Spring Planting

Assalamu alaikom

Coming out of winter always takes me some extra getting used to.  While most people around me are so excited for the longer days with more sunshine, I get a touch of anxiety adjusting to that feeling that I have to be more productive and have to deal with heat, sun, longer work hours.  I realize that's totally a personal perception, but I get those feelings especially in late February and early March when the time moves forward an hour.  It happens so fast here in Seattle that the days go from being from 8am-4:15pm to being from 6:30am-7:00pm.  I'd be happy to get rid of Daylight Saving Time! That would definitely help ease that seasonal adjustment; plus, sunsets after 9pm are just too late!

Now that it's April, I'm on board with spring and have started my garden.  My level of gardening varies year to year, but when I have a  younger school aged kid I like to give them a lot of exposure, and this year my youngest is 7 years old which is great for involvement AND learning!  This year we are planting from seed, from store-bought starts, and we're putting in flowers and herbs in addition to veggies.  

below: lavender with snapdragon flowers in back

 oregano and rosemary sharing a pot with snapdragons

 mint from last year

My friend scored some lemon balm from a community facebook page for free, and she kindly shared a bunch with me after I told her I wanted lemon balm to repel mosquitoes on our deck.  I potted some of those transplants: 

The pot on the right is lemon balm. Spearmint on the left

in the center is lemon balm. looks dinky but will be rockin in a few weeks insha'Allah

I went ahead and clipped my tulips to make a bouquet for inside (plus, I'm ready to use the pots for the herbs without those tulips shadowing over the little starts)

And finally, here's a look at the Mammoth sunflower seeds we're starting indoors in hopes of repeating our 8 foot tall sunflower from two years ago!

I'll post about my actual vegetable garden another time!

"And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees - of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe." (Qur'an, 6:99)

sample day

Every once in a while I get questions about what a typical day might look like for us as homeschoolers.  Since I'm sitting on the couch watching my two homeschoolers doing a yoga DVD, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share what we did today.

I have a 9 year old and a 5 year old right now at home. The 9 year old got up,  got dressed, ate breakfast, and was starting her math lesson by 7:45 this morning. (she usually starts at 8)  Math takes about an hour. While she worked independently, I had my own breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and swept and mopped the kitchen floors.  5 year old stayed in bed quite a while today and didn't get up till maybe 8:30, but she was dressed when she came down.  After she ate breakfast, I had her use teddy bear counters to demonstrate adding concepts.  Then she and her sister emptied the dishwasher.

We all went up to the school room and stayed on task for a while. Subjects that gone done: Spelling, Handwriting, Writing, Grammar, Morning Meeting (memory work and religious studies).  Got a phonics lesson in with the 5 year old, then we all took a chocolate milk break.  I sat next to the 9year old  and knitted while she did some map work and a puzzle for history.  5yr old played with some toys nearby, then I did a short activity with her about the sequence of a library visit (picking a book, checking it out, taking it home, and then returning it) where she got to cut and write. 

After that the girls went to the other room to do a yoga DVD I have checked out from the library, and I sat down to make a little blog entry!  This is not a very typical day because we normally eat lunch around noon, but the rest is a typical day here if we're not going out.

Kindy Science getting done/file folders

I've made a goal this year to do one experiment a week with my kindergartner.  I used the great book More Mudpies to Magnets as a starting point.  The experiments are simple and give the parent and child an ideal environment in which to use science terms and to share scientific ideas.  Because I'm using a file folder system (I got my ideas from here and here) I am able to print out the experiments that interest me and just tuck them into week after week of folders in our large box.  Bam, I've just done all the hard part (planning ahead), and all I need to do is make sure to actually do the experiment each week with my little one which shouldn't be so hard since that's kind of the idea of homeschooling.  Since all the details are at my fingertips, I can easily plan ahead for any materials or things I need to have on hand.

Here's today's making playdo activity. The book guides you to use science specific vocabulary as you describe the activity.  She got her hands in the flour and salt, poured the liquids herself, and felt how sticky the dough was.  Great fun.
 

