 weeks I think to complete, if done once a week. I think I will leave plants until spring insha Allaah as recommended.

I don't want to cram her brain with too much info, but I'm anxious for her to move on, one of my fears is that when she reaches high school age, she'll still be on primary work, I pray that Allaah will make it easy for me to help bring her more up to standard insha Allaah.

Ok, well back to what we did this week, like I said Dd(9) started on the human body, topic - bones, we did a narration page. I also had a set of worksheets that I'd printed off from 'The teacher file box' and in there was a skeleton she could make, so she cut all the pieces out, pasted on things such as the rib cage and the heart, and fastened it together with paper fastners, which enables the legs and arms to move, she really enjoyed doing that, so did I!

Both girls also finished their 'Animal classification' lapbooks, at long last ! although it wasn't that long ago they started on it, but just haven't been fully consistent with working on it, they look really good masha'Allaah, but unfortunately Dd(6) lost some parts to hers, which I'm sure will turn up soon insha Allaah, will also try posting some pics of these in the week insha Allaah.

I was in the mood for spending yesterday, and so I came across a website called Bright Minds, who by the way have a sale going on, with up to 80% off, so I ordered a world globe and a chemistry set , oooh I get soo excited waiting for parcels, can't wait to try out the chemistry set insha Allaah, you'd think I was the student ! :D
While on my spending spree, I also ordered the workbook to go with our writing programme 'Writing with ease' By Susan Wise Bauer, it basically will save me time gathering together bits from different books for copywork and narration.

Today we also went to Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham, it was excellent Masha'Allaah, kids had a great day alhamdulillaah. Insha Allaah I will write more about our trip there tomorrow hopefully and put up some photos, but I'm just waiting for my usb cable to come for my phone, so hopefully the beginning of the week pics will be posted.

If you've read this far, well done!! Thankyou :)

Parts 3 and 4 of 'The big handbook of nature study'

2010-01-20T15:35:00.000-08:00
Parts 3 & 4 of 'The Big Handbook Of Nature Study' is now available on Homeschool Freebie, and can be downloaded until the end of the week.

Part 3

Part 4

Homeschool Freebie - Nature study book

2010-01-18T09:55:00.001-08:00
I just popped over to Homeschool Freebie, and found they've got an excellent giveaway for today, it's The Big Handbook Of Nature Study, a complete multi-year nature study curriculum, apparently the book is 940 pages long so they've split it into six e-books.
But you'll have to hurry up, because it won't be there for long!

Weekly report January 17th 2010 (bit late this week!)

2010-01-17T15:15:00.000-08:00
We haven't really had a great week, Ds(7) was off school due to the snow, and so mummy ended up crawling back into bed after fajr most mornings, shattered from going to bed at not a very decent time :( .......................... so our mornings started late, and the workbooks were brought out, I don't fully rely on them, the girls do a page or so a day normally, but I was happy they were doing something at least.

The girls carried on practicing their number bonds, I really want them to memorise them insha Allaah, we're currently working through Singapore Maths and it does mention how important it is for the child to know them before moving on to further units. I put together two small booklets for them, with the number bonds up to ten, progress is somewhat slow, but I think because we're not spending enough time practicing them.

They both reviewed the time we've been working on, like 'o' clock, half past the hour, quarter past and quarter to, Masha'Allaah in the last couple of days, Dd(6) has been telling me the time alot more from her watch her Nan bought her recently, so it's nice to see that it is going in, insha Allaah.

Dd(6) has started 'First language lessons' she will be going on to lesson 3 this week insha Allaah, Dd(9) will be going on to lesson 35, I just can't wait for her to get on to the second part of the book now insha Allaah, we try to fit in a lesson a day if things are going well.

English and Maths was done in their workbooks.

We also had a bit of fun with the snow last week, it's not often we really do anything creative, so I was determined this week that I would fit something in for them, so Masha'Allaah they made pictures on the snow and sculpted igloos and teddybears (Dd(9)'s idea :)

We also did a very simple experiment which I found online, which was to see exactly how clean the snow is, I put some snow in a pan, heated it until it melted, then I poured it into a dish which I had covered with a few sheets of kitchen towel paper and taped it around the edges, there were a few small specks of dirt, but not alot.

I did take some photos of the week, but unfortunately I'm having alot of problems right now, the one memory card I was using with my camera has all of a sudden become 'write protected' and so I'm unable to upload them to the computer, I've just bought a new one, thinking it would be fine, but I'm having exactly the same problem with that one too, I'm feeling soo frustrated as I don't know where the problem is, the cards/my camera/the card reader or the computer??? Insha Allaah I'll get to the bottom of it soon.

Owner of Sparklebox.co.uk found guilty of offences

2010-01-10T03:47:00.000-08:00

I just recieved a comment on one of my posts from a lady advising me to remove any links and references to Sparklebox.co.uk , apparently the owner of the site Samuel Kinge, formerly Daniel Kinge is a convicted sex offender, May Allaah protect our children from this evil, ameen.
If you want to look further into this, then you can visit the below links:
http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/375566.aspx
http://www.foundation-stage.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=22828
I feel really sickened at this and personally don't want to support his site, I know people will have mixed feelings on this, and will see his resources as seperate to what he's done, but to me it's a reminder of who's behind the making of them. Insha Allaah you'll make your own decision.

Science for Dd(6)

2010-01-09T16:13:00.000-08:00
I've just been planning out what I'm going to do for Science for Dd(6) insha Allaah. In the WTM, grade 1 would be concentrating on the Animal Kingdom,

'The purpose of the first-grade notebook is not to ''complete'' the study of life on earth somehow. It's to develop the child's curiosity, as well as her observation, reading, and writing skill, and her concentration span. Your goal is simple: when biology comes around again in fifth grade, you want to hear your child say, ''Oh, good. I love Biology!'' From the WTM

Even though I did have my reservations whether this would be enough for now, compared to what they cover in the schools, I'm trying to put that out of my head, we are not an institution, and therefore we do not have to do exactly what they are doing. I trust what they say in the WTM, and I have good hopes, and I do want to follow it through the best I can insha Allaah, So therefore we will be studying 20 animals which Dd(6) chose, these are:

Albatross (done)
Alligator and crocodile
Snake
Ants and termites
Zebra
Fish
Duck
Penguin
Bat
Bear
Bee
Bird
Butterfly
Camel
Tiger
Cat
Lizard
Cheetah
Horse
Komodo Dragon
We are using the Kingfisher First Encyclopedia Of Animals, the method is simple, I basically read some of the page out, and Dd(6) will narrate back a couple of things she remembers about that animal, and then it will be written down and filed in her folder. I do need to work more on narration with her, as it does take time to develop, but the effort apparently is well worth it insha Allaah.
We will also do any experiments suggested in the book, and the occasional lapbook on certain animals.
After working through the list above on the Animal Kingdom we will then start on the Human Body, which I'm looking forward to, and then the plant kingdom insha Allaah.

Free E-Book - Smooth and Easy days

2010-01-09T09:59:00.001-08:00
Simply Charlotte Mason. Com is offering a free download of their new book ' Smooth and easy days' a handbook in helping your child lose the bad habits and replace them with good ones insha Allaah.

“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days.”

-Charlotte Mason Quote.

Trip to the library and extremely cold weather !

2010-01-09T08:54:00.000-08:00
We visited the library today and got quite a big selection of books, I'm suprised I managed to carry them all back, but that's when the pram comes in more handier than just transporting a toddler around :D

Some of the books we had were :

Captain Cook - Usborne Famous Lives
The adventures of Sinbad - Usborne
Christopher Columbus - Usborne
The great big book of reading, first steps
The Sea-thing child - Russel Hoban
Stories by Firelight - Shirley Hughes
Beware of the storybook wolves - Lauren Child
Strat and Chatto - Jan Mark
Animals up close - Igor Siwanowicz
Ocean Start express - Mark Haddon/Peter Sutton
The Gruffalo's child - Julia Donaldson
Usborne Children's picture atlas
Nelly the monster sitter - Kes Gray
Into the woods - Lyn Gardner
Cheer up chicken - Bob Hartman
Young Frederick Douglas - The Slave who learned to read - Linda Walvoord Girard
Black Beauty - Usborne
I've just printed off a reading chart for Dd(9) to keep record of the books she's reading, we did start one last year but didn't record all the ones she'd read, which is a shame really, as it's nice to keep track.
I picked up a couple more Schofield and Sims workbooks today from one of the local Islamic shops, Masha'Allaah when I first visited the shop before I was so amazed at the extensive range of study books they actually had, plus educational posters for the wall. I went there yesterday also and got some Maths and English workbooks and a world map poster for the classroom.
I was soooooo happy to finally get home today, after being out for a quite a while, the kids were moaning, Dd(6) had been jumping around in the slush and kicking the ice, even though I warned her that her feet would probably get soaked (she wore her shoes today instead of her wellies which I didn't even think of at the time) so she was complaining about her feet, and even though I felt very sorry for her, I hoped that she would learn her lesson for next time insha Allaah. My feet were yet again frozen, even more than on Thursday, they were so cold they were painful :(
Now alhamdulillah we're nice and warm, and I reminded the kids of how grateful we should be to Allaah that he has given us a warm shelter, food, warm water and clothes, these are enormous blessings, and to think, subhanAllaah, there are actually people living out on the streets in this weather! may Allaah help them, and never put us in a situation like that, ameen.

Weekly report January 9, 2010

2010-01-08T16:39:00.000-08:00
Just a bit of what we've been working on this week :

Maths :

Number bonds practice and memorisation

Telling the time to the hour/half hour/quarter to/quarter past - Alhamdulillaah this is going well Masha'Allaah, just need to keep practising, I picked up a clock yesterday from the chemist which was half price, it teaches the time and has two interchangeable faces, the girls loved it :)

Addition/subraction in workbooks.

Times tables.

Handwriting : Started back with the Zaner Bloser books, we missed them! so they completed a few pages from there, eldest daughter is mainly on copywork now, youngest is also copywork, but I have noticed she's gone back to not correctly forming some of her letters, so will give her more practice on them. Continuing with learning cursive writing also insha Allaah.

Language skills :

Reading Reflex, mainly with Dd(6) working through the advanced code. Still using the Ruth Miskin synthetic phonics books, which I think are great Masha'Allaah, but we've got to the last book now, I think there are further ones, but they don't have them in the library which is a shame.

Sight words

Rhyming words

Grammar:

Using first language lessons, Dd(6) started her first lesson of the book this week, Nouns.

Dd(9) is on lesson 33, she should be further really, but we've haven't been fully consistent with the book, insha Allaah we'll finish it soon, and then go on to the next one.

