Home ed fitness training (non-physical)

In the course of home eddding I find myself reading a lot of books. For example I've just finished reading aloud a chapter of "The House at Pooh Corner". (Some evenings ago the boys overheard me reading AA Milne to the girls and they couldn't help laughing. Now they are old enough to get the jokes, maashAllah.)

Then I read aloud various picture library books to U, I read aloud to the boys and during the boys Islamic Studies sessions I'm reading from books written for adults and I simplify where necessary.

I also try to read some of the non-fiction library books I get for the boys, although they read them by themselves. Why am I reading those books? Because I need to refresh my knowledge and keep a little ahead. At the moment we have an interesting book from the library called "Chemicals in action: Metals". This book is written in a simple (thankfully) but informative way. I find myself trying to memorise facts such as: when metal reacts with acid hydrogen and a salt are formed. I don't NEED to know this now, but the last time I studied chemistry I was 16 and the parts of my brain that dealt with those things have long rusted over. Not that a metal oxide has formed on my brain (see p 28 ), but you know what I mean. To take this idea further......I need to undergo a thorough polish and galvanisation.

Get myself ready for study, be in the right learning zone myself. Otherwise how can I expect my children to be in learning mode??? Surely I need to set the right example.

You get the picture.

And then there is the book in the picture at the top of the post. It is a fun read, readable in short chunks, which is handy considering all theinterruptions a mother has to contend with. It covers all sorts of language, including (briefly) the obscene, so be aware of that before letting kids dip into it. But a gentle way for a busy adult to keep on learning and flexing her brain!