 

And this is a snap of the file box I have for the Kindergartner.  I have a separate one for my 4th grader where I file sheets I want her to complete each week.  There are all sorts of great uses for this method of filing! 

Kindergarten Reading List

I asked for, and received, excellent recommendations for bedtime or storytime reading for 4-6 yr olds.  I needed to add some variety to our bedtime reading.  I think I'll print this and keep it in my homeschool planner so that it's handy when I reserve books at the library.  Also, I can just check off what we've read instead of write the titles in the book.

A Child's Garden of Verses

A Giraffe and a Half

Anansi the Spider

Andrew Henry's Meadow

Bats at the Library, Bats in the Band

Beatrix Potter stories

Billy and Blaze books

Blueberries for Sal

Bread and Jam for Francis

Caps for Sale

Chicken soup with Rice

Cinderella version by Marcia Brown

Chrysanthemum, Chester's way - anything by Kevin Henkes

Corduroy

Crocodile Beat

Curious George series

Doctor DeSoto, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Elmer (David McKee)

Eric Carle books (there are many)

Frog and Toad

George and Martha series

Gerald and Piggie books

Granny and the desperadoes (Peggy Parish)

Harold & the Purple Crayon

Harry and the Lady Next Door

Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry Mouse & Tucker Kitten

It's Not a Box

Jamela's Dress (Niki Daly)

James Herriot's Treasury for Children

Jan Brett

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

Little Bear

Little Black, a Pony

Lost in the Woods

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Madeline series

Make Way for Ducklings

Mama and Papa have a store

Max Velthuijs books

Marshmallow (Clare Newberry)

Miss Rumphius

My hen is dancing

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Otis

Owl Moon

Patricia Polacco

Peter Spier

Peter's Long Walk

Petunia

Rain Makes Applesauce

Rapunzel, illus by zelinski
Richard Scarry books

Robert N. Munsch books

Robert the Rose Horse

Rumplestiltskin, illus by Peter Sis

Sam and the Firefly

Seven blind mice

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

Stranger in the Woods

Tea for Two

The Barefoot Book of Monsters

The Berenstain Bears series

The drop in my drink

The Grumpalump

The Empty Pot

the Gruffalo

The Hiccupotamus

The Little House, Choo-Choo and Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel

The Monkey and the Crocodile

The Paper Bag Princess

The Snowy Day

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

The true story of the three little pigs

There's an alligator under my bed

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Train Song

What is the Sun?

When I was Young in the Mountains

Where the Wild Things Are

Why don't you get a horse Sam Adams

Z is for Moose

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

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.

 



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.

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.

Year 4 Wrap Up

It's a little bit hard to believe that I'm about to write about my 4th year homeschooling.  I wish I were more eloquent and knew how to share the vast and varied feelings, happenings, ups and downs, but I will try my best for now to share what's on my mind.

I often come to this blog, start a topic, and then delete it.  I want to share about what we're doing, but I don't have the time to find cute pictures, clever captions, and witty enough prose.  I keep the blog because I wish to keep a kind of journal of my own journey and also because I wish I could somehow inspire someone in one little thing.  Lord knows I've been helped along by random strangers and their blogs and also by sincere friends and family. 

I want to whip up blog entries that talk about patience, prayer, renewing intentions and goals.  I want to talk about the humbling experience of going through a big misunderstanding, and the even more humbling experience I had in learning how to let my daughter grow and spread her wings this year.  I want to talk about what my children taught *me* this year because I almost feel like that was more valuable than what I taught them.

See, for me, homeschooling and parenting blur at many points.  Homeschooling my children felt like an extension of parenting them.  When others asked how I would manage all my different 'roles' with them, I didn't see how it would be any different than any other role I play in their lives.  And it wasn't, for the most part.  Being together in the homeschool capacity has been a normal rhythm of life that didn't take much adjusting to; it was very natural and the benefits flooded in immediately. 