Irregular plural nouns

Science :

Natural/man-made materials

living/non living things (plants)

Geography :

Map work, using resources from The Teacher File Box, which is an excellent site, though a little costly each month, but most definitely worth it insha Allaah for what it has to offer.

History :

Story of the world - Susan Wise Bauer - Ancient times - Nomads - Narration work.

I was so excited about the Sequential spelling programme I purchased online, but as yet, have still not started it, need to sit and read it properly insha Allaah, so I completely understand the method it teaches.

So that's about it for our week, I did want to do alot more, but alhamdulillaah I was quite pleased that we got to fit in a few extra things. I've been waking the girls up around the same time DS(7) goes to school so we're getting a slightly earlier start, alhamdulillaah.

I recently contacted the LEA and informed them that I home educate, I'm still waiting for a call back from them, I'm just hoping that I've done the right thing, you hear so many stories, some good some bad, just don't know what to expect,but at the end of the day all I can do is try my best with my girls, I want a good education for them insha Allaah, and I hope that the LEA will see that and accept my efforts. I put my trust in Allaah and ask him for goodness and that he be pleased with us in every thing we do, ameen.

Well, on a different subject, it's library day tomorrow insha Allaah, will hopefully meet up with Umm M and her girls and spend about an hour there, that's the highlight of our weekend :D

Our day off.....

2010-01-07T16:08:00.001-08:00
Today we had a day off from our usual routine, we finally went to the MHES homeschooling group meeting, which was nice, got to meet Oum Anas at last from Bizzi home educate, and some other really nice sisters Masha'Allaah.

We had a chat and some tea and biscuits, and then the kids tried some knitting, Dd(9) done well Masha'Allaah, she has tried before, and I did try to help her out then, just about remembering what my Gran had taught me going back about 20yrs! I was proud of her Masha'Allaah for sticking with it, and not giving up, even though I think she found it a bit difficult to start with.

Dd(6) started to make a pom-pom, and then I was determined to finish it when she got tired of winding the wool around, but unfortunately time run out before we could complete it, so will try and get some wool soon insha Allaah, can't wait to see how it turns out :D

Myself and Umm M took a trip to a couple of charity shops afterwards, my feet were absolutely freezing!! I so need some warm boots right now! , we picked up a few books, namely:

Hairy Maclary's Bone

This is the bear

Directions 1- Reading skills

Hello? Is anybody there?

Questions kids ask, about animals

Simple stencilling

The books were all 10p each, a bargain!

I was glad to get home finally, and put on a dry pair of socks! I do love the snow, but it aint half cold right now, and slippery!

Umm M, my dear friend, May Allaah give you relief from your aches and pains, and make you well enough to come tomorrow, insha Allaah, ameen, we're planning to visit a few more charity shops outside the area, no we're not addicts, lol, we're after educational bargains!!! Let's hope we find some :D

Cambridge University offers place to 14-year-old

2010-01-07T12:52:00.000-08:00
A 14-year-old maths prodigy is on the verge of breaking a 237-year-old record by becoming the youngest Cambridge University undergraduate since William Pitt the Younger.

Arran Fernandez, from Surrey, has been offered a conditional place at Fitzwilliam College after passing the university's entrance exams.

The teenager, who has sat his maths and further maths A-levels, now needs only to pass physics A-level. "Maths has been my favourite subject for as long as I can remember," said Arran, who was educated at home.

"I enjoy being home-schooled because I'm more involved. I can see the mark schemes and help my dad decide the curriculum."

He first made headlines in 2001 when, aged five, he gained the highest grade in the foundation maths paper. He went on to sit the intermediate GCSE paper and gained A* in the advanced level paper in 2003. Arran who has now decided he wants to be a research mathematician and says his ambition is to find a solution to the Riemann hypothesis – the unsolved theory about the patterns of prime numbers that has baffled mathematicians for 150 years.

Read More

Diana Johnson announces a new support package for home educating families

2010-01-07T09:18:00.000-08:00
Schools Minister Diana Johnson has today announced better access to qualifications and more support for home educated children with special educational needs (SEN), signalling the start of a new relationship between local authorities and families who choose to educate at home. The commitment comes as Children's Secretary Ed Balls today sent the Government’s full response to Graham Badman’s Review of Elective Home Education to the Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee. The response sets out a new support package for home educated children, which includes better access to GCSEs, vocational qualifications and further education. The proposed changes to monitoring arrangements will also make sure that the right checks and balances are in place so all children receive a suitable education, in a safe environment.Key features of the new support package include:

more flexible access to public examinations and exam centres for home educated children, so their parents no longer have to rely on ad hoc arrangements with schools or colleges that can be a long way from home

more tailored support for home educated children with special educational needs

better support for home educated young people who want to go to college
improved access to music lessons, school libraries, work experience, sports and other specialist facilities in schools and colleges

a commitment from the Government to look at arrangements for flexi-schooling, so that home educated children can have the option to attend school on a part-time basis.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools Diana Johnson said:

"The vast majority of home educating parents offer their children a good education, and the support we have outlined today will help them and their children. It is right that home educated children should have access to things like school libraries, sports facilities and music lessons and also have more tailored support for special educational needs.

"We’ve always been clear that parents have the right to educate their children at home. There are no plans to change this, and we understand parents choose to home educate for a number of different reasons.

"But we know there are a small number of cases where local authorities have concerns for the safety of home educated children. The Government has a responsibility to make sure that the safety - and rights - of vulnerable children are protected, which is why we are looking at how we can put in place better checks and balances, so we can be confident every child is safe and learning."

Chief Executive of National Children's Bureau Sir Paul Ennals said:
“Home educated children with special educational needs have long needed better support. I warmly welcome the measures announced today to improve the support available to these children".

Today’s response reiterates the Government’s support for statutory arrangements for the registration and monitoring of home education, so that all children are kept safe and receive a good education. The proposals are currently the subject of a public consultation, which closes on 19 October.

Graham Badman has today also written to the Select Committee setting out the results from a snapshot survey of local authorities, which received 74 responses.

Graham Badman said:

“I am pleased that the Secretary of State has accepted my review in full and will provide the resources needed to support home educators to do their job in the best possible way.

“The package as a whole will give home educated children far greater access to FE colleges, exam centres, school facilities and wider educational opportunities, while ensuring that they are prepared for life in the wider community as adults. Local authorities say that most home education is good, but they need stronger powers to deal with cases where it is poor and to step in if they have concerns for a child’s safety. I am glad that the Government is consulting on arrangements to make sure that all home educated children have access to a good and safe education.”

The response also outlines that more work will be done to clarify what is ‘suitable and effective’ home education to support new guidance to local authorities on supporting and monitoring home educators. This will emphasise how local authorities can work with home educating parents to make sure that the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs, can be met in the home environment where appropriate.

The guidance will take account of findings from the Lamb Inquiry, to be published later this year.

For more information and to access the documents, go to the Independent review of elective home education page and read the full DCSF press notice.

The Complete Writer, Susan Wise Bauer

2010-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00
I've just discovered another book written by the Co-Author of 'The Well Trained Mind', Susan Wise Bauer, it's called 'The Complete Writer: Writing with ease'. Here on Amazon you can take a sneak look at some of the book, as with the WTM and First Language Lessons, I am again impressed with what I have read, and have already placed my order, this will become our writing curriculum for 2010 and beyond insha Allaah.

Even blogs need pampering.......

2010-01-02T17:48:00.000-08:00
Ok, so I think I'm finally done with making over the blog, alhamdulillaah. I've been back and fore correcting this and that with the html, but I'm really learning Masha'Allaah !, it's amazing the things you can find online.

I have to give credit to Kevin & Amanda, and Shabby Blogs, they have amazing sites and everything is free! Masha'Allaah.

Would love to hear some feedback on the final look :D

Making changes for 2010

2010-01-02T09:25:00.001-08:00
I'm just trying to make some changes at the moment, so if the blog looks a bit plain it's because it's in the process of having a bit of a make-over.

Looking back at 2009

2010-01-01T14:38:00.000-08:00
Alhamdulillaah 2010 has begun, insha Allaah it will be a good year for all, a clean slate, a time to start fresh, break bad habits and replace them with good ones, I hope 2010 will be a year wherein I can maintain consistency in so many areas in my life which it is now lacking.

Looking back at 2009, many things have happened, some good some not so good, but alhamdulillaah it has been a pretty good year, I can't really complain.

From the One-minute writer - 'In 20 words, recap 2009'

So here's mine :

Happy, Sad, Laughter, Photography, Creative, Tears, Friendship, Weakness, Hopeful, Lovely clean bedroom, Found real dad, Homeschooling, achievement, Independence, Stress, Babies.

And

'In 10 words, write about your hopes for 2010.'

Consistency, Happiness, Love, Content, Good Health, Success, High Eemaan, Striving.

Insha Allaaah (God Willing)

I would also like to add a personal note to some special friends of mine, who I love dearly, you know who you are :)..............Thankyou for being there, I love you all for the sake of Allaah, I am blessed to have such good friends in my life, whether I stay close or move far, you will always be in my heart, and will not be forgotten. Thankyou for the laughs you've given me, and the times you've listened to me moan, astaghfirullaah, I love you all very much, mwaaaaah !!!! (sob sob )

Check out CurrClick's freebie pages!!!

2009-12-11T17:03:00.000-08:00
If you haven't come across CurrClick before, then I would definitely recommend you go take a look. They have so many resources covering all academic topics, which you do have to pay for, although I don't find it expensive.

PLUS they also have a freebies section which Masha'Allaah is very impressive, there's about 5 pages full right now, this evening I've purchased a cursive handwriting course E-book from them and an Aesop's fables Copywork book, plus from their freebies pages, I've downloaded a few resources, such as : Amphibians Unit study, Journal Junction: signs of spring, TBB calendar card kit, and a few others.

These are all sitting on my desktop now, waiting to be used, can't wait insha Allaah ! :D

Home Educators in record petition to MPs, and some thoughts from me :)

2009-12-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8404635.stm

The law is that children should receive a "suitable education" for their age and aptitudeMore than 70 MPs have handed in petitions from opponents of plans for the compulsory registration of families who educate their children at home.

Commons petitions from more than 120 constituencies were presented - a record on one subject in one day.

They call on England's ministers not to go ahead with plans for a register or with proposals for council officials to be given new powers to enter homes.

Ministers say the reforms will check children are "safe and learning".

The plans came from a review into home education carried out by Graham Badman, which reported in June.Kent's former head of education had been asked to check if local authorities were monitoring and supporting home educating families properly.

As part of this, he also looked at whether home education could be a cover for abuse.

'Harass families'

The presentation was led by Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart.The petition for his constituency said:

"Petitioners believe the recommendations are based on a review that was extremely rushed, failed to give due consideration to the evidence, failed to ensure that the data it collected were sufficiently robust, and failed to take proper account of the existing legislative framework".

