Field Trips

The History of Islam in the UK

22/05/2022

One of the main benefits of homeschooling our children is the freedom to teach the subjects we feel are important. One of those subjects is the history of Islam. We want our children to not only learn about their Islamic history but to feel connected to it. A Charlotte Mason education is focused on building connections and relationships with the things our children are learning. Visiting historically significant sites is a key way to bring history alive.

By educating our children at home, we don’t have to abide by the school timings. We can use our days to take our homeschool on the road and explore history in the real world.

History of Islam in Your Homeschool

As Muslim parents we feel pressure to push our children towards Islamic studies like Qur’an and Islamic history. However, like with most subjects under the Charlotte Mason philosophy, our children need to be engaged. We have to spark their interest and ignite their passion for the subject. To do this, sometimes books, crafts and games are enough. But if you have the chance to bring your lesson to life in the big wide world, you should take it.

Tip: Don’t forget to take your Book of Centuries with you and fill it with all the new dates and people you learn about!

The Charlotte Mason philosophy encourages us to nurture relationships with the material and with each other. It encourages us to build connections and appreciate the knowledge we gain. What better way to do that than to take your children on a fun field trip? Field trips allow children to experience history for themselves and create valuable memories.

Does Islam have history in the UK?

When we think about the history of Islam, our mind very rarely considers the British Isles. However, the UK has some of the richest Islamic history in the Western world. Knowing we have such easy access to our own history on this island is exciting – and one way to transfer that excitement to our children is to help them experience it for themselves. Here are some fantastic history trips around the UK to enrich your lessons on the history of Islam.

Cambridge Eco Mosque

The Cambridge Central mosque boasts stunning architecture of both English and Islamic influences. By growing up in the West, your children will feel connected to this combination of cultures. This mosque focuses on connecting the human experience with the natural world. So the building goes beyond stone and marble and integrates nature throughout its design. It’s surrounding Islamic gardens will be a joy for any nature study enthusiasts following the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Children will see the importance of nature in a spiritual sense when exploring the beautiful gardens.

You can visit this mosque as a family or book a guided tour through the grounds and gardens. The mosque even has an interactive exhibition open daily. This exhibition explores the scientific influences in the history of Islam from the 9^th to 16^th centuries.

However, Cambridge Central mosque does not just highlight the history of Islamic civilisation and architecture. It is carving its name in modern history by being one of the first Islamic establishments to embrace an eco-friendly and sustainable existence.

Activity Idea: Take your nature journals! Observe the beautiful gardens and select your favourite parts to sketch and colour in your journal.

Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool

You cannot discuss the history of Islam in the UK without mentioning the very first UK mosque. Founded in 1887 by Abdullah Quilliam, a Victorian English convert, this mosque boasts an impressive history. Children will love learning about his life and the trials he went through when establishing this mosque.

Please note: as of the time of writing, the Abdullah Quilliam society is currently working on restoring and expanding the mosque. It is currently open for prayer times, but please check ahead before you travel there.

Activity Idea: Life in Victorian England had its challenges for Muslims. Setting up the first mosque couldn’t have been an easy task. Learn what you can about the trials and triumphs of Abdullah Quilliam. Keep it fun and have your child orally narrate what they learnt on the way home.

The Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic world at the British Museum

The British Museum in London has a spectacular collection of galleries covering a wide range of historical periods. Interestingly, the museum has two rooms dedicated to the history of Islam. The display is called The Albukhary Foundation Gallery.

While the website contains extensive videos and images for children to examine, nothing beats experiencing collections in real life. Booking a trip to this museum is enlightening for children. Let your children see how the history of Islam fits in with the rest of the world. Because, the history of Islam is not something separate – it is integrated into other time periods and civilisations.

Activity Idea: When looking at the exhibition, encourage your children to select the piece they like the most. They can either sketch it, write about it, or talk about it with you. Maybe it’s something you can research further at home!

Victoria and Albert Museum – Islamic Art Exhibition

This stunning museum in London holds a magnificent collection of Islamic art. With over 19,000 items from around the world, this exhibition explores the evolution of Islamic artistic influences dating back to the 7th Century.

The similarities of these pieces whilst maintaining some beauty of each culture they originate from truly sets this collection apart. Your children will learn from each collection how Islam does not erase your culture, it simply enhances it with its beauty.

Activity Idea: Don’t forget your sketchbooks! Geometric patterns and calligraphy text are key elements of Islamic art. Allow your children to take their sketchbooks and attempt to replicate some of the beautiful patterns they come across.