I want to talk about curriculum and things like books and educational philosophies.  But I don't.  I don't want to sit and type out a bunch of my ideas that I end up deleting because I think I end up sounding random or without a point.  By the time I sit down to make a blog post I'm just too tired to put much effort into it.

So here we are finishing up our 4th year of homeschooling.  Praise God! What a big journey I never saw coming.  It has truly been one of the best things that's happened to us as a family in many ways.  Just the growth in character (mine, ahem) has been worth it.  Now that I have two children out of elementary school, I feel like investing in the elementary years is really the way to go.  Letting the kids play and grow at their own pace rather than be tied to an arbitrary school schedule is something I do believe in and think is good to provide if possible.  I've seen both sides of that coin, and I know which one is less stressful and more rewarding!  (my older two children went to elementary schools up to 2nd and 3rd grades while the younger two have never been).

Historically, the teenage years are when young people take on more responsibility and venture further from home.  We know that in some times and cultures, teenagers married, worked, and had children.  That's not how things go today here in the US, but I think that letting the kids further out of the family circle helps them to find their place in the world.  They need to separate from their parents in order to see who they are, and I am not willing to set up various classes and opportunities for my teenagers to give them that balance, so off they go to the public junior high.  God willing, with a strong foundation and continued family involvement and support they will make the best choices they can. 

I would like to blog more about my little ideas more often so that I don't feel overwhelmed when I do sit down to type.  Maybe I will be better at doing that.  I will be able to elaborate on any light bulb moments I'm having at the time!

Thanks for reading this far.  I guess I'll look back at this post one day and think how far I've come. Insha'Allah.

One Batch of Play Dough

One batch of homemade play dough transformed the moods and actions of my four children this weekend!  I intended to make it for my four year old, but as soon as the ingredients were out, the older kids were calling what color they wanted their portion to be.  Haha!

In a big bowl I stir:
5 cups of flour
1 cup salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 Tbsp alum (I was out of alum and used cream of tartar)

To this dry mixture (well, expect the oil) you pour 4 cups of boiling water.  Stir it up and it will come together nicely once it cools off after a few minutes.

At that point I divide up the dough into however many different colors we want to make.  Add the food coloring and knead well.  Presto, all done!  We store ours in Ziploc bags to keep them fresh.

I tell you, all weekend they were rolling, making, building, and pretending with this stuff, and they played together a lot.  Their favorite accessories this time were the rolling pin, plastic knife, toy cars, and Tinker Toys wooden sticks.

The homemade play dough doesn't crumble like the store bought kind, so it's not as big of a hassle, but I admit, there are random pieces of colored play dough here and there around the kitchen floor.  It's ok, this one was worth it.

Ideas for improving Quran Classses

There has to be a way to reform the way we teach people (children) to read and memorize Quran.  Over the past ten years, we have tried at least half a dozen ways.  And each time we run into similar problems and complaints:
* teachers have a heavy foreign accent and the kids have a hard time understanding them.
* they sit around a table left to themselves for the majority of the hour (or hour and a half).
* they aren't given any tools to memorize except to read to themselves over and over.
* they get yelled at.
* they get compared to other kids in the class or to one of their siblings.
* other kids in the class are rude to my kids or just goof off because they don't want to be there either.
* my kids come back with headaches and whine for at least an hour before and after.
* the teacher takes phone calls or texts a lot during the lesson.

These are just a few complaints I have with the experiences we've had.  I'm so fed up with it.  I've tried incorporating memorizing Quran into our schedule, but it is much harder to follow through with it than you might think.  Talking to an experienced Quran teacher once, she told me that she sends her teen son to someone else to learn because it just doesn't happen at home. 

So I was thinking that maybe I could form some kind of format or suggested guide to improve Quran classes.  Since the teachers are usually volunteers with little experience in education or childhood development, they don't have the tools or resources to structure their class time with.  I'm no expert, but I have taken an early childhood development class, I've been homeschooling for over 3 years, and I read up about education as a hobby. 