It went on to say the proposals should be withdrawn and instead steps should be taken to make sure local authorities were following existing guidelines on home education.Our reforms are looking at how we can put in place better checks and balances, so we can be confident every child is safe and learning.
Diana Johnson, Schools Minister.

In a statement on his website, Mr Stuart said: "These petitions show the extent of opposition across the country to proposals which will give local authorities the power to harass families who educate their children at home, even when there is no suspicion they have done anything wrong."

On the basis of a rushed study and flimsy evidence, the government is proposing to spend tens of millions of pounds going into the homes of home-educating families and subjecting them to inspections and a licensing regime."

Schools Minister Diana Johnson said:

"We fully support the right of parents to educate their children at home, that is why, as part of our response to Graham Badman's review, we are providing more support to those parents who choose to do so."

''Children who are home educated will have better access to things like school libraries, sports facilities and music lessons and we will also provide more tailored support for children with special educational needs"

''Our reforms are looking at how we can put in place better checks and balances, so we can be confident every child is safe and learning."

What Schools Minister, Diana Johnson said at the end of this article, I found very positive, I myself am not against the Education Authorities making it compulsory for all home educators to register, as I think it is something which needs to be done, because unfortunately not everyone who keeps their children at home are genuinely home educating them, there are always cases of child abuse coming up, and if this is something that needs to be done in order to make sure children are genuinely be educated and looked after then so be it.

I hope though that we will get the support we need, and not be looked down upon or criticised, and that there will be more facilities available for those who are home educating, insha Allaah.

I may be close to having a visit from the LEA, my daughters go to a school in the afternoon where they learn Qur'an/arabic/Maths/English and Science, and today the LEA turned up unexpectedly, they questioned my youngest daughter, now the teacher has said I need to fill some kind of form in, presumably for the LEA.

I can feel myself panicking already, and the stress is slowly building, I keep asking myself 'why all the panic?' for me, I'm worrying because my one daughter is very behind, last year didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and I'm just worrying that they're going to refuse my application of home educating, especially my eldest.

Is this what happens? could they just insist I put them in school, or would they give me time to come up to what they would call 'standard' ?

In some ways I'm also looking forward to having contact with them, if they do contact me that is, not to always have that worry, and just to keep me on my toes more insha Allaah.

Anyway will keep you updated insha Allaah.

Our new spelling programme

2009-12-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited!!........I've chosen a spelling programme which I think will be really good for the girls insha Allaah, I have read about it briefly before but never really looked into it, you can take a look at a sample page here of book 1, which can either be bought through post or as an E-book. The name of the programme is Sequential Spelling, and does not follow the traditional way of learning to spell, but rather helps the student to identify the different spelling patterns in words, it is a 7 level programme, and works from easy words up to the more advanced.

I was very impressed when I had a look at the sample pages, it is very different to how spelling is normally taught, and looks far more easier. I will let you know how they get on with it insha Allaah.

I've provided some links below to more info about this programme.

FAQ'S

What makes Sequential Spelling different?

Plus here is a blog article I found through another blog, written by a home school mum who uses this programme.

Animal Classification display posters

2009-12-09T07:26:00.000-08:00
I was mentioning yesterday my plan to introduce Animal Classification to the girls, I did start with T(6) today, she's just working through her lapbook at the moment. I was looking for some printable posters to put up on the wall, really hoping I would find some free ones, but unfortunately I didn't, but I did find some which I purchased for £2, which wasn't bad. There's 9 colourful posters, and the descriptions for each group are very clear alhamdulillaah.

Insha Allaah, will laminate them and pop them up on the wall later.
If you follow the link, you'll find the posters are the twelfth ones down.

Dealing with an injured finger!

2009-12-08T16:14:00.000-08:00
Before I go off to bed, I thought I'd do a quick blog update, Yesterday T(6) jammed her finger in the door, so we didn't get off to a good start at all, Qadr Allaah, at first I thought her nail was half off, so I started panicking, it was horrible, but once I was able to look at it, I realised it was the skin on the finger that had been pushed forward, not very nice to look at, but I'm glad the nail was fine alhamdulillaah. T was a bit shocked, love her, she didn't want to look at it first of all, but she eventually calmed down. She's had it checked by a doctor and they said it should be fine insha Allaah, but did suggest we may want to take her to A&E if we suspect there's any problems with movement etc... so as you can guess, there's wasn't much homeschooling going on here yesterday!

Today, we've mainly been working on Maths and English, T(6) who is feeling a lot better alhamdulillaah is doing well with her reading Masha'Allaah, we're still working through the Reading Reflex, today she worked on the sound 'th' , Masha'Allaah it went well, we also read book 3A, from the synthetic phonics series. Alhamdulillaah T is able to read many of the sight words in the books so far, especially as they repeat often.

T also did a bit of cursive writing practice, and Masha'Allaah she's not too bad at it, I was impressed, Just need lot's of practice insha Allaah. She also did a bit of Maths from her workbook, counting money, and then went on some of the Science clips and activities on the BBC, she had fun alhamdulillaah.

K(9) did some work on vowels and consonants today from her workbook, some Maths, and Masha'Allaah she is progressing, as I mentioned before she is quite far behind for her age, but I'm pleased with how she's now starting to get a bit more comfortable with working with bigger numbers, even myself, I'm learning all over again! that's definitely one of the many beauties of homeschooling, we can re-educate ourselves at the same time :)

That's about all we did today, K went to Madrassah in the afternoon, she has also started doing Maths and English there now, so I'm hoping that will give her the extra help she needs insha Allaah. I kept T home today, so I did work with her in the afternoon, as she was at the Doctors in the morning.

Insha Allaah I plan to introduce animal classification with the girls tomorrow, I've printed the lapbook resources off from Homeschool Share , also I purchased a downloadable unit studies pack which looks quite good, you can view some preview pages here.

So will looking forward to starting that with them tomorrow insha Allaah.

Thanks for reading :D

Yearly plans for Science

2009-12-07T11:32:00.000-08:00
For those looking for a spine for teaching Science, I came across these yearly plans and thought they may be useful,

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Home Educators and The Truancy Act

2009-12-05T15:47:00.000-08:00
Another article from IHSAN

Another LEA experience.

2009-12-05T15:38:00.001-08:00
Here's another encounter with the LEA from the same website, a more positive experience from the start alhamdulillaah, it does make you feel better when you hear these stories, it also makes me feel more encouraged to register with them, and if I was to do so, the reason would mainly be to keep me on my toes a bit more, insha Allaah.

One parent's experience with the LEA.

2009-12-05T15:21:00.001-08:00
Masha'Allaah I found an interesting article on the IHSAN website, regarding the LEA, it is one sister's experience with them.

I myself, have not registered with them as yet, although I have been thinking lately whether to do so or not. A few experiences I read about before plus this one kind of made me feel a bit negative towards involving them, but I have heard a couple of positive stories at the same time, so you just don't know until it's your turn I suppose.

All I can do is try my best with my kids to give them the best education I possibly can.

Timez Attack - free download

2009-11-30T16:10:00.000-08:00
Just dropping a quick link, it's for a free game called Timez Attack, which teaches multiplication facts. I remember coming across it before, but don't recall seeing a free version, mine's downloading now :)

Feeling a lil down....

2009-11-23T12:32:00.000-08:00
My apologies to anyone who's at all interested in my blog, for my inconsistent posts, as I have said before I am a procrastinator, there's no doubt about that! sometimes my mind is just simply not in blogging mode, or I intend to do it, but I put it off and off, until a whole month or so has gone by, one of my bad points I'm afraid.

Alhamdulillaah though, our homeschooling is going well, We're trying to fit in what we can in the morning, as the girls attend madrasah 2-7, masha'Allaah they're really progressing now, Allaahumma baarak feehim (May Allaah bless them in it, ameen.)I think we need to be starting earlier in the morning in order to get it all in, this I have to work on insha Allaah.

Doing my best to help K(9) to catch up in her Maths, it's becoming a bit overwhelming at times because there's so much I feel she should have memorised or know how to do by now, like with the times tables, skip counting etc.... I'm trying to keep her focused on one thing at a time, and myself!, but I do feel we need to put alot of effort into this area insha Allaah.

We've just re-started using the Reading Reflex, T(6) is on the advanced code section now, Masha'Allaah, before starting back with this, we've mainly being using the synthetic phonics books by Ruth Miskin, I may have mentioned them before, these are great Masha'Allaah.

Well, 'Eid is on Friday insha Allaah, we're looking forward to it, not sure what we're going to do yet, will attend the 'Eid salaah in the morning, I missed the last one subhanAllaah. I bought the girls their dresses today in Asda, they're so lush Masha'Allaah, I wouldn't mind one in my size :) Will just be on the lookout now for the boys insha Allaah.

Right now, I'm feeling a lil bit down, our lovely cat Madinah recently brought home some fleas :( I've used a few products from the Bob Martin range but the problem's still there, and actually seems to have worsened, I've now started using Front line on him, which is supposed to be the best one, and rather expensive too :( the pet industry is booming, subhanAllaah, anyone who has a pet will probably agree that it's not cheap when it comes to veterinary care, food etc... but he's worth it though... well, anyway back to the fleas.... I've now found them in my room, and it's that, that's mainly the cause of me feeling so down, when you retire to your bedroom at night , you want to feel relaxed, and you don't want to be worrying about a flea jumping on you, the other night when I discovered I had some in there, it was about 3 in the morning, and well.... you could say I was flea hunting, I must have picked about 6 or more of the critters off my bed, eventually I slid under the blanket, trying to guard my face from any that may have wanted to attack me, and finally fell asleep, who'd have thought something so tiny could make us big people feel so intimidated.

Insha Allah they'll be gone soon, I hope! the whole house needs treating, room by room, which is going to take time, it needs de-cluttering too! but insha Allaah we'll get there in the end.

2009-11-22T16:00:00.001-08:00
width='584'
height='300'>

The coming week......

2009-10-25T15:30:00.000-07:00
I've been planning a few things I'm going to do with the girls this week insha Allaah, with K I will be re-introducing money for Maths, I don't feel she's competent enough for her age in this area, and it's been a while since I first did the lessons with her, so we will go over it again insha Allaah, with T, she will be learning about solid shapes. This evening I printed out some flashcards and worksheets to accompany the lessons, as well as some colourful posters to put up on the wall.

We're also gonna work a little more on nouns, just so I know K completely understands it all, we are working through 'first language lessons' by Jessie Wise, Co-author of 'The Well Trained Mind' and so I've just printed out a few worksheets for a bit extra practice, I also intend to introduce verbs with her, we were talking about them last night, and she caught on real quick masha'Allaah, so insha Allaah we won't have to stay on that for too long.

