The Perfect Pet Project

Over the years we have cared for a plethora of animals.  Some of the animals that have lived at our house included turtles, a variety of frogs, newts, a rabbit, a lizard, toads, hermit crabs, fish, crayfish, and others I can’t recall at the moment.   Caring for these pets was a very educational and rewarding experience, but it got to be too much maintenance on my husband’s part.

So,  at the moment we are petless, but are willing to once again adopt an animal or two for the enjoyment of the children as well as for a first hand educational experience, insha Allah.  As for the type of pet in which we are interested, that is still up for discussion.  My two yr. old has been asking for a rat ever since she watched rat basketball at the science museum.  This isn’t a realistic pet for our children, but the fact that she has been asking for a rat is kind of cute and comical.   The other request was a beta fish from my ten-year old son.   He wants one as a personal pet and we are seriously considering this request as these fish are pretty easy to keep and are low maintenance.  

After contemplating the beta fish and gauging his true interest in the possible pet,  my husband and I decided to create a hands-on homeschooling project based on the beta fish.  Previously, I had researched the possibility of using a project-led  homeschooling approach with him.  After signing up for the newsletter and receiving the Raising Rabbits project for free, I decided to develop a beta fish project like this for my son.   This is an all-inclusive project where he will be required to research and record the history, care, cost and anatomy of the beta fish using online as well as book sources.  He seems anxious to get started on this, but will have to wait for me to put it together first. 

As for the rest of the children, we are still contemplating the best pet option for them.  Of course, they want something they can hold and cuddle, so we are leaning towards another mammal.

This is Our Life

As I pulled up into the near full science museum’s parking lot this afternoon, I discovered that apparently I wasn’t the only one who needed a change of scenery after the snow storm this past weekend.  Although, it wasn’t until we were inside the exhibits that I realized that all these school-aged children were out of school due to it being a snow day.

We were already in the elevator ascending to the second floor as it stopped on the first floor to pick up a man and his school- aged son.  He was friendly enough as he greeted all of us as they entered the elevator.   He did make the usual comment that I had my hands full with all my children and I agreed.  Truthfully, I have become accustomed  to these sort of comments with six children.   Thankfully,  he didn’t ask if they were all mine which I do hear quite often. Nor did he ask if they were all by the same daddy/mama which is the question my husband usually receives when he is out with them without me.  Anyhow,  he started to explain that he was grateful that today was the last snow day for his son and tomorrow would mean back to school.   So, then I stated briefly that we homeschool.  He literally just stared at my children and said, “Oh.”  So finally, the elevator landed on the second floor and as we were getting out, I matter- of- factly informed him, “Yup, this is our life.”

For us homeschoolers,  the days of our lives are really  just like school snow days. In fact, every time it snows I recall  a senior quote in an old high school yearbook that read, “I learn more the days that I stay home from school.”   You know, I hope the boy and his father appreciated spending time with one another learning on their so-called day off from school just as much as we enjoy our  ”snow days” together everyday.

Something Different

Not being one to be content doing the same thing day in and day out, the girls and I decided to try and have them plan our schedule for the day.  After consulting with each other, they came up with a nice plan which included some fun, educational activities for the little ones as well,  masha Allah. 

After exploring the Discovering the Muslim Heritage in our World/1001inventions website, we flipped through a new book my husband bought them from Sam’s Club called, Amazing Places.   At the same time, the little girls were playing computer games and stumbled upon a cute grammar game online called Mad Libs Junior.   As part of their schedule, they had planned on covering grammar anyway with the Silly Sentences game, but Mad Libs fit the bill.

Arts and crafts was next on the agenda, but my dd(5) asked if we could first watch a slide show of recent projects and places we had visited.  I agreed and it was nice to take a few minutes to reflect on the activities we had completed.  There were some photos in the slide show from an art display at the garden, so that actually gave them some inspiration for the arts and crafts project they would complete next.

Some of the other activities they scheduled on their own included math, Qur’an, reading to the little girls,  reading Islamic Studies, snack, lunch, outside play(snow fort building).  Overall, I was impressed with their ability to plan such an array of activities for themselves and their sisters, alhamdulillah.  I guess I really shouldn’t be so surprised as they do have an ability to  take charge of their education.  Truly, it is just my own continued adherence to the status quo that holds them back, subhannallah.  Plus there were less arguments today as well as greater cooperation.  Insha Allah, I think I will continue to try and allow them to take a greater role in planning their days.

