Quick Review

Well, there is just so much to think about, isn't there?
We completed our first tentative week back into routine. Friday didn't count, as the boys had a sports activity day, so I just let the girls play and use some educational websites.
It has been OK, but I'm not really satisfied. I need to tidy up my thoughts and make a plan that will actually work, inshAllah. There are just so many things to consider!!! It is like being faced with a very messy house, you hardly know where to start! So many ideas crowding their way to grab my attention.
Mentioning the house - H was given another couple of second hand pieces of furniture, so I've been sanding and varnishing and moving things around to accomodate these new items. A couple of our old things got given away in the process, but no waste as they went to homes where they were wanted! Alhamdulillah, I'm grateful for this risq, but I'd prefer the rest of Ramadan to be a little less taken up with house stuff, inshAllah.
Today I've been focussing on plans for Islamic studies, for all the children. The boys do not like to feel that they are repeating things they "know", however the question is do they really KNOW it, or do they just remember having come across topics before. Especially with Islamic knowledge it is essential to review and make sure that whatever is learnt is acted upon, not just filed in a distant memory. So, I need to look at presentation styles.
And, what do you think about this? It seems to me that it is quite difficult to get Islamic materials aimed at intermediate level. There is lots for the younger learner, and older teens should be able to study from adult materials, but how about those in between?
Any recommendations please?

Alphabet and Ramadan

Ramadan means late morning starts for us. Alhamdulillah I'm glad I don't need to get up early to rush out somewhere during this month. We can fix our timetable to suit our need to get up early for suhoor and stay up late for prayers. Usually I don't like getting up late though, so after Ramadan it will be all change in the going to bed and getting up times, inshAllah!

Meanwhile I'm doing some more alphabet work with U. I keep changing the activity with her, to try to make up for the tedious subject matter of learning the alphabet! At the moment she is recycling a very well used toddler picture book, looking for pictures of things that begin with a given letter, cutting them out and sticking them on a page. I'm not working through the alphabet in order, as that is so dull! She can recite the alphabet in order anyway, so the current task in hand is to get her to recognise the letter forms and associate them with the sounds they make.

Practical ICT

Today R and I learnt how to convert a document into an image file by using the print screen button. This was necessary so that we could post up the Homeschooling Kidz Magazine, that R was editing this month. So, that was practical ICT learning for both of us. When I come upon something like this I usually look for a tutorial on Utube, by searching for the task I want to perform. So far this has worked. I fixed Ia's DS game console in a similar way, when the touch screen became unresponsive.I learnt from Utube that I should try cleaning the screen with a toothbrush. It worked.

Welcome Ramadan!

Ramadan is here again, alhamdulillah, and with it comes the time for us to ease back into routines. For me it is a good time to start working again. Ramadan brings with it a sort of calm that helps me to reconnect and try to remember where I was up to with everything??? I made a lot of lists way back at the beginning of summer, so I'm returning to those now, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue!
It is a good time for the kids to start back to routines too, as having organisation to the day helps pass the time usefully. The time in Ramadan is precious, and without some forward thinking it would be all too easy to fritter it away. Establishing a general air of "study" (although I don't like phrasing it like that) encourages them to focus on Quran and doing some Islamic learning in this month.
A Ramadan lapbook would seem the obvious project to work on with the girls, and there are some excellent examples around the net, but I think I'll delay this until next year, inshAllah, when it would be more beneficial to U.
The thing with the girls is that they do everything together, and I do hope to be able to home ed them as a pair, much as I do with the boys, inshAllah. Of course Ia is two years older, so they will be doing different types of maths and English, but if I make other projects mostly topic based I can bring them together despite their different levels. I've been doing this for a while to a certain extent with lapbooks, and I intend to increase this as U gets older, inshAllah. My children seem to enjoy things more when they do things together, maashAllah.
So, for this Ramadan for the girls I've decided to focus more on practical learning, about wudu, salaah, and on Quran. I also have a set of colouring sheets with a Ramadan theme which I could get them to form into a notebook. Reading aloud will also be a feature, inshAllah, as we have quite a number of children's Islamic story books.
I'm not going to do specific Ramadan work with the boys either, apart from finishing reading the book we have on Ramadan. Instead they will be doing other Islamic studies and spending a little more time than usual on Quran, inshAllah. In past years they have done workbooks on Ramadan, and I think we've exhausted what there is on offer there. The best way for them to study Ramadan now is to revise the fiqh and then to LIVE it!

Still enjoying the outdoors!