Off the top of my head I would divide up the hour and a half into 25 minute clusters (or less) and do different things instead of expecting the child to sit for that long supposedly reading and memorizing on his own.  Other things I would suggest (and I might just think more on this subject and come up with a formal packet and present it)
* have a cheerful attitude.
* respect the child.
* take the age of the child into consideration including what skills he likely has and doesn't have.
* realize they are coming to you at the end of their school day and are likely a little tired.
* take advantage of multiple teaching methods: in pairs, have one student read along while another recites that sura from memory, then switch. 
* spend a few minutes actually showing them how to memorize and giving them tips and methods to memorize.
* realize that because they are young, you will want to repeat tips and instruction each time to drill it into them.
* set realistic goals.  or just set some type of goal instead of just showing up each time with no clear direction.
* show up 5 minutes before class starts so that you are there before the students. set the tone and get them busy as soon as they walk in with some type of warm up.

These are just a few of my thoughts.  I've been a little fired up about this topic (again) for a couple of days, and I really want to organize my thoughts so that I might present it to our Quran school.  I don't personally want to teach the classes, and I don't want it to depend on me; rather, I want a successful model to be used by all the teachers so that the students and families can have a better experience.

Outsourcing

This year I've decided to join two homeschool co-ops to take classes from.  Last year we were members in one co-op, but the classes the girls took were mostly recreational.  This year I decided to make better use of our outings and sign up for science classes in addition to the fun classes.  I no longer have to worry about any science while we're home, and they still get some fun classes like gymnastics and logic. 

The pros of being in my co-ops outweigh the cons.

Pros:
1.  I relieve myself of teaching an entire subject.
2.  The girls get to take those classes in a group setting with hands on activities.
3.  We are forced to organize our schedules to accommodate the classes which makes us more organized.
4.  I get to talk to other adults on those days, and my kids get to hang out with other kids.
5.  The kids get to be influenced by other adults of my choosing during co-op.
6.  Being busy and out of the house 2 of 5 days helps us appreciate the quieter days at home.
7.  If I wanted to, I could take some reading or handwork to do while I wait.

Cons:
1.  I have to do a lot of 'sitting and waiting' which makes me a little antsy.
2.  We come home fried.
3.  I can't really think of many cons!

One co-op has been running for many years and is very well run.  The second co-op is in its second year and is still trying to establish its foundation.  In both co-ops parents have simple jobs that help things run smoothly such as basic cleaning up, helping teachers pack up, and running the reception table.  Parent input in welcomed and we hire teachers to teach the classes.  I like that my older children can take challenging classes to keep them engaged and working hard as they get into the higher grades. 

In one co-op, the classes are offered only on Tuesday.  You look at the schedule and sign up for as many classes as you want that day, and that is your co-op day.  I like that it isn't spread out over many days.  That way you aren't ruining your other 'home' days by having to pack up and leave for a few hours. 

The other co-op offers classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I chose to only take Wednesday classes because of the time it takes me to get there and get home.  If it were closer I might consider taking a class on a different day, too, but as it is now, the whole round trip out makes us all tired.

The workload is very light on co-op days as far as what I expect from them at home.  Math is done daily, and then I usually tack on some type of grammar or writing on co-op days.  They can usually bring their work with them to do in their down hour so that they don't have too much to do when they get home.

All in all, I am so happy we have these options here. I didn't have this network while living in Plano.  We were home all day every day unless I took them on a field trip.  Here in Seattle I have a huge network just by being a member of these two groups.  It's so good to be with moms of a similar mindset.  We help each other work through decisions and issues while benefitting from each other's support.  I'm really thankful for this great set-up.

this is a marble run made  out of foam tube during physical science class

and she reads!!!

It was an unexpected moment.  Randomly this evening my not-yet-5-year old daughter came to me while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen.  She was enthusiastically waving a little reader book from a box I keep in the school room saying "I know, Mom, let's read this one!"  I glanced at it and saw that it was Book 7.  We are still on Book 2 and going through phonics lessons very slowly and casually, so I told her we could look at it but that I wasn't sure she knew how to make all the sounds.  Well, it felt like the right thing to do to leave the kitchen and go sit with her on the couch.  After stumbling over some of those words I asked her to try Book 2.  She nailed it!  She sounded out and read a book all on her own.  It was a surreal moment.  She's the only child I actually taught how to read.  My older three were in preschools and kindergartens, and I wasn't really paying attention.  But now I am. 

