Back yard fossils!

So today the kids decided that they were feeling much better so after Jumah prayer Crush and Daisy raised an expedition to the garden to '...dig for fossils...' and what d'ya know, they found some too!

All very common but the intrepid explorers were filled with excitement nevertheless. Here are some pictures of a few that they found:

a very worn ammonite - a marine invertebrate related to the squid, octopus and cuttlefish family which apparently became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period [about the same time as the dinosaur].  In medieval Europe it was thought that they were petrified coiled snakes and were called Snakestones in England.  Apparently ammonites found in Nepal are thought by the Hindu's to be a concrete manifestation on of of their gods [astagfirullah; how does this make sense?]

ammonite... this one is much clearer

 

There's that ammonite again but not sure what the others are (if they are fossils at all; but I'm not going to burst any bubbles until I know for sure LOL)

absolutely zillions of Devils Toenails [Gryphaea], these were oyster type animals that lived from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous period.  They are very common in the UK and apparently it was believed that carrying one of these around could prevent rheumatism.

Daisy has been looking through her Beaver Handbook and has decided that she is going to work very hard to get all of her badges.  She is of the opinion that if she does a small project/presentation on her finds she may be able to submit it for a badge.  So that's on her 'to do list' for next week inshaAllah; I'll let you know how she gets on!

Owls this for progress?

Ooo that was bad wasn't it?

This terrible pun was inspired by Sprite and his owl project which is almost finished.  Yeah!  His enthusiasm was sparked by the opportunity to dissect owl pellets.  I have been putting this activity off for some time but Sprite was beside himself with excitement at the mere thought of doing it and just in case it inspires you too here are just a few of the pictures we took of the whole process. Please note however, that because of the gross factor I had to take off part way through and Crush abandoned his dissection completely so you may want to skip the photos!

We had to soak the owl pellets [which are basically a ball of  bones, fur, feathers etc that the owl is unable to digest of it's prey which he then regurgitates] in a non-cloudy disinfectant for 30 minutes; I just found out you can keep them in the freezer for 48 hours too which does the same job.  Sprite found it difficult to get all the wet fur out from the inside of skulls etc. however, Crush did his dry and thought the pellet was easier to dissect.

They used tweezers and tooth picks to separate the bones from the fur.

Here you can see some bones making an appearance.

These are some of  Sprites skulls -he had quite a collection by the time he had finished.

 

...lower jaws

he was able to use a flow chart to identify the prey that the owl had eaten

...finally he used this chart that we got form the internet to place all the bones and he stuck it all onto a mini blackboard so we can hang it on the wall in our classroom cum dining room. Great!

Sprite then used this information sheet to identify the owls prey.

I gave all the children the opportunity to dissect a pellet but two refused and Crush couldn't see his through to the end; it was making him feel queesey. Sprite was the only one to see it through to the end and ended up with all the bones which he went on to soak in bleach to whiten.  He is currently contemplating how to store them.  He only needs to complete the booklet of his dissection and then he can finish his lapbook.  This project, although it took an immense amount of time, involved a lot of research on his part and although there wasn't any tangible evidence of his learning he was continually learning about the topic; we have watched what must amount to 100's of videos, read copious amounts of info in web sites and books and he has done some fab art work related to this project - the most amazing of which was an A1 size owl decorated in real feathers resting on a branch; sadly I can't find the photographs of it and it has since been binned; it seems that small children couldn't help but pull off the feathers lol.

Photos of the completed project will ensue, God willing!

Twists and turns of HE

Our home education has taken a slight, very exciting, turn away from lapbooks and has moved on to scrapbooking...... scrapbooks/mini albums are usually used for keepsakes etc but I decided that we could adapt them for our home education ...and that is exactly what I did. It's a great opportunity for the kids to use art in their work and use their creative talents.
DS1 was studying frogs after finding some spawn in a pond so I decided I would make him a journal/scrapbook for him to use during his study. I was hoping it would inspire him to use this approach for himself and it seems to be working (more on that later inshaAllah)... here are some pics of the journal for you to visualise what we are doing.....

This picture on the front of the mini album is painted in watercolours...the background and the title are stamped

Here are the first two pages, 'about the scientist' and 'about this study'...both pages have been distressed (no, not by me shouting at them lol) and decorated with various frog noises or pictures.


Three of the pages have pockets where you can add 'tags' that can hold additional information (I just LOVE, tags...just ask my friends lol)...this one has a frogspawn pull and info & pic about a frog on one side....as the other tags, there is space to journal/write on the other side.