Halal Tourism Britain – Guided Tours

Like Cambridge Central Mosque, Halal Tourism Britain is making history by being led by Britain’s first professionally-trained Muslim tour guide. These tours allow you to travel through London and some of the UK’s biggest tourism spots. If you book one of their guided tours, you can see places like Trafalgar Square and Lambeth in new ways. You and your family can learn about Islamic influences dating as far back as the Ottomans.

Activity Idea: Collect memorabilia such as tickets, brochures, and maps on your tour and stick them together in a collage of your trip! You can include diary entries from your children, itineraries, photographs, etc.

Connect to the History of Islam

Above are just a few ideas for trips around the UK for you and your family. The things you will learn on these trips can become stepping stones to other places. The more you learn about the history of Islam in the UK, the more places you will find to visit. You might be surprised how much of our Islamic heritage can be found on this small island in the Western world.

If you would like to start including the history of Islam in your Book of Centuries, sign up for the Our Muslim Homeschool newsletter and receive some free images!

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!

Interested?

Launch Your Homeschool enrolment is currently closed.

Doors open Summer 2022, insha’Allah.

JOIN THE WAITING LIST Here: https://ourmuslimhomeschool.com/courses

Peace and love,

How to Take Trips with Kids (and Survive when it All Goes Wrong!)

24/02/2022

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Among the countless benefits of homeschooling is flexible scheduling. This means your family has the freedom to learn whenever and wherever you want because the whole world is your classroom! Taking trips with your kids is not only great for learning and socializing but also for creating memories for the entire family. Unfortunately, sometimes, even with all the best intentions, things don’t go as expected. So how can you survive the setback?

This blog post may contain affiliate links. See Disclaimer for more information.

In Episode 65 of the Raising Mums podcast, I share some tips to get your family out and exploring.

Key Points to Remember:

Taking trips, outside of your regular routine, creates memories and heart connections.
Don’t discount the small – the joy lies in being together.
Plan for the worst – pack well , research, prepare the children ahead.
Be present with your children – not distracted by worry or stress, or your phone.
Expect something to go wrong on your trip, and when it does know that walking through that difficulty together pulls you closer and makes your relationship with your kids stronger.
And if you handle it well, it will amke their connection to Allah stronger too.
When it goes wrong: make dua, encourage your children to make dua, be flexible, recall others who faced adversity, remeber verses of Quran or a Hadith.

To claim up to 30% OFF the Islamic Children’s App, MIRAJ STORIES CLICK HERE: https://ourmuslimhomeschool.com/miraj

Related: How to Homeschool with a 2-year-old https://ourmuslimhomeschool.com/2022/02/homeschooling-2-year-old.html

How to Start Homeschooling

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.

Interested?

Launch Your Homeschool enrolment is currently closed.

Doors open Summer 2022, insha’Allah.

Join the Waiting List here: https://ourmuslimhomeschool.com/courses

Peace and love,

Dr Gemma Elizabeth our muslim homeschool — Dr Gemma Elizabeth

Is Center Parcs Halal? – A Muslim Family Review

23/12/2018

Does center parcs serve halal food? Are the swimming pools segregated? Is it worth the money?

There are just a few of the questions I received on my Instagram and Facebook accounts after sharing some photos of our holiday there. In this blog-post, I’ll be sharing my honest review of Center Parcs, based on our stays in the Longleat and Whinfell forests, from a Muslim family perspective.

We spent three-four nights in the Longleat and Whinfell villages and overall we loved our time there. In fact, after only returning from Centre parcs a few days ago, we’re already planning when we can go back!

Center Parcs is a great holiday destination for families who want to “escape” from a city or suburban life, and spend some time in a quiet, green, natural space, without sacrificing any comfort at all!

In Centre Parcs you can take part in a huge range of outdoor and indoor activities, spend time in their indoor pools, go shopping, have a coffee or a meal out, or relax in you own private sauna back at your lodge. The resorts are luxurious, full of fun things do for all ages, and all interests.

I’m not going to go into all the differences between the resorts and accommodation. If you want more information, visit the Centre Parcs Website.

Instead, I want to talk to you about our personal experience there, the positives and the negatives, all from a Muslim family’s perspective.

Is it halal?

First, lets deal with the most commonly asked question from my Muslim followers….is the food at Center Parcs halal? Unfortunately, the restaurants at Whinfell and Longleat did NOT offer halal options.

However it appears that some of the resorts can offer halal meals if you book ahead. A friend of mine visited Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire and was able to pre-order halal food when booking at Cafe Rouge, Las Iguanas, Huck grill and Rajendra Pradeep curry house. MashAllah!

So it’s worth definitely worth checking ahead, before you decide which resort to stay at, to see if they can offer halal meals in their restaurants. You can contact them directly HERE.

