Who is learning?

Autumn colour.

New shoots. What could they be?

Ia started a CVC wordbook today.

U wanted me to help her build a castle with blocks, she said "You can, you're a genius!". This use of vocabulary almost beats her complaining that she can't find her telescope, (its a torch).

The boys began the study of the life of Ibrahim (as), by listening to me read an "overview" version of the history to them. So that was three lots of history reading today!

And still I think it would be good for them to learn some more Arabic vocabulary! They have the means to do this because they can read it, alhamdulillah. We should all learn more. Why should I be concerned? I just want to keep doors open for them. So many people are trying to learn or improve their Arabic. If you have familiarity with the sounds and basics of the language as a child it should be that much easier should you wish to continue your studies more seriously when older. Yes? So this evening the boys went through the lesson they studied with an auntie last week (may Allah reward her), in order to teach me. I was listening, and learning. If they think they are teaching me, then they are revising. I'm a bit slow to catch on, so I think we'll need to go through that again. Maybe Ia could listen in next time too.

Monday

Heathers are so beautiful, subhanallah.
It is Monday evening already! So quickly. Alhamdulillah.
Today we returned to our history project. We looked at the decline of the Sumerians, the invaders who conquered and then were overthrown themselves, until the Old Babylonians established their own empire in Mesopotamia. Through all this the Sumerian culture with its religion and writing survived, and was adopted by the new peoples. We will be looking more at this tomorrow, inshAllah.
We also continued with French, I like the really slow, relaxed feel to it and this is also helped by the way in which the girls like watching the cartoons too, so I don't have someone distracting me in the background!
Ia has played the Phonic Pop and Letterlifter games from ictgames (link in sidebar) and has been looking at ways of making 6, using red and brown ribbon snips. (see below).


Even the boys have done maths on the computer today, using games from Topmarks (link in sidebar).

Other things

We found one, tiny woodlouse in the pitfall trap!
The boys have been playing on their new scooters.
The girls have been playing "going in the car" games with their new dolls.
U was asked by some girls a few years older than her to play the teacher. She stood in front of them, counted to 10, then initiated a game of "Simon says", with a variety of instructions. I was impressed.
Ia has been doing well with her handwriting. She also enjoys designing gardens with the Changing Blooms game.
I have been painting walls.

Mountains

This week we started compiling a project on mountains. After having a quick whizz round some mountains facts and photos we looked at some of the references to mountains made in the Quran. Another sister kindly gave me her list of mountains references to use, and the boys have been putting them onto Powerpoint slides.
There are a lot of references, subhanallah, they could not copy them all, so we categorised into sections. For example there are many references to the mountains being firm, fixed, steadying or rooted, such as "Have We not made the Earth as a bed, And the mountains as pegs?" 78:6-7.
Also, "....and has set on the Earth firm mountains lest it should shake with you..." 31:10.
There are also several examples of the mountains in obedience to Allah in worship, such as in Surah Al-Hajj:18, where the mountains are described, along with other of the creation, as prostrating to Allah.
We also looked at the historical mentions of mountains, such as the mountain which crumbled after Musa (as) requested to see Allah, the Prophet Muhammed's (saw) receiving of the first revelation whilst in the cave on Mount Hira, and so on.
Then, today it was time to go to the map to locate the major mountain ranges. I really liked the downloadable World Features Puzzle map I found here. It took a while, and the help of an atlas to correctly place all the features, especially the rivers and lakes! (Later they did the online Europe puzzle map too). I hope we will return to that map in about a week's time, to see what we can remember, inshAllah.
I'm going to try alternating between history and geography projects, from week to week, so that we can have flow throughout the week on one topic, but then have a change so it doesn't get boring. This week was geography, next week its back to Mesopotamia, inshAllah. I'll see how it goes.

Habitat links

Useful places to learn more about habitats.
1. English nature (go to the primary resources section)
2.Nature Grid
3.Environment agency, design a habitat game (Changing Blooms)

Habitats

We started the habitats topic last week by looking at different habitats within our garden and the creatures that live there. Some microhabitats included the stagnent water above, home to tiny, wriggling worm creatures. I have looked up a real name for them, but can't be sure of their id, being so tiny! There was also the usual, under a stone, under old piece of wood etc.

