Monday, July 09, 2007
Garden Days
The weekend was warm and sunny, alhamdulillah. We’ve been out in the garden lots, mowing and trimming the grass in the bit nearest the house. The edges of the patio flower bed have emerged. Ia was very helpful picking up cuttings.
On Sunday the boys went out for the day to visit friends. Ia was disappointed that she couldn’t go this time so I took the girls to the park. They wanted to go on the bouncy castle, but after a few moments U decided that she “no like bouncy castle” and then Ia had enough when she had no one to bounce with. So we went on to the swings etc, then had an ice cream. U couldn’t eat all hers as it made her tired!
This morning we should have got various things done, but instead the boys wanted to set up their own blog, which they wanted to call Forget Learning. forgetlearning.blogspot.com This I think is to complement my title. I suppose this is IT!
The girls have been playing cars (assembling chairs and passengers), drawing, playdohing and rolling on the new duvet pack. Now they’ve all gone into the garden, and the girls are still in their pjs!
On Sunday the boys went out for the day to visit friends. Ia was disappointed that she couldn’t go this time so I took the girls to the park. They wanted to go on the bouncy castle, but after a few moments U decided that she “no like bouncy castle” and then Ia had enough when she had no one to bounce with. So we went on to the swings etc, then had an ice cream. U couldn’t eat all hers as it made her tired!
This morning we should have got various things done, but instead the boys wanted to set up their own blog, which they wanted to call Forget Learning. forgetlearning.blogspot.com This I think is to complement my title. I suppose this is IT!
The girls have been playing cars (assembling chairs and passengers), drawing, playdohing and rolling on the new duvet pack. Now they’ve all gone into the garden, and the girls are still in their pjs!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
More boxes have come back so now the mess is beginning again.
Slowly restarting the home ed. After a couple of bad tempered sessions the boys have settled down to maths again. I’m not beginning all subjects yet, as I need time to sort out the house as well. We joined the library, so they’ve had something else to do.
Yesterday they got up late, read, while the girls played and Ia made paper men with huge hats. Then we did maths. The boys are doing division, with remainders. Ia showed she can count backwards from 10, can answer questions such as “What number comes between 6 and 8?” and she had fun arranging number cards to 10 in order, having them jumbled ad rearranging them again. U scribbled in a book and counted to 10.
After that they played with footballs in the garden then they came in and made sock puppets. I have photos but can’t get the connection to work again, so can’t transfer them to the computer.
Later there was much excitement when H brought home a lawn mower.
Slowly restarting the home ed. After a couple of bad tempered sessions the boys have settled down to maths again. I’m not beginning all subjects yet, as I need time to sort out the house as well. We joined the library, so they’ve had something else to do.
Yesterday they got up late, read, while the girls played and Ia made paper men with huge hats. Then we did maths. The boys are doing division, with remainders. Ia showed she can count backwards from 10, can answer questions such as “What number comes between 6 and 8?” and she had fun arranging number cards to 10 in order, having them jumbled ad rearranging them again. U scribbled in a book and counted to 10.
After that they played with footballs in the garden then they came in and made sock puppets. I have photos but can’t get the connection to work again, so can’t transfer them to the computer.
Later there was much excitement when H brought home a lawn mower.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Change (and also waiting with no change)
Home education is a patchwork of educational experiences, throughout which the home base remains the constant. Other things change, opportunities come and other experiments cease to work. This time last year the boys were going horse riding every fortnight, but the stables were too far away to continue that. Today our group sessions in the centre have ceased, at least for now. Not all the children were benefiting and it was becoming tiring for the adults, not least for me with all my “are we ever moving” hassles.
We finished today by looking at the life story of Abu ad-Darda (ra), practising using grid references on maps and drawing maps on a grid, and writing conversation poems. When this was done the boys wrote stories freely until the end of the session.
Also today they saw an old friend who has been abroad for a while. Ia went to nursery and brought home another junk model. This afternoon they are playing something complicated that involves having a lot of toys all over the floor and table.
What else? The boys are still reading loads. We picked up more library books on Tuesday. Maths has been resumed and Ia has been doing more cut out crafts. They’ve also been watching Springwatch, which does at least teach them something with no effort from me! I’m pleased they are interested anyway, alhamdulillah.