Today the boys had an outing with H and the girls had an outing with me. This is partly because the boys are no longer interested at all in the kinds of colouring crafts laid on at family event days. The girls loved it, alhamdulillah. Above you can see tigers lurking in a forest, (Oh, do at least try!). They made three other items besides this!
Plus we went for an explore around the gardens and displays. Such beautiful flowers, maashAllah!

And this evening the boys and H are out again, taking their last chance at outdoor evening sports before Ramadan is with us, inshAllah.

Sunny Wednesday

Out today meeting some lovely new home edding friends, maashallah, and collecting some items of interest along the way! Unripe conkers, beech nut cases and pieces of natural chalk rock that can be drawn with.

This afternoon the girls are busy making their Ramadan calendars. I just use a piece of black paper, put the word "Ramadan"at the top in coloured paper, a crescent moon shape, a grid with the numbers 1 to 30 and lots of colour and glitter. They just cross off the days as they go by, inshAllah.

Ending the summer

It feels like the last week of summer to me. By next week it will already be Ramadan, inshAllah, and we'll be getting back into education routines.
For now we are squeezing the last out of our summer break. I've been busily trying to give the garden another overhaul, doing things like trimming the conifer hedge, sowing grass seed over the bare earth patches, clearing the tangle that was the right side border and fixing up the tumbled over rosemary bush.
Yesterday we spent the day visiting friends, spending hours and hours of the afternoon out in a park. I feel satisfied when I see the children playing for hours outside with their friends. That is what a summer break is for, along with bike riding, football, cricket and walks.
We returned home late in the evening, which must have confused the electricity meter cupboard spider, as it had decided to venture out into the quietness of the house. It was a particularly huge spider, which I had noticed often sneaking behind the phone directories in the meter cupboard. In any case, it was a risky adventure to come out, as it is now safely inside the Dyson.
In the mornings I'm reading aloud from a book about Ramadan, to remind ourselves of the details about the coming month and to get us into the right frame of mind for it, inshAllah.

Maths through Stories

I recently bought these two books and as I'm pleased with them I thought I'd mention them here.
Reading is a central part of my home ed philosophy. Reading widely and reading for enrichment. The boys learn easily this way, alhamdulillah, and seem to retain what they read well. As she is a recent reader I can't be so sure about Ia yet, but she seems keen to read for herself, so it looks hopeful, inshAllah. U can't read yet, but spends ages with books. She has remarked that the advantage of reading without having to see the words is that she can read in bed, even with the light off.
Maths is a tricky subject for reading, and I think one of the reasons the boys don't enjoy it too much is that they can't learn it this way. They are usually happiest to see word problems pages, as they say these are usually easier,and there are fewer problems on the page. I would agree that a page of word problems certainly looks more friendly than a page of figures. A lot of this comes down to attitude.
That is why these books are so good! The Pythagoras one is similar in layout to a story picture book, just like the ones found in the under 5s book boxes in the library, but the content is suitable for anyone who doesn't know, or has forgotten about Pythagoras. The story has a young Pythagoras character working out his theory through practical experiences in daily life, and then helping his parents solve a real life problem. ( An ideal unschooling moment!)
We all read the book straight away! Even DH read the book!!!
The boys also started reading the "Adventures Of Penrose". This one is made up of lots of short stories, covering lots of concepts. It varies in difficulty, and although R started reading it to himself he said he'd like me to read it aloud as well, so he could understand better.
So, I'm really impressed. Anything that gets them browsing through maths stuff and showing an interest is good news. I'll be looking for more of the same, inshAllah.

I am not original

I copied this idea straight from TeachkidsArt
When there are so many people out there kind enough to share their ideas for free online you really don't have to be creative or artistic to do arty stuff at home! You just have to be able to follow instructions and be willing to have a go at copying!

Ladybird

We've been noticing lots and lots of butterflies and ladybirds recently. J wanted me to share this photo with you of a ladybird which rested awhile on his shirt. He was intrigued by the rectangular spots.

Reading Log

I've never done proper reading logs before. When the boys were aged 5-6 I did keep a note of their readers as they progressed through, to make sure I didn't confuse who was reading what. I didn't bother for Ia as I felt that I could remember.
Now though Ia is past the graded readers stage, alhamdulillah, and reading various books of her choice. I still get her to read aloud to me, so that she can increase her reading vocabulary, but she reads by herself too. I thought I'd try a reading log for her.
I printed one off from here.
Then I thought it would be interesting to keep logs for the boys too, especially as they increase the amount of independent non-fiction reading that they do. This won't change anyone's reading patterns. I'm not setting targets or anything like that. There is no ideal quantity to be achieved. They all read plenty, alhamdulillah, I just thought it would be interesting to observe! I probably won't manage to record everything, especially not for Ia as she may often read a couple of short books to herself at bedtime (eg. Topsy and Tim or those dull Disney books) and I won't know about those.
Reading logs, an idea for now. How long will they last?

