I have recently been awarded the Liebster Award by the inspirational Raising Young Believers. Thank you so much! đ
If you were like me, you probably have no idea what the Liebster award is! So here is a brief overview:
The Liebster Award is an
online award that is by bloggers, for bloggers. Itâs passed from person to
person to encourage connection and support within our writing community, and to
help discover new and upcoming bloggers.
To accept the award and participate thereâs just five simple rules:
1. Link back to the person who nominated you
2. Answer the questions given to you by the nominator
3. You can choose to nominate up to 11 other bloggers
with less than 200 followers
1. Do you cook? Whatâs your favourite meal to prepare?
Yes, I do cook. When I have time, I love experimenting with new recipes and I’m getting quite good at baking breads and cakes. My favourite meal to prepare is a traditional English roast dinner. It reminds me of my childhood đ
2. What do you do in your time off? How do you unwind?
By the time the children are asleep, and any last bit of housework is done, its usually 10pm. To unwind I like reading or writing new blog posts. This blog brings me so much joy!
3. Have you ever been camping? If no, would you ever
go camping?
I went camping as a teenager with my school, and I hated it! I love being outdoors, but nothing beats having a nice warm shower and curling up in a ‘real’ bed after a long day hiking!
4. As a child, did you enjoy school?
Yes, for the most part, I did enjoy school. But often I felt that it was a complete waste of my time! I vividly remember sitting in a English Literature class learning about World War I poetry and saying to my friend, ‘Why are they making me learn all this! When am I going to use this!’ Even then I had an opinion about education!
Books. I can’t even remember the last time I watched a movie! When I go on holiday, the first thing I pack and unpack are my books! Total Bookworm!
8. Summer or winter?
This is hard but I guess I’d have to say summer. I love pottering about in our garden, tending to our very modest vegetable patch, as well as doing school work with the kids outside.
9. Tea or coffee?
Coffee, coffee, coffee!
10. Where do you get your blogging inspirations from?
I read a variety of blogs by all kinds of women! I think my first introduction to the blogging scene was Noor Janan Homeschool. Its still one of my favorites!
11. Share the link to a blogpost you most enjoyed writing.
It was fun writing ‘A Day-In-The-Life‘ blog post. I knew our home was a crazy place, but it wasn’t until I wrote this that I realised how crazy!
And now my nominee is:
Suhaila from Play, Unpenned – Please check out her blog. She writes beautifully about gentle parenting and the importance of play, as well as many other things!
And the questions that I would to ask are…
1. Describe yourself in three words.
2. If you could recommend one thing for a new mum to buy for her baby, what would it be?
3. Do you use a baby-carrier, and if so which brand?
4. If you could describe your parenting style in one word what would it be?
5. Are you are early-bird or a night-owl?
6. If you could be a character from a book/movie, who would it be?
7. Where would you most like to travel?
8. If you had the whole day off (no work, no kids etc.) what would you do with your time?
9. Favourite food?
10. What do you write about in your blog?
11. Share a link to a blogpost that you most enjoyed writing.
Its that wonderful time of year where we all feel excitement for our fellow brothers and sisters on Hajj, and anticipation for the coming of Eid.
I’ve been following Shade 7 Publishing for some time on Instagram and had been planning to buy their book ‘The Story of the Elephant Pop-up and Play book‘ for my boys for Eid al-Adha.
Well, I was thrilled when the publishers reached out to me and offered to send me a copy to review, as well as offering all my readers a DISCOUNT CODE on the price of the book. I am so excited to share this beautiful book with you all.
‘The Story of the Elephant’ is an Islamic children’s book based on Surah al Feel (Chapter 105) of the Holy Quran.
For those unfamiliar with the story:
The tyrant ruler of Yemen, Abraha, leads his army of elephants to Mecca to destroy the Ka’ba. Allah sends a great flock of birds to protect His house, they drop stones onto the soldiers from a great height and the whole army perishes.
It’s the perfect story for a children’s book!
Uniquely, this play book features pop-ups, interactive flaps and tabs, as well as a colouring map and press-out elephants to re-create the story. It is suitable for ages 3+.
The army of elephants!
Beautiful bird pop-up
The Ka’ba – Dramatic End to the Book
I thought it would be fun to make a YouTube Video of my first impressions when I opened up the book. I hope the video will be useful for you to see inside this book and help you get a feel for it. It’s my first ever Youtube Video, so please forgive my amateur videography skills! I’ll get better insha’Allah!
Well, my thoughts on this book are…it’s brilliant!
Firstly, its is really well written. It kept my boys engaged and interested.The language used is pitched at the right level, being neither too complicated for little ones, nor to simplistic.
“Abraha was so cross, he sent an army of elephants to Mecca to destroy the Ka’ba stone by stone.”
Secondly, the paper is thick and glossy, and will withstand whatever little hands try to do to it!
My favourite bit…Pull the tab and the elephant kneels down!
Pull the tab to watch the stones drop
The illustrations are beautifully hand-drawn and the pop-ups are completely charming! My kids were so excited when they saw them:
“Wow!”
