Time flys.........

Well doesn't it just! Been a while and of course lots has happened. We had a good Ramadhan and invited some friends over for Eid mashaAllah but we all missed DH.

Well, our joint teaching group have finished their lapbooks (will try and post some pictures inshaAllah) and we have just started back at our joint lessons again with the new topic of 'The Weather'. I am approaching the teaching a little more prepared this time alhamdulillah and have even managed to set homework (so far!). I think everyone is enjoying it inshaAllah - it is definitely a very interesting subject with so many reminders of Allah's wrath and mercy all in one thing and lots of new duas to learn too inshaAllah. May Allah protect us from his wrath, Ameen.

The kids have settled down into a routine now and seem to be enjoying it. We have just started using a free online math tutoring programme that was recommended on one of the blogs I visit. It is an online assessment test in math and English (American) called Mindsprinting. Your child takes an online test and it sets up a personalised programme for them with daily worksheets to download. We use it as a curriculum as I feel that worksheets are not a brilliant way to teach (although they do use them sometimes) and its great. DS1 panics aboutmaths worksheets so I copy the work into a exercise book for him or cut up the worksheet and make little manipulatives/mini books and glue them in his exercise book. See below but please ignore dates...not sure whats going on with this camera.....blah....blah....modern technology...... wouldn't have happened in my day.... blah....blah.....blah!


DS2 doesn't mind worksheets and just gets on with them. I tend to spend a lesson explaining new concepts and try to break up the week so they are not doing worksheets every day - we will spend a day doing hands-on stuff, or working on the white board etc.

Fun times ahead....

or maybe not! I have been thinking about the way we (or I) have been so keen to find lots of 'fun' things for the kids to do over the summer (and beyond), all the exciting stuff etc, but is it all really necessary? Do they really need all this exciting stuff to do? Shouldn't their home, family and deen be enough for them? No one is saying they have to lead miserable lives but I mean where do they go when canoeing and power kiting etc isn't enough? Where will they get their frills then?

What happened to the children that were happy with whatever they were given and could entertain themselves with out all the 'stuff' that society says they need. Some people always seems to be getting 'something better' i.e. the next playstation, the faster computer etc but is it really making them happy?

The Prophet Muhammad (‘alayhis salam) said, ‘The world is a prison for the believer and a jannah for the non-believer’ [Sahih Muslim Kitaab Az-Zuhd] - inshaAllah I pray that Allah guides us and our children to spend this life in devotion to their Him and spend the everlasting life in Paradise in enjoyment. Ameen. To protect them from the temporary thrills that this life has to offer to the permanant thrill and excitement of life in Paradise. Ameen.

I don't think that I will be finding 'exciting' things for the boys to do next year ishaAllah.

I found this post in my 'drafts' folder but liked it and decided to post anyway (6 months later :0))... would be interesting to get your views on this musing inshaAllah.

Back to normality....well sort of!

Hello again, well we have spent the last two weeks in a whirl, with DH around it's difficult to sit down for 5 minutes! Everything changes so much when he is around alhamdulillah.

Well, we have have had two weeks of joint lessons. The first week we studied land & water plants and day/night flowering plants and tropisms for science. Contours and grid references again (as I bodged it up the first time) for geography and for art we did shape searches, collages and pictures. We have finished the shape theme now and will be moving on to colour next week inshaAllah.

'A' has survived his first day at the 'Summer Sports Activity Programme' and he wants to go back next week despite suffering at the hands of bullies and having his drink nicked. It left me with a whole weird feeling and I had to fight my initial reaction to not let him go again..... it's very difficult to advise them what to do in these situations and although I have told him that he must stand up for himself and if someone hits him he can hit back, it's so hard to let them go..... you just want to protect them so much and I know it's normal but it's a different world now from when I was younger. Allah make it easy for all of us inshaAllah and protect our children inshaAllah.

Sorry don't have no pictures of all our good work as I left my digital camera in London.... boo hoo, didn't realise how much I used it until I lost it.....