It felt like when your baby takes his first steps.  You drop everything and keep doing it over and over and you're laughing and smiling and clapping.  I couldn't believe she just floated into the kitchen like that out of the blue and BAM read a book.  She's been putting many words together for a while now, but this was an official 'sit down and read a book'.  She hasn't shown any interest in doing that yet.  I am so proud and thankful for this little bonus that came to me at the end of today.  I'd had a rough day, so this really, REALLY cheered me up. 

This successes make me realize that all the little steps I take along the way are worthwhile.  All the book reading, letter recognition, finger activities, and other games we play were so worth it.  I love how natural and easy it is for her to become familiar with letter, words, and finally with reading. 

She was so happy that she said she could read any book from the bookshelf!  Well... ok, we're not quite there yet.  Had to stick to our little readers.

Friday recap

This school year has a nice rhythm and schedule that we've never had before.  I'm enjoying the days we spend at home because they come after 3 days of being out of the house and running.

Today is Friday and is a 'stay at home' day.  The girls and I (we are currently the homeschoolers) know it is a home day start the day with a calm tone.  Today I put in a load of darks shortly after I got dressed, but not right away because I knew one of my kids wanted a morning shower.  Breakfast wasn't rushed, and my youngest could take her time eating and getting herself dressed. 

Luckily the two older girls got started pretty close to 8:00 on their first subject (always Math) while I tidied up the kitchen, straightened my hair, and helped the littlest with a fashion emergency (it happens).

I joined the schoolroom around 9am to make sure all was well.  It was.  Youngest One took down the October calendar so that we could change it over to November.  She put the dates back up while naming the numbers and me showing her how they looked on the calendar.  We then talked about the months, how her birthday month is next after November, and then she did the weather chart by pointing the arrow to 'cloudy' (big surprise for Seattle).

 



Like I mentioned earlier, I like the predictable rhythms our weeks take this school year.  On Fridays I can take care of household work, sit by the girls while they focus on work, and I can spend some good, quality time with the youngest in some educational interactions.  I won't call them 'lessons' because they're not really that formal yet with her.  She won't be 5 years old until the end of December, so we just talk about all things preschool such as colors, numbers, patterns, songs, stories, and letter recognition.  I've been using a book called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but in all honesty we've done all of 12 lessons since starting in July.  How's that for laid back?  She is learning how to read from exposure to letters and books, so this book is kind of a guide for me and not The Standard by which I must sit my 4 year old down and drill daily.  She actually read an entire Bob Book today with little help from me, so something is working.

The older girls will be done with most of their independent work soon (plus some time with me during grammar), and then we'll get into an hour-long history lesson.  I read aloud from The Story of the World and then we do map work, place events on a timeline, and read extra books I've already checked out from the library.  After that we'll have lunch and then the girls will spend some time reading from the 'required reading' list (which I make). 

We had been in the habit of attending Friday Prayers at the mosque, but we haven't been in a few weeks.  One masjid is holding a later service at 3:30 to accommodate the school aged kids, so we went to that one time.  The only down side is that it took half an hour to get there after spending 20 minutes picking up my son.  So adding up travel time and prayer time, that outing took us 2 hours which kind of wore everyone to the point of crankiness late on a Friday afternoon... I'm not so encouraged to repeat that.

As for the remainder of the day, I made up some pizza dough for dinner tonight.  I also cooked up some taco meat last night which I'll probably use for Saturday's lunch.  Broccoli is also waiting  in the fridge to be turned into soup.

Have a great day and take it easy.

A few meal amendments in March

I didn't make a monthly meal plan in March on purpose.  I had a lot of overflow from January and February that I hadn't gotten around to making, so I was loosely using those meals as guides. 