“Look Mummy, the elephant’s got a hat on!”
“Look at that! Look at that!”
“The Ka’ba!!!”
I particularly appreciated how the publishers have incorporated a little Seerah into the book. They mention that the year of the elephant is the same year that our beloved Prophet was born in, and talks a little about Abdul Muttalib. They add another dimension to the educational experience by referring back to Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and the duaa he made to protect Mecca.
Abdula Muttalib’s camels
The duaa of Abdul Muttalib
The book also features some duaas in Arabic, which are very clearly written, with vowel markings, transliteration and translations, so anyone and everyone can benefit from them.
There’s a simplequiz at the end to reinforce what your children have learnt, with the answers hidden underneath yet another flap!
The book contains a large pocket at the back that contains the colouring map and a press-out card Ka’ba and loads of elephants. One way you could use this is to re-create the elephants approach to Mecca using these press-out figures. For kids that enjoy hands-on learning activities, this is great way to reinforce what they have heard and bring the story to life.
Colouring in his Ka’ba
“I’ve got the mummy elephant! You’ve got the baby one!”
The whole family joined it!
My 5 year-old son loves this part in particular! He keeps bringing out the map and adding more and more detail to it. Then he sets up all the elephants and the Ka’ba with great satisfaction! Unfortunately its all a bit to fiddly for my 3 year-old to do on his own, so he’s happy looking through the book again and again, pulling all the tabs and lifting the flaps.
Using this map to revise geography
Reenacting the approach of the Abraha’s army
This book is definitely robust enough for young children. So far it has survived some serious love from my little ones!
‘The Story of the Elephant’ makes teaching this Quranic tale, not only easy, but a really special and memorable experience for children. It has to be my kids’ favorite Islamic Children’s book at the moment.
It is not just a picture book, or a pop-up book, its a whole educational experience. It encourages learning and love for the Quran in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels . We even used it to teach Geography, History, Character building and Islamic history.
I highly recommend this book. We absolutely love it!
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE:
The publishers have very generously asked me to pass on a DISCOUNT CODE to you all.
This discount is exclusive to the readers of Our Muslim Homeschool.
US Residents
Receive 45% DISCOUNT off the cost of the book.
Visit TAQWA MEDIA and enter the Discount Code OMHS2015 at the checkout.
This is offer is limited to the first 6 copies sold.
Thereafter, it will entitle the customer to 20% discount. This offer is only valid for then next 2 weeks.
UK Resident and REST OF THE WORLD
Receive 20% discount off the cost of the book.
Visit SHADE 7 PUBLISHING and enter the Coupon Code OMHS2015 on the ‘Cart’ page.
It is only valid for the next 7 days.
(09.00GMT Saturday 12th September to 09.00GMT Saturday 19th September 2015)
Shade 7 Publishing have also created a cross-curricular 6 week lesson plan pack to go along with this book, for children in years Reception to Key Stage 2. It conforms with the New 2014 National Curriculum framework in the UK.
For my followers the publishers have agreed to:
1 Book + 6 week Lesson Plan Pack for ÂŁ49.99 (inc. UK shipping).
3 Books + 6 week Lesson Plan Pack for ÂŁ99 (inc. UK shipping).
If you live outside of the U.K. contact them directly for shipping costs.
If you are interested in the lesson plan pack, then email them at info@shade7.co.uk to arrange purchase.
We will be working through some of these lesson plans over the coming weeks insha’Allah. I will keep you all up to date and show you how we have been using them on my Instagram and Facebook accounts.
I hope you found this review helpful. If anything is unclear, or you need more information, please leave a comment for me down below and I will do my best to answer your questions.
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This week in our Muslim homeschool we have been looking at the story ofProphet Ibrahim (AS).
In my humble opinion, I find children retain these Islamic stories better if they are followed up with a hands-on activity. This craft is very quick and easy, and will help your children to remember what they have heard.
The story I related can be found in the Quran [6:75-80]. We began by reading a simplified version of this story from theI Love Islam Series: Book 1.
The story tells us how Ibrahim (AS) asked his people if they believed a star was God, but when the star disappeared in the morning he said, “See! That star is not Allah. Allah would never go away!“
Then he asked his people is the moon was Allah, but when morning came he said, “The moon cannot be Allah, because Allah would never go away.”
Finally he asked them is the sun was God, but inevitably the sun set and so the sun too could not be Allah. Allah always exists. He never sets and never goes away!
1. Begin drawing a sun, moon, star and a large semi-circle onto the foil-card with the permanent marker. Allow the children to cut them out.
2. Cut around the wording on the FREE PRINTABLE and glue it to the large semi-circular card.
3. Cut three lengths of string (approximately 15 cm each) and tape either the moon, sun and star to the bottom of each piece of string.
4. Tape the other end of the string to the semi-circle. In my opinion, it looks best if the strings are all different lengths.