Here are two pages to write down facts..

Back of another tag..really like this one!

Page for 'life cycle' and writing space

Space to draw or put clipart of frog skeleton

Back page

If I had thought about it more I could have made the book more meaningful, added more prescriptive pages that would make the child do more research etc....are you with me? When I gave this to my son, he was over the moon - I almost cried as he was so happy! He was inspired to make his own mini album which I will post later inshaAllah.

I am loving this new approach and so are the kids....I have another few requests to do now lools!

A miracle....

Two posts in one day, well I never did (and probably never will again) he he! But I have lost my voice on account of this cold so have turned to the keyboard instead. We have had a good weekend (all though I am still ill alhamdulillah) and we haven't even left the house mashaAllah. I try to stick to everything organic if I can and I found some organic seeds in Asda which meant the we could finally get on with planting our seeds alhamdulillah - well me and DD planted the seeds the boys seem to have grown weary of planting seeds in favour of the harvest this year - anyway this is our little nursery (so far)....

We have organic beetroot, onions, lettace, tomatoes, green beans and also some marigolds and forget-me-nots. We have also planted a dual pear tree (grows two varieties of pear on one tree), a 2nd apple tree and four cherry trees to complement the apple and plum trees that we planted last year. I am also hoping to get in a goji berry (said to be the answer to all ills) plant and a fig tree inshaAllah - I am hoping to use them to 'grow my own drugs' using the new book (with a similar title) by James Wong (£5.99 from the Book People). We are currently in the process of redesigning our back garden so everyone is all excited at the moment mashaAllah. Watch this space for more news of our gardening antics...... this is our apple tree we planted last year that has sooooo many blossoms mashaallah


Next on the list was a 'free time' with the art and craft stuff...... they just love this but I have to leave the room or I get too stressed and bossy with how they are using my precious resources.

Not sure what these are but they enjoyed making them anyways ;o))

DS1 has been forging forwards with his Animals of Africa projects with these little booklets which sparked off a whole conversation between Aunty Y and DS1 about the wonder of Allah's creation. They discussed how wonderful it is that such a ferocious creature like a crocodile would let a tiny bird live on him and pick the meat from his teeth (one of the animal relationships he studied) so the bird got food and the crocodile got his teeth cleaned.... subhanAllah!

These little booklets are amazing and allow you to compare or describe two 'things' and are made up of three circles. The first circle has the subject matter/title page, the second circle has details about one of the items (in this case the Croc), the third page has the details of the 2nd subject (the Plover). The 2nd and 3rd circles are folded in half and the bottom half of the second circle is glued to the top half of the title page so that when you pull the top flap down you have the plover info. The top half of the 3rd circle to the bottom half of the title page so that when you lift the croc part of the title page you have a whole circle of info on the croc. You now have a blank circle shape at the back (made up of the unglued parts of the info circles) so you can glue it to your lap book or project folder etc. I haven't tried it but I'm sure you could add more pages too inshaAllah. Let me know if this doesn't make sense inshaAllah.

Aunty Y aslo got DS1 reading Oliver Twist with her mashaAllah; he read a bit to her and then she stopped and asked questions to make sure he understood it and then moved on to the next chapter mashaAllah. I must say that she seemed to ignite something in him and he even asked if she could stay the night and spend more time with them mashaAllah. She also took an interest in his role play using his Lego men and inspired him to write a play along the same principles. MashaAllah what a lesson I learned from this lovely sister mashaAllah, and I hope that I can keep up these new found skills he and I have learned inshaAllah. It made me realise how sometimes we can be home with them, teach them but not really spend much time sitting and 'doing' with them or listening to them, really listening to them! SubhanAllah!

Note to self: spend some time 'listening' and 'doing' with each of the kids this week.

Relaxing days.......

We've had a couple of really relaxed days alhamdulillah. We spent all day Wednesday enjoying each other; playing, gardening, playing board games, cooking n stuff. We didn't actually start our school work until 5.30pm, imagine!

And today we all woke up really late and then went to visit a friend to play etc.