In the meantime, I've come across a really neat website which has given me so many new ideas!!  All this access to information is great and tiresome at the same time.  I want to try new things, I try to fit them into my busy days, I compare them to other things I used to make and do.... sometimes "simpler" might be better!  So here are a few new things I've tried that have also improved the supply and quality of food in my home.

* boil a couple of dozen eggs on a Sunday and keep in the fridge for snacks or breakfasts

* bake 8-10 chicken breasts plainly seasoned.  shred 3-5 of them and make a chicken salad.  slice the rest or cube and freeze or keep in fridge for casseroles, fajitas, or soups.

* make a pot of chili with 2lbs of beef. freeze half and keep the rest for lunches or dinners. this also works for taco soup for a variety.

* wash a few head of the romaine hearts, dry, and keep in ziploc to make salad prep easier.  you could also slice up some veggies, just not too many in advance.

These few ideas helped me a lot in the last two weeks, and that along with some meal planning have kept things moving along smoothly.  I might try to simplify the actual cooking for the month of May, so I will hopefully make a thoughtful post on that later on. 

This is the great website from where I've gotten ideas, recipes, and inspiration!  I follow her on facebook and love to see what she packs for her kids' lunches!  I even bought some lunch boxes like the ones she uses because they're just too cool.  This recipe for granola bars lasts very little here.  Over half of it will disappear within 24 hours, masha'Allah, and the rest soon follows.  I've made it 3 times just this month.

I hope I can pass along just some of this excitement in making food planning easier on those of us who are in the thick of it.  My growing children need the benefit of wholesome foods, and of a good balance of protein vs. carbs.  It takes planning and dedication, but I do believe it is very worth it!

Free Grammar Texts: all grades

If you're looking for a school book style of grammar, here are some links to two well known textbooks.   Pick your level and print... voila.  Free.

Scott Foresman Reading and

McGraw-Hill

Easy Peasy Free Homeschool Resource

I like to pass along useful freebies when I can...

http://allinonehomeschool.wordpress.com/

You can use this resource in so many ways, even if you do not homeschool.  There are reading lists and words of guidance and encouragement. 

Have a look! 

A huge boost to morale

As many of my readers know, I am a 'regular' on the Well Trained Mind forums.  It is there I've learned about new curriculum, new tricks, how to better manage my time, energy, and meals, and how to be a better homeschooler.  It's the book of the same name that gave me the confidence I needed to commit to homeschooling, and the forums have provided tremendous support.  The other day I opened up a topic that quickly caught my attention and brought tears to my eyes.  It was just exactly what I needed to hear at that moment in time subhanAllah.  I asked the poster if I could quote her, so here are her words... and she prefaced this all by talking about how 'not-perfect' she is, the normalness of her daily life.  She goes by Valerie.  Here is what she said:

"So now that we've established the "don't think I'm a supermom" context, here's my point: the "grunt work," the mind-numbing repetition of the essential skills, the patient and kind persistence in correcting until a skill is mastered, the effort put forth to ensure that their mental banks are well-stocked with needed facts, dates, and contextual data--all that effort is worth it for the eventual pay-off.

Please, oh please, do whatever you need to do to get through that part and move on with your day.
If you need to, set a timer and agree to book (i.e., run, sprint) through that skill-building work, and then when the timer is done, you're done: JUST DO IT. It will be enough if you do it consistently and with enough of a good attitude to enable learning. Take small steps day after day after day, month by month, year by year, and you'll get the job done.

Make time, too, for joy in your day: 30 minutes of a read aloud, 15 minutes of a tickle fight, making a habit of drawing a quick "I love you" on a small palm, a popsicle together, falling asleep with the toddler's sweaty head in the crook of your arm--find your joy with your children each day. Do that for yourself and for them. You'll be teaching them the essence of love: we're in this together, the good and the bad, the hard and the fun, the work and the play.

When you get to have big kids, even teens, you will reap the reward. Yes, some will have to "go their own way", whether it is related to academics or not, and they'll cause us to develop callouses on our knees.
 