We finished today by looking at the life story of Abu ad-Darda (ra), practising using grid references on maps and drawing maps on a grid, and writing conversation poems. When this was done the boys wrote stories freely until the end of the session.
Also today they saw an old friend who has been abroad for a while. Ia went to nursery and brought home another junk model. This afternoon they are playing something complicated that involves having a lot of toys all over the floor and table.
What else? The boys are still reading loads. We picked up more library books on Tuesday. Maths has been resumed and Ia has been doing more cut out crafts. They’ve also been watching Springwatch, which does at least teach them something with no effort from me! I’m pleased they are interested anyway, alhamdulillah.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Trying to give up waiting
09/06/07
After a very stressful week we’ve had a lovely day out at the invitation of a friend, maashAllah. She invited us to come with her to a special reopening day at her local library. I have never seen such rowdy chaos in a library. The story teller could barely make himself heard. The boys took part in a general knowledge quiz, and everyone got a balloon.
After that we had something to eat in the bakery and walked to a park, then we walked all the way back to the forest and had a wander round and an ice-cream. (It is a suburban forest, lots of deforested grassy spaces with wooded pockets.) We all enjoyed it thoroughly, may Allah reward the sister as I certainly needed the break and time to feel normal. I think it is better to just assume we are not moving anywhere and plan for staying.
The home ed timetable has taken a knock from all the disruption and stress. They’ve had a week off maths, but the group day subjects continued. The boys have been reading loads. Ia has been doing more writing, inspired by a trip to Tescos with the nursery and the shopping list she prepared for it. She also enjoyed another session with Teacher S, who showed her how to draw round her hand and decorate it as if it was being decorated with henna.
A report out this week described how children these days are not allowed out to play freely as they were in the past. The report suggested that children are now being deprived of the chance to form strong friendships and socialise with their peers. Presumably the children studied for the report were school going. So school was obviously not seen as a place for forming strong childhood friendships then. So that whole socialisation argument……? Means what? They’ve reported themselves full circle on this one.
10/06/07After my driving lesson I dropped myself off at a park and met up with the rest of the family. The boys enjoyed a football training session organised by a friend and coached by another friend’s husband. H and I played with the girls in the park and watched the boys. The weather was just right, maashAllah. There was hardly anyone else in the park – really relaxing, and even the driving is improving now, alhamdulillah
After a very stressful week we’ve had a lovely day out at the invitation of a friend, maashAllah. She invited us to come with her to a special reopening day at her local library. I have never seen such rowdy chaos in a library. The story teller could barely make himself heard. The boys took part in a general knowledge quiz, and everyone got a balloon.
After that we had something to eat in the bakery and walked to a park, then we walked all the way back to the forest and had a wander round and an ice-cream. (It is a suburban forest, lots of deforested grassy spaces with wooded pockets.) We all enjoyed it thoroughly, may Allah reward the sister as I certainly needed the break and time to feel normal. I think it is better to just assume we are not moving anywhere and plan for staying.
The home ed timetable has taken a knock from all the disruption and stress. They’ve had a week off maths, but the group day subjects continued. The boys have been reading loads. Ia has been doing more writing, inspired by a trip to Tescos with the nursery and the shopping list she prepared for it. She also enjoyed another session with Teacher S, who showed her how to draw round her hand and decorate it as if it was being decorated with henna.
A report out this week described how children these days are not allowed out to play freely as they were in the past. The report suggested that children are now being deprived of the chance to form strong friendships and socialise with their peers. Presumably the children studied for the report were school going. So school was obviously not seen as a place for forming strong childhood friendships then. So that whole socialisation argument……? Means what? They’ve reported themselves full circle on this one.
10/06/07After my driving lesson I dropped myself off at a park and met up with the rest of the family. The boys enjoyed a football training session organised by a friend and coached by another friend’s husband. H and I played with the girls in the park and watched the boys. The weather was just right, maashAllah. There was hardly anyone else in the park – really relaxing, and even the driving is improving now, alhamdulillah
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Holding Our Breaths
This is the opposite of how I feel as we await exchange. InshAllah that house is written for us.
Meanwhile Ia has been doing some writing, copied from a story book. The first couple of words say "five dinosaur". She wanted to write a book because
J has been writing one! This is an example from the 22 pages written so far. It is a cricket story. He wants to get it published.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)