Study update

We have now come to the end of our habitats study for now. The last section was on changing habitats. All the other ideas I come across need outdoor work which would be better done in spring when the minibeasts are easier to find, inshAllah.
We've been working through a few textbook pages recently, but there are three other activities worth mentioning perhaps.
1.Concept checking with food chains. I wasn't sure whether the boys really got how food chains work, so I asked them each to devise a different food chain using reference books we have on deserts and rainforests. There are no food chains in there as such, just various information about what different creatures eat, so they had to read widely and piece it together.
2. Badger Wood is a game about the consequences on wildlife of cutting down a wood to make room for a road. Follow this link, then click on "play", then "games".
3. Today we watched a presentation from Arkive Education, (look in 7-11 Geography, topic "Habitats and Humans"), and discussed what we saw.

Reading

Ia kindly shared her colouring kit with her brothers today.
And so the days roll on, alhamdulillah.
Today when we read in Ibn Kathir’s “Stories of the Prophets” : “In Surah Al-Anbiya too Allah tells us that He rescued him (Ibrahim (as)) and Lut (as) and they went to a blessed land…” it meant something more to us after our visit to the museum yesterday. Ibrahim (as) had confronted his people and he had confronted the king, and no one could win the argument over him, but still they rejected.
“Have you not considered the one who had an argument with Ibrahim, about his Lord, because Allah had given him kingdom? When Ibrahim said, “My Lord is He who gives life, and causes death,” he replied, “I give life and cause death.” Ibrahim said, “Surely Allah brings the sun from the east, so you bring it from the west.” Thereupon he, who disbelieved was confounded. And Allah guides not the evildoing people.” ( Al- Baqarah 258)
For someone with such pure tawheed as Ibrahim (as) how terrible would be those horrible idols and the people's attachment to their disbelief. Rescue seemed like a good word.

Jumbled

Today and yesterday. I hardly know how to start. So many different moods, little chunks, not blending together at all. Sometimes the mood is set for a day, busy, good, productive, stressed, messy, thoughtful, surprising. Sometimes it can be all of those.
Yesterday I began the day by fainting, which would not generally be seen to be a good start, and my failure to be up and about on time led to the cat being accidentally shut out from the room where her litter tray is, and, in apparent desperation, after I failed to understand her strange noises, she used U's duvet instead. That was the messy bit.
The surprising bit was how much moss the roofer cleared out of the gutters.
The productive bits were that Ia asked to read her phonics books again, and that we went for a day out museum visiting today. This was also the busy part, and the stressful part too. We took the train to the British museum, and then the Science museum.
First of all I wanted to visit the Mesopotamia galleries in the British museum, seeing that we have been studying that. It was interesting, but myself and the boys all found the museum an unpleasant place to be. That place is full of idols, they are everywhere you look (it feels like). It just makes you want to get away as fast as possible, saying "auzubillah" with every step. The Egyptian mummies are right next door to the Mesopotamians, but they didn't even want to look, although I had not let on my feeling to them at that stage and they are interested in history. They just felt uncomfortable. Alhamdulillah, that this what the perished nations are supposed to teach us really, not to follow their ways, they have perished and their idols and wealth could not save them from that. But Allah will never perish. That was a thoughtful moment.
The boys decided that the local museum, with its friendly collection of Roman coins, fossils and town artefacts is better than the British museum!
Anyway, the Science museum is wholesome enough, but it is SO crowded and noisy, U had a tantrum, even Ia started crying over nonsense at one point. Its worth going, but it certainly is stressful.
We've also come to the end of our reading of "Muhamed Man and Prophet" by Adil Salahi. The last chapter, describing the end of the Prophet's (saw) life, is written in such a moving way. The author brings to us so strongly the shock and sense of loss of the people at that time, it is very moving to read. Also the details about the Prophet's last days, how he would go to see the Companions praying together in the mosque, and they would be so happy to see him there. Such amazing times in which those Companions lived, the enormity of living your life from day to day with the expectation that at any time Allah could reveal something that would cause you to change yourself and your life beyond anything you could have imagined. They were ready for whatever changes and sacrifices to be asked of them at any time. How about us?
So many thoughts and feelings jumbled together. What will tomorrow bring? Alhamdulillah.

Monday

Today we were learning about the time when Ibrahim (as) was thrown into the fire by his people. "We (Allah) said "Oh fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrahim!" (21:69)

Over the weekend we made a second visit to the local museum, because the boys were keen to look again at the bits we had to rush past last time. This time they found drawers of medieval coins and keys, and drawers of fossils.

Today, between our usual work they devised a tv shedule, and "presented", amongst other things, the news. J also decided to make a cardboard robot model and Ia asked to read a couple of phonics books, which I think she has mostly memorised, but its a start, inshAllah.

Sometimes I get surprised by what someone has picked up and remembered. At the weekend I planted some garlic outside. Noone was with me, so I did not think anyone had picked up on what I was doing. However, today I heard R explaining about planting garlic in pots. So you don't always know how or why learning takes place, it just does. SubhanAllah.

The ups and downs of spontaneity

Something I like about home education is being able to do things when you feel like it, and when you look outside and the weather tells you that today would be a good day to....
visit the local museum. It was our first visit and the boys were impressed. It is basically a local history museum, but there were lots of practical things for the children to do, even things for U to handle. There were activity sheets aimed at just their level, and another Ia could join in with too, and of course we had the child focussed displays to ourselves.
The visit gave good knock on effects for the rest of the day too, as the day's sheduled work was finished more smoothly than usual. Alhamdulillah.
In other thoughts, when travelling on public transport with a two year old beware of unwelcome announcements. "I done a poo in my pants" U said loudly. "No you haven't" I say shusshing her and eying nearby commuters. Well, she hadn't- she was just bored and looking for some reaction, time for another retelling of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears.

Something Colourful

to brighten up these dark, dank November days. Wrapping paper collage.

Lots of hedgehog work going on in science. Hedgehog "property particulars", hedgehog menus, hedgehog diaries with descriptions of determined hedgehogs "shuffling on", finding tasty insect treats in the farmer's garden.

We're making lots of use of the Explore mountains site (learn about mountains, in sidebar), and the Woodlands section on moutains. Reading the information, watching the animation links, and noting down some main points. Primary resources also has some powerpoint files on mountains, which are good for further leads. All these sites divide the topic into useful chunks, which we can look at one at a time.

Reminder

Each little point on this cauliflower spirals up with lots of little spiral points coming out of it. SubhanAllah. It is so precise. Just seeing this vegetable is a reminder of tawheed. Well, I just have to keep looking at it.

We've had a very sociable weekend, including a chance for the boys to meet up with a group of their childhood friends. That was a treat for me too, because I do really enjoy seeing them all together, racing about.