But if you are still homeschooling, you may get the reward of studying George Herbert poetry together and watching your strapping 17 year-old man-cub get a bit misty at the mystery of Christ's righteousness enfolding us. The reward might be watching the lightbulb moment when that same teen studies Clarence Carson on economics and exclaims, "Mom, have guys really been talking about the free market since the 1600s?" He's beginning to understand in a visceral way--not just head knowledge--what it means to join The Great Conversation. And, if you have an early bloomer, you might have three or four years of that kind of mind-to-mind engagement, watching a beautiful, inquisitive young mind unfold and mature into something unique and delightful. Just as young parents can't bear the thought of having someone else be there for their baby's precious firsts, I can't imagine missing out on the joy of this journey with my teens. I'm privileged beyond measure.

Dear moms engaged in the trenches with little ones: I wish you peace and strength for today. I know you will need it. But I'm going to go all Stephen Covey on you: please reserve one ounce of strength for yourself to remember your dreams for your journey with each child. Or do it in your dreams after you've collapsed into bed. : )"

Table Time/ Morning Basket

Some of my addiction to reading homeschool forums and researching curriculums has paid off recently in a big way.  I found a way to solve our years-long dilema of how to incorporate Arabic and Islamic Studies into our daily lives. 

I collected a variety of books in a large wicker basked I had lying around.  Any vessel that suits you will work.  For me, I easily found a few different levels of I Love Islam books lying around.  We just bought almost $100 worth of them for our enrollment in the local Sunday School which was a short-lived effort.  I also put in the basket this reading primer which we've used successfully in the past, a Quran with English translation next to the Arabic text, and a variety of smaller books from Ad-Duha Institute for any spare reading (mostly the translation of the short sura's that are adorable for younger children).

After deciding to pull my children out of the weekend school, I thought long and hard about what it was I wanted them to learn.  They've tried just about a bit of everything when it comes to this type of thing: private lessons in someone's home, semi-private lessons at the masjid, sunday school, and way back in the early days, they were enrolled full time in private Islamic school.  I decided I was done with outsourcing this subject and would take matters into my own hands (which I had tried before without much success).  This time would be different thanks to this basket.... read on.

I decided to apply what I've learned from homeschooling to this subject.  Daily lessons that were short and continuous would get the job done.  I simply worked backwards from the time we had to leave the house everyday and established a start time.  Everyone has to be at the kitchen table at that time dressed with shoes and jackets on, ready to go.  The deal is that we meet for 10 minutes and then head out to the school bus stop.  I start by reciting one short dua', or supplication, that I'd like them to have memorized and used to reciting with ease.  Then I open that Quran, read one page in Arabic and then read the English translation (this amounts to about 5 verses).  Close that up.  Open this other book I have that is written for approximately KG kids, but it has short stories that teach a valuable core belief with each short lesson.  We go through those and solidfy that little characteristic for the day.  If not that boook, then I open up an upper level I Love Islam book and go through a chapter there.  The end.  We close with an oral recitation of Suratul Asr and then go walk to the bus stop.

We all benefit from starting our day remembering God, glorifying Him, and learning about Him.  My children and I connect for those 10 minutes before scattering.  And I feel good knowing that slowly, but surely, I am giving them and Islamic education.

On weekends we spend a little time doing written work around the table.  This is for Arabic reading and writing, mostly.  All I have to do is remind them that Sunday school took up about 3 1/2 hours of their day if they start to whine about having to open up their Arabic books!  Half an hour around the kitchen table looks like a walk in the park compared to the alternative.

This method can work in your home, too.  Pick a time of day that is consistent in its schedule or routine whethere it is breakfast, after dinner, or before bedtime.  For us I picked the moments before we leave for the bus because that's when everyone is dressed and not in the middle of doing something else.  Collect items you would LIKE to use and keep them in a tub next to your work space.  I keep my wicker basket next to the kitchen table on a shelf.  Do Quran for sure and then mix up the other topics.  The kids have found this very intersting, and I can see them more interested that they ever were before in the subject.  I print out coloring pages for my youngest to color while we all sit around the table.