I doesn't like...

The boys have been out and about with H lots these past couple of days. Yesterday it was just me with the girls and the seemingly endless painting.
I've been doing short maths activities with Ia. Today we did an investigation of the combinations made by picking out 5 cubes from a selection in three colours, (2 red, 1 blue, 2 green, etc). Then she wanted to see how it would work with totals of 6 cubes. She recorded the results on the whiteboard.
Both girls have also been keen to act out their current favourite library book "I don't like Gloria", by Kate Umansky. Colin is a small dog and he is not impressed by the arrival of cat Gloria into the family home. Gloria eats his food and sleeps on his special cushion. The only thing that unites the two is their dislike of the next new pet, Jeffrey the rabbit. Ia and U can play this out endlessly, but there is no actual fighting, just "looks". I struggle to stay interested, in my role as owner of the pets. Of course we've read the book over and over too. U goes upstairs to read it by herself, but I still hear her rendering it into her own grammar "I doesn't like Gloria".

Messy

More busy, disorganised days house decorating means not much more than maths and Quran recitation being done. Yesterday the boys woke up early, ready to go cycling, only to find that it was raining. They spent the whole morning waiting for the rain to stop, counting the hours, deciding to wait half an hour more before giving up, etc. Funny that the day's maths work was about measuring time, if it is 9:16 now what time will it be in half an hour, and so on. Well, they got a ride in the end, and today too. So lots of exercise being done if not much else!
Yesterday I drew fish bowls on the whiteboard, Ia placed red cusinaire rods (fish) in the bowls, and we counted the different combinations of fish. Today she has not felt too well, as she demonstrated by throwing up on the floor of B&Q.

Hard at work already?

No! With H home it is hard to shake off the weekend feel, so it is a slow easing back into routine. Although I hope it is really just me who feels they are hard at work at anytime! H took the boys out cycling today. Ia is trying, but she finds it such hard work getting the pedals round she can hardly start thinking about balance.
So we got back to maths today. The boys did a page of subtractions and J joined in with some activities with Ia. I began by putting some bricks in a pot, getting Ia to estimate then count the number inside. Then she repeated this, with me doing the guessing. We discussed how the outcomes would be different if we were using 1cm cubes, or potatoes inside the pot. Next we played the game where you count out some bricks, then use a cloth to conceal the removal or addition of a few bricks before having the other person guess what you've done. We played that quite a few times. Lastly Ia wrote out the numbers 1 to 10 on the white board, firstly copying, then free. She finds using the whiteboard more interesting than paper.
U has found the draw-over-wipe-clean books. Tatty as they are, as soon as they came out everyone wants a go!

A book

We are still on post-Eid holidays. We've had guests, and from today its back to house painting, starting with downstairs ceilings.
Aside from that, on our last library visit I noticed a new book on the shelf. I look through the children's fiction to help the boys to pick out titles. If the three of us look we can usually find enough to keep them going for a week or so.
I found a book called "Ida B", by Katherine Hannigan, and the blurb begins "Ida B Applewood believes there is never enough time for fun. That's why she's so happy to be homeschooled and to spend every free second outside with the trees and the brook."
I brought it home to see if it could be of interest. Ida B loves to play outside, with the trees and brook as her friends. Her first days at school are difficult, she is miserable so her parents decide to withdraw her and homeschool her instead. After a few years her mother gets cancer and Ida B is sent back to school. She resents this deeply, and resolves to make no friends and to withdraw from her parents. The rest of the story shows how she gets used to the situation until she is fine with school and restores her relationship with her parents. (The mother survives).
The writing style is fun and expressive, and that makes it pleasant to read. But what is this all about?
Of course this book is for children, but as a mother it is quite horrifying. Its like a worst nightmare, you home ed your children, but get cancer and become too sick to continue. Your child hates you for sending her back to school and cuts herself off from you. Your fun loving, full-of -questions child no longer speaks or looks you in the eye. May Allah keep us mums in good health for the sake of our children.
And then what does it say about homeschooling? The parents withdrew Ida because she was unhappy, but then look, when they are unable to cope the trauma the family would already face from the cancer is compounded by the trauma of returning to school. Does the author imply that it would have been better for Ida B to have stuck it out from kindergaten and just got used to it?
Are the parents to blame for withdrawing her too hastily? The author stands over us saying "What are you doing with your child, what if it goes wrong?". And Ms Hannigan has a degree in education of course.
And about never having enough time for fun? We don't really know where that goes. And what would the child reader think I wonder?

How was Eid?

Alhamdulillah we passed a busy Eid, visiting family and friends. I even got prepared this time! The boys put decorations up and "helped" me make choc chip muffins. Can you imagine the help given by two excited boys using an electric whisk which has a button marked "turbo" on it? I also tried cookies, but these always look more like splodges when I make them. Tastes the same!
I think for the rest of this week we'll take it easy, finish learning about Ibrahim (as) and read.

A little history again!