I read somewhere about putting a flowerpot upside down, as above, to entice small creatures in for observation. None came, so we've set up a pitfall trap, (works like a hefalump trap). There are little creatures still about. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way!

On a walk this weekend we saw the black duck above.

Yesterday felt lazy, in an offputting way. Things got off to a very slow start. Apart from the pitfall trap, the boys did some maths, looked online at some information about mountains (project pre-reading), did some recitation and we all watched another episode of the French DVD. Actually, using the DVD like that holds their interest really well. In the middle R asked me for a banana, using the French he had just learnt!

Then, at the end of the day we went off to a party we had been told about a few hours earlier. I wasn't really in the mood to go any where, but alhamdulillah it was good to make the effort because the boys met some other boys their age and had fun with them for a couple of hours.

Maths

I don't mention it often, but we do do maths! For example we made the shapes above from a book of nets. I've also been finding the stuff on Primary Resources very useful. This morning we began maths by watching some of the powerpoint slide shows on 3D shapes. Shape is both an easy and difficult topic I find. The practical side can be fun, but there is so much vocab to go with it. The visuals really help to put it all together.

The girls have been playing with Moon Sand, and Ia has been playing a sample version of a game called Nanny Mania, where you clean up mess and look after the baby super fast. I need to be able to rush about like that nanny!

Sumerians

For this week's study of the Sumerians the boys have done quite a bit of online reading.
Here are some useful links
1. Easy to read, with a map. (Go to Ancient world, then Middle East, then Sumerians)
2. For older readers, with a bit too much detail on the kufr!
3. British Museum, easy to read, and some interactive activities. Their favourite!

Today the boys have finished their first Powerpoint presentation, a Sumerians project. Part of my recent panic was about not doing enough for ICT. Alhamdulillah, I found my way to Powerpoint!

A few thoughts

After Ramadan it is time to review and decide what to do next. Also to check on how far we’ve got on various projects.
Reading. Still in progress. In “Man and Prophet” we have reached the time of the conquest of Makkah, and the changes that took place in the weeks that followed it.
In the story of Salah-ed-Deen we have seen him consolidate his power in Egypt, and then move north, dealing with the squabbling princes of various castles and cities. The Franks were in the area for the crusades and Salah-ed-Deen wanted to drive them out, but first he had to deal with the disunity amongst the Muslims, some of whom sought allegiance with the Franks against him. At the point we are now it is about 1185 and Salah-ed-Deen has taken control of much of Syria, including Damascus and Aleppo, has had an excursion into Nablus and Jenin, and is making repeated attempts to control Mosel. It seems that the other men of power around him were somewhat unreliable, not keeping to their word or always sticking around.
Quran. The boys have accepted use of the “computer tutor” into their daily routine. Ia is not too interested in Arabic letters.
History. We have started looking into the history of the Sumerians, as part of the background study for contextualisation of the history of Ibraheem (as). The Sumerian culture preceeded Ibraheem (as) (if he has been correctly placed in the Babylonian era), but the Sumerian culture is the basis for that. Interestingly we found out that the Sumerians believed (in addition to their idol worship) in a great flood that wiped out all the bad people, with only a few being saved on a boat. In their version the boat was manned by a king, and their gods were involved too. But interesting that they had distorted knowledge of what happened to the people of Nuh (as). They also had beliefs which stem from the story of Adam (as).

Also, about something I heard on the radio. It was the usual LEA or NUT man cites “major socialisation issues” with home education. Apart from the usual wondering “What on earth…?” I thought, probably there are socialisation issues, in that schools seek to socialise children into uniformity, all learning the same thing at the same time, fitting into the system. Home education is very “individual” and socialises differently. Maybe that lack of conformity is the major issue. The problem, as the authorities see it, is that children will not be moulded as they wish them to be. Being different, even in a productive, constructive way, is anti-social? It means you are not socialised to conform, accept and be as a cog should? Oh well, even less to worry about there then.

Ramadan Plate Photos

They do look better close up, and you can even read the writing on them too! I'll be saving them for next year, inshAllah.