With T we will pick up where we left off in the 'Reading Reflex', and for both I want to continue doing daily narration work, using 'Aesop's fables' insha Allaah.

I posted a link to a poem on the parts of speech last night, well here it is, we have it up on our wall, ready to be memorised, insha Allaah it'll be a help.

And with Autumn upon us now, I would love to start a wall display, 'sparkle box' have some nice pictures and other resources on this season which would come in very handy for this.

Going back to Ramadhan, we did do a display, but unfortunately it never got finished, but I was happy that we had it half finished, rather than not done at all, insha Allaah I will take a few pics and post them before we take it down for the next one :)

A fresh start....

2009-10-24T16:23:00.000-07:00
After quite a long break away from my blog, I return once again! I do apologise for not being consistent with the updates, I will try my best, insha Allaah.

We are now getting back into our homeschooling, we are kind of late, it was supposed to be September, but better late than never :) We're just starting off mainly with Maths and English, and I intend to start re-introducing the other subjects over the next couple of weeks insha Allaah. Throughout the Summer holidays I had wanted to plan for the coming year, something I had not done before, but after being away for half of the holidays, my plans went down the drain, but Qadr Allaah, I will do what I can.

I do want this year to be better than last year insha Allaah, I have said this before, and I'm sure I've said it many many times since then, it starts with me.......with planning, consistency etc... So far I feel a bit of a failure with the homeschooling, I know I need to do better and be more on top of things, my children rely on me for this, amongst other things.

This year is a fresh start for us, a time to make some positive changes and improvement insha Allaah. I want to help K(8)tch up with her Maths, hopefully before the end of the year, this is one of my goals, and also to have T(5)ading fluently, we haven't used Reading Reflex for a while, instead we were using the synthetic phonics series by Ruth Miskin, and just working through the books, which each have a few stories in them, alhamdulillah she enjoys these, I will re-start reading reflex, and continue to use these alongside for extra practice insha Allaah.

I also recently signed up to the smart kiddies website, the kids find it useful for Maths, majority of the lessons will start off with a tutor teaching the concept, and then will follow with some online practice activities, and assesment, they can also earn points through playing Math games, and earn certificates, I printed some off tonight and will award it to them tomorrow insha Allaah, K has seen hers and was so happy, insha Allaah I'll laminate them and they can stick them up on the wall.

Tonight I found a realy useful poem for teaching the parts of speech, insha Allaah I will have mine memorise this, and also make sure that they understand it too.

Thanks for reading :D

Islamic Copywork

2009-08-31T17:25:00.000-07:00
Tonight I came across a great site, called Islamic Copywork, I printed quite a few things off, I especially liked the 'Obedience to parents' sheets, which quotes ayats from the Qur'an emphasising the importance of obeying the parents, which the child has to copy.

Animal school

2009-08-30T16:13:00.000-07:00
Take a look at this touching, thought provoking movie from raising small souls.com, it actually made me feel a tad bit emotional. There is music playing, so you can just turn it down if you wish insha Allaah.

Ramadan memory game link

2009-08-30T07:24:00.000-07:00
I just found a great resource for use in Ramadan over at UmAbdul Basir's blog, it's a ramadan memory game, you can print it out in B&W or colour, your choice. I've just printed mine out now on to cardstock, and waiting for Dd8 to colour them in, and then we can laminate them insha Allaah.
You'll find many more ideas for ramadan in the sister's blog I just mentioned, may Allaah reward her for her efforts and sharing these great resources with us, ameen!

What's happening with us?

2009-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00
Assalamu 'alaykum and Hi!

Well, it sure has been a while since I've posted any proper updates, I can't believe I've left it this long, my apologies for anyone who's at all interested in my blog.

BTW......Ramadan Mubaarak!!! May Allaah accept our fasting and good deeds, ameen.

We haven't done alot over the summer holidays, we did go away to Wales to see the family for two weeks, and then to London for another week, it was nice to have a break away for a bit alhamdulillaah.

We're currently in the process of putting up a Ramadan display on our classroom wall, insha Allaah we'll have it done before it ends !! ;) For some great ideas for things to do with the kids in this blessed month, and yourself, check out TJ Ramadan

I'm also busy at the moment planning for the new school year, Dd5 will be coming up to Yr1 and Dd8 yr 4, I'm still trying to follow the suggestions in The Well Trained Mind, as well as taking little bites from the Charlotte Mason method. I'm really hoping this year will be alot more productive and consistent, as I have struggled a bit to keep things flowing nicely, insha Allaah this year will be better.

Apologies

2009-08-13T16:18:00.000-07:00
I'm sorry for not posting any updates for a while, I've just been busy with life in general, been away recently also to see family. I really do want to start posting again on my blogs, but I feel my life and home needs some organising first, so I can start to think a bit more clearly insha Allaah (God Willing).

So no, I haven't disowned my blogs ;) feel quite sad they've been a bit neglected, but insha Allaah will start posting again soon. x

Major Accomplishment!

2009-04-18T09:25:00.000-07:00
Apparently Dd(5) doesn't need me to teach her anymore......

''I don't need to be homeschooled any more.....I already know how to do school'' she said,

I think that should be world news and wow I must have done a great job! hehe

Back on the blogosphere!

2009-04-16T02:47:00.001-07:00
Assalamu 'alaykum,

I haven't updated the blog recently as I went away to my mum's in Wales, had a nice break alhamdulillaah, I think I needed it. Just trying to settle back into life in Brum now, and get back into my normal routine insha Allaah. So watch this space!

Toe Funny!

2009-04-02T09:27:00.000-07:00
''How come my toes can breathe underwater for a long time?''

My 6yr old questioned while laying in the bath,

Lol was my only response, and ' I'm going to put that on my blog!'

Time saving tips, free ebook

2009-04-02T01:24:00.000-07:00
Another useful resource on homeschool freebie today - '77 time saving tips for busy parents and families'

Description of the ebook - A great collection of simple, practical to-the-point time-saving tips that you can put to use instantly, covering not only general principles of managing your time, but also specific household, kitchen, business, computer, shopping, and family ideas that can save you time and energy.

Freebie will soon expire.

Have a giggle at these...

2009-04-01T05:35:00.000-07:00
"I'm glad I'm finally eight. This is the oldest I've ever been in my entire life!" -- 8 year old son.

"Why don't you get some expensive money?" -- 3 year old daughter, when told by her mother that she could get a small toy but that the ones asked for were too expensive

"I have a rock in my nose." -- 2 year old son, greeting his mother after preschool, a full hour after recess was over.

"Tell me when you're asleep, ok?" -- 7 year old son, overheard talking to his 5 year old brother.

"Don't kid me, Mom, I know they're my feet." -- 3 year old son, when his mother told him his shoes were on the wrong feet

"How do you put make up on your mind?" -- Girl, when told she should make up her mind.

Source

Time management for homeschool mums - Free-ebook!

2009-03-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I'm not all that great with my time management, some days I'm on top of everything, the day's plan is going great, place is clean, kids in bed on time, you name it, but then come another day, everything is a shambles, the place is a mess, don't have time to fit all our lessons in, kids in bed late.... you get the picture right? I'm constantly up and down with my time management, so when I checked on homeschool freebie today, I was delighted to see that they're giving away a great resource to help with this, check out the description below -

Finding Time To Do It All: Homeschool Moms Share their Time Management Woes and Solutions (PDF ebook) - In today’s resource, we went right to the source and surveyed over 400 homeschool moms to discover what Time Management concerns, secrets and suggestions they might offer if they could share their experiences with other families. The “real life” insights, frustrations, tips, and ideas that they share here address the unique time management issues that homeschool families face. Discover what Time Management solutions have worked for others, and apply them to your own household!

Click here to download today’s resource!

Note - The free resources on homeschool freebie are normally only available for 1 day, sometimes longer.

Green thumb family toolkit

2009-03-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is crazy, we know… but sometimes that’s the way we do thing around here.

With garden season right around the corner… and the economy being the big scary mess it is… we just decided (literally on the spur of the moment) to offer our huge Green Thumb Family “Toolkit” at a jaw dropping discount you’re not gonna believe.

19 wonderful resources designed to encourage and inspire your family to learn together, work together and grow together in the great outdoors… all Spring and Summer long!

And it’s… how much?

Click here to check out the Green Thumb Family Toolkit… and prepare to be amazed!

I just went ahead and purchased this, I personally think it's great value, and seen as we've recently started doing a bit of gardening of our own, thought it'd be a great resource to have.

btw, I am not an affiliate for homeschool freebie, I will not get anything back from this, Just wanted to share with whoever may read my blog.

Note - Resource will soon expire.

Inspiring Quote

2009-03-25T04:47:00.001-07:00
This morning I came across this beautiful quote by Og Mandino, I found it really inspiring and motivating, I think I'm gonna print it out and pin it up on my wall! insha Allaah.

“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” Og Mandino.

Tuesday's update

2009-03-24T16:27:00.000-07:00
I know, haven't posted any of our 'learning' updates for a while, afwan, blogging seemed the last of my priorities lately, but I have missed it, insha Allaah I'll get back on track.

Well we started off our day a little bit later than I wanted to today, but alhamdulillaah it was still early.

We got started on our morning adkhaar, masha'Allaah the girls are starting to remember many of them now.

Dd(8) got her qaa'idah out, she's now learning the long vowel 'a' , progress could be alot faster if we spent more time on it insha Allaah, would like to start doing an extra lesson in the afternoon insha Allaah.

Dd(5) still working on the small letters, just going over it each time until she can recognise each letter well, she's getting there Allaahumma baarak feeha.

As I wasn't able to get most of the planning done for this week over the weekend, except really for maths, today was a bit unstructured, but actually seemed to get quite a bit fitted in, I chose some things randomly, and to tell you the truth I kinda enjoyed it, but I do still like to have some structure, but it made a change.

I signed Dd(5) up for Whizz Maths, Dd(8) is also doing it, masha'Allaah after doing her assesment, it showed that her maths age is 6.31, Allaahumma baarak feeha, I was very impressed, alhamdulillaah, I'm hoping insha Allaah this programme will benefit both of them, I have seen progress with my other daughter also, masha'Allaah, but we haven't been using it consistently, would like to try and schedule 3-4 days for them to go on and do a couple of lessons insha Allaah.

So today, Dd(5) did a lesson on place value (on whizz) and measures, I could see she was getting a bit frustrated with the programme, as there's so many questions, and sometimes she just wasn't getting it, but she was determined to keep going, I think probably because she knows that they give you points for each lesson and test, and then the child can go spend it in the online virtual shop, she really wants to buy a pet! lol.