We are already explorers

After returning home from visiting the new National Geographic Maps exhibit at the local science museum, the words of naturalist Mike Fay kept replaying in my head. In a short, child-friendly video, he explained that you don’t have to become an explorer, but you are already an explorer if you are willing to go beyond your own backyard.  

To me this wise statement not only applies to exploring the wilderness, but is an analogy for the homeschooling journey as well.  An explorer as well as a homeschooler must be open-minded, willing to learn new things, and not be frightened to explore the road less traveled. 

The discoveries that my family and I make each day during our homeschooling travels are truly amazing, alhamdulillah.  Although, navigating our way through this seemingly unexplored territory isn’t always easy as the voyage is sometimes filled with stormy seas.  By the grace of Allah, we are able to transverse our way through it.

Explorers use maps as a guide on their expeditions and we as Muslim homeschoolers are blessed with the Qur’an as our guidebook, masha Allah.   As we put our trust and hopes in Allah, we seek His guidance on this sometimes rocky journey.

May Allah grant us ample time to continue and succeed on our homeschooling venture.  Ameen

Cooperation

For the last couple of days, we have been studying the concept of cooperation via the girls’ Islamic studies text.  They truly love this book and beg me to continue reading even when the initial lesson is over.   I don’t mind reading further into the book, but feel like they really should try to implement what they are learning before just racing through the material.  The idea of cooperation is so  pertinent in our house that I decided just to slow down for a bit to really emphasize its importance.

One of the stories that was used to teach the lesson about cooperation was the well-known story of The Dying Man.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, a very ill old man wanted to teach his sons a lesson.  He ordered them to bring him a bunch of twigs and then asked each to break one.  After they each broke their twigs, the father tied a string around a bunch of twigs and commanded his strongest son to break the  bunch.  Obviously, he could not. 

Suddenly, as I was reading this story, I had the idea of actually replicating this as an activity.  My two eldest children were more than happy to go outside and gather the twigs.  Everyone received and broke their own twig.  Next, we tied a bunch together and sure enough, not one of the children could break the bundle, masha Allah.

The moral of the story, “My children, always stay together because you are just like this bunch of twigs; united you stand, divided you fall.” I Love Islam Islamic Studies Textbook Series Level 3

Sun Play

An afternoon of sun discovery

Shadow play in the garden today.

The pond glistens in the January sunshine.

Telling time with the human sundial.   The days are getting longer. 

It’s time to go, time to pray because it’s that time of the day -

Salatul Asr.

Miquon, Manipulatives, Moods, and Mud

Firstly, we added a new math program called Miquon math to our daily math exercises.  This program is totally hands-on and uses the cuisenaire rods to teach many concepts.  It is also a great fit for practicing finger math, masha Allah. We are all continuing to learn the finger math together and are progressing slowly, but surely.  This program is  downloadable at Currclick.com.  It you decide to try this program, I recommend purchasing the Lab Annotation which is also available at Curriclick, insha Allah.

 I also purchased The Idea Book for the cuisenaire rods to use with the younger girls (3,5).  So far, they really seem to be enjoying the activity suggestions in the book.   By the way, the cuisenaire rods are sold separately.

In addition to the fun the girls and I have having with math, we have also been enjoying some new games they received called Banana grams and Appletters.  My dd(9) can be reluctant to reading and spelling, but loved these games more than the book lover (ds 10), alhamdulillah.  They have also been playing the Silly Sentences game and working with magnetic poetry.  This approach to learning English with the girls has improved the mood in our household tremendously!

Banana grams and appleletters

 Also, the ground is thawing, so we have taken advantage of the current conditions by experimenting with soil.   

Soil+Water=Mud

Not only have the moods changed with introduction of more games during the day, but I feel much more content as well, alhamdulillah.  After taking an honest and close look at my situation, I have realized that I am just going to strive to do a little of everything that needs to be done each day and leave the rest for the next day, insha Allah.   Trying to jam pack everything including the homeschooling, cleaning, and laundry into one day  just isn’t practical and is down right impossible.