Beha Ed-Din describes that around 1190 the Marquis of Tyre commissioned a painting depicting a Muslim horseman trampling over the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, and the horse was also urinating. This painting was then carried around the market places of Europe by priests clad in hair-cloth, in order to encourage the people to join the Crusades. the King of the Germans, Beha Ed-Din asserts, was one of those to respond to that painting.
Whether this account can be taken fully at face value cannot be assumed without the use of other sources of course. Rumour itself being a strategy of war. Beha Ed- Din does not claim to have seen it himself. A story of this kind could equally be used by either side against the other.
Propoganda- the past and now are not so far away.

This week as Eid approaches, inshAllah and the Hajj gets underway home ed for us will be more about things of deen, inshAllah. Today we read more about Ibrahim (as), and we started to look at some of the ways to improve our dua, inshAllah.

It all adds up

We liked the window pictures we saw here, and today Ia made her own version. Jazakallahkhair to the sister who posted that artwork. I took a photo to post, but once again I found I was unable to upload the photo. After clicking "upload" it simply redirected back to an empty image selection box. Any ideas?
These past few days everyone has made themselves very busy. I don't really know what they've been doing in their room, but it has taken up lots of time! The girls have painted and done "baby games". The boys have been very disappointed to learn that the city of Acre eventually fell to the Franks after such a prolonged effort from Salah-ed-Din. It was a lesson in itself to realise that this is history, not fiction, so it won't always work out the way you think it should! They are so used to childrens' stories where the character they support comes out on top!
We have been continuing to learn about the life of Ibrahim (as), episode by episode, recently covering the building of the Kabah and the incident of the Sacrifice. Instead of doing separate Hajj related study this year I am just trying to cover the life of Ibrahim (as) as thoroughly as possible, making the links to Hajj clear. InshAllah I will finish off this topic during next week.
Today we also learnt/ relearnt Arabic colour words using the activities found here. The boys mastered the exercises quickly, maashAllah, and its given me some ideas on games to follow this up with. Maybe we can do the same with French too! We did French colours on Monday, didn't we? Time passes so fast, alhamdulillah!
That reminds me. Getting on with things here at home, I do sometimes wonder how my children's educational experience compares with others. Not in the sense of is it better/worse, just what are the differences or similarities. For example, amongst the regular gloomy school related stories I hear on the radio, (how do most parents feel about that?), I heard that the government is stressing the learning of a modern foreign language in primary school. Then I heard a teacher talking about teaching French in her classroom for half an hour a week. Half an hour a week? Long ago, when I used to run an after school French club, we had about 45 minutes a week, and it doesn't go far! So what is my point? If half an hour a week is enough for government announcements, fanfares or whatever, just think of all the little half hours the home educated child spends on all sorts of things. Its all learning, its official!

Slow

Last week the garden was soggy, now it is frozen. But Ia must be thinking about flowers as she decided to make some today. U has proudly produced some works of art which she insists must go on the wall, even if they consist of only a squiggle and pva glue painting, with not much stuck on.
It has been a slow week. Monday was bad tempered, Tuesday was calm, and since then it has just been slow. Today we are doing an investigation to find out which of 4 materials is best at slowing down the melting of an ice cube. The whole thing is being drawn out by the coldness of the kitchen, but its more data to collect. I did take a photo, but after several failed attempts to upload it, I give up! We are using foil, bubblewrap, a woolly glove and cotton.

A visitor!!!

The boys had a friend over for a day at the weekend. He was a much appreciated guest. Everyone vied for his attention. U climbed up the bunk ladder and yelled "Help!" over and over. This was the day after showing us how she can go up and down the ladder by herself now. Ia made frequent loud remarks about this and that, U produced old board games and said "Play this". Generally the guest was not allowed a moment to himself.
Also over the weekend R got the electrical bits and bobs out and made a tiny fan, with a motor and foil. Since successfully assembling the circuits at the Science Museum, I think to his own surprise, he has developed an interest in this.
Today we looked at some of the French resources on Primary Resources, learning the colours. We also did a temperature investigation, with more practice at reading the thermometer, and this evening the boys each traced a map from "Atlas of the Quran" showing the migration of Ibrahim (as).

Wildlife, chat and history

Ia has been enjoying watching video clips of wild animals on the Arkive site. This followed on from yesterday’s mountains study, when we looked into animals living in mountain habitats. We followed the links from the Woodlands site, (homework help section) watching the video clips, then we looked at the Rocky mountains site. The boys selected that site to choose a couple of animals to take notes on. They also enjoyed the quiz on what to do on encountering bears and other bear knowledge.
Ia and U glued some coloured paper shapes. Interestingly U sorted the shapes by sticking all the blues and greens on one side of the paper and the reds and pinks on the other.

Today did not go to plan! H was unexpectedly home, so could take the boys to Jummah. This meant that I could take the girls to a little ones learn and play session. I thought the girls might enjoy the different company, but I think they would have rather stayed home! U tried to have a very animated conversation with a sister there. She can pull very odd faces when trying to make a point. I heard her saying “When it gets dark outside we can switch the light on”. The sister humoured her for a while, lack of feedback did not put U off . U is very chatty, maashAllah, and assumes any child who does not talk as much is younger than her. She said of her “peer group”, “These babies want to eat all our breadsticks!”
I suppose it is about expectations. Ia expects her friends to not just chat, but to advise and make comments. She told me that her good friend B advised her that her hair looks best when her plait or ponytail is worn over her shoulder, under her chin. Ia complained that this might be nice, but it tickles too much.