Found out about a sports activity sessions that are going on through out the holidays and want to book in 'A' for one day a week for the 6 weeks. It sounds fab; canoeing, football, basketball, cricket, badminton, water sports and lots more. But guess what? 'A' doesn't fancy it! He is worried about being rubbish and having to be the 'goal keeper'; he has a real fear about being a failure and I am not sure how to get him out of it! He's not sporty I have to admit but I did eventually (with the help of nanny) manage to convince him to give it a go; you know 'it doesn't matter if you win or loose' 'not important if you are good or not just enjoy it', 'whole point is to experience things and decide whether you like it or not' etc. None of my other kids are so 'homey'! I guess just throwing him in at the deep end will get him out of it inshaAllah.

Last triop has died. Kids have decided that it was too cold in the kitchen and we now have to buy a lamp and try again inshaAllah.

Monday happy Monday

Monday started late but finished up just on time alhamdulillah. We was very late for our joint teaching session, even after DH pitched in and cooked my contribution towards lunch mashaAllah, which didn't start until the boys got back from the mosque at dhur - oh well, it couldn't be helped.

After a late start, a lovely lunch and some Neurofen for my headache we cracked on with geography. MashaAllah, saved at the last moment by my dear sister who prepared a map and questions for this session mashaAllah. I never thought it would be so hard to find a decent map to work from, be warned! Anyway, they kids loved the session. They had a map of our local town center and had a range of questions relating to the map, some questions asked for straight forward grid references, some asked the children to look up a grid reference and find a landmark or building in the grid. Other questions asked for directions from a certain building. The kids really enjoyed it mashaAllah and even the older ones found it challenging and whilst the older ones were busy the little ones were making map puzzles.

Next up was science. Whilst we enjoyed studying cells it was good to move on and this week we looked at vascular and non vascular plants. We first talked about the differences between the different plants and how scientist use this as a means of classifying plants. Then we made little fold up (see pics) booklets; one on each type of plant. The older kids had to write the information in their booklets and the younger ones had ready prepared information that they had to read and choose where and in which booklet to glue it. Finally we completed a small quiz just to drive the concept home. Not a very interesting topic but I think that the kids liked making the little books!

I really enjoyed the art this week mashaAllah. We brought together our positive and negative images lesson and our patterns lesson this week. We cut a large positive image out of white paper and divided it up into sections; each section had to be filled using different patterns. All the children from the 3 to the 13 year old can all take part in this lesson and it is always enjoyed by all. The art lessons are so simple but very effective mashaAllah. The bottom picture shows a bit of additional work we did following a previous lesson on straight and wavy lines mashaAllah.

Finished the day off with swimming and back to our friends for some more food and play alhamdulillah. I love Mondays, its such a full day and I always end up feeling really tired but happy!

Unforeseen circumstances

Unforeseen circumstances indeed. Today we decided that we would release our beautiful butterflies to go and do whatever butterflies like doing. They all went off quite happily however, in a comedy of errors AB stepped on one and as he recoiled in horror and stepped back another one got a kick. In his defense they did land on the wood chips and were difficult to see. We brought them both back in to the 'butterfly hospital' but sadly one died and the other is not looking too healthy. The fourth one that emerged today still has crumpled up wings after several hours (which is much longer than the others) so I am not sure whether to let it go or not, it seems cruel somehow.... I was really loving this project, we all were, but after such a sad ending to it I don't think I would raise any again. All of these things could have happened if they were 'wild' butterflies of course but that doesn't seem to make it any easier for the poor things. We had a long discussion about whether it was right to buy or sell these kinds of kits; arguments for included the educational value and the fact that the caterpillars were reared for this so are not ready for the big wild world, and arguments against included the fact that they wouldn't rear them if we did not buy them and maybe there were somehow damaged by the rearing process or the gloop that they are fed with during the first week or so, or even by our handling of them as pupas etc. Jury is still out I'm afraid.

We all spent all afternoon in the garden planting, weeding and building shelters (them not me) and hiding under the gazebo during the downpours. DH was weilding bits of metal to each other and the kids were busy planting the 40 or so pips they had from their cherries.......... oh dear!

I also had a marathon hair cutting session and cut all the boys hair; it's really funny the conversations that we have while I'm cutting their hair. AB was first and he was pretending that all his hairs could talk. It was so funny and when I was cutting around his ears he was pretending to be his ear and saying 'oh no, please don't cut me or I can't listen to mummy any more'. Next was B; he was marvelling about the people who spend 'thousands' of pounds on hair gel to make their hair stand up so they could look good for complete strangers. He just couldn't understand why. Such wisdom for one so young. And lastly A who was discussing the comparison of brain size between early man and modern man which apparently shows that we are more intelligent (a matter of opinion of course). He was also trying to think what it would be like to have giant slugs and butterflies around - I of course am not keen, especially if the butterflies can kick back!