Eid Mubarak

Can't believe it is Eid already. I haven't prepared anything! As usual. Allah is the best of planners.

Garden Sunshine

Alhamdulillah the boys have completed their target of 15 fasts. Now they are really in the mood for Eid! Getting very excited. So we are keeping it light today, just a few short sessions on a few topics.
Our quote for the plates today : “The Prophet (saw) went out of his house on the day of Fitr, prayed two rakat, and did not pray before or after it.” (Ibn Abbaas)
This is the evidence for there not being any sunnah prayer to go with the Eid prayer. I chose this quote mainly because it is short enough to go on the plate, as compared with other evidence about the Eid!
We wrapped up the science moving and growing topic today. I’ve done everything I can find on it, suitable for their level. Next we’ll do habitats, insh’Allah as the weather is still holding up, alhamdulillah, and we can still make use of the garden. Even today we’ve seen a pair of robins, a magpie at the bird table and a squirrel digging in the flowerbed. It always digs in the same spot. If I cover the hole over it soon gets dug again. I thought they dug to bury something? What could be there in the same shallow hole each time? I can’t see anything?
The garden is still looking scruffy, and the grass has been worn away so much where the boys play cricket. The batting pitch is a muddy puddle when it rains, and the bowling run up is not much better. But there are still new flowers coming, a tiny pink one in the rockery, tiny white ones on a big bush and even a new chrysanthemum. I don’t know much about garden plants, least of all most of their names! Today U has taken me for a “feely” walk round the garden, during which she wanted to touch different flowers and leaves.

No more photos

Until I get a new battery for the camera.
Last week ended with pleasant weather, so we went to the park and woody hill, as previously postponed. The bigger 3 had several races down the long grassy hill, with lots of “falling over” and grass stains on sleeves.
This morning we have observed the movement of an earthworm. This is part of the moving and growing topic. The boys had some trouble finding any worms, then the first one appeared half dead. The idea was to show how the worm uses muscles to move.
Today’s Ramadan plate was extra sparkly, with plastic jewels. We have about 35 plates on the walls now (including U’s) and I’m happily surprised that everyone has maintained interest in making them throughout the month, alhamdulillah. Actually U is so into the routine now that she gets the blank plates out of the drawer for everyone herself.
Today’s quote “”Whoever stands in prayer in Lailatul-Qadr out of faith and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven” (Bukhari)
Rather belatedly, being the month that it is, I’ve got the boys to include 10 minutes each per day with the Quran “computer tutor”, in addition to their other recitation. I hope, insh’Allah, this will be a way of expanding their Quran study, and that we can sustain it. Its only 10 minutes a day (for now!) but insh’Allah even this modest amount is better than nothing.

Still Learning

We've had some lovely time meeting with friends recently. And otherwise, we continue as usual, alhamdulillah. I can't complain, not at all, alhamdulillah this quiet and settled period of life is a blessing, when you think of the turmoil and suffering around the world, and nearer by too.
It does leave me with not much to write about!
For the last two days the boys have been writing long stories. I can see the influence of books they have recently read in the style. After last week's intensive work on direct and reported speech, their grammar was better, but they still forgot to start a new line for every new speaker. The textbook would have them draft writing out twice before making a neat copy. Surely this just tempts young writers to cut their stories short, if they think they have to copy it out again? Obviously that's what happens in the real world of published writing, rewrites, alterations, corrections. But what about the fake world of exams, where there is no time to correct? That's the dilema of the textbook style I suppose. Prepare them for writing, or prepare them for exams? I'm not worrying about it myself, I'm just wondering what the rationale is. I'm just looking for a balance between creativity and accuracy.
That reminds me. Just as the paper could go through the printer again, it ran out of ink. But, alhamdulillah this has a good side because I thought of doing something different as a result. I downloaded worksheets , and they filled them in on the computer. Maybe this is obvious - but it took an ink shortage for me to break away from the thought that everything has to be printed out. This is probably because I went to school before computers got into the curriculum.
Which leads me to my other recent thoughts, that I must DO MORE. I must look for more new ways of working. I must move forward.

Today's quote on the Ramadan plates was
"Fasting is a shield by which a servant protects himself from the fire."