Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Homeschool Help Part 1

From time to time moms approach me with questions about homeschooling. They are interested in starting it for their family but are unsure what it entails. The questions are usually all the same, just as their concerns and doubts are the same, too. I feel flattered that they seek my opinion, and I always tell them that this is just my own opinion and point of view because there are so many ways to go about educating your children. I decided to start a few blog posts on this topic since the questions come up so often.

The first thing important to mention is that homeschooling is a very personal, family decision. In the end it will be as successful as your family can make it. Have a meeting with your spouse and talk about why you want to start this and what kind of compromises you are both willing to make. The shift in lifestyle will affect your current routine, so it's a good idea to talk about some the possible changes. I don't recommend anyone choose homeschooling out of fear of what's "out there". Let's make our reason to homeschool an empowered and positive one rather than a fearful one, know what I mean?

Because you have to pick what works for you, I encourage you to read up on homeschooling from various library books. When I first thought about homeschooling I came home with about ten library books on the subject. I read through almost all of them and started to get an idea of what it actually was. Once I read The Well Trained Mind I knew I could do it. Still now, five years later, I am following their method. The book is a blueprint for teaching preschool through high school, so I recommend you focus on the grade levels you are interested in rather than try to read the whole thing at once!

I have 4 children. I started homeschooling when I had a 4th grader, 3rd grader, and KG. My baby was 20 months old. I ordered a starter kit from Rainbow Resource (they will send you a free catalog) which is what they recommend for new homeschoolers. I didn’t care so much about curriculum at that time and I didn’t even know about any of the different ones out there. I just wanted a proper work load to start. I bought the 4th grade, 3rd grade, and KG kits (like this one for 3rd Grade). And it worked very well to get me started, to see how to pace myself, and then to determine what I would like to change for the following year.  Three months into the year I changed the Language Arts because I realized it was too easy and I wanted more for the kids. I researched from The Well Trained Mind and found a good solution.

The toddlers and preschoolers are challenging. They get into trouble and don’t understand you need to focus time with the older ones. Google “homeschooling with toddlers” and you will find sooo much advice! I used to have a box with toys only for homeschool time. The baby would play with them only during school time. I also bought her things to keep her busy especially for her according to her age from educational websites or stores. Some moms wait until nap time to get the hard things done like grammar or math, and then the whole family can do things like history, reading, science together.

The part about religious studies: I think we all have a hard time fitting in all the deen (religion) things we want. You could set some simple goals and just aim for getting something done. You can find links to fabulous Muslim homeschooling websites on the main page of my blog. You can make a simple outline for your year by month and print out worksheets and do them once a week or whatever you like. I’m thinking of printing things out by the subject matter (Islamic) and making one theme a month to learn (salah, wudu, seerah, etc..). It might be a good time to see what your goals are, actually, for your kids' Islamic education.

Before I end, I would like to mention one of the main things that keeps things flowing, and that is a routine. It doesn't have to be set to a clock, but if you have a rhythm in your home, then everyone knows what they should be doing at a certain time. My kids know there is a time for school work, for electronics, for chores. This rhythm will change slightly as seasons and activities change, and that's good, too. Just keep things flowing. I found a lot of good advice from some home management books such as Large Family Logistics.

One final thing worth mentioning is that I keep praying and asking God for patience, wisdom, and guidance. When I started this journey, I made my intention to please God and to raise children who feel comfortable in their faith and are strong in it. When things get crazy I have to sit down and renew my intention and ask for more help. Without the grace and mercy of Allah we could not have gotten as far as we have.

“And if Allah touches you with affliction, none can remove it but He: But if He bestows upon you a favor, remember that He is the Possessor of every power to do all that He wills.” ——— The Holy Quran, Chapter 6, Verse 17.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Ramadan Printable Magazine from Easel and Ink

Assalamu alaikom

My friends over at Easel and Ink have put out their third Ramadan magazine for FREE.  It is a cute and interactive printable document that is fun for kids.  There are little poems, word finds, articles, coloring pages, and tidbits of information all about Ramadan and Eid.  It might be a little 'old' for the older kids, but I think up to about age 10 it would be a hit. Check it out!
Ramadan Magazine

Friday, July 4, 2014

Ramadan Enrichment Program Day 2

Maryam went to the second of eight camp classes at the mosque and had this to share about their activities:

Today we made iftar bowls ( when we break our fast). We put dates, dried plums, dried apricots, and mini sunflowers. We  hade a lot of fun doing that, after that our teacher told us a story about the prophet (salla Allahu alahyi wa sallam).It was very exiting!  While she told us the story we had a mock camp out in the classroom with friends, we set up the whole classroom with blankets, and pillows

                                Here is a picture of the bowl.
 


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Ramadan Day 5 at home

Assalamu alaikom
Even though I'm fighting a painful cold, I really wanted to spend at least half an hour with the girls doing some things from our Ramadan pile of activities.  I can't believe how many bloggers are out there putting out free printables and lessons for the community.  It's easy to get into overkill and feel like you have to do it just right or do all the crafts, but luckily I'm not like that :D  I have printed a few blog pages I like and am doing them with the younger girls for a few minutes daily.
Today we talked about the five pillars of Islam while Aisha colored in the page I found from A Muslim Homeschool.

And Maryam worked on her binder which has a nice printout also from A Muslim Homeschool plus other printouts.  I'm having her practice Arabic writing by doing copywork in addition to reading verses related to fasting in Ramadan.  I included some Quran reading tracking and fasting tracking pages.  Here she is filling in one of those pages for some acts of worship she's done.


I've enjoyed having some focused Ramadan activities to do.  I find that a good time to do these are in the afternoon when it's too hot to play outside.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Ramadan Enrichment Program Day 1

Assalamu alaikom

Our masjid is offering a class for various ages that incorporates crafts, songs, Islamic stories, and other goodies into a 2 hour, twice a week program this Ramadan.  Today was the first day and was a hit with my 9 year old who is going to help me write the rest of this blog!  She says:
First, we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves.  Then we talked about Ramadan, and our teacher told us a little story about Fatima (radiAllahu anha), the daughter of Muhammad peace be upon him.  After that, we made thikr beads which will help us remember to say little prayers called 'dua' in Arabic.  Here is a picture of my beads:

After that we made a box to put the beads in.  I decorated my box with teal beads, and I put a moon and a star inside the lid of the box.  We put a sparkly blue cloth inside of the box to make it look pretty.



I had so much fun today, and I can't wait to go back on Thursday.

Happy Ramadan

Assalamu alaikom

It's the 4th day of Ramadan, we are back home after travelling to Dallas, and we're getting things back in order.
I'm using this blog and the links in there (some of which are not working) to give us some Ramadan activities each day. 
It's a little hard to accept that my almost 12 year old and my 13 year old are past wanting to participate in the activities I want to do.  I know they would benefit from some facts review and from a nudge in doing extra worship, but they are so resisting it.  I will keep praying for their guidance and for their hearts to be steadfast.
The 5 and 9 year olds are still up for lapbooking, worksheets, and coloring, so I am plugging away with them!
We're starting the Ramadan Lapbook from this website today.  Here's one page about the months in Islam.