Strawberries and butterflies (but not all on the same plate)

We had no joint teaching session this week as one of our group has been preparing for her first visit from the LEA. She has nothing to worry about but it has made me think about where I am going with the boys. I must start planning for their education in 3 month blocks and setting some goals inshaAllah. I have a friend that tutors using a teaching style that she has developed herself mashaAllah and she is going to take the kids for an English and Math lesson on Saturdays.... I will let you know how it goes inshaAllah.

We have also had three butterflies emerge, mashaAllah. The red staining you can see on the top photo is dye that is left over from the ink that is pumped into the butterflies wing. I was so excited when I noticed the first one that my friend said it sounded like I had given birth. And that was exactly how it did feel; minus the pain and discomfort of course. It is just amazing, I would recommend that everyone has a go at raising butterflies. The third butterfly was almost drowning in their food when we came home and 'B' rescued it - my hero.


We also did some gardening....... well DH done the gardening while I sat with my feet up (well I did work very hard looking after the kids while he was away). This is photo of my favourite shrub ever and it smells amazing, the whole garden is alive with its scent. Being a city girl I have no idea what it is, although from my research on the internet I think it could be a 'Mock Orange', but it's lovely, whatever it is. We are (still) looking at redesigning the garden and I think I have come up with a plan inshaAllah. I am going to do some soil testing with the kids and work out where plants should go and make a plan inshaAllah. Should be fun!

We also went strawberry picking mashaAllah we had a lovely day and what lovely, but expensive, strawberries. We will go again inshaAllah, the kids were really surprised at how some of the different fruit grows bless them. We also took some time to discuss why the plants were on raised tables rather than the ground, why some were big and some small etc etc etc.

'A' was definitely less stroppy today actually he was great mashaAllah and I think we all enjoyed spending time with DH for a change. Onwards & upwards.

Home comings and holidays.........

One of the most fab things that happened in the last few days was the DH arrived home safe and sound in the early hours of Wednesday morning alhamdulillah. 3 year old E came down the stairs and almost didn't recognise him as his skin has gone so dark mashaAllah. And A went into shock when his dad woke him for Fajr. MashaAllah it was so nice to see him with the kids again I didn't think he was ever going to stop hugging them. Poor thing, if he walks out of the room or goes in the garden for a while the kids are all running around asking where he is! I have made a big effort for DH by way of a thank you for all he did for us as a family whilst I was ill and rather than hit him with all our changes at once I am bringing them up when necessary. He is quite happy to go along with all the changes mashaAllah, and said I should just direct him as and when needed. MashaAllah. I have read that in situations like ours where one spouse is ill and dependant on the other that the carer can feel unwanted and unloved when health is restored to poorly one. I am really trying to keep this in mind as we move on with our plans, I don't want him to feel I don't need him anymore! After all there is still the decorating to do. (OK, that was a joke! I'm not that insensitive, well not intentionally that is.)

Anyway, in honour of DHs home coming I have decided to have time out from structured schooling for the week so the kids can enjoy time with their dad inshaAllah. I haven't told the kids, they probably think it's just a long weekend and its not like they are actually going to ask for work is it!

The most awe inspiring thing that happened was examining our pupas as we put them into their new home. SubhanAllah it is so wonderful; our fat little spikey haired caterpillars have now turned into hardened little shells with the most beautiful golden detail and sheen. To think that inside of that dainty, fragile looking shell their whole bodies are turning into a cellular soup and that the cells will regroup and reform themselves into beautiful butterflies inshaAllah. Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). This photo is one of our pupas on transit to its new home.

So on the first half of their week off the kids have; made knights costumes which led to lots of learning about jousting, who and what were knights and squires; learned about the pupating period of butterflies; made posters advertising their favourite toys; B made attempts at writing short stories all by himself mashaAllah; dismantled old electrical goods (DVD, DVD Drive & Printer) and tried to work out how all the different parts worked, A also learned that tiny metal cogs can cut fingers and that a lot of the parts in these machines are the same; made a 'Lego History Museum' that I really liked which had an Egyptian World, WW2 (see picture), Space World, Pirates World (with a pirate that fell into a trap trying to steal the treasure), Sea World and some others that I can't remember (don't tell the kids tho!). We did some gardening, baked cakes (yes more cakes), helped put up a bed and learned all about jumping spiders (argh!). Not bad for a couple of days of unplanned learning.

