Several reasons exist for parents to not send their child to public schools, such as dissatisfaction with the curriculum, teaching methods, and religious concerns, but is homeschooling really better? Khadijah Stott-Andrew addresses this concern and her realisation that teachers don’t have all the answers either.
Khadijah is a mother of three and a self-proclaimed bookaholic! She talks about homeschooling while moving house and also how she has combined the national curriculum with the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
In Episode 87 of the Raising Mums podcast, I talk to Khadijah Stott-Andrew from Our Daily Wonders.
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to choose the right subjects for your homeschool, how to choose the right resources, and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family. Whether you are homeschooling in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, this programme will help you give your children an incredible education at home.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to know to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
One of the bonus points of a homeschool life is being able to go on field trips during term time when it’s quiet! But what are you supposed to do on a homeschool history trip?
Do you have to take all your books with you?
Do your children have to complete a project?
Do you have to collect “evidence” to prove your visit?
This blog post offers advice for each age group when attending a homeschool history field trip.
Why are homeschool history trips important?
The first piece of advice is the most important – you don’t HAVE to do anything! If all you and your children do is attend a field trip, explore your surroundings, and have a great day, then class that as a successful field trip!
However, as homeschool mothers, we carry a heavy pressure to squeeze every learning opportunity as much as possible. So, how can you make the most of a homeschool history trip?
First, understand why a homeschool history trip is important. The Charlotte Mason philosophy encourages our children to build relationships with the topics they are studying. What better way to build a relationship with the knights of medieval times than exploring the ruins of their once-glorious castle? How better to understand the struggles of Victorian life than to trail through the London dungeons?
By exploring history through trips as well books, children benefit from seeing their studies come to life. It allows them to experience the information first hand!
What should you do before a homeschool history trip?
How do you prepare for a homeschool history trip? This part can create an overwhelming to-do list, if you’re not careful. So, it’s important to remember that we cannot possibly teach our children every single piece of information available. The aim of our homeschool is to create a lifelong love of learning and an appreciation of the journey. We need to spark our children’s interest.
So, before a homeschool history field trip, that is your only goal – spark their interest. Teach them just enough to create a buzz of excitement about your upcoming trip.
Read impressive battle stories from Arthurian legend before visiting a castle.
Discuss the struggles of Abdullah Quilliam before he established the UK’s first mosque.
Try a day living like Tudors before visiting the Tudor houses and museums.
By creating this sense of wonder in your children, you are prepping them to make way for any new experiences the field trip has to offer.
For your older children, encourage them to think about other things they would like to know. If they have their own set of questions they want answering during the trip, they are taking charge of their own learning and being responsible for the satisfaction of having their questions answered.
Maybe they can research the field trip destination beforehand, and they can be the tour guide. Allow them to research what is available, and they can oversee where you go and what you do on the day.
Homeschool History: Level 1 (Under 7s)
If following a Charlotte Mason philosophy, you’ll know the “requirements” for under 7s are minimal. The focus should be on being outside as much as possible, maybe a little arithmetic, and plenty of snuggles with living books!
But this is when a field trip comes in handy. A child under 7 can enjoy a homeschool history trip for exactly what it is – an adventure and a chance for more exploration!
Encourage your child to collect souvenirs, and I don’t mean the expensive ones from the gift shops! Maybe your child finds an interestingly shaped rock or a flower? Maybe they find it thrilling to follow a map of your location in a brochure!
Tip: Remember anything collected can either be sketched or stuck into their Book of Centuries to commemorate their historical trip through time!
To find out more about How to Use a Book of Centuries – CLICK HERE
The idea for this age group is to keep stoking the fire of curiosity and wonder. Children under 7 have a natural inclination to explore and ask questions. Your only job is to not get in the way!
When travelling home, or even the following day, ask your child to orally narrate what they did on their trip. Let them tell you what they understood and the connections they made.
Homeschool History: Level 2 (Ages 7-11)
Once your child hits this age bracket, the intensity of work steps up a little bit.
Please note: this is by no means a hard and fast rule for this age group. Judge your child’s ability based on their progress rather than their age. If your child is still at the freestyle-exploration stage, leave them there! Often, they’ll show YOU signs they are ready to upgrade their learning.
So, what can a child do on their history trip? If their trip includes a destination linked to a current area of study, your child probably already has some questions they need answering. Find out beforehand what they will have access to on your trip and help them come up with a list of questions they’d like answering.