She also did some pattern worksheets, we've done a few lessons on this topic, alhamdulillah all has gone well.

played a few learning games online, some memory games, watched little bit of adem and the ants (what a name ey?! lol) on bbc, it's kinda like a maths cartoon, first sounds game (also on bbc).

We did some sight words practice, masha'Allaah she knew quite a few of them, plan on doing a little bit of these each day insha Allaah, probably just about 5 minutes, as at this age they tend to lose focus easily, and don't want to be burning her out now! insha Allaah.

" Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. "-- Roger Lewin

I probably did less with Dd(8) today, I think mainly because I had to spend alot of time sitting at the computer with Dd(5) doing her assesment, I couldn't leave her do it by herself as not everything on there is voiced out.

She did also go on Whizz, she worked on doubling, which I think she got,alhamdulillaah, when she came out of school back last year, her teacher told me she was having trouble understanding doubling and halving, so I'm glad it came up now, she also did place value,seasons.

Did some workbook exercises for Maths, she worked out a few money problems, and did subtraction.

I copied some worksheets from a couple of her english books for her to do, one was 'simple sentences' which focused on capital letters and full stops, also 'letters and words, the 'ow' sound'

Science - Just a bit of reading and a worksheet on the topic 'growing up' looking at the stages of life etc...

I know it doesn't look alot, but at the moment really trying to work on my consistency, last week we did 'school' each day alhamdulillaah, and so today I felt this was better than nothing, insha Allaah, at least they'll learn something, I don't really want to be dishing out worksheet after worksheet, but it's made me realise that when I need to get busy with something, for example the cooking, attending to the baby, my eldest daughter at least can be sitting down with a workbook, instead of wasting time, I like to see them more as a backup, but i think they are great for subjects such as english/maths.
" Teaching does not make learning --- organized education operates on the assumption that children learn only when and only what and only because we teach them. This is not true. It is very close to 100% false. Learners make learning. "-- Education Reformer John Holt

Free poetry e-book

2009-03-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Don’t Forget the Poetry by Amy Ringger (PDF ebook) — This brief but activity-filled unit study on poetry will get you excited about studying poetry with your kids this coming year. This little gem was written to put the tools in your hands to immediately be able to bring poetry to life for your children!
* Learn how poetry opens the door to improving your grammar and spelling skills.
* See examples of poems in different forms that her family has written (that you can emulate) to show you that anyone can write poetry.
* Learn how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your kids’ own imagination and writing skills by creating their own poems.
* Follow Amy’s helpful tips and instructions for compiling your own book of poetry favorites using blank books.
* Also included: Amy’s own “gold nugget” resource guide to favorite family-friendly poets and poetry books, to ensure you get started with some wonderful poetry your kids will love.
This short little guide will help you put together a concise, “hands on” unit study that — accompanied by a trip to your local library — will give you all you need to conduct an entertaining, educational and memorable study of poetry. It does NOT require a lot of preparation on your part to implement. You can read through it and map out your study plan in about an hour.
To download this freebie, click here!

(offer will soon expire)

The importance of friendship

2009-03-14T17:00:00.000-07:00
Did you have a best friend when you were a child? well, I'm sure most of us did, my bestest friend before high school was a girl called Heidi, she lived next door but one, we would have sleepovers and all sorts, we had some good times.

Well, now it's nice to see my eldest daughter who is 8 becoming rather fond of a close friends daughter, Masha'Allaah. Up until recently she always preferred playing with the boys, before we left Cardiff her best friend was Abdul-Hakim, and she just found boys more exciting than the girls, more energetic like her masha'Allaah.

But now, as you can probably understand, I'd prefer her to develop friendships more with girls around her age, she's growing up masha'Allaah, and I think it's important that she can have friends who are being raised in the same way she is, learning the morals and manners she is insha Allaah.

Companionship is very important for us as adults, and who we choose to keep as our companion, and likewise for our children too. We want them to be influenced in a positive way, and feel proud of their islamic identity insha Allaah.

So tonight my daughter wrote out a beautiful poem from one of her books for her friend, and on Thursday she gave her a gift of a book she had copied out herself, which took a bit of time to complete. Alhamdulillaah, it's nice to see children eager to give one another gifts, and to feel the joy out of 'giving' not just when 'recieving'.

The water cycle

2009-03-14T05:31:00.000-07:00
Every two weeks we go to Umm Faatimah's, who also homeschools her children, we take it in turns to plan the lesson, this time it was her turn.

The topic was the water cycle, Masha'Allaah, everything was planned really well, may Allaah reward the sister ameen. The lesson started with a brief talk, and then the kids watched a short video clip, showing how it actually rains, the kids enjoyed it masha'Allaah.

Then we had a little demonstration using the kettle and a cold spoon, to show how when it boils, the steam rises up, and created tiny droplets of water on the underside of the spoon, this helped them to understand the water cycle a bit more.

The kids then had an acitivity to do, I didn't event think to take pictures until this point, hence the reason there's only a couple here of the finished job.

I think we all learnt a thing or two that day! alhamdulillaah.

Simple Ways To Make Babies Smarter

2009-03-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Parents.com

*Make eye contact. Take advantage of those brief moments when your newborn's eyes are open and look right into them. Infants recognize faces early on -- and yours is the most important!

*Each time he stares at you, he's building his memory.
*Stick out your tongue. Studies show that newborns as young as 2 days old can imitate simple
facial movements -- it's a sign of very early problem solving.

*Let him reflect. Have your baby stare at himself in the mirror. At first, he may think he's just eyeing another cute kid, but he'll love making the "other" baby wave his arms and smile.
*Make a difference. Hold up two pictures about 8 to 12 inches away from your baby's face. They should be similar but have one small difference (perhaps a tree is in one but not the other). Even a young infant will look back and forth and figure out the distinguishing features, which sets the stage for letter recognition and reading later on.

*Chat Her Up, Make Her Laugh, Blab away. All you may get is a blank look, but leave short pauses where your baby would speak. Soon she'll catch on to the rhythm of conversation and start filling in the blanks.
*Go gaga. Your baby really tunes in to your silly cooing and high-pitched baby talk.

*Clue him in. When you announce, "I'm going to turn on the light now" before flipping the switch, you're teaching cause and effect.
*Tickle her toes. In fact, tickle her all over. Laughter is the first step in developing a sense of humor. And playing games teaches your child to anticipate events.

*Be a funny face. Puff up your cheeks, and have your toddler touch your nose. When she does, poof! Have her pull your ear, and then stick out your tongue. Make a funny noise when she pats your head. Keep to the same routine three or four times, then change the rules to keep her guessing

Free islamic resources

2009-03-08T08:53:00.000-07:00
Assalamu 'alaykum,

Masha'Allaah I just took a visit to the lifetime learning blog, and found a link to a great site in which you can download free du'a posters, and which I'm sure will make for a good colourful display on your classroom wall, insha Allaah. The sister also had a link to the freezone section on the Ad-Duha website, where you can find e-books written specifically for muslim children, and are fully illustrated but contain no images of humans/animals.

THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD QUR-AAN

2009-03-07T17:34:00.000-08:00
I was just forwarded this in my email, thought it would be a good poem for kids to memorise insha Allaah.

The word Qur-aan linguistically

When broken down methodically

Means reading or recited piece

By most of those who dare to teach

It's reached us in its purest form

From massive chains still carried on

The Arabic speech of Allah

Revealed to Ibn Abdullah

In word and meaning both preserved

In mus-haf form gone undisturbed

A standing challenge for all time

For those who claim it's just a rhyme

(source-TheFiks.Org)

This tickled me....

2009-03-05T06:29:00.000-08:00
My eldest daughter (8),

"Hoyo, these are called eyebulbs?" (pointing to her eyes)

I could not stop laughing, and she then corrected herself with the right word 'eyeballs'

Tagged:Mom of the year award

2009-03-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

Masha'Allaah I was recently given a 'mom of the year' award from homeschooling muslimah, wow! jazakillaahu khairan sis, even though I feel I'm really undeserving of this, I really appreciate your kindness.

The rules of the tag are:

1. Admit one thing you feel awful about (involving being a mom). Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. Remember you are a good mom!

2. Remind yourself that you ARE a good mom, list 7 things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you.

3. Send this to 5 other moms of the year that deserve a reminder that they are too the best moms that they can be. Remember to send them a note letting them know you have selected them, and also add a link to your post that directs people back to the person who nominated you.

*1. I feel awful that I don't do enough with my kids, like activities, crafts, taking them to the park etc...

2.

*Alhamdulillaah I'm happy that I'm trying to instill in them good mannerism, and teaching them the importance of worshipping Allaah alone.

*I love how they're sometimes so eager to please me, I may find one cleaning the bathrooom or kitchen as a suprise, masha'Allaah.

*I love seeing the look on their faces when we go somewhere special and different than usual.

*I love it when they quietly utter the words 'I love you' what mother doesnt?!

*I love seeing my girls dressed in abayah and hijab, Allaahumma baarak feehim, may Allaah always guide them, ameen.

*My kids love it when I'm a 'cool mum' lol, and act all silly and giggly with them.

*I love my kids' individual characters, Allaahumma baarak feehim.

I think that those deserving of this award are:

Oum Anas

Independant Learners

Umm Rashid

Anne Marie

The Homeschooling Ummi

Some of you may have already had the award, if so, don't worry about doing the tag again.

The week so far...

2009-02-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

So what have we been up to so far this week? well, mainly the usual subjects, alhamdulillaah the girls are coming along well,Allaahumma baarak feehim.

I'm not going to ramble on tonight, feeling rather tired, so instead have just put up various pictures of the last few days.

Dd(5)decided to do something creative today with the money, I was rather impressed masha'Allaah, she said it was a whale.

we played a couple of card games to help aid memorisation of number bonds.

Dd(7) has been working on the unit, doubling plus 1.
Reading time!

I think last time I updated properly I mentioned about no longer having a lift to school for my son, I wasn't sure what was going to happen, if I was going to homeschool him or find a way to get him there, well anyway, there is a sister living not too far away from me, who was willing to take him to school and bring him back. Morning times we do have to take a little walk to her house, which takes about 10 mins, we have to get there before 8, alhamdulillaah, so far things have run quite smoothly, I feel like crawling into bed when I get back though, it just shows how unfit I am! today we decided to take the shortcut through the park, which insha Allaah we'll probably do from now on, much nicer than walking down the main road..

A squirrel in the tree (not very clear though )

Oh, and just had to squeeze in one of my little cutie! Allaahumma baaraak feehee.

Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook - Simply Charlotte Mason

2009-02-17T16:21:00.001-08:00
Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook - Simply Charlotte Mason

Posted using ShareThis

This mess is a place!