Scores for today: Education 4 parenting 1. Kids have all been in a strop today; maybe because of colds (I have a couple with snotty noses!) or excitement at Baba being home. Regardless of the reason, AB decided that its much more fun to wind everybody up than to play nicely and, I have to give him his due, he is very good at it. He had almost everyone steaming at the ears today and poor E (who being a girl is very emotional) would cry as he spat out 'bad girl' intermittently between destroying whatever the other 2 boys ere doing. So as a consequence of the continual quarreling and calls of 'mummm, tell him' they were all in bed extra early ready for a much better day tomorrow inshaAllah. The 1 point was for me not losing it. Ahhhhh peace.

Blessings of sisterhood.....

Saturday started with a friends daughter coming to look after the kids so I could go shopping for food and clothes for myself - a rarity I assure you! Clothes not the food that is! 1. because when your a mum you seem to come last on the list for everything and 2. because I hate clothes shopping. However, I wanted something nice to wear for DH's homecoming so I bravely headed out to the local shopping center. SubhanAllah, how stressful! Even though I had a friend on the video phone helping me to choose outfits, which was a laugh and did help, I probably still lasted not much longer than an hour, I tried on 6 items of clothing and then gave up and left empty handed. I have decided I am too old, or too impatient, for the hustle and bustle of town centers and will stick to Internet shopping in the future. I then hit Asda for a food shop and headed off home fit to drop, which may have had something to do with me not going to bed until about 4am the night before.

Whilst I had been running all over the City the kids in the meantime, had been having a wonderful time. MashaAllah, the sister (an energetic teenager we will call Anuty A) is such a blessing she is great with the kids and they love having her over to play - in fact they did a video message asking her to come the day before bless them! It also means that I can get on with other stuff that usually gets put aside so that I can see to the kids. So, they had a day off from work and just played and I managed to get my desk cleared for the first time in weeks, alhamdulillah. Aunty A made the kids exercise or do balancing tricks everytime they raised their voices or complained - it was so funny and they really enjoyed it, not sure I'll have the energy to continue that idea though!

Today, we all woke up really late which was nice and mooched about a bit before finally having breakfast about 11 o'clock. I had some typing to do for a friend so Aunty A, who stayed over, looked after the kids whilst I typed mashaAllah! They did some work, although not much, from their workbooks; and I typed. 'A' worked on his Nelson Thornes English book whilst whining and 'B' did some math but I think that's all we got out of them today. The two younger boys made some kites with carrier bags and 'A' made another cake, all by himself mashaAllah, and I typed. Aunty A started the roast and was helped in the later stages by her mum whilst I typed. Yummy! Have I mentioned that I have a proper cooker now? Did enjoy the copy typing though, allowed my brain to switch off - it doesn't get to do that much!

They kids also made shields 'n' stuff so that they could 'transform'. Some time was spent checking out the Ant Farm and we now have four pupating caterpillars - although none of them have managed to stay hanging upside down from the lid of the pot (not sure if they have a poor grip or the enthusiasm of little ones have caused them to drop)! It's so exciting seeing this transformation and a reminder about the wonder of Allah's creation. We had a good discussion about how Allah protects the butterflies during this stage of their transformation and the exciting stuff thats going on inside that seemingly uninteresting pupa. The kids also found a tiny red spider that they caught in an observation pot - we identified it as a red spider mite, not good for the plants apparently but harmless to humans (which pleased me no end!).

'A's still being whiny, 'B' wants to be really intelligent (apparently) and the two smaller ones have been stropy today, but we have had some sneezing and runny noses not sure if it's hayfever or colds, only time will tell. Little 'E' asked me today if her baba (father) was ever going to come home! Ooooh, I just had to give her a hug, I don't think I'll be booking any more long trips for DH for a while inshaAllah! They have all decided that they are going to stay up all night on the day that DH is due to come home, I of course have told them that he is coming home 2 days later than he's due inshaAllah - can't be having that! I really want to spend more time with them but there seems to be so much to do before DH comes home and I have so little time and even less energy. A friend is going to cook for us mashaAllah so at least I don't have to worry about that inshaAllah. It is such a blessing to be a part of this wonderful sisterhood and have the help of good sisters around you, I really appreciate their help and sometimes don't know what I would do without them 'bailing me out'. I find it difficult to ask for help as I was very independant before I embraced the deen but my dear sisters still manage to suss out what I need and do it anyway mashaAllah. Allah bless them and their families with the best of this life and the next inshaAllah.