5. Punch a hole in the top of the semi-circle with a hole-punch, and use some string to hang your mobile up. Our mobile has taken pride-of-place hanging from our kitchen curtain pole!
How have you taught your children this story? I would love to hear! Please leave me a comment below.
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During a busy homeschool day, it can be hard to find the time to cook, let alone cook something healthy and nutritious. Don’t get me wrong, last year I found myself resorting to frozen meals or takeaways all too often. Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day! I decided that this year I would stop making excuses and get organized before our homeschool year began.
Before our homeschool year starts, I wanted to fill up the freezer with a variety of slow cooker freezer meals that we can turn to on those super busy days. If I know that we are planning to be out of the house all day, or if we have to be somewhere very early in the morning, I can rest easy knowing that we have these slow cooker meals already prepared in the freezer.
The idea is that you do all the prep work, like chopping vegetables and measuring out ingredients, in advance, and put everything into a zip-loc bag.
Then the night before, just take one packet out of the freezer and allow it to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, empty the contents of the bag into the slow cooker, set on low, and leave to cook until dinner-time. That’s it!
Please note: There are some ingredients you cannot freeze (e.g. yoghurt), but you can still prepare everything else in advance, and just add those separately when you’re ready to cook.
When your house is chaotic, you kids are fighting and you have 101 other things to do, at least you know that dinner will be ready on time! No chopping, not peeling, no stirring and no mess to clear up afterwards!
These meals should be eaten within three months of being frozen.
1. Start by writing the name of the dish, any ingredients that need to be added later, and the best before date on the zip-loc bags.
2. Assemble all the ingredients you require for this meal prep.
3. Mix all the ingredients together according to the recipe you are using.
(If you would like to see which recipes have been using, CLICK HERE to see my Pinterest board of CROCK POT RECIPES.)
4. Decant into the zip-loc bags.
I find they are easiest to fill if you loop them over the top of a jug or bowl.
5. Then seal the zip-loc bags, making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible.
Honey Sesame Chicken
Beef Stew
6. Pop them in the freezer and they’re ready to go!
I am so excited to see how these freezer meals work out. Please let me know in the comments below if you tried this out and what recipes you use. I love finding new recipes!
If you are interested in seeing which recipes I use, please CLICK HERE to see my Pinterest board of CROCK POT RECIPES.
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As a homeschooling mom, I spend the best part of everyday with my children. They witness and learn from my character and actions every day. But there is one problem, I am a perfectionist. What effect will this have on my children?
I have spent much
time reading and reflecting on perfectionism and parenting, and wanted to
answer the question: Are Perfectionists Bad Mothers?
The short answer to this question is: Yes, they can be bad
mothers IF they donât do something to control it.
Of course being a perfectionist has its positive points. The
house is usually presentable, there is home-cooked food for every meal, the children
are dressed well; but underlying this outward image is an inner struggle and
discontentment with every action and every effort.
I come from a long line of perfectionists and no doubt at
least one of my children will follow me in this.
New studies have shown that
perfectionism is primarily a genetic trait, and the parenting and the
environment a child is exposed to only play a secondary role. This means that
perfectionist parents not only have to deal with their own drive for
perfection, but also their childrenâs too!
If a perfectionist mother has such high expectations on
herself, then it only follows that she too will have high expectations for her
children. If she cannot tolerate her own imperfections, she will not tolerate
them in her child. This inevitably leads to the child feeling that her parents
are constantly dissatisfied with her, and feeling inadequate.
Perfectionist parents often confuse their own sense of
self-worth with their childâs, feeling that if the child looks good, then I
look good. However when the child does not behave as the mother feels is
acceptable, then the mother takes that personally as it reflects badly on her.
This internal pressure can often be triggered by competition;
competition with family, friendâs children, school friends or even the children
of complete strangers. This obsession with looking âperfectâ in front of others
is at the detriment of the childâs confidence.
Children learn from the way we
behave and can see when mom is trying extra hard to impress. Despite what we
say, they see the way we behave and act first.
But of course, no one can be perfect. Not mom and not her
child. That childâs inability to live up to expectations, will cause her a
long-term sense of failure, a lowered self-esteem, which may in turn result in
resentment and anger towards her mom.
Perfectionism can block communication between a mother and
her child. The child knows that she has to fine, so she pretends to be ok, even
when there are problems. She knows that admitting any problem will affect her
mom negatively, so she stays quiet.
Perfectionists spend so much time worrying; time that could
be time spent playing with their children, getting to know them and teaching
them life-long lessons.
These moms will often focus on that childâs âstatusâ or âachievementsâ
and no longer put emphasis on values like kindness, honesty, diligence. Surely
it is more important as parents to equip our children with good character than
with good grades.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“The most beloved of
Allahâs servants to Allah are those with the best manners.” (Al-Bukhari)
Perfectionists have an increased risk of clinical depression,
eating disorders, suicide, and are more resistant to treatment as they donât
want look as though theyâve failed.
So to all my fellow perfectionist parents out thereâŠ.
Remove the worry from your heart and find the love.