However the restaurants do offer vegetarian meals. My favourite restaurant on site is “Las Iguanas”, which serve eclectic South American cuisine. They have loads of vegetarian dishes, so everyone will find something they like insha’Allah.

Since we eat halal, and healthy food, we preferred eat most of our meals in our lodge itself. The kitchen was modern, clean and very well-equipped.

Why we love Center Parcs

There are so many activities to do there, that you will not have time to do everything you want! The choice is incredible! There are indoor and outdoor activities to suit every age, ability and interest. Even if its winter, and raining, and cold, there is still loads to do and enjoy.
The lodges are very comfortable, clean and well equipped. There are a variety of different accommodation to choose from, depending on your budget and the size of your group. Recently, we chose a lodge with its own infra-red sauna and daily house-keeping which was wonderful! In some of the resorts they even have luxury tree-houses!
There is a supermarket onsite, which stocks almost everything you could need if you want to cook at home or have forgotten to pack something. It is slightly more expensive than supermarkets outside the complex.
The swimming pools are warm and clean. The changing rooms provide family cubicles so that all the family can change together. You do not need to pay for the lockers. You can bring your own swimming towels from home, and avoid paying the fee for beach towel hire at the pool. There are loads of slides to enjoy, a wave machine, and lovely areas for toddlers to splash about in.
I wore a burkini with a coverup into the swimming pools, with no issue from lifeguards or other staff. If you choose not to swim, you can sit comfortably next to the pool, or in the poolside cafe, whilst someone else takes the kids into the pools.
There is a large and luxurious spa, with a huge range of treatments available. Before or after your treatment you can enjoy complimentary use of the sauna , steams rooms and swimming pools in the spa complex.
The staff at check in, in the various centres, those leading the activities, and even the cleaners, were courteous and professional throughout.
As we visited Whinfell forest around Christmas time, we were able to enjoy a free fireworks display around the lake (which was amazing!) and visit their winter wonderland for free.

Points to consider before booking

Although access to the indoor swimming pools is free, all other activities come at an extra charge. The prices of the activities are more than you would expect to pay outside the resort.
There is no prayer room anywhere onsite. This means during the winter, you really have to plan your activities carefully around the prayer times.
The restaurants do not serve halal options. They are however very clear about which are vegetarian. I loved the vegetarian options they offered in Las Iguanas! Cafe Rouge does a lovely breakfast too.
There is alcohol served on site. We only came across people drinking when we went to the bowling alley, and had to walk through the bar to get there. Not ideal!
The swimming pools are not segregated.
Some of the accommodation is a long walk from the main activity centres. If you chose a lodge further out, you may need to bring your own bikes or hire them there. Cars are not allowed to drive onsite, except on check-in and check-out days.
There is music playing in the shopping areas, but not in the sports and activities centres.

Center Parcs is a mid-range to luxury family holiday. In my opinion, it is worth the cost! We came back from our most recent holiday at Whinfell Forest saying that, “This was the best holiday we’ve EVER had!”

I hope this brief blog-post has helped you to decide whether you want to visit Center Parcs one day.

If you have anymore questions, please leave them for me in the comments.

Peace and Love,

Our Homeschool Field Trip to London

07/01/2017

Last weekend we traveled down to London with the children to visit the historical sites and museums.

For almost 6 months, we have been meaning to take the kids to London for a field trip, and last weekend we finally did it!!!

I remember visiting the amazing museums and historical sites as a child with my mum. Maybe it’s jut nostalgia, but I wanted my children to have the same feelings of awe and also feel inspired as I was when I was young.

It took about 4 hours to drive down from the North-West and reach our hotel near Kew Gardens.

Before we tackled the museums, there was something much more important that we needed to address….our stomachs!!!

The first place we visited was Southall for some GOOD CURRY! We went to Mirch Masala and the food was delicious! After dinner, I visited a lovely Islamic book shop called Al-Jannah bookstore, and purchased a few goodies…but you’ll have to wait for my next favourites Youtube video to see them!

After a good night’s sleep, we set out to central London by car. I have always been intimidated by driving in central London, however my husband makes it look easy! mashAllah. Thank goodness he was with me!

First stop….

The Natural History Museum

Homeschool trip natural history museum london

This was the one place that my children insisted we visit because of their extensive collection of dinosaur fossils. Even as a “grown-up”, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the size of their collection.

The kids particularly enjoyed the robotic T-Rex!

We even found the place where Andy’s famous time-travelling clock should have been!

(You know, from CBeebies TV show “Andy’s Dinosaur adventure”!)

