Family History

We do lots of general reading about history, but we are not at all organised about it. Having dipped into histories from all over the world I thought it was about time our history studies got more personal.
I do have some resources at my disposal, at least for my (non-Muslim) side of the family. Towards the end of their lives my mother's parents took it upon themselves to write their memoirs. My grandmother had been a typist when young, and she typed the whole lot out. Then they bound their work into two books, one about each of them, and distributed copies around the family.
Their accounts begin with stories from the 1840s which had been passed down to them, and continue with more detail once their own experiences can be recorded.
My grandfather also took time to draw up a family tree, and put together photo albums of copies of old photos, complete with a booklet explaining who is who in each picture, (all numbered and organised page by page).
There are also supplementary booklets containing copies of family letters sent from the USA in the 1950s, and details of work practices from the 1940s.
Now, these are all primary sources for social history, and inshAllah we'll be reading them through, matching names to photos and entries on the family tree.
As for my husband's side, I hope the children will be encouraged to ask him about whatever tales were told to him as he grew up, then they can write it down, inshAllah, and create their own part of the tradition.

Going On An Explore

Under the skudding clouds of a briskly breezy summer's day.

Still getting there

So, I was starting to get a little grumpy. Maybe I'm unrealistic, but after days spent on trying to tidy up you'd hope for a little evidence of that, wouldn't you? But, of course, it all looks much the same when I go to bed, as when I wake up ready for a day of housework.
I also decided to paint the filing cabinets, well, one so far. Their grubby greyness could not be cleaned up, and I have a habit of painting battered furniture and giving it a new lease of life. Preferably the battered furniture should be of the sort abandoned by someone else when they move out of a place I move into. Surprising how much furniture you can get that way, alhamdulillah. So then, when someone says, "That's a nice cupboard, is it new?", I say, "No, that is the hideous old dresser base I used to keep shoes in at the top of the stairs. I just painted it."
No fancy painting, just a match with the wall colour, so it doesn't stand out if there are scratches too deep to erase with paint.
Anyway, now it is the turn of the filing cabinets. Then I'll have to get the first one back into its position, and fill it back up again, inshAllah.
Meanwhile the girls have been doing creative stuff again, which makes me feel better at least!

Clean Up

I've been giving our study room a bit of a spruce up.
Day 1 - I remove everything except the computer from the room.
Day 2 - I paint the walls and skirting boards.
Day 3 - Someone comes in to remove the stained old carpet and put down a hard floor. (After computer has been removed.) I spend the day cleaning the upstairs. Not that you can tell, less than 24hrs later.
Day 4 - I start putting everything back. But I really need to sort out some of the papers and bits of things.
Interesting, huh? Not.

Baking

So, it is summer, and we are taking things easy for a while. This afternoon has been one long baking session. I needed to do my bread and a couple of cakes, then later on the boys went to their friend's house and their friend's sister came over here and I helped her learn how to bake. As you can see, she is very generous with her decorations, maashAllah.

Gym

Both girls passed gym badges last week, alhamdulillah. Once a term parents are allowed to watch the lesson. It is usually quite hilarious! U gets so excited when the springboard comes out, she charges at it as fast as she can. When she has to go over the box she flings herself at it and jumps off again super quick, subhanAllah! Ia has got more control, maashAllah. Anyway, they both have fun, alhamdulillah.

Summer cooking

Today R made lunch. This is a favourite meal for all of them, mince, red cabbage and macaroni. It doesn't have an actual name! R is interested in cooking at the moment.
Ia is trying too. Just now she is putting together some blackberry and apple pies in the kitchen.

We are on a very light HE shedule at the moment, having our summer break. The boys were invited to their friend's home this afternoon, so they got through their few tasks in the morning. Quran practice continues as normal, of course. The Pashto session with Rosetta Stone also continues. I continue to read aloud in the morning, a fact or fiction book, plus something Islamic. They also read some of "Crazy Chemistry, A Wierd History of Science", by John Townsend, which we have out of the library at the moment. It is a light but interesting book, so I'd recommend checking the library for it.

The girls are enjoying their own world of play at the moment. There are toys, books and puzzles strewn everywhere. (Reappearing as soon as I try to tidy up.) U did make a huge effort to tidy their room late last night, entirely her own idea, maashAllah.

I also cleaned out the triop water. Four triops still thriving, alhamdulillah.

Ia spent much of this morning reading Usborne Young Puzzle books on the sofa. She has started reading aloud to U sometimes too, although they often just sit together and read their own books, maashAllah.

Those pies are now nearly ready to come out of the oven.....

Since I last posted

there has been; cycling, climbing on felled tree trunks, having friends over, a cricket match, swimming, football, receiving football trophies, making ginger biscuits and art.
Today we tried crayon resist painting. Drawing with wax crayon, then washing over with watercolour for an under-the-sea effect.

Raspberries, strawberries, spinach and French beans

Alhamdulillah we made it to the pick your own friut and veg farm! We've been meaning to go for several years, but it is quite far from us and we never managed it until now!

The weather was just right for being out in fields, alhamdulillah. So many raspberries, the bushes were dripping, maashAllah, alhamdulillah!

In among the French beans.

The children all enjoyed themselves and want to know when we'll be going again!

Flowers, art and triops

The temperature has gone down a little, so we are enjoying the garden more again, alhamdulillah.
I want to continue the creative theme a little more through this summer, inshAllah. I didn't plan this in advance, but from reading some entries from Ummtafari and coming across the Usborne Art Treasury I started to think of ideas for Ia, as the boys always say they don't want to do art. But then a friend asked me whether that was really it for art with the boys, the end of it! That thought played on my mind, and so the idea of doing some art summer projects formed. Done in this way the boys are enjoying joining in, alhamdulillah.
This is what they did today. (Now on the kitchen door).

Do you remember how we were undecided about having a second go at the triops after the first batch failed? Ia decided that she would like to use her kit this year, and as this coincided with the warmer weather, alhamdulillah, it was good timing. Inside this murky tub of water live four triops. They normally live in puddles, so they like it a bit murky apparantly.

Ia's kit was the smaller, less complicated bowl version of the triop tank, and really it is easier to use, and takes up less space. This kit also came with sand, which the triops like to burrow in. It is interesting to watch them do that. Overall this smaller, cheaper kit is actually better than the more expensive version. All the children are agreed on that!

Competitions

There was much excitement when the postman delivered these excellent prizes this morning, which two of the children had won by taking part in the writing competition on the Home Educators and UK Muslims list. The cat enjoyed chasing after those flying pieces of foam.

This prize included a set of glass paints, maashAllah! How spot on! So, of course, glass painting was immediately top of the morning list. I had been planning to continue the creative theme today anyway, and this just encouraged everyone, alhamdulillah. As J had done glass painting yesterday he chose to do scratch board art instead today.

Taking part in competitions like this is so encouraging for the children, maashAllah.

There is also a summer art competition running on the IHSAN forum at the moment. So lots of chances to join in and feel like part of the online home ed community.

Something Creative

I thought we should have a break from the norm today, so it was time to get creative. J chose to do glass painting.

Ia sewed a felt cupcake. (You gather it up and stuff it, so it takes up a cupcake shape.)

And R made a chocolate cake, by himself, with a receipe book. It turned out well, alhamdulillah.

Yesterday the boys made a graph using this website, and using data from a football site. It is a handy graph site, worth checking out, inshAllah.