Connect with your children
Feel happiness to be with them
Be grateful for your children
Donât compare yourself to others
Have fun with them and relax
Let your children be who they are
Let go of expectations
Relinquish the power that you feel you have and remember
Allah.
Only He can change your state and only He can âfixâ that which you
worry about.
Instead of filling your mind with stress and discontentment, focus
on filling your heart with gratitude and submission to the Will of the Divine.
You will never find perfection in this world. Perfection is
with God.
For truly, it is in the Remembrance of God that the heart
finds Peace. Quran (13:28)
Please remember us in your duaas.
Peace and Love.
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Like most homeschooling families, I started planning for the next year of home education at least 6 months ago, and have been slowly collecting different resources as I find them. This is what we are going with this year!
This blog-post contain affiliate links. Please see Disclaimer for more information.Â
My children are 5 and 3 years old.
Below I have listed the curriculum we will be using for M as he starts Year 1 (Kindergarten) from September. For A, my pre-schooler, we will not be following a set curriculum, but will draw ideas from few different books, which I also have listed below.
The books listed below are the âmainâ texts we will be using, but we will also draw from many other resources that we have at home; as well as online and from our library.
We also enjoy frequent field trips!
If you are interested in any of these books, just click on the title of the book for a link to Amazon  or the relevant website.Please note: This does not include our reading list, i.e books (fiction) that M will read or will have read to him.
I hope our curriculum helps to inspire other Muslim Homeschooling Families, as so many others have inspired me!
YEAR 1 / Kindergarten Curriculum
Islamic Studies
It is my opinion that religion should not be taught as an academic subject, but rather it should be something that children witness as part of normal life, learning from your example and other good company. However there are some books that we will use for activities and to stimulate discussions:
For this year we will follow an interest-led approach for the humanities. By this I mean that we will have a relaxed approach to these topics, studying what-ever M wants to learn about using books from our local library.
Science:
We will be primarily doing the study of nature this year. However when the weather doesn’t allow us to go outdoors, we will use the latter two book for fun science experiments:
If you would like more ideas for Curriculum choices, particularly for older children, I would recommend visiting Noor Janan HomeschoolandIman’s Home-school; both great resources for Muslim Homeschoolers.
To make sure you don’t miss the next in the series, please Subscribeto my blog, or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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If you have any questions, or any ideas for future posts, please leave them for me in the comments below. If you have a blog post about you homeschool curriculum. please feel free to link it below. I’d love to know what your using!
A typical day in our Muslim homeschool, doing Reception (Kindergarten) and Preschool with three small children.
M is 5 years-old, A is 3 years-old and K is 7 months-old.
6.45
âMUMMMMMMMY! I WANT ICECREAM!â I crack open one eye, to find
A has crawled into the bed in the night and seems to have kicked his dad out.
âMUMMMMMMMY! I WANT ICECREAM!â Before he wakes the baby, I slid myself out of
bed, eyes still half-closed, and shuffle downstairs.
He gets grapes. I get
coffee.
Feeling slightly more human, I feed the cats and then have some
cereal.
7.20
K wakes up. I nurse her and head back downstairs to finish
my cereal.
Itâs gone soggy.
7.35
My husband needs to
drop off his car at the garage at 8am today, so the kids and I need to go in my
car to give him a lift home. So I do the unthinkableâŠ.I wake up M!
Heâs not
happy.
After putting a load
of nappies in the wash, I make the beds and then give the kids breakfast. It
just cereal and juice this morning, and a baby puree for K.
Then I quickly scan through my emails on my
phone.
8.00
After a lot of whining, we get everyone into the car ⊠still
in their pyjamas. I throw an abaya over mine and jump in the car.
On the way to the garage I see kids already dressed,
presumably having eaten something, bags packed, and heading off to school.
How
do their mumâs do it?!?
Superwomen no doubt!
I canât help feeling a little smug
though as we all drive home in our pyjamas for a second breakfast!
8.15
When get back from the garage, my husband leaves for work on his bike.
A is unusually grumpy so I feed him. The cats are complaining to, so I feed them.
8.25
I remember that I need to post something on Instagram that
morning.
Whilst typing on my phone, K starts crying. So I finish writing the photo caption one-handed, bobbing her up and down on my hip.
The cats start meowing that they want
to go out, M starts reading out facts from a dinosaur book, and K is still
crying.
8.40
K starts to settle down, so I grab my chance to clean the
kitchen.
A falls over and hurts himself, M is still reading
aloud (very loudly) out of his dinosaur book and K starts crying.
I give up and take K
upstairs.
9.00
After a clean nappy and nursing, K is asleep.
I finish cleaning up the kitchen.
9.10
I take out our âworkbox.â
We settle on the living room floor and read from the childrenâs Quran the story of Qarun.
Next M reads to me from his âI can read’ easy reader book, and A listens.
9.30
In the kitchen, I help A make a picture of a summer garden with
paper flowers and tissue paper.