Exciting times.....

I did aim to get back to some structured learning with the kids today but it seems Allah had different plans for me. A friend asked me to look after her boy, I was happy to help as she was moving house but knew that my plans would go out the window. However, the sister (Allah bless her) was giving me a cooker which I was excited about after cooking on a two ring burner for quite a while so.... as the boys were occupied I had time to cook my first roast dinner for months. Mmmmmmmm.

So, instead of writing in their exercise books as planned they did make a mini project on spiders (well copying and sticking info from a book which technically isn't learning but try telling them that!), made parachutes for bionicle men thingies which involved lots of thinking and experimenting with parachute size, weight, whether holes in parachutes made a difference to the fall rate; height of drop etc. They tested lots of new social skills. DS1 baked a very sweet but yummy cake (weights and measures). DS1 wrote a letter to his nanny. DS1 & DS2 went to the local shop with a little money and a request for a couple of must have items and they worked out which ones to buy etc. They built fascinating Lego models that 'transformed' from all sorts of transportation from tanks to planes into robots; amazing. How they do it I will never know, poor things get really frustrated with me when I play Lego and make 'houses' they try and encourage me to attempt building transforming robots but I am on the same building grade as my 3 year old.... oh hum, well we can't be good at everything can we.

A couple of our caterpillars have started to pupate subhanAllah, it's amazing. I find it all completely fascinating and I can't stop looking at them. There are a few bright red blobs around the tub so I must get out our book and see what that's all about so I can get technical with the kids, they are convinced the caterpillars are bleeding to death! Our butterflies are Painted Ladies and they should emerge as beautiful butterflies in about 14 days inshaAllah - here's a photo of what our pupas (or chrysalis) should look like when properly formed inshaAllah.

'A' has been really miserable and moany (sorry whingey and picky and lots of other adjectives) the last couple of days but I know it's because he is doing all of his prayers and missing out on valuable sleep - but he won't combine to get to bed earlier as he wants to do it all properly mashaAllah. He even said that he never used to like going to sleep but now he really wants to sleep and he can't. Poor thing. The other kids are falling into their 'staking' really easily and are a pleasure to be with mashaAllah. I would recommend that you all take a look at the Raising Godly Tomatoes site for parenting tips, it's fantastic and has worked a treat in this house. I never liked the ideas at first as I thought they were controlling but the more I read the more I began to understand that it is not about controlling but about getting your children to obey you whilst still allowing them room to grow as individuals. After all if our children can't obey their parents how will they manage to obey Allah's (subhanAllah wa ta'ala) commands. May Allah guide all our children to the best of mankind. Ameen.

Busy, busy, busy....

Wow, 10 days since my last post. Oops, sorry. We have been really busy over the last week or so and in addition I put my back out again which really put a spanner in the works. And what with the pollen count being so high I have been really, really, well, knackered - to be blunt.

What have we done....... Hmmm. Well, the first thing was that I got the dates wrong for DH coming home but the extra week has gone quickly and he will be back on Wednesday inshaAllah - gave me some breathing space for getting the house clean (things have been very relaxed on the cooking & cleaning front since he's been away) but the kids were really disappointed.

We have had a relaxing week learning wise but not much 'written' work has gone on. The boys are 'realising' lots of things about times tables that they just come out with now and again which completely amazes. The boys have been swimming again and are doing very well mashaAllah, A even swam the whole 5 meters with his head under the water. The boys have also had a friend stay over for a couple of nights which has kept them occupied.

We also have also had a friend come over with her boy to play mashaAllah, she spent some time helping me 'cos of my dodgy back and today we went to do something for her and her family. This same friend is also moving house and of her new Muslim neighbours one offered to let her use his van and others helped her move furniture mashaAllah. In comparison I was in a supermarket car park recently and all the while I was parking my car and walking to the front of the store there was an old man sitting at the rear of his car on a walking frame. He obviously needed help but everyone was walking past him. I stopped to help him and he was so happy, a lovely old chap that felt he was being a burden and didn't like to ask for help.