Cricket

A summer staple!

Meet the Table

So, here is the new old table. Note the orangeness. Note location of kitchen doorway on left. The bulky shape underneath indicates that this table can get even bigger, should a mansion be provided for its residence.

This picture really does not do justice to the number of circular white stains on this table top.

If you attempt to saw these legs will they scratch? Well, the wheels certainly leave a black trail behind them when moved, so I have resourcefully place milk container tops underneath, so that they can slide stainlessly.

You see, I am not a person to be needlessly hampered by a sense of style.

(Alhamdulillah, I'm just playing around here, of course. I am not ungrateful. This table cost us nothing, and will do the job required of it, inshAllah.)

Buzz in the Garden

You'll need to look closely!

Art stuff

I'm trying to get more organised about doing art with the girls, inshAllah, and as usual the internet is yielding some wonderful resources. The boys are not really interested, but they sometimes have a go when they see us doing something.
Today I copied this great monoprints idea. (Scroll down below the textured paper)

These were the results!!! Anyway they had fun.

The girls also painted their clay pinch pots (at last).

Here are some more great places for art ideas:

Teach kids art

Art Projects for Kids

Oodles of Art

Fancy a felt cupcake?

No freshly baked cakes available here today. But we do have these freshly sewn felt delicacies.

This morning we found that the triops had all died in the night. SubhanAllah, they all died at once! Kind of convenient in a way, as I was not looking forward to having to fish out individual corpses.

Table dilema

It has been one of those jumbled days. I had to go out to an appointment in the morning. When I got back someone was servicing the boiler. Nothing got done, then, suddenly it was already lunchtime. Then almost before we could finish eating a couple more kids turned up, one to learn baking, the other to play with the boys.
The boys taught themselves all about blog features and gadgets ( no experimenting on my blog though), and I supervised the baking. Hama beads were also out.
And now it is nearly maghrib.
So, what would you do about this?
My husband brings back an old (somewhat battered) dining table from a friend, and sends our old table off (complete with cartoon drawings by Ia on the underside). The new table is bizarrely orange and huge. Our old chairs make us sit at it like kids, it is so high. How will this effect U's handwriting development I wonder? Husband loves new old table, but agrees that it is rather big for the room.
We agree that I try to get a new, smaller, table and chairs. There is a hitch with the order. It is not showing on our system, customer services assures me. I think, Qadr Allah, this old table is our rizq, I'll leave it at that.
This evening new table is delivered. (!!!)
Which one do I now send back?

Tag

Umm Adam has tagged me. I think I've done this tag before? Or have I just seen other bloggers write it, and thought my own responses? I'm not very good at tags....
Rules are to admit one thing you feel bad about as a mom.....
One thing.
In general I should work harder, get more done, monitor my behaviour better....that is more than one.
I don't much like explaining myself....it is in no sense interesting.
List 7 things I love about my kids, doing with them.
See blog archives for the general picture on this...
More importantly, I am endlessly thankful to Allah (swt) that I am a mother and that I have the opportunity and circumstances to home educate my children. Words cannot express the extent of my thankfulness for this.
Anyone want to write themselves up?

Flying Kites

Today we were out flying kites. We have two (thanks to Auntie F), the other one is the same except for the colour. Despite the clouded sky we didn't have rain, and the clouds cleared from time to time, alhamdulillah. We were joined by another family, had a picnic, and stayed out for hours, alhamdulillah.

We also saw this mushroom circle, (the mushrooms were too small to get them in shot all the way round)

and whatever fungus this is.

A few books

Here are some books being read in our home. The Usborne British histories is a good series. Just the right amount of information to keep a child interested.

Foolish Physics does a good job of explaining the history of physics it chooses to address, but COMPLETELY fails to mention the contribution of past Muslim scientists, most notably in the area of astronomy.

I'm rereading Lark Rise to Candleford. I don't know why I find Victorian social history so interesting. This is not a novel, by the way.

Ia is reading the Enormous Crocodile.

The boys read various adventure books, this being one example.