Homeschool Natural history museum london

It’s time to go an a Dinosaur Adventure!

In addition to the dinosaurs, we visited the section about Marine
life. The room with the life-size blue whale was incredible!

Then we went to the Volcanoes & Earthquake section. This was my eldest son’s favourite part. It is lay out really well, with loads of hands-on learning experiences. There is even one room that you can stand in and experience a simulated earthquake!

My boys were so inspired by this part of the museum, that we are going to incorporate earthquakes and volcanoes into our science this term insha’Allah.

On the drive back to the hotel, we drove through Westminster and saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. However, as the kids were tired, instead of stopping to look around, we decided it was best to head back to the hotel.

After another trip to Southall for dinner, we went back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

The next day we visited the British museum.

The British Museum

Honestly, I could spend a week in this museum!

I go nuts for Ancient history, and this museum is full of exhibits and artifacts from every ancient civilisation you can imagine!
It is my happy place!

However this time we only had a morning to spend here so we went straight for the ancient Egypt section.

In our history curriculum, we have spent the last 3 months focusing on Ancient Egypt. It was so nice for the children to see the historical artifacts in real life. The section was very crowded, and seemed really popular with tourists, but we managed to see a lot of fascinating things.

I love the British museum, and I’m already planning our next visit!

Before leaving, we sat and enjoyed some hot chips, whilst admiring the incredible architecture outside.

Travelling around central London with kids can be difficult. One of the best things I can advise is plan ahead; plan your nappy bag, plan your route, plan where you will have lunch, pack snacks…plan plan plan! Also, try not to be over ambitious with what you hope to achieve in the day. Personally, I do not expect to visit more than one place a day, and anything extra is a nice bonus!

He looks like I feel after a day out in London with the kids! 😉
(Mauritian Dodo from the Natural History Museum)

Have you ever taken your children on an educational trip around London?

We are planning to visit London again in the next few months. Where would you recommend we go next time we visit?

I would love to hear your ideas and advice for travelling with kids.

Please leave your comments down below!

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In need of your duaas.

Peace and Love xx

SEA LIFE Manchester : A Homeschooler’s Review

20/11/2015

Last week we decided to take our homeschool for a field trip.
Since my son has shown a budding interest in Ocean Life (sharks especially) we decided to make the day trip to Sea Life Manchester.

Ocean Life Unit Study: SEA LIFE Manchester : A Homeschooler's Review

Sea Life Manchester is found in the Intu Trafford Cente, one of the largest indoor shopping centres in the U.K. This meant finding parking and food was so easy and I got to pick up a few things whilst I was there!

You start off having your photo taken, which you can later purchase, and then there is a show. Then you begin to make your way around.

Each part of the aquarium is numbered, and the kids are given a little booklet, with simple questions to answer about each area. When they have answered the question, they look for the ‘stamping station’ to stamp their book.

It was amazing how my boys got into this! They were so excited to run from area to area answering the questions. Its such a clever idea and meant they they really made the most of all the information available. All the displays were very interactive and perfect for children of Primary school age (4-10).

Some of our highlights were:

1) Under-water tunnels

These were awesome! The kids enjoyed pointing out the sharks and the turtle swimming above.

2) Interactive Pool

M got to stroke a crab and a star-fish! Pretty cool!

3) Turtle Egg Display

This was A’s favorite bit! Apparently the gender of turtles is determined by the temperature the eggs are kept at. To demonstrate this there was a giant egg that the kids have to touch. After about 30 seconds the screen tells you if you egg is a boy (cold hands) or a girl (warm hands)! Genius!

4) Interactive Video Game

At the very end of the aquarium was a game, Wii style, where you appeared on the screen and had to hit the rubbish out of the sea to help the little turtles swim across. It was very energetic and the boys ate well after this!

Our favourite animals were the turtle, the sharks (of course), the scary Moray eel, and the enormous spider crab!

When we got home M was keen to write about his day-out in his diary…

Overall I highly recommend visiting Sea Life Manchester, especially if you have children under the age of ten-years-old. It is so well thought out and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We had so much fun and learnt loads!

In terms of price, I think it is good value for money. We bought it, together with entry into LegoLand (also in the Trafford Centre), and it came to around £45 in total for all of us.

The only negative point I can think of is it is a small attraction. It will only take you two hours maximum to see everything. However, for mums of young kids this is no bad thing!

If you are interested in knowing more about SeaLife Manchester click HERE for their website.

Have you been to Sea Life? What did you think? Could you recommend any other places to visit in the North of England? I’d love to hear your recommendations. Please leave me a comment below 🙂

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Please remember us in your duaas.

Peace and Love.