It made me think, we are is so much of a rush to get everywhere and do everything that we are making our elders feel like a burden instead of embracing their knowledge and selflessness, we are not making time to carry out simple acts of human kindness that can make so much difference. We are all so caught up in consumerism and 'life' that we are forgetting our purpose for being here. Alhamdulillah, that we are all a part of this deen and part of this huge family that are there to help and support each other at all times inshaAllah. But let us also remember that the non Muslims also have a right over us and that helping, giving gifts/food etc, or even greeting the non Muslims in an open and kind manner is a good way of giving dawah. Allah guide all of us, Ameen.

Back to home schooling eh! Well, our caterpillars arrived at the back end of last week and they are doubling in size by the day mashaAllah. I can't wait for them to get ready to pupate.... but the kids don't seem too interested at the moment but I don't suppose caterpillars are very exciting to look at!

On a sad note, our oldest Triop died. The kids were very sad for a few seconds and the fought over who was going to flush it unceremoniously down the loo! The rest of the residents of our 'mini nature reserve' are doing well though and even the cress and grass is flourishing.

We also had a field trip to Brocks Hill Country Park. MashaAllah it's a beautiful park with lots to do and it even has an 'eco house'; built and run in a totally evironmentally friendly way. We met with our HE friends at about 12pm and the kids had a look at the pond and run up and down the hills and then we had some lunch. After lunch we did an orienteering course from a pack purchased at the Visitors Center, where the kids got to use some of the skills they have learned over the last few weeks during our geography sessions. They did get us lost, in a minor way, just once which was only tiresome because it was sooooo hot. We then made our way back to the center to meet up with Karen, our Ranger, who conducted the pond dipping course. The kids just loved it mashaAllah, and collected lots of stuff that they were not afraid to pick up and examine (much to the mums dismay!). They collected lots of stuff, even a few the ranger got excited about, and asked lots of good questions mashaAllah (I think it was a thumbs up for HE's on this trip). I can however state that a day in a country park can be a complete nightmare for hayfever sufferers. Be warned.

Never a dull moment...

Sorry its been so long since my last post, but it seems like I don't get a chance to sit down these days; but they do say that the devil makes work for idle hands so I should be pleased.


Well our Triops have hatched, what an exciting moment it is when you spot your first tiny body swimming around the tank. However, I was put off slightly when we went to visit a friend and we saw all the dead skins and stuff they shed and learnt that you had to change the water on a weekly basis. The kids even fished out an old skin to look at it under the microscope (but it was really cool that they could identify the cells!) Oh well, they are here now so I guess I had better get used to the idea! The ants are doing amazingly well and have built lots of tunnels mashaAllah. I must read the surah of the Ant with the kids whilst doing this little project. We had an ant escape today which caused a bit of a commotion but it all got sorted quite quickly alhamdulillah.

For our joint teaching session on Monday we covered 4 and 6 numbered grid references and ended up playing a really cool game with the map signs (drawn very poorly by me I'm afriad) put in a grid and the kids had to give me the grid reference or state the sign that was in the grid reference that I gave them..............Once they got the 4 digit grid references we added the last two and they all got it mashaAllah. They even asked for more mashaAllah, can you believe it? That's never happened before!

We also continued studying animal and plant cells, learning all the really long names of the cell organelles and finished by making a cell in a flan case. At the very end they had to label the parts of their cell (flan) before they could eat it (cruel I know!). I think this is just about it for cells and we will move back onto the main topic of plants next week inshaAllah, but it has been a fascinating detour! In art the kids made squared 'tiles' using positive and negative images - they really enjoyed it mashaAllah but I missed out (and I really wanted to make one too, pout!) so I am hoping to make some again over the weekend with the boys inshaAllah. Also on Monday our lovely new microscope did a back flip off the table and broke and the next day all our lovely new plant and insect slides arrived........... oh hum, that's life! I may be able to fix it inshaAllah. We also had swimming in the evening.

I love Mondays, I really enjoy the joint teaching and swimming but the next day I am shattered and we usually have the day off! The only work we do, if any, is what's left over from the lessons on Mondays.

The boys behaviour is improving all the time and they are getting more settled into our joint teaching sessions. A is really improving and seems to be more responsible all of a sudden, he is also coping quite well with his prayers mashaAllah. I am also trying to spend more time with them for chat, stories , play etc. InshaAllah as it really is beneficial for all of us. I got so used to not dealing with them when I was ill that I am still trying to fit dealing with them back into my routine. Apart from all of this I have a sore throat, ears and head so will pray Isha and then bed inshaAllah, only 11 days until DH comes home inshaAllah.

Salams