Another hands-on idea for your child is for them to document their trip – whether a video or photo diary, keeping a written journal, or even just collecting memorabilia for a scrapbook!
Tip: Take your Book of Centuries with you! You will probably come across lots of new information and dates on your trip. Let your child check this information against things they have already recorded in their Book of Centuries! [Purchase yours here UKUSA ]
Homeschool History: Level 3 (Ages 12+)
Now is when we must get serious… right? Well, not necessarily! Once your child hits this age range, a lot of his/her studies may start to take a “serious” turn. Whether you’re thinking about secondary school or GCSEs, children will notice the expectations for their work are increasing.
A history trip is not that time. See your history trip as a blessing and a chance for your pre/teen to get back to enjoying learning and seeing what they can soak up without an official plan. Children absorb a lot more information when they don’t think they HAVE to!
However, if you or your child are eager for more, set a history trip as part of a greater research project.
They don’t just have to visit Stonehenge; they are researching the impact of religion and spirituality in pre-historic Britain!
They’re not just visiting Gettysburg National Military Park; they are creating their own timeline and map of the civil war.
They’re not just visiting Titanic Belfast; they are putting together an engineering report of the safety requirements for a cruise ship.
They’re not just visiting Mesa Verde National Park; they are researching the Native American contribution to civilisation.
Helping your child build connections with what they are seeing on their trip with other areas of study is a guaranteed way to embrace the Charlotte Mason mentality during their older years. Education is a study of relationships, and a history trip is a fantastic way for older children to appreciate how their different areas of study are interconnected.
Once you get home
The days after a homeschool trip are a great time to soak in what you have all experienced and learnt. Whether you have an informal discussion or even go as far as to put on a presentation for family members! Find a way to recap or narrate your experiences and spend time with what you have learnt before moving on to the next topic. And that means you too! Join in with the children and show them that learning truly is a lifelong pursuit.
Keep focused
As you can see, there is no right or wrong way to go on a homeschool history trip. But what is important is that you remember your focus as a Charlotte Mason homeschool:
Discuss how topics are related.
Facilitate your child building their own relationship with their topic.
Remind them of the disciplines and habits required when out of the house.
Narrate back what they have learnt in a range of creative ways.
What do you do on your homeschool history trips? Leave a comment with your history trip recommendations!
[Don’t forget to order your Book of Centuries here UKUSA .]
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to craft a curriculum for your homeschool, how to choose the right resources, and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family. Whether you are homeschooling in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, this programme will help you give your children an incredible education at home.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to know to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
As homeschooling mamas, we often have a love-hate relationship with art and crafts. But understanding the value of the activity can help motivate us to not only find more crafts for our children, but to even enjoy them ourselves. When teaching history the Charlotte Mason way, craft activities can be a wonderfully creative way to change up your homeschool history lessons.
(This Blog Post contains affiliate link. Please see Disclaimer for more information.)
Scroll down for 10 crafts for you to usewith your children.
Homeschool history and Charlotte Mason
One of the main aims of the Charlotte Mason philosophy is to help children develop relationships – both with the topic they are studying and those around them. Craft activities are an incredible way to achieve this.
By enjoying a hands-on activity in your homeschool history lessons, your children will have something tangible to experiment with and explore. They have a chance to put their own slant on a history project and express their understanding in a fun and practical way. Additionally, children will build their own memories and visualise historical events and figures as they work their way through each project.
Another key aspect of Charlotte Mason philosophy is nurturing children’s ability to express their learning. Whether this is through an oral narration where they repeat back what they have learnt or through a written narration where they summarise the points they felt were important from their reading. But a history craft, and the discussion it inspires, is also a perfect way to have your child narrate what they understand in a natural, organic way.
10 Homeschool History Crafts
1. Timeline
Having a history timeline is an ideal way to visualise the order of historical events. Children can be their own historian as they record the dates and events of different periods.
A fun way to do this is to create a history timeline on the wall or large poster board, like this one. Children add their own items or images to each historical period. They can add whatever they like: paintings, collages, photos, or little facts.
For the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, you can use some free Seerah timeline images by signing up here.
Masjid al-Aqsa is a place so rich in history that people dedicate their lives to it without ever knowing everything. As Muslims we have a special connection to this place and it makes a valuable addition to any homeschool history curriculum.