2009-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00
We don't always do school on a Friday, and so today was one of those 'no school' days, I was feeling in the mood for giving the house a good clean, I had hopes to get the whole of the house done, and the windows outside, lol, but soon realised that just wasn't gonna happen. I had a good sort out of our classroom, put a few more things up on the wall, so it gives it more of that classroom feel, threw out 'loads' of paper, I have this habit of piling them up wherever I see an empty space, it's as if I feel the need for every side to have something on it, lol. I was happy with the end result, I couldn't bring myself to do a before and after shot, I mean it wasn't 'that' bad, or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better about the amount of clutter that was piling up, hehe!

So here you go, a little peak at our classroom, it's slowly coming along, alhamdulillaah.

The big brown cabinet you can see, was so cluttered on top, it was a proper eyesore, things balancing on top of each other, but now I just have our laminator, cd player, and printer stored on there, and one or two other things, but it looks a whole lot better to how it was masha'Allaah. Also the silver drawers had loads of paper on top, no organisation whatsoever, it's so nice to have it all clear. Let's just hope we can keep it like it insha Allaah.

I cleaned up a bit also in the front room, and then helped Dd(5) with her bedroom later on, it looked like a bomb had dropped in there, no kidding! it's been like it for weeks, because she keeps piling things up on the floor, like clothes etc.. and it's basically become too overwhelming for her to clean up now, I'd kind of given up asking her to go clean it up, cos I know she wouldn't do it all. So I decided to help her with it, and insha Allaah starting from tomorrow, they will all have to go to their rooms twice a day, 1pm and 6pm and make sure everything is back in it's place, we did start this before, but I'm not sure how it stopped. Insha Allaah, this way they will keep on top of their rooms.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I had lost my usb cable, well as you can tell by seeing the last picture, I've found it now, alhamdulillaah, it was in the cabinet amongst all the papers, lol, well, at least they're out of sight there! So I've had a few different pics I'd wanted to post of when it was snowing etc... so will add them below.

I also came across these quotes on housecleaning, hope you like them! love the first one, so to the point! haha.

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints, 1966

Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it. ~Author Unknown

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. ~Author Unknown

I'm not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on. ~Roseanne Barr

The trouble with living alone is that it's always your turn to do the dishes. ~Author Unknown

I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.... I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. ~Nancie J. Carmody

My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance. ~Author Unknown

This mess is a place! ~Author Unknown

My idea of superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors. ~Bette Midler

A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's all in the attitude - housework is exercise. Slim your way to a clean home! ~Linda Solegato

If the shelves are dusty and the pots don't shine,
it's because I have better things to do with my time.
~Author Unknown

There may be dust in my house but there isn't any on me. ~Author Unknown

Source:Quote Garden

Daily Report (well, trying to make it 'daily!' lol)

2009-02-12T15:52:00.000-08:00
We started off today a bit late in the morning, waiting for Dd(8) to wake up, and myself just dawdling, I get like that just after breakfast some mornings, but we need to start working on having an earlier start. Our average start lately has been around 10am, at least an hour earlier would give us more time insha Allaah.

We worked on usual subjects, had a good Maths lesson with Dd(8), we are working from the Singapore Maths workbooks, as I mentioned before she's a bit behind on Maths, and so I started on yr 1 book with her, some of it we just skip, anyway, today's lesson was introducing the method of counting on, I have encouraged this with her, so she was familiar with it, but I think today just reinforced it more for her, Allaahumma baarak feehaa.

With the reading reflex lessons, Dd(5) is flying through them, Allaahumma baarak feehaa, we did two today, they were easy for her masha'Allaah. Not many more lessons, and then she'll be moving on to the advanced code, where it will introduce sounds like 'ch' 'sh' 'ck' etc... I need to buy more readers for her insha Allaah, still haven't got anymore yet, I want her to be more encouraged to read insha Allaah, but hopefully as she progresses more with her reading, she will be eager to start hitting some books.

For Science, we are following the methods and suggestions in 'The Well Trained Mind' , we are working on the animal kingdom, and the second animal Dd(8) chose was 'Domestic Cats' this order was great, as we've just got a cat a couple of wks back, and it's encouraged my daughter to read the book I got from the library on taking care of cats.
So, I read from the encyclopedia a few paragraphs, then Dd(8) narrated back to me what she remembered, she did rather well, Allaahumma baarak feehaa, a tip I picked up from Karen Andreola's book 'The Charlotte Mason Companion' when doing narration, is at the beginning for starting, write down some of the important words, like dates, places, names etc... which are contained in the paragraph, chapter you are going to read to your child, and read them out to your child, mentioning that they will hear these words, and are free to use them when narrating back if they need to. I will start off doing this, but I think as they get the hang of narrating more, I may stop doing it, Allaahu a'lam.
Then, Dd(8) went and drew a picture of the cat (without the face) to accompany her narration in her folder.

Well, still haven't completed the lapbooks, hopefully by the end of the year! haha, insha Allaah they will get done soon. The kids have been talking about doing another lapbook, I told them they need to get this one done first before moving onto another one, it's my fault really, they're happy to do it, it's just getting the time on top of everything else to sit there with them and get it done, but hopefully soon insha Allaah.

Spoke to the school today, and said that Ds(6) may have to stop coming after the holidays, the brother said not to worry, something will be sorted out insha Allaah, so I will wait and see what comes up.

Decisions,Decisions!

2009-02-11T15:35:00.000-08:00
I've just looked back at my last homeschool update, and realised it was on the 18th January, I was suprised I'd left it so long. I only have a brief update, and a few thoughts I need to blog about insha Allaah.
Well, school's been going well, alhamdulillaah. Masha'Allaah we've had quite a bit of snow in the last week, so the girls did some pictures with a snow theme using cotton wool, cut out some snowflakes, we talked a little about the sense of 'touch', and the girls touched some snow and told me what it felt like, I then did a poster on it. I've taken quite alot of pictures but unfortunately I can't seem to find my usb cable to connect my phone up to the computer, insha Allaah will have another look and get them up on here.

Girls are coming along well with reading the Qaa'idah, masha'Allaah, maths is starting to become a bit more fun since we started using the '150 daily maths lessons' book for Dd(5), Dd(8) sits in on some of her lessons, and some of the extra practice has done her good, allaahumma baarak feehaa.

Both coming along well with the reading reflex lessons, masha'Allaah, it's exciting to see the progress alhamdulillaah.

well, I did say it would be a 'brief' update, it's quite late here, wasn't sure if I was gonna get the time to type anything up, I've just finished planning what we're gonna cover tomorrow, and didn't want to leave it any longer before writing something on here.

Today, the brother who picks my son up for school and brings him home, informed me that after this week he will not be able to take him anymore, due to clashes with time, as he also picks up at another school, and it takes extra time to come to this area, I was gutted when he told me, I actually felt close to crying, there are many reasons why I prefer my son to be in school, one of them being the interaction with boys his age, if he were to be homeschooled, he'd mainly be around girls (his sisters), and also my husband works away, and I feel it is important especially for my son to have a role model, someone who can set an example daily for him, and at the school, brothers teach there, and I feel this is good for him insha Allaah. He's also doing well with the Qaa'idah Allaahumma baarak feehee, I fear now that if he were to come out of school, I'm not going to be able to help him progress as quickly as he probably is now.

The options available to me right now, are probably to get the bus over there every day, with the kids and the baby, I'm not keen on taking the bus, especially with a big pram, I used to do it for a while back in Cardiff when I was pregnant, it was quite hectic somedays, often we'd have to let one or two buses go by as they would be too full, or the weather would be bad etc....
or my other option is to homeschool him also, I'm scared of taking on this extra challenge in a way, don't get me wrong, I would love to teach my son along with my girls, but when I did used to have him home before he was more interested in playing than learning, and it was just easier to teach my eldest daughter, and actually my youngest, as she would like to sit it on a lesson, and be eager to do some work, so from that lack of teaching him at that time, when he did go into school, he was very behind, and had to be put back to Reception when he should have been in Yr1. Now alhamdulillaah, he has started to catch up, with his reading etc.. but he still has got alot of catching up to do insha Allaah.

There are days also when my son and my youngest daughter go in silly moods, and often my eldest daughter will too, and no matter what I say to them, they'll keep giggling and joking around, I find it stressful when they're like this, and I wonder how many of those days would we have if I were homeschooling them together.

I feel quite confused right now about the whole situation, it's funny cos only a week or two back, I started to have thoughts about bringing my son out of school, mainly due to an increased 'bad' attitude he has had, which I feel he has picked up since starting the school, also at one point, I had been reading something about teaching our kids, and it made me feel bad in a way that I was homeschooling my daughters but not my son, and how that he's out from the home from 7.30 am until nearly 4pm each day, I'm missing out on a big part of his life, but then I started to think about the importance of him having his friends, teachers etc... and thought maybe it's the best thing for him to be there, Allaahu a'lam.

I think I need to make istikhaarah insha Allaah, and take it from there, I wondered earlier whether to start looking again for a house in the area that the school is in, so I could keep him in there, but imagine I do move, and then decide that I'd rather homeschool him? hhmmm! we're all feeling kind of settled here now alhamdulillaah, and masha'Allaah we've got a cat now, so haven't really heard any mice, that was one of the main reasons I wasn't feeling too happy here, but so far so good alhamdulillaah. Insha Allaah, intending to restart my driving lessons again soon, but not sure when, and don't know how long it would take to pass my test, so I can't rely on that.

Like I said, I will make istikhaarah, maybe speak with the school, see what they suggest. To be honest, the thought of teaching my son , does kind of appeal to me, but I'm just feeling very apprehensive, I don't want to mess his education up, and I'm just feeling a mixture of emotions right now, mainly sad, for my son, he has said that he would like to be homeschooled, but he's also said he'll miss so and so, etc... and I can kinda tell that he will miss going to the school, I want him to be settled, and don't want him in out of school, well, Allaah knows best, it's written already, so I shouldn't stress myself over it, will keep you updated.

Sorry for the essay!

15 Tips to Raising Great Children Insha Allaah.

2009-02-06T05:32:00.000-08:00
Children are easily influenced by their surroundings. These days, it is extremely difficult to expose our children to an ideal Islamic environment given the influences from media, friends and even other members of the family. With television, radio, Internet and forms of media mostly touting un-Islamic values, it is up to parents and adults close to the children to set the correct example.
It is impossible to shield our children from all the negative forces that can shape their minds and, ultimately, their behavior.
However, by our own example and showing them better options, we can set them on the true path, which is to obey the commandments of Allah (swt) and our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Here are some tips you may want to follow in helping your children grow up with Islamic values.

Start by teaching them the importance of Worshipping only Allah: The best thing any Muslim parent could ever teach their children is to emphasize, from the day they can comprehend, that Allah (swt) is One and no one is worthy of worship except Allah (swt). This is the fundamental message of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and it is our key to Paradise.