An Extraordinary Winter Day

As soon as my husband told me that is was going to be unseasonably warm today, the children and I immediately changed our plans in order to get outside and enjoy the warmth, masha Allah.  First, we spent some time appreciating the garden in the winter, but also spotting some early signs of spring such as the crocuses sprouting.

Red Shouldered Hawk

At the garden, we were stunned to spot a red shouldered hawk perched on a tree branch completely unconcerned with the commotion of children and gardeners cleaning up for spring planting. 

 After visiting the garden, we met a dear sister at the park for lunch, a playdate, and  some exercise.  It was so nice to see her as well as her children as we haven’t been able to get together in months, subhannallah.  I think this is typical in the winter months when the temperatures drop and illness is more common.  At any rate, we were blessed with a beautiful day in this part of the world, alhamdulillah.

Haraka, Haraka

Ever since returning from the teacher’s workshop I attended last week, I have been reflecting on the pace of our homeschooled day.  I am confident that I do not want to duplicate the schedule of a school child’s day because children need time to ponder and absorb the ideas they are learning.  If we just go through the motions by hurrying to check off the assignments on our schedule or push them along in order to complete all the activities in the workboxes, are well really doing  justice to the education of our homeschooled children?   Is this what learning is all about?

 This poem from the children’s book entitled, Is It Far to Zanzibar by Nikki Grimes pretty much sums it all up, masha Allah.

Haraka, Haraka

Haraka! Hurry!  Right this minute.

Aina baraka. There’s no blessing  in it.

The elders tell me this each day,

but I haraka anyway!

I eat my porridge while it’s too hot.

I scream and burn my tongue a lot!

I rush to fill the water pail,

then spill the water without fail!

I take my time at first, but then

I start to rush around again.

Haraka! Hurry! Right this minute.

Aina baraka. There’s no blessing in it.

I hear these wise words every day,

but I haraka anyway.

Teacher Workshop @ the Garden

I was blessed to be able to attend an educator’s workshop today at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens (one of my favorite places to take the children).  The workshop was jam-packed with fun hands-on activities that linked learning about agriculture to real world applications.

Honestly, I felt a bit inundated with so many activities and could relate for a while how my children must feel when I schedule too many activities for them to complete during the week.  I needed more time to reflect and process the information I was receiving before jumping on to the next activity.  Perhaps, this is just the nature of teacher’s workshops.

Nevertheless, I  gained a great deal of material (freebies)  and gathered many creative ideas from the workshop.  One of my favorite activities we completed was filling a bottle cap with small items which we collected on a nature walk to the children’s garden.

After choosing one of the items we found, we made a nature journal out of small brown paper bags, decorated the cover, and wrote a short poem about it.  I choose the big,lumpy, bumpy, juicy  orange as my favorite. 

Journal making with brown paper bags

Sorting plant parts

Another innovative activity the class participated in was to classify plants by the parts we eat (leaves, stems, flowers, roots, seeds, and leaves).  Don’t these props look real?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next, we went into the garden’s library to learn some ways we could teach children how to calculate the area and perimeter of an actual sized garden.  The instructor also  explained plant spacing at this point.  

I definitely think that the spacing between plants is one area that could use improvement in our own garden, insha Allah.

 

 

Everyone was extremely hungry at this point and was ecstatic to see the lunch delivered!

After lunch and zhuhr prayer for me, seeds were next on the agenda.  We were all asked to choose a seed from a mixture and instructed to glue on a piece of construction paper and draw a character incorporating the seed into the drawing.  Don’t laugh too hard!

Seed donkey

Another fun activity was making a Little Greenhouse.  You can tell I am getting a bit tired because I wrote the date where the name was supposed to go.  We don’t do too much homework right after lunch, so at this point, I am a little worn out.

Finally, after a couple more activities, the last assignment was to make a wanted poster of a selected vegetable.  This activity would require some research of the vegetable to find out its nutrients, medicinal values, and methods of cooking.

All in all, the workshop was very informative and full of practical ideas that I hope to implement with my children.  I also got to network with some really wonderful educators and garden staff.  I think it was also a break that my children needed from me for some time now.  I think we all needed it, alhamdulillah.