Help your children bring the site of al-Aqsa alive by building their own 3D model. Using cereal boxes, plastic bottles and any other junk materials from around the house, children can get hands on with this activity. Use this diagram to get an accurate idea of the layout of the building and its surroundings.
This is a chance to talk about some fantastic moments in Islamic history such as Isra and Miraj, the Crusades and Salahuddin Ayoubi.
In history, there are numerous people for children to remember. Turn this challenge into a fun game by making “Who’s Who?” cards.
How to Play:
Firstly, create individual cards for each important person you are studying.
Secondly, include physical descriptions, achievements and general clues explaining who they are.
Then, one person picks a card at random and keeps it hidden.
The other players have to ask questions to guess who is on the card.
The beauty of this game is it can be replicated for any time period, whether the Wars of the Roses during the time of the Tudors, or the Civil Rights Movement in the US.
As mentioned, Charlotte Mason stresses the importance of children building relationships with the information they are learning. What better topic to relate to than that of your own family history. Life has changed so significantly over the past few decades that you wouldn’t have to research that far back to find interesting things for your children.
Use the instructions hereto make your very own family history journal. It’s important to allow children the freedom to express what they have learnt in their own way. Over time, let them draw, write, paint, or stick in photos and collages.
5. Shoebox Time Periods
This craft is extremely versatile and can be applied to whichever time period you’re studying. Use materials and items from around your house and grab a shoebox. Inside the shoebox, build a scene that represents a scene or location from your history lesson.
Here are some examples:
If studying Ancient Egypt, you can build a pyramid, add the river Nile, and draw hieroglyphs around the side.
For the Victorians, you could fashion a traditional Victorian street in London, complete with small toy models that children used to play with.
If studying the American Civil War, you can build a depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg from 1863.
Using model clay or playdough, you and your children can help each other to recreate famous historical buildings. Look at photos or documentaries, and discuss the history of the buildings as you work. You could build:
The Great Wall of China
The Colosseum in Rome
Pyramids
The Ka’ba
The Lincoln Memorial, etc.
7. Time Travelling Homeschool History Passport
As you go through your various history projects, help children feel connected to and excited by the many different cultures and ways of life you are discovering. A great way to do this is to encourage children to keep their own record.
Using the notebook tutorial for the Family History Journal,create a Time Travelling Passport. Children can draw things they discover about different time periods, stick in images they find during research, or note down their narrations. This craft can go alongside your Book of Centuries [insert purchase link here] and together they will make a wonderful record of your child’s historical discoveries and learning journey.
Another great addition to this activity would be the Magic Treehouse books [insert Amazon link here]. This series features two children who travel back to different time periods in a magical treehouse. Your children can use their passport to document their own time-travelling adventures!
If there is one thing the internet has an abundance of, it’s recipes! What’s more, some recipes are child-friendly and will make a lovely addition to your homeschool history curriculum. Using different time periods and cultures, you can have themed cooking sessions. Try some of these to start off with:
The next time you venture to the park or a local nature walk set your children a DIY tools challenge. During the Stone Age prehistoric people utilised stone, trees and leaves to craft basic tools. See what your children can create and bring home as a prehistoric souvenir. They could even draw their creations in their Time Travelling Passport!
Artistic expression has changed significantly. From cave paintings of mammoths to Michelangelo’s depictions of the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A great way for children to connect and relate to these works of art is to try and replicate them for themselves.
Because of the wide range of art projects to choose from, this project is perfect for children of different ages. They can pick any image they feel comfortable with, whether it’s a cave sketching, Egyptian drawings from tombs or complete Tudor paintings.
Don’t forget to add the dates of the original works of art in yourBook of Centuries!
As you can see, homeschool history lessons don’t have to mean reading long biographies and composing written narrations. Craft activities are a creative form of narration and an opportunity for your child to spend time with the information they have encountered. Therein lies the beauty of the Charlotte Mason philosophy – you can mould the lessons to suit you and your children!
Charlotte Mason emphasises the importance of well-written and inspiring books, or ‘Living Books’. Parents find themselves scrambling for recommendations and booklists for their children’s subjects. When we get to history, the book search becomes even harder. Not because we can’t find decent books, but there are so many to choose from, it’s difficult to know which books will suit our family values. As Muslim parents, we need books which portray other than the Western world’s view of history.
Scroll down to find the book list of children’s Islamic history books I recommend!
This Blog-post contains affiliate links. For more information, see Disclaimer.