Treat them kindly: Kindness begets kindness. If we were kind to our children, they in turn would show kindness to others. Our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the best example in being kind to children.

Teach them about Muslim Heroes: help your children grow up with Islamic values of Muslim heroes. Instead of Batman or Superman, tell them about real heroes such as Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khattab, Othman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib and others. Tell them how Muslim leaders brought a real peaceful change in the world and won the hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Let children sit with adults: It is preferable for children to be among adults, especially when listening to Islamic lectures. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would often put children in the front row when he spoke to the people.

Make them feel important: Consult them in family matters. Let them feel they are important members of the family and have a part to play in the growth and well being of the family.

Go out as a family: Take family trips rather than allowing your children to always go out only with their friends. Let your children be around family and friends from whom you want them to pick up their values. Always remember that your children will become who they are around with most of the time. So, watch their company and above all give them YOUR company.

Praise them: Praise is a powerful tool with children, especially in front of others. Children feel a sense of pride when their parents' praise them and will be keen to perform other good deeds. However, praise must be limited to Islamic deeds and deeds of moral value.

Avoid humiliation: Similarly, do not humiliate them in front of others. Children make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes occur in their efforts to please the parents. If you are unhappy with your children, tell them in private.

Sports: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged sports such as swimming, running and horse riding. Other sports that build character and physical strength are also recommended, as long as the children maintain their Islamic identity, wear appropriate clothes and do not engage in unnecessary mixing.

Responsibility: Have faith in their abilities to perform tasks. Give them chores to do in line with their age. Convince them that they are performing an important function and you will find them eager to help you out again.

Don't spoil them: Children are easily spoiled. If they receive everything they ask for, they will expect you to oblige on every occasion. Be wise in what you buy for them. Avoid extravagance and unnecessary luxuries. Take them to an orphanage or poor area of your city once in a while so they can see how privileged they are.

Don't be friends: It is common in the West for parents to consider their children as friends. In Islam, it doesn't work that way. If you have ever heard how friends talk to each other, then you will know that this is not how a parent-child relationship should be. You are the parents, and they should respect you, and this is what you should be teaching them. The friendship part should be limited to you and them keeping an open dialog so they can share their concerns with you and ask you questions when they have any.

Pray with them: Involve them in acts of worship. When they are young, let them see you in act of salaah (salat). Soon, they would be trying to imitate you. Wake them up for Fajr and pray as a family. Talk to them about the rewards of salaah so that it doesn't feel like a burden to them.

Emphasize halaal: It is not always good to say "this is haraam, that is haraam". While you must educate them on haraam things, Islam is full of halaal and tell your children to thank Allah (swt) for the bounties He has bestowed on them- not just for food and clothes. Tell them to be thankful for having eyes that see, ears that hear, arms and legs and, the ultimate blessing, Islam in their hearts.

Set an example: As parents, you are the best example the children can have. If you talk to your parents rudely, expect your children to do the same to you. If you are disrespectful to others, your children will follow too. Islam is filled with Divine advice on the best ways to bring up your children. That makes it an obligation upon parents to be good Muslims so their children will try to emulate them. If you don't take Islam seriously, neither will your children. It goes back to our third point, which is to give them Islamic heroes. As a parent, you should be their number one hero.
Al Huda Institute, Canada

Note from myself - with regards to the part 'Don't be friends' I agree, that you should have a friendly relationship with your child, but within limits. Sometimes when we get too 'pally' with our kids, they can often lose some of the respect for us are 'their' parents.

Feeling panicky!

2009-02-03T16:46:00.001-08:00
I was just sat here finishing off online, when a thought just came to my mind, 'what if I don't teach my children properly, and they end up not knowing enough?!' scary thought huh? but I'm sure majority of us have had this thought cross our mind sometime or another. At the moment I really don't feel we're doing enough, and I think that's why this thought has just come at me, I need to put my mind more to the planning insha Allaah.

SubhanAllaah when you look at the big picture, our kids education and academic future insha Allaah is in our hands, it's a great responsibilty, and one that I need to be taking alot more seriously, I owe it to these kids, I can't mess it up for them insha Allaah. And it shouldn't be all about academics, their deen is so much more important, and right now to tell you the truth, we're not really doing any islamic lessons, I'm so not sure which resources to use, we started with these books, can't remember what they're called right now, but the kids just didn't seem to be that enthusiastic, and it didn't encourage me either. I have the IQRA books, and was thinking about starting them up again, I just don't have that really positive feeling about them though. I don't know why. So that's also something I need to get a move on with insha Allaah. Because each day is so very precious, we lose a day, we lose another opportunity for learning, I feel so bad for my kids right now, I don't want them to be behind, Dd(8) is with her Maths, but coming out from school last year, she was, and has progressed a bit more, since homeschooling her again, Allaahumma baarak feehaa.

Insha Allaah I will start working harder with them, doing the best I can, and at least I can say 'I tried'!

Apologies for no updates

2009-02-01T14:34:00.000-08:00
I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog for a couple of weeks, I decided to take a bit of a break (from the blog) but insha Allaah should get something up on here this week. Planning on getting the lapbooks finished off insha Allaah, the kids have been working on them now and again, but it's about time they were completed, will post up some pics when they're done insha Allaah.

Masterly Inactivity (FREE e-book) - Simply Charlotte Mason

2009-01-23T15:26:00.001-08:00
Masterly Inactivity (FREE e-book) - Simply Charlotte Mason

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Last week's update/report

2009-01-18T15:17:00.000-08:00
I've been meaning to come on and do a post before this, but been busy busy and just didn't have the time to come on and blog. So just a brief update for last week. Alhamdulillaah the week went well, we've been doing the usual subjects daily, Qaa'idah, Handwriting, Reading, Maths, we're still working on number bonds, trying to get the girls to memorise the different combinations for numbers up to 10, it's kind of a slow process though, and don't want to hold them back until they've memorised them. In the singapore maths guide, it recommends your child learning them as quickly as they can, even though some may learn it quicker than others, apparently it can be a great help as they progress with Maths, it says to give your child lots of practice with the number bonds, but you can move on and continue to have the child memorise them through the next few units. It's kind of getting a bit boring staying on the same topic, so can't wait to move on insha Allaah.

Dd(5) has been practicing some stories in the Reading Reflex book, she's coming on really well, Allaahumma baarak feehaa. But normally one story is enough for her to read, she get's a bit fed up of reading after a bit. She's quite different to how Dd(8) was when she was learning to read, she was alot more eager, and read loads and that really helped her to progress quickly, masha'Allaah she's the kind of child that when she wants to do something, she'll put her mind to it and keep trying till she's learnt it, she learnt to tie her laces by herself, and plait hair, I was shocked when she did her first plait, same with riding a bike, Allaahumma baarak feehaa.

I introduced history last week, we are working from the book 'story of the world' by Susan Wise Bauer. The first chapter was on ancient nomads, I read aloud to the girls and then Dd(8) narrated back what she remembered, and drew a picture to be filed in the history section of her folder along with the narration page. Insha Allaah we are going to continue with that lesson tomorrow, Dd(8)really loved the story about a young nomad girl, and can't wait to continue with it, she came downstairs not long ago looking for the book so she could read the rest, but I told her that it was just for our lessons, and besides I don't think we'll be working on everything in the book, I'm gonna leave alone myths and the like insha Allaah.

Have been reading through the Charlotte Mason Companion, masha'Allaah I love this book, it contains much useful info on child rearing, such as bickering amongst siblings, instilling of good habits etc... and also the home education side. I find the book to be very inspiring masha'Allaah, after it I would like to try and read Charlotte Mason's homeschooling series through properly.

Lil update of yesterday and today

2009-01-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we only managed to do our akhaar, Qaa'idah, handwriting and some Maths practice, I had a guest coming for the day, and had to go out to get some things, felt a bit gutted we weren't able to do more though.

Today, I had an appointment, so we didn't do anything today, time we got back it was duhr time, had to serve lunch etc.. It started snowing again when we were out, the bottom of my abayah,my socks,trainers were all soaked through! my feet were like ice.

Bought a few Islamic books today, masha'Allaah they were quite cheap, there was one I bought called 'My Yemeni Village' by Goodword Kids, and written by a 13 yr old boy living in Yemen. Earlier when taking a look at the book, it dawned on me that maybe this is what is classed as a 'living book', it gives a personal insight into life in Yemen, and not a book of dry facts. I was so excited, lol, ok I was probably was a bit over the top,lol.

Tomorrow we'll be going to a sisters house insha Allaah, that we go every 2wks to do a lesson there, we're going to do a sale with things we no longer need/want etc.. insha Allaah there should be quite a few sisters there, so looking forward to that. The last time we did it, the kids really enjoyed, it gave them the opportunity to handle money in real life situations, which was one of the main reasons we did it.

Oh, and Dd(5) can now write her name Allaahumma baarak feek. I am so pleased, her name is quite long, but she just copied it almost daily, until she was able to write it by herself. So well done T!

Ok well that's it from me for now, will try and remember to take some pics of the sale tomorrow and post them up if I can.

P.s You may be wondering what's with the flowers at the top? lol, well, was looking for a picture to go with my post, related or not, and just loved this one, it's so beautiful masha'Allaah)

Monday's Report (we're back!)

2009-01-05T15:51:00.000-08:00
Well, it's been a little while since I last posted, I have not had much time lately to update, and I decided for us to take a break last week as it was Ds(6)'s last week of his holiday, not much of an excuse huh? but this week things have got to start getting a bit more serious insha Allaah, alhamdulillaah we started the week off well, we did:

Our daily adkhaar

Qaa'idah - Dd(5) has now finally moved on to recognising the small letters, how they look when joined up and used in words. Dd(8) is progressing quickly Allahumma baarak feehaa.

Handwriting practice - Dd (5)practiced the letter 'a' and 'd', she can write these masha'Allaah, but does need just a bit extra practice in forming them correctly.
I have decided to move Khadijah on, rather than hold her back going through the letters, majority of them she forms correctly masha'Allaah, there is the odd one that she doesn't, but insha Allaah we can work on them as we move along. She did practice one or two letters today, but tomorrow insha Allaah she will do a couple of pages from the end of the Zaner Bloser book, copying short sentences. Insha Allaah I intend to start doing more copywork with her.

Reading Reflex - Both doing well on their lessons masha'Allaah, I do need to find some good readers for Dd(5), she has read through the first set of 'bob books', I'm not sure what the second set are like, but I really feel she needs to have more reading practice each day, but with phonetic books, not whole language, as this is what I normally come across in the library etc..