Otherwise, we have come across more fascinating history in the book on Salah-ed-Din.
I like this stuff so much I do feel the need to share it! It’s the detail you see, the bringing close of long ago lives.
We are currently reading about the siege of Acre, by the Franks. The people inside the city are holding out against continuous bombardment from the stone hurling mangonels . The city walls are weakening, and the harbour is blocked, leading to famine. The army of Salah-Ed –Din is outside the city, supporting the people inside and continuously engaging with the Frank army. This goes on and on. Both sides receive reinforcements. To try to help the starving citizens a Muslim ship sets off from Beirut, disguised as a Frankish ship.
The Muslims shaved their beards and dressed in the clothes of the Franks. They placed pigs on the deck of the ship and then stocked the hold with food. When they got to Acre they pretended to have come from far away, with food for the Franks. When they were challenged they said they assumed the Franks had captured Acre, but if not then they’d go to the Frank army with their supplies. Then they said that another ship was approaching, so the Franks who had approached them should go out and warn that ship too. While this advice was being followed they took their ship into port, much to the joy of the hungry inhabitants of Acre.
Another insight concerned the way in which messages were passed between the city and the army outside. Messengers would tie money and papers into a belt, and then would swim to the city at night. To confirm arrival the messenger would send a bird back. To protect letters from the water they would be tied in oiled silk.

Normal

A very normal day. So what does that mean?
I started today with painting the banisters. I’ve been doing various painting jobs for weeks. I took last week off as it has become so boring, but boring jobs still have to be done. I can’t manage more than an hour or so a day, and its best done first thing while the children are still sleeping. After that a few housework jobs, then the children woke and needed feeding, dressing. The boys read and played psp.
Then we go into the morning. U wants audio books, then to be read to. I read to the boys. Having recently finished books, we are going back to the history of Salah-ed-Din, which we had taken a break from. Today we read an interesting account of how copper pots full of highly flammable substances were used to hurl at siege towers and set them alight. Attempts were made by the crusaders to prevent the siege towers from being set alight by draping them in hides soaked in vinegar, and this was successful against the technology of flammable substances Salah-ed-Din’s army had with it. Many failed attempts were made to set fire to the towers until a new man from Damascus came forward with his own “recipe” for “fire pots”. With these he demolished three huge towers within a few hours. Clearly this is a heavily biased account, but all accounts are biased and the details are fascinating.
After that, as the time for Hajj is close insh’Allah, we read from Goodword’s “Tell Me About Hajj”. Reading a few pages a day will make a good revision, insh’Allah. It’s nice that we are learning about the life of Ibrahim (as) at the moment too, so enjoying these two sides to the same “story”. Alhamdulillah. I didn’t plan it to be that way!
Also this morning the boys and Ia made posters to illustrate the mountain environment, showing the different types of plant life to be found at different heights of the mountain, learning about the “snow line” and “tree line”. By this time it was already time for Zuhr (kids get up late) and time for the boys to do their Quran, from the book and the computer.
In the afternoon the boys wrote a story. R’s was really good, maashallah, J’s was slapdash. Ia did some handwriting practice and read a phonics reader. U set up a toy picnic and a car in the living room. I’ve abandoned that room for now. It’s a dump for whatever I don’t know what to do with! I shouldn’t use the word “living room” to describe it, “cat’s living room” would be better, as it contains the “cat’s chair”. U also played with sand, magnet letters and coloured.
Today’s maths for the boys was fractions revision. Then in science we began looking at the hot and cold topic, just an introduction. Once again we finished off activities in the evening, in between the cooking and the baking.
I’m keeping things very light for Ia just now while she is interested in beginning to read.
So, a normal day, with its good and its not so good. Alhamdulillah.

Quick

I don't know how we got anything done today as the boys kept having to break off to yell at each other and wrestle, but we got through our regular stuff all the same.
The girls and I went into the garden this morning while the weather was still good. I tidied up a bush and the girls began clearing up leaves. There are lots of bulb shoots under the leaves, and the crocus bulbs in the pots we planted in Ramadan have started to point through the soil. I can't take a photo, as my camera only does "blur" for close up.

More reading

Scratchcard art. Well, scratchcard something. Its just here to add a bit of colour to the page!

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading Ian Serraillier’s “The Silver Sword” to the boys. We finished it last week. At first they were not so keen, but as the story went on they became involved in it and wanted to know what would happen next. I don’t think they would complete a reading of this book independently just now, mainly because the context of the Second World War would be too strange for them, but by reading it together I could explain a bit of the history to them as we went along. That way it made more sense, and they could benefit from the general knowledge aspect too. I read that book so many times myself as a child, it’s the same copy, I still have it, (I looked after my books).
We went to the library today and they chose their usual type of books about giant hamsters, detective dogs, lion adventures and so on. That library visit and the subsequent reading of library books was the only useful thing we did today. Otherwise we were just lazy, lazy, lazy! Well, its not so bad, once in a while! Alhamdulillah.