How to read like Charlotte Mason
The Charlotte Mason method places living books as its central focus when educating children. When they cannot read a book for themselves, it should be read aloud to them. In exposing children to a nutritious diet of elegant literature and wholesome prose, they can absorb knowledge and maintain it.
By gradually reading decent books, children develop knowledge andintelligence by making important connections in the material they are exposed to. The beauty of Charlotte Mason’s approach to education lies in its simplicity. Being exposed to a superb selection of books is all your child needs for an enjoyable and successful education.
How to choose Charlotte-Mason-approved books
One of the most common questions when starting the Charlotte Mason method is: “What is a living book?”
A living book is a book which is:
well-written
provides children with new ideas
a book your child finds enjoyable
inspiring and impacts the reader
literary in style, where possible. (However, they do not always have to be stories)
Now, this is why it is often difficult to narrow down a solid list of living books; because it will look different for every child. Where one child may find the ‘Just So Stories’ by Rudyard Kipling delightful and entertaining, another child might find them boring and difficult to understand.
However, well-written books are easier to identify among the bookshelves in a store or library. Finding living books is a skill you develop over time, so try not to get too overwhelmed in the early stages.
Does Charlotte Mason include Islamic history?
When researching the Charlotte Mason book lists, it can be easy to assume the history curriculum doesn’t favour an Islamic look at history. Some of the books appear to favour an Anglo-Saxon version of events, complete with the wonder of the British Empire and the valiant efforts of the crusaders.
However, it is important to remember that the Charlotte Mason approach is an educational philosophy, not a boxed-and-ready curriculum. You don’t have to purchase the book lists from her schools in order to benefit from her teaching advice. There is an entire world of published books to embrace, so feel free to go out for yourself and find books which suit your children and your family.
Living books inspire children, preferably in a literary way. We can easily apply this principle to Islamic books and tailor our history lessons to suit our Islamic values. Remember, we’re not looking for textbooks, and we’re not looking for books which display disjointed facts and condensed learning objectives.
Reading and your Book of Centuries
As well as living books, a Book of Centuries will prove to be an invaluable resource. After reading a passage from a history book, help your children find the correct timeline page. They can write or draw something to represent what they heard when you were reading. Find out more about using a Book of Centuries here:
The Our Muslim HomeschoolBook of Centuries comes with the added bonus of extra pages during the timeline of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. This gives you space to dedicate extra details to that important period and dive into the lifetime of the prophet in fun and engaging way. It also includes a timeline featuring some important dates in Islamic history from 570CE – 1924CE. Purchase yours here [link to the Amazon listing].
Like most history lessons, it can be difficult to keep the seerah engaging for your children. By using a Book of Centuries, your child can actively engage with the stories and decide for themselves what to include in their book. For more information and guidance on keeping your seerah lessons fun and engaging, check out this post [insert blog post link here]? the seerah one is not published yet.
Book list of Islamic History Books for Kids
If you need a book list to get you started, check out my list of recommended reading for history:
A Philosophy of Education (The Home Education Series) by Charlotte M Mason (For parents) AmazonUK | USA
Your ideal homeschool
Home education gives you the freedom to choose the topics important to you and your family. The Charlotte Mason method is particularly useful for this. The focus isn’t on the subjects you study, but how you present them to your children. Using the books above, a Book of Centuries, and a relaxed approach, you can make history lessons meaningful and enjoyable for you AND your children!
Related: Homeschool History Curriculum | Islamic & British CLICK HERE
How to Start Homeschooling UK
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to craft a curriculum for your homeschool, how to choose the right resources and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family. Whether you are homeschooling in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, this programme will help you give your children an incredible education at home.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to know to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
Committing what is beautiful and true to memory, whether it is Quran, art or poetry; is a valuable part of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Covering memorisation in your homeschool can be daunting at first; not knowing what to choose to memorise, when to slot it into your homeschooling day and essentially, how to memorise!
In Episode 54 of the Raising Mums podcast, I share how we address memorisation in our homeschool.
MEMORISATION IN OUR HOMESCHOOL | MORNING BASKET FOLDERS
Children have this most the most incredible ability when they’re young to memorise things and part of our homeschooling and a part of the Charlotte Mason philosophy is that we make the most of that while they’re young to have them memorise things that are important what we would consider valuable like Quran and duas.
Memorisation can be split between individual and group learning and you can use Morning time folders so everyone can see the material.