Maths - We're still working on number bonds, have included Dd(5) I think she is capable of understanding the concept insha Allaah, I just need to reinforce it more with her. Dd(8) is understanding it masha'Allaah, but we're gonna spend a few more days on this unit in the Singapore maths book. We have started memorising number bonds, starting with 1 and 2. we will do this at the beginning of each maths lesson insha Allaah. I feel it is important they understand the concept and know the number bonds off by heart.

Science - We are following the study suggestions in the 'Well Trained Mind' so our lesson consists of me reading a passage from the animal encyclopedia, Dd(8) had to choose 20 animals she would like to learn about, the first one we started with is the anaconda, Dd(8) narrated back to me in her own words what she remembered, while I wrote it down. Narration apparently is an excellent form of training for the mind, and is used in classical education and was a method used by Charlotte Mason also.

Grammar - Working from 'first language lessons' by Jessie Wise. A new poem was assigned to be memorised, called ''work''by anonymous,

Work while you work,
Play while you play,
This is the way
To be happy each day,
All that you do,
Do with your might;
Things done by halves
Are never done right.

Alhamdulillaah we fitted everything in, I was very pleased with that. I've done my planning for tomorrow, insha Allaah, it will be an even better and more productive day.

I am still currently in the process of looking into Charlotte Mason's philosophy, I ordered the book 'A Charlotte Mason Companion' by Karen Andreola, it arrived last week, I was so excited, I've started it, and read quite a few pages, it has alot of useful information. I would like to read the 'original homeschooling series' by Charlotte Mason after this insha Allaah. I just want to take my time, and introduce things slowly, we may end up a mix of classical and Charlotte Mason, as both sides appeal to me, but are very similar with certain things, such as narration,copywork.
Ok, I'm off to read, will try my best to update tomorrow insha Allaah.

Call this justifiable??!!

2008-12-29T17:59:00.000-08:00
I write this while tears stream from my eyes, I have become more aware now of the situation in palestine and the current situation there, this is so sad, I feel so helpless and angry. Palestinians are labelled as the terrorists when they are the ones having their land stolen from under their noses,kicked out from their own homes, left without electricity/water etc, innocent people killed, including women and children! subhanAllaah, why do people think this is justifiable???!!!! Wake up!!! open your eyes and look at the reality. Insha Allaah we need to make lots of du'a for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, May Allaah help them and grant them peace in the land which is rightfully theirs.
I came across this on'a learning muslimah'

Look into my eyes
And tell me what you see.
You don't see a damn thing,
'cause you can't possibly relate to me.

You're blinded by our differences.
My life makes no sense to you.
I'm the persecuted Palestinian.
You're the American red, white and blue.

Each day you wake in tranquility,
No fears to cross your eyes.
Each day I wake in gratitude,
Thanking God He let me rise.

You worry about your education
And the bills you have to pay.
I worry about my vulnerable life
And if I'll survive another day.

Your biggest fear is getting ticketed
As you cruise your Cadillac.
My fear is that the tank that just left
Will turn around and come back.

American, do you realize,
That the taxes that you pay
Feed the forces that traumatize
My every living day?

The bulldozers and the tanks,
The gases and the guns,
The bombs that fall outside my door,
All due to American funds.

Yet do you know the truth
Of where your money goes?
Do you let your media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth that no one knows?

You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of Zionists.
I'm terrorized in my own land
And I'm the terrorist?

You think you know all about terrorism
But you don't know it the way I do,
So let me define the term for you,
And teach you what you thought you knew.

I've known terrorism for quite some time,
Fifty-five years and more.
It's the fruitless garden uprooted in my yard.
It's the bulldozer in front of my door.

Terrorism breathes the air I breathe.
It's the checkpoint on my way to school.
It's the curfew that jails me in my own home,
And the penalties of breaking that curfew rule.

Terrorism is the robbery of my land,
And the torture of my mother,
The imprisonment of my innocent father,
The bullet in my baby brother.

So American, don't tell me you know about
The things I feel and see.
I'm terrorized in my own land
And the blame is put on me.

But I will not rest, I shall never settle
For the injustice my people endure.
Palestine is our land and there we'll remain
Until the day our homeland is secure.

And if that time shall never come,
Then we will never see a day of peace.
I will not be thrown from my own home,
Nor will my fight for justice cease.

And if I am killed, it will be in Filasteen
It's written on my every breath.
So in your own patriotic words,
Give me liberty or give me death.

And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!" (4:74)

bribes and pipe cleaners

2008-12-27T15:10:00.000-08:00
Masha'Allaah Dd(8) really pleased me today, she went on Whizz Maths and one of the lessons was on counting money, I suggested again that she try counting on, for example there was a 10p,and two 2pence's, so I told her to say the 10 and then count the 2p and then the other 2p, which broke it down for her, and she found it quite easy, ok, ok, I'll let you in on something, it wasn't that easy for me to get her to do it, I had to actually bribe her with a chocolate, lol, I don't like to do that, but anything for her to at least try it! Anyway it worked, so we'll just have to see if she tries this by herself next time.

Dd(8) and Ds(6)decided to make a few things from pipe cleaners today, Dd(8)made bracelets, and Ds(6) made dinosaurs, he's crazy about them! masha'Allaah. Dd(8) took the photo of them, and asked me kindly if I would put them on my blog, so here they are:

(Dd(8) made the purple dinosaur.

I've been thinking today about handicrafts, I read that Charlotte Mason included these in her teaching, these are not just art and crafts as we know today, but crafts which will support a child into adulthood, such as sewing,knitting,pottery,oil painting etc... I would love them to try pottery insha Allaah, I did try it a long time ago, and made quite a mess, that's the picture I had in my mind earlier when thinking of introducing it, but I think it would be fun.
When I was a teen I remember I used to love making things from dough and baking it in the oven until it was hard, I would then paint it and glaze it. I had a book, which I found at my mum's house last year, which I used to copy ideas from, I was so happy when I found it, but unfortunately never ended up bringing it back home for some reason, hopefully my mum hasn't got rid of it, I would love to do that with them also, you can make so many things.

Oh, today, the baby took his first few steps masha'Allaah, he's been practicing balancing for days now, it's so cute masha'Allah, he'll let go of whatever he's holding and just stand there, with his hands in front of him as if he's saying ''hey, look at me! no hands!'' lol, so today I was encouraging him to take some steps, he was loving it. So probably wont be long now before he's running wild with the rest of them insha Allaah.

Become inspired..

2008-12-27T09:50:00.000-08:00
Education

The secret of education is respecting the pupil.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank goodness I was never sent to school;
it would have rubbed off some of the originality.
--Beatrix Potter

Teaching -

They may forget what you said but
they will never forget how you made them feel.
--Anonymous

We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how.
--Anonymous

It's not what is poured into a student, but what is planted.
--Linda Conway

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.The great teacher inspires.
--William Arthur Ward

Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to
discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.
--Albert Einstein

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
--Plato

Great minds discuss ideas, mediocre minds discuss events,
small minds discuss personalities.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel
that you, too, can become great.
--Mark Twain

Too much play, not enough work!

2008-12-26T16:13:00.000-08:00
I haven't been posting my daily updates like I should be, but most days it's just the same work we do each day, not much to tell about, so I've been wondering whether to update once a week, or just when I feel we've done some interesting things that day and worth writing about, hmm, not sure, will see.

Well, this week there's not much to update on, what's with me and consistency ey?! Most day's by the time everyone's had breakfast, got dressed etc... the morning's almost gone, then the baby normally needs a nap, food has to be cooked etc.. I don't know what the best way is to organise our time better, and get the most out of it, another hhmm! But the kids have done a bit here and there. They did some handwriting practice, and masha'Allaah they really tried hard to get it neat, I was very pleased with the effort they made.

I paid for a subscription again with Whizz Maths, an online tutoring programme, as I mentioned before, Dd(8) is quite behind, and really needs the extra help, the programme costs £27.50 a month, bit steep, but it monitors your child's progress, and alters the programme accordingly, so it's kind of like having a virtual maths tutor. The last time she used it, her maths age shown on her progress report was 5.97, today it's up to 6.12, obviously she has learnt more since stopping it before, but apparently the child can improve on their maths by up to 2years/grades using whizz maths, according to previous results they've seen, I hope it works for her insha Allaah. Here's a couple of pics I took earlier of the lessons.

Dh has been helping out with teaching the Qaa'idah alhamdulillaah, been great with the extra help and the kids are loving it masha'Allaah. Dd(8) and Ds(6)began to get a bit confused with some of the words, and were not reading the sounds properly, I don't know what happened, especially with Dd(8),she was progressing very well masha'Allaah, but that one day, it's as if she had forgotten some of what she'd already learnt, so she had to be taken back a couple of pages, which she wasn't happy about, but today things were alot better alhamdulillaah. SubhanAllaah, when you teach your kids you need so much sabr, at times when I'm teaching Maths or the Qaa'idah, and it seems like they just don't get it, or sometimes with Maths, like yesterday, I was trying to suggest to Dd(8)some quicker ways to solve some of the problems, she didn't want to listen, and she worries I'm going to confuse her, but all I expected was that she listen to the suggestion and at least give it a go a few times, but no she didn't want to, times like this can be very frustrating, but I guess it's all part and parcel of homeschooling, alhamdulillaah.

Lately I've been doing more reading into Charlotte Mason, I've joined a couple of yahoo groups, and just tried to find out more about her philosophy, methods etc... it very much appeals to me, but I know I need to do more research first before we change over completely. Narration and dictation appeal to me very much masha'Allaah, but I have yet to incorporate them into our daily routine, but what I need is a schedule, when oh when will I ever put pen to paper and write one down?! put the procrastination to the side, and just do it! (just telling myself off, hehe). Insha Allaah, this weekend I need to sit down, away from the computer, and sort out what we're going to be doing, what methods I want to introduce etc.. and try harder next week insha Allaah.

good habits

2008-12-24T15:18:00.000-08:00
The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children. — Charlotte Mason

Muslim Yahoo group for Charlotte Mason

2008-12-23T17:29:00.000-08:00
While doing a search on Yahoo groups I just came across a group called muslimcm I've just signed up to join. This is the description of the group :

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem
This group is for Muslim families that want to homeschool using a Charlotte Mason approach. Whether you use a packaged curriculum (such as Ambleside Online) or make your own, this is the place for discussing Charlotte Mason in an islamic manner. Non-muslims are welcome to join, but there will be no room for off-topic religious or philosophical debate. Allah subaha wa t'ala is sufficient and in him we trust.

Charlotte Mason on Amazon.com

2008-12-23T16:52:00.000-08:00
Here are some books on the Charlotte Mason method, listed on Amazon.com, again I would like to note that any purchases made through these links will insha Allaah generate a small income for me and my family, which will help fund our homeschooling. Any support is much appreciated.