We have done loads of modelling, drawing and going out this week but not much writing or math hmmm. We are having next week 'off' as I have appointments, 'A' has his sports day (canoeing this week!), 'A' & 'B' are also having a 'sleep over' as well as the usual swimming and teaching days etc! So I will have to get them to knuckle down the week after inshaAllah, that's as long as nothing more interesting crops up ;0)))

Well it's late and I have a house to clean ready for our Quran teacher tomorrow so good night all and God bless and guide us all. Ameen.

Whisked of our feet...........

Well minutes after my last post my husband whisked us all off to London for a couple of days to see my mum. MashaAllah, it was so nice to see her but such a short visit - never mind! The kids all enjoyed seeing their nan and didn't want to come home - it's a shame we don't see her more often, 'A' was trying to convince her to buy the house next to ours but she wasn't keen. Oh hum!

Well, I have had a sore back since we got home so not much structured stuff going on here I'm afraid..... but we did have a lovely day yesterday making 'costumes' we made knights helmets, swords & daggers and all sorts of stuff. It was lots of fun! Sorry don't have any pics as I left my camera in London :0(( Today 'A' has been catching up on his reading and the kids have really been interested in loads of stuff, asking so many questions about books they have read or looked through that it has made my head whirl. They have all been trying to write of their own accord and were disappointed to miss out on their 'Saturday Class'. We also cleaned up the tank to get it ready for another attempt at growing triops..... we have a desk lamp this time which is the variable in this little experiment so I hope they will live as long as our friends triops inshaAllah (they even had a baby hatch! A grandmother at such a young age!).

Have done lots of preparation for our joint classes tomorrow, I am amazed at how much I am learning never mind about the kids. We do have an experiment for science so I know they will enjoy it inshaAllah.

Busy doing nothing........

This is how it seems when you home educate informally. Hmmm lets see what have we been doing..... well on Friday we got up early and went to the sports center to book 'A's summer sports session however, the sports center was shut! So we went to the charity shop (a long standing promise I'm afraid) and then met a friend and the boys all went off to Jummah together - Ahhh!

We had a meeting in the afternoon to plan our group sessions until Ramadhan. At home time I lost 'A' who ended up staying with his friend for a couple of nights and went swimming and trampolining on Saturday (much more fun than being with me apparently!).

As for those left behind they went to their Maths & English class on Saturday and Quran Class on Sunday. Other than that I know we have done loads but I am unable to recall exactly what! I know we read more about butterflies and did some stuff together in relation to science.

Well that's all I can remember............. how frustrating!

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.

Why is it that.....

we do so much more on our days off than we do on our planned days?

Tuesday is our planned day off after our very full and busy Mondays alhamdulillah. The boys found a frog in the garden today, they studied it at length and had to be convinced that it would not make a very good pet! They then went happily off to find somewhere suitable to release it in the process having a great discussion on what was and wasn't a suitable habitat. They eventually put him to rest in a perfect place just right for frogs. Well done boys!

Much to my disgust, which I had to hide of course, they also dismantled their dead butterfly and made slides out of it. A good use of a dead butterfly I suppose! They were talking about taking its insides out for examination on a slide at one point and only agreed not to when I pointed out that they would all be mashed up so no use for examination purposes. Phew. We got a microscope kit from the car boot sale that had gum media and stains included so they have been dying to find an excuse to carve something up to make slides. So now we have slides of a butterfly's wing, proboscis, antennae and leg. They are not perfect but are a very good try - well done again boys!

The boys also went cherry picking with their dad which left just enough time for me to have an afternoon nap with E. Once you get past a certain age afternoon naps have a strange appeal. When the boys came back we spent some time running around and playing in the garden....... the boys had 'mop' horses and were holding a jousting competition whilst I ate cherries to my hearts content. Well done again boys! If only they would do writing and math of their own accord everything would be just about perfect!

DH has decided that he doesn't want the kids to eat in between meals alhamdulillah, this is great step forward as it is usually him that feeds them between meals. Things are moving onwards with great speed alhamdulillah.