Whilst M is doing some Math fact drills and
word problems at the table, A goes an plays in the living room and I make another coffee.
9.40
I take the meat out of the freezer for tonightâs dinner
and write a to-do list for the day, making sure to write down the things Iâve
already done, and then tick them off!
K wakes up. I bring her downstairs, and find M is angry because
he canât do one of the Maths questions.
After diffusing the situation, I take M upstairs to get changed. This makes him angry again!
10.30
All the kids are out of their pyjamasâŠI am not.
I go downstairs
to discover a cold cup of coffee that I forgot about.
I cut some fruit for the kids and then feed the cats again.
M picks up some of the tissue paper that A left on the kitchen
table and starts to make a âbuttercup pictureâ. A wants to join in, so I have
to get more art supplies out.
A gets bored after two minutes and demands a
story. K starts to fuss.
At the kitchen table I read to them from yet another dinosaur book, whilst nursing K.
11.05
We start getting ready to go out. We had planned to go
on a nature study today, but the weather is bad, so weâre going to an indoor
play centre instead.
Not nearly as ‘wholesome’ but it’ll have to do.
11.15
Start getting the kids shoes on and get them into the car to leave.
11.35
Actually leave.
We stay at the play centre for two hours.
The boys find a
group of kids to play with and I hardly see them whilst we are there,
except when they want their lunch!
I even get to read for ten minutes whilst K
naps in her car seat.
2.00
Get back home.
A has fallen asleep in the car. K has not.
M goes straight
into the house, opens up his dinosaur books and starts reading and making
notes. I put a âPeter Panâ audio-book on for him.
I get K out of the car, and leave her in her car seat,
whilst I carry A from the car to his bed.
K start crying. After nursing, I try to rock her to sleep.
It does not work.
After praying Dhuhr, we come downstairs and I give her an apple slice to chew
on whilst I clean the kitchen again and empty the vegetable scraps into the
compost bin outside.
2.45
M takes out his Atlas and starts seeing where in the
world dinosaur fossils were found.
M:
âMum, you know Kazakhstan?â
me:
âUmmmmâŠ.â
M: âIs
it under Russia?â
me: âUmmmmâŠ..â
M:
âYeah, I think it is.â
me: âOk
then.â
2.55
K starts to fuss, so I carry her on my hip and hang out
the wet laundry with one hand.
3.00
M decides he wants to âdoâ his calendar now.
3.20
After changing Kâs nappy, I put her in the door-bouncer
and start preparing dinner (lamb curry and rice).
Whilst that is cooking,
I wake up A.
3.30
me: âWhat
country do you want to learn about today?â
M:
âZambia.â
me:
âZambia?â
M: “Yes”
me:
âWhich dinosaurs were from Zambia?â
M:
âActually, lets do Morocco.â
me: âOK
then.â
After collecting all our different atlases and social
studies books, I read from them the pages about Morocco whilst they draw and
colour the Moroccan flag.
We talk about Moroccan food, architecture, how the
families live, the capital city, the landscape andâŠwhat dinosaur fossils were
found there!
M decides to start a notebook called âDinosaurs around the world.â
I find a few short documentaries on Youtube about Morocco, and fold laundry
whilst the boys watch them.
4.30
M plays âDino Dan gameâ online for having a âgood
attitude today.â A is happy watching.
4.45
K nurses and falls asleep.
4.55
I clean the kitchen again.
5.05
K wakes up and happily watches the boys wrestling in
the living room.
Their dad comes home from work.
5.25
Dinner is served.
The cats are hungry again.
5.40
I clean the kitchen again.
6.00
I make a cup of coffee again and fold laundry again.
6.10
We all get in the car and head back to the garage to
pick up my husbandâs car. The boys go in to âsee how they fix the carsâ.
6.40
We get back. After changing Aâs and Kâs nappies, I
finish folding the laundry, and then tidy up all the toys in the living room.
The boys pretend to help and Iâm too tired to make them.
6.55
Once all three kids have had a bath and are in their pyjamas, I pray
Asr.
7.40
Their dad occupies the boys in the living room, so I hoover the upstairs
of the house.
8.00
I feed K some baby porridge, nurse her and put her to
sleep. (Sigh…one down, two to go!)
8.30
I need another coffee, but its too late. I make a mint
tea and grab some biscuits instead.
8.45
After some gentle persuasion, I brush the boys teeth, read
them two stories, and sit with them till they fall asleep.
10.00
They are finally asleep. (phew!)
After praying Maghrib, I put away all
the folded clothes, tidy up all the toys that are littered around the house,
hoover the living room, and take a chicken out of the freezer for tomorrowâs
dinner.
10.40
The rest of the evening is spent reading some Quran, praying and watching
Youtube.
Before bed, I scrawl down a quick to-do list for tomorrow, and throw a
load of clothes in the washing machine to wash overnight.
12.30
Sleep!
Baby K wakes up twice in the night.
A wakes me up at 6.30am.
Writing this has made me realise that:
(1) I drink WAY too much coffee
(2) My cats eat a lot
(3) Half my life seems to be spent cleaning my kitchen!
