Camping, camping and more camping with a little bit of something else!

My computer has died yet again! (fortunately it still had 2 weeks left on the guarantee alhamdulillah (praise be to God) so it's back in the shop getting a new mother board! So after a while with out a PC I have managed to get the kids old one going again (hoorah). I am now able to communicate with the outside world again......only kidding I do have a real life alongside my virtual one!

We haven't done much structured learning over the last few weeks and have opted, instead, for lots of outdoorsy type stuff, the kids were:

Given hammers and nails by hubby to use on this pile of wood in our garden to build something. I wasn't at all convinced that this was a good idea but it kept them quite for days and nobody got hurt alhamdulillah...amazing. Here they are constructing the floor to a 'den'...it was quite good when finished but I wasn't quick enough to photograph of it before little terror (DS3) and friend tore it down!

They have also been camping with the scouts and camping with their friends and their father at Proctor's Pleasure Park in Loughborough. It's less than 30 minutes from our home which came in handy when we had to drop off some stuff they had left behind *roll eyes*. Infact me and the other mum thought it was so lovely that we might camp there with the kids ourselves. Some of the group got stuck up to the knees in boggy ground so they had to mount a rescue operation (their words not mine! lol), which was successful I am pleased to report.

And last but not least of their camping escapades they had their friends over to camp in the garden. It was great fun, I enjoyed myself too. They found a space to pitch their tent next to a semi circle of logs in the garden which lends itself brilliantly to a camp fire. They were all very responsible and after much debate and adult guidance we built a lovely little fire where they cooked sausages, beans, jacket potatoes and toasted marshmellows. As it got dark we started singing nasheeds, telling stories and having discussions about our most frightening, embarrassing moments etc, it was a lovely evening mashaAllah. We left the big boys to sleep in the tent at about 11.30pm and amazingly they stayed in there all night. When I woke up in the morning they had relit the fire to cook breakfast...lol!

Tent pitched!

Dinner on the go!

Semi successful jacket potatoes....they were lovely on the inside! Honest!
The evening campfire...wish I had made a video of them singing and telling stories, loools.

They have also spent a day a Wicksteed Park with the scouts and DS1 and his friend were also chosen to represent the Muslim Scouts at an event in Dewsbury as they are trying to set up a Muslim Scouts club there. He was sooo proud that they were described as 'the best scouts in our troop' by the scout leader. He is also off to an Extreme Survival Camp at the end of July with the Muslim Scouts and the Muslim Scout Fellowship which they are really excited about. Their packing list includes a Qur'an, prayer mat, slippers for wudu etc; what a blessing!

We have also had two picnics for home educators, spent lots of time in the park, in the garden and at the swimming pool. The two little ones have also started their English & Math lessons with 'aunty' and they loved it alhamdulillah. The joint learning with 'Stig of the Dump' and maths with the others is also going well. It has been a really, really busy few weeks and we don't seem to have spent much time at home at all. We are all a bit tired after all the excitement so, I have decided to have this week off of structured learning and relax with unschooling! Ahhhh!

Apart from all this, we have been doing lots of modeling with plasticine, socialising, library trips, reading together, DS1 has been sorting through and organising his WW1 stuff (we all had a few surprises there!) and cleaning....I have decided to draw up a rota for housework which includes the kids inshaAllah (God willing) they are all getting a bit lazy lately! I am sure we have done more but I can't think anymore.......