Summer is the perfect chance to have more time outdoors. It’s also the perfect time to enjoy a good book!
You can help your children stay consistent with their reading habits and fall in love with reading with Our Summer Reading Challenge! It’ll get even the most reluctant readers excited to read and join in the fun!
Many believe that Charlotte Mason Homeschooling is not REALISTIC. That it is IDEALISTIC.
Maybe they’re right! But you started homeschooling because you were not happy with the status quo. You wanted something better for your children-something that many might feel is unrealistic.
When you consider Charlotte Mason Homeschooling first begin by realising we can not do it all from day one. Start with having lofty intentions, beginning small and doing something even if you can’t do it all.
In Episode 53 of the Raising Mums podcast, I share how we can all realistically implement the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
If implementing the Charlotte Mason philosophy feels idealistic, you’re probably doing something right! 🙌
You shouldn’t have to compromise your ideals when educating your children. In fact, use them as a vision of what is possible. Raise your goals, and elevate your intentions!
Summer is the perfect chance to have more time outdoors. It’s also the perfect time to enjoy a good book!
You can help your children stay consistent with their reading habits and fall in love with reading with Our Summer Reading Challenge! It’ll get even the most reluctant readers excited to read and join in the fun!
All education philosophies have the child as the focus but why has Charlotte Mason Homeschooling gained so much popularity, and what is it? Many muslim homeschoolers are also adopting Charlotte Mason for their Muslim Homeschool, so how can it positively impact your children and your family?
In Episode 44 of the Raising Mums podcast, I discuss Charlotte Mason for Muslim Homeschoolers.
Launch Your Homeschool is an online course that will you hold your hand and walk you through the beginning stages of homeschooling, built upon the framework of the Charlotte Mason philosophy.
I teach you how to choose the right subjects for your homeschool, how to chose the right resources and plan out your year to create a homeschool experience that aligns with the values and beliefs of your family.
I show you the essential teaching techniques that you’ll need to now to get started. There’s even an entire module on how to manage your time so you can still cook, keep the house tidy and take care of yourself, all whilst homeschooling your children!
As homeschooling mums, we’re constantly trying to find the right balance.We agonise over our homeschool plans and are always trying to learn how to homeschool better.
But some days homeschooling doesn’t follow the plan. On those days, when you’re tired, or you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, what should you prioritise? What is the ONE THING you MUST DO when you homeschool?
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All lessons are personalised and tailored to your child’s needs, satisfaction is guaranteed. Prices start at £15/hour.
I’ll be beck next Sunday 21st March 2021, at 4pm GMT, for another LIVE episode of the Raising Mums podcast on FacebookandInstagram , and the BIG RAMADAN ANNOUNCEMENT insha’Allah.
See you then insha’Allah!
Peace and Love,
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Choosing books for children has never been so hard! With the huge numbers of ever increasing children’s books available, deciding which one you’re actually going to get is an indomitable task.
Consider this. When you go to the library, how do you choose from the thousands of books that are there, which ones you’ll actually take home? When you stumble across a book online, how do you know if it’s a “We’ve got to have this,” or if it’s a “Nope. Pass!”?
Is it just a matter of making an informed decisions by reading the back cover? Should we put our trust in the publisher’s social media marketing and influencer reviews? Or do we literally judge a book by its cover?
In this episode of the Raising Mums podcast, I share three things to look for when choosing books for children.
Tutorful is the The Trusted Way to Find a Tutor, making tution accessible to everybody. Tutorful offers tuition in over 300+ subjects, and have thousands of tutors in all academic subjects. They also have thousands of highly qualified tutors for languages, music and more specialised subjects like photography and coding.
Rated as excellent by Trust Pilot, Tutorfulare diligent about vetting all of their tutors, to make sure your children have access to the very best tutors from around the whole of the UK.
All lessons are personalised and tailored to your child’s needs, satisfaction is guaranteed. Prices start at £15/hour.
As a homeschooling parent, we worry a lot! We worry that we’re not giving our children enough of our time. We stress that we’re not doing enough for them. And we agonise about how to fit it all in!
Thie blogpost may contain affiliate links. See Disclaimer for more information.
In episode 33 of the Raising Mums podcast, I share with you some practical ways that you “squeeze” more learning into your children’s lives, and reframe the way you look at your homeschool.
This episode of Raising Mums was brought to you by Miraj Stories!
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