How does your day look as a homeschooling mum? Is it similar to mine? I would love to know. Please leave me a comment below.
COMING SOON!
‘Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2015-2016’
Our curriculum choices for this coming academic year for Year 1 (kindergarten) and Preschool.
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Blog are fantastic for giving you an insight of how REAL families homeschool and the different ways you can do it.
Bloglovinâ– Follow all the blogs you love from one place. Useful search engine. Just type in ‘homeschool’ or ‘Muslim Homeschool’ to find all the relevant blogs.
There are so many videos out there of homeschool curriculum, homeschool room tours, etc. My favourite channels are: JadyA A Farmhouse Full Erica Arndt
Local Home Ed group
As I mentioned before, you can find your local group of homeschoolers on Facebook. Another place you can look is Home Education in the UK who have a list of all the homeschooling groups around the country with contact details. Surrounding you and your children with like-minded people is so important, especially in the beginning. Go along to one of the group’s social events and ask a lot of questions. That’s what I did!
Starting this ‘journey’ is such an exciting time. The main advice I would give is learn as much as you can about home education, stay flexible, and don’t be disheartened if things don’t go as planned. It’s still early days!
We are so blessed to have this opportunity to stay home and educate our children. Alhumdulillah!
For more experienced home educators: What resources would
you recommend for a newbie homeschooler? Please share with us in the comments below.
Do you like the idea of homeschooling, but are not sure what
it will entail? What does home education really mean in a practical real life
situation? How do I know if it will be right for us?
This article will highlight some of the pros and cons of
homeschooling so you can make an informed decision.
You will need to decide personally how important each
positive or negative is to you. This will depend on your character, your
situation and your child. Homeschooling is a fantastic option, but it is not
for everyone. I hope this article helps you to decide if it is for you.
Home education gives you almost complete control over WHAT
your child is learning and HOW they are learning it. It also means parents can control what your child is exposed to: friends, Â books, music, peer
pressure, bullying, religious teaching to name a few.
Whilst there is some truth in the argument that children
need to learn the social skills to deal with these negative things, there is a lot of
harm that can be done to a child, particularly to his character, when exposed
to them on a daily basis.
Flexibility
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Homeschooling allows you to schedule school around you familyâs needs, and not schedule the
family needs around school.
For us this means we rarely do formal school on a Friday as it is
our Sabbath. Instead, that time is spent reading Islamic children’s books,
doing an Islamic craft, or something like that. When they are older, we will use that time to go to the mosque for Jummah too inshaâAllah.
As a home educator, you have complete flexibility over what
you are teaching you child. You can add in subject that they wouldnât be
learning at school (e.g. Arabic) and disregard those subjects you find
inappropriate (e.g. sex education).
If the curriculum you buy is not working
for your child, you can switch to another one in the middle of the year. Or if
he is not understanding a concept well, you can go back and revisit it. If your
child is gifted in a topic, you can provide her with more challenging material
that she would not get at school.
Home schooling also give children the opportunity to pursue
their talents that would otherwise be difficult if they were at school 6-8
hours a day. If you child is a talented tennis player, you can fit his school
work in around his sports lessons. The same can be said for any talent or
interest that your kid may have.
You can book holidays in âterm-timeâ and benefit from
cheaper rates! You can stop and start school whenever you need to, as long as
your child learning is not interrupted too much. For example, over Ramadan, we
do very little formal schooling, but will make up for lost time over the
summer.
Better exam results
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It has been shown in studies in the US that children who are
home educated performed better on standardized testing, than those in
mainstream education [1].
One reason for this is you are providing you child with
one-to-one tuition for every subject, every day, rather than sharing the
attention of the teacher with thirty-five other kids. You will be tailoring the
way to teach each subject to the unique way your child learns. You will be
pushing him when he finds something easy, and going back when a concept is not
understood. So its hardly surprising really that home-educated kids are doing
so well!
Family Benefits
Spending all that time together, and sharing all those
memories inevitably brings a family closer together, especially the bond
between siblings.
No school runs!
I know this sounds silly, but listen!
Imagine allowing your children to wake up whenever they
naturally get up, having a relaxed breakfast, and not having to ârush rush
rushâ to get everyone ready and out the door! No waiting in traffic, no
stressing about uniforms, or thinking about packed lunches, washing sports
kits, remembering book bags or signing forms. Instead mornings are just…EASY!
CONS
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Responsibility
This is the big one that everyone fears! Instead of handing
over the responsibility for your childâs education to a group of strangers, YOU
are completely responsible. If they donât do well academically or personally, the responsibility is on you.
Personally, I think even if your child was at school, you
are still entirely responsible. The day you had your baby, the day Allah
entrusted that soul into your care, was when you became responsible and
accountable for the education of your child.
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Parental Sacrifice
Homeschooling your children will almost always require one
parent to put their career on hold. Therefore is usually means that home
educating families have to live off one-income alone.
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Other peopleâs
reactions
Since homeschooling is almost completely unheard of in the
UK, most people are either confused or shocked when you say that the kids are
homeschooled. Most will make the assumption that you are depriving your kids in
some way.
But sometimes people will surprise you with positive
comments like, âArenât your kids lucky!â Or âI wish weâd thought of that!â
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The kids are ALWAYS
there!
Of course, most of the time, I view this are a good thing. I
love their company. Homeschooling would be a very difficult thing if I did not.
But there are days, that all mums go through, when you just âneed a break.â But
when you homeschool, there is no break from the kidsâŠ..EVER!
There are times when it can be emotionally very draining, and it is not uncommon for mum’s to suffer from ‘burnout’ if they don’t take steps to avoid it.
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Your house will never
be tidy
So if the kids are always home, then it follows that it will
always be a mess! That, in addition to the fact that, you will have to find
space for all the extra books, science experiments, art supplies, and all other
manner of âeducational resourcesâ that will inevitably end up littering every
available surface. Your home will never be a show home, but it will be filled
with memories that are (in my opinion) worth so much more.
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Keep kids active
It will be your responsibility to make sure the kids stay
fit and healthy. At school children do sports at least three times a week and
run around in breaks etc. If they are not attending school, you need to find
ways to keep them active. Choose something that your child enjoys. Donât force
them to do a sport they dislike, just because their peers at school are doing
it. Think outside the box. Hiking, skating, rock climbing are just as good
forms of exercise as any organised sport.
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Requires planning
Even if you have a very relaxed take on home education, you
will still need to have some level of organisation and planning. Personally, I
like to have the year planned out in general terms, and then plan in detail just
one month ahead of time.
Planning out what subjects you will cover and how you will
âteachâ these subjects does not need to be complicated. For those overwhelmed
by all the choices, or concerned that they wonât cover âeverything they need
to,â should consider a boxed curriculum. These are more expensive, but contain
all the texts you need for every subject, all the worksheets and even a
timetable to follow. There are numerous websites and books available, most from
USA, that outline what should be covered and when. I will cover my recommendations
the next post in the series.
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You have to âfindâ
friends/ social opportunities
If you yourself are very shy or suffer with social anxiety,
this may find this aspect of homeschooling difficult. You will need to âget out
thereâ to give your children opportunities to meet new people and make friends.
But consider this negative point to also be a positive one.
You can encourage friendships for your child that you feel may benefit him, and
limit friendships with kids who might be a âbad influence.â If done well and
with thought, your child will know how to interact comfortably with children of
all ages, races and different backgrounds to their own. Something that no
school can offer.
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Cost
Homeschooling can be more expensive than sending you child
to school. You will need to buy things that ordinarily he would get for free at
school.
However, there are curriculum choices for every budget and
if you spend wisely, it doesnât need to break the bank. Just remember that
peer-pressure itself can be very expensive and think of all the money youâll be
saving by not having to buy the lastest toy, shoes, clothes, video game or
mobile phone for your child. Or going to every classmateâs birthday party,
class Christmas presents and other school events.
There are so many free resources online, as well as
homeschooling communities that sell things second-hand once their child has
finished with them. So donât be put off by the cost of homeeducation, it can be
done to within your budget.
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Local Education
Authority
You may be asked for a home visit from an LEA official or
school nurse, or be asked to provide some kind of written information. I would
recommend dealing with these authorities with a touch of caution, and do your
research on what information you need to give them by law, and what you do not.
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Further Education
If you decide to put your child into school at a later date,
you may find it difficult to get them a place in the âbestâ schools.
You also need to consider University. Universities in the UK
do accept homeschooled kids, but it will require you as a parent, to correspond
directly with the university early on, to find out what records need to be kept
and what other requirements they may have. Like with all things in homeshooling,
the responsibility is with you and it just requires a little more planning. You
may want to consider sending you kid to a university in the United States, where
colleges are more familiar with home education and some actually now prefer
home educated students [2].
So now youâve heard the truth. You know the main advantages
and disadvantages of homeschooling and I hope this helps you to make a decision
on whether to home educate your child.
A Guide to what Home Education is, could be and definitely is not!
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Home education is on the rise! However many people in the UK still do not realise that homeschooling is an valid and legal option for the education of their children. Many naively think they know what it is, but they really don’t! In this article I will outline what home education is, what it could be and what it definitely is not!
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To homeschool in the UK is an extraordinary thing! Â In 2007, it was estimated that only 34,000 students are being home educated in the UK [1]. Whilst it is almost certain that this figure has increased since then, compared to the massive home-ed movement in the United States, where there were 1,770,000 children being educated at home in 2013 [2], homeschooling in this country is still in its infancy.
I get so many messages and emails from Muslim women, who are considering homeschooling, but have been ‘put off’ by misconceptions and false ideas of what it entails, often assuming that it would be much harder than it truly is. So to discover what homeschooling really is, we will begin this article by looking at what it is NOT and those things that ‘put people off’!
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To homeschool you have toâŠ.
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Recreate school at home
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This is something that almost all new homeeducators do at the beginning, calling upon their memories of school and how âteachingâ was done. Whilst this may work for some, it is definitely not a requirement. You do not need to structure your day like that at school, stand at the front of the class lecturing, create a classroom in your home, and you donât even need to follow the National Curriculum [3]. If you want to mimic the school environment you can, but if you want to do your âown thingâ with your children, you are free to do so. Remember, you chose not to not send your child to school for a reason, so think twice before you turn your home into one.
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Be a teacher
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There is a preconceived notion among many that only a teacher knows how to teach âproperly.â
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Think about this.
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Whilst a teacher may know how to manage a class of thirty-five kids without it descending into anarchy, who knows your child better? Who knows how she learns best? Who knows what motivates her and what she is interested in? Who would put that childâs interest above and beyond her own?
You, as a parent, can be the best and only teacher your child will ever need. Of course, it will require a little effort on your part, but it certainly doesnât mean you need to go out and start a teacher training course!
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Stay at home all the time
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Certainly, in my situation, nothing could be further from the truth. Home educators seem to have this uncanny ability to make anything and everything a âlearning opportunity!â You do not need to be sitting at a desk with a textbook to be learning. In fact sometimes the best and most lasting lessons are those seen and done in the âreal world.âFurthermore, because you are in control of how you plan the âschool dayâ, you can take educational trips whenever you want. If the sun is shining you can pack up your Maths books and take them to the park, or instead of learning about coastal processes and wave erosion from a dry textbook, you can pack up the car and head to the beach. What better way to learn about the natural world, than to experience it first hand; a trip to the woods, a walk in the countryside. The world is your classroom!
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Depending where you live in the country, there are also many sporting and musical groups for children of all ages that homeschoolers can make the most of, and many of these are free.
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Since you are working one-to-one whith your child, the material you need to study each day takes considerably less time that if they were at school. At school they have to share the teacherâs attention with thirty other students, waste time with assemblies, standing in lines, and other ‘busy work’. All of which are not for the benefit of the individual student, but rather for âclassroom management.â So, with all this extra free time, there is plenty of opportunity to go out and about, visiting National trust properties, going rock climbing, learning to swim and pursue any other interest or talent your child may have.
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Have a gifted child
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Yes it is true, some homeschooled children are geniuses! And yes, homeschooled children do perform better in standardised tests, often working at least one year above their school peers [4], but not all home educated kids are geniuses. Most, in terms of their IQ at least, are pretty ânormal.â
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Have a stupid or delinquent child
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Some people, particularly those of an older generation, will make the assumption that you homeschool because your child got expelled from school for bad grades or bad behaviour. I cannot deny, that this may be the case for a few families, but like I said before, most homeschooled children are pretty ânormal.â
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Be a highly religious/ new-age type
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A growing number of families who practice their faith, whatever that may be, are choosing to home educate due to concerns over the moral upbringing school offers, or fails to offer, their children and the potential harm the school environment could do to their character and faith. In the UK a large proportion of homeschoolers are from religious families. However there has been a massive increase in numbers who have no particular religious affiliation, many of whom are professional middle-class families, disenchanted by the education that mainstream schools offer.
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You need to be wealthy
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Nothing could further from the truth. In fact most homeschooling families are living off one-income, whilst the other parent stays home full-time.
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Whilst I am the first to admit that I have an unhealthy addiction to all things âeducationalâ and must be Amazonâs best customer, none of these things essential to provide your child with a wholesome, well-rounded education.There are so many curriculum, books, computer programmes, educational toys, craft kits etc. that are marketed at mums and dads like us. Remember, most of them are money making ventures, and whilst there may be some merit in their products, they are NOT necessary for your homeschool.
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All you really needs are pens, paper, a library card and maybe an internet connection. As the children get older you can borrow and swap books with other homeschoolers, and even share teaching responsibility (called a co-op) for certain subjects with other mums. It is not the money you have that determines how well your child does, but the time that you give him.
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What is homeschooling then?
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It is anything you want it to be! Thatâs the great thing about this form of education. You can make it into whatever you wish. You can cater to your family and child’s needs and interests. You can adapt it to your own education philosophy or integrate your religious teachings into everyday classes. If you choose to create a traditional classroom in your dining room, you can. If you want to provide Montessori resources, you can. Many people travel the world, whilst their children learn on the go. Some prioritise religious teachings, whilst others organise their day to allow their children time to excel in sporting or musical talents. Others choose unschooling or project-based learning or classical education. (Donât worry if you donât know what all these terms meanâŠyou soon will! What matters is that you want to homeschool and you are taking the first-steps.)
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The key thing here is that homeschooling can be whatever you WANT it and NEED it to be.
To make sure you don’t miss the next in the series, please Subscribe to my blog, or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.If you have any specific questions, please leave them for me in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them insha’Allah. Thanks for reading!
by Saniyasnain Khan & Maria S Puri
 by Elsie Proctor
 
