ummisubhana

At Seaside!

2012-02-18T04:21:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamtullahi wabarkatuh,

Last weekend , we had barbeque ( dont know the spelling actually . hoping thats right ) at sea side.

We had fun , it was actually first time for my girl to visit a beach.

From social perspective , she made friends over there , laughed , played and had dinner with them.

We , as parents , saw her real happiness being with her friends ( a natural human need ) , exploring nature over there . for example : the red sea , the pebbles , the sand , the shining moon , the stars , the refreshing cold air and what not ! and ofcourse the exotic view of masjid in front of us! This masjid is not ordinary from architechtural point of view , its a masjid above the sea , commonly known as floating masjid.

Later , on the next day, Subhana wrote ( with the help me for spellings) things which she saw over there and she also drew what she actually saw over there!

Here are the pictures :

The Floating Mosque in Jeddah is one of the most loved and visited sightseeing spots in the western Saudi city of Jeddah. Its mix of modern and ancient design and its location, jutting out into the Red Sea, has seen it become something of a tourist attraction. The beaches that surround it are popular with local families and the mosque’s closeness to the water gives the impression that the mosque is floating on the Red Sea.

played ring with friends ......first time experience for her , i reminded my childhood actually :)

Practice handwriting words : Seaside , toys , dog , tin , masjid , ball , sand , water , moon , car

totally her imagination , which we can only understand , if you want to see more clearly , enlarge it , I have given the subtitles! another homeschooling benefit , a child ponders on surroundings and tries to put on paper through his / her imaginary mind. Imaganitve skills gets improved!

Cycling !

2012-02-18T03:41:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatulli wabarakatuh ,

Yes ! you have guessed it right !

AlhamdullAllah finally my girl has started cycling on her own ! :)

This good news seems very ordinary to anyone but for me and her baba , it is another milestone she has

achieved mashAllah :)

her neighbor friends were giving her flowers for doing that effort and they clapped too !

i try to take her out for cycling so that her legs are to exercised

Learning through play!

2012-02-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

since yesterday , Subhana is upto learning through many activities.

below they are:

threading - fine motor skill

bird as a pet...soon her partner will be arranged inshallah

trying to fit in her small cot

throwing - gaining her self esteem and confidence

reading book "Allah's Zoo"

making a turtle with the help of a bowl and constuction paper - it involves cutting, pasting and ofcourse patience

a final product. she chose this craft from a craft book by herself

making bird food with cheerios and yarn

finally!:)

another for her pet bird

Anybody knows whats the name of this bird? couldnt figure out uptil yet!

right now , we are going for chairty fair ! gaining concepts of how to sell and buy things because we have volunteered over there! lets see! :)

Reading Progress !

2012-02-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,
Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

i read the following post somewhere:

I just read a post on a different message board about free promo codes you can use for your membership.
If you register a user name (or if you use your old subscription user name), you can just type in the promo code in the dash board and it will extend the membership by weeks. You can add each child separately so everyone can track their own progress.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345171

Check out the first post in the above thread for the codes.

Of course, as always, be cautious of any un-islamic activities there might be o the website and censor/filter these for your children.

Hope this helps!

I also renewed for Subhana and mashAllah she is really enjoying , celebrating her abilities!

I saw a report about her progress in reading which the site will calculate for you !

here it is:

mashAllah her estimated reading age is of 5.5 yrs :-) we are excited to see this achievement ! another great benefit of home educating~

Happy Reading!

How to learn Quran ?

2012-02-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

Many mothers have been asking me about how to let a child learn Quran.

Recently , I received a mail from a sister

Assalamu alaikum sister,

I'm mother of a 2.5 yr old....i came across ur blog today and mashallah it was really informative...i would like to try this with my daughter especially want her to do hifz....can u give me advice on how i can do tis.....where to get the resources...

Please make dua for me.....

afrin

Reply :

there are some pre requisites to have ur child to hifz the Quran
firstly , parents must recite the quran with proper tajweed in front of the child everyday at an alloted time.

secondly , we parents must eradicate all kind of distractions from a child's life so that she / he can feel ALlah's love in their hearts right after the birth.

thirdly , talk to ur child about true stories of Quran and Seerah instead of fictional stories ( fairy tales)

fourthly , try not to hear them any music from anywhere because in a human heart music and Quran cannot go in one time. either musical tones or the Quran.

fifthly , repetition is the mother of skill as u know........if u want her or him to hifz Quran , plan for urself also . she ll love it in learning as she will see her parents are also taking interest in Quran , The Book Of Allah.

Play a cd of audio of recitations in ur car while driving even if u are going for grocery.

When you are at home , then frequently listen to www.tanzil.net

While learning Quran , tell the meanings too at the kids level.

Do revision daily of the previous surahs. ( murajaah)

Plus homeschooling sisters , reply to this post if u have more ideas for other newbie homeschooling mothers.

I do implement the above ideas with my girl and alhamdulillah we are observing changes in her. MashAllah and summa alhamdulAllah .

hope this helps!

Happy learning Quran! :-)

A glimpse of our homeschooling days!

2012-02-06T02:39:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Sorry , I know long time , no see!

because of the fact that we are going very busy.

Subhana's paternal grandmother was here thats y couldnt take time out to write on blog.

After getting back to the square one , today I was thinking to share with what Subhana is upto these days.

Circle time

Calender

Quran

Finished learning surah Humazah

Revised surah Quraish and Surah Fil

Learned The 3rd Hadith

" man ataanee dakhalal jannah"

coloring on salah book

she wrote the last line herself

she wrote her name , lovely to me:)

having lunch : stir fry brocolli and cauliflower

arabic calender

used noble seal , interesting for children so they can take names of Prophets with respect

writing

reading book on children around the world during unit of Adam As

practising words with magentic letters on the fridge

placing date and day of the calender

counting and increasing her vocabulary

writing different around wordsby her with a little help by me for spelling

a book which masters the child to count, very nice book

she copied me

reading on the floor , this is hilarious to me , mashAllah , she loves to read!

flower by her

exploring colors by mixing them

her imaginative drawing

small letter above the line by her

painting masjid, she loves pink n purple

this is the arabic letters activitiy bought from fanateer. its quite evident what it is all about

practicing on white board, she wrote above and i did in the below part of the board

when i woke up , i didnt find her beside me , i saw her reading eeman reading series in another room , i captured this pic secretly ,

last weekend , we went to taif , mashAllah we had fun because it was too cold there. After returning from there , the next day she made this piece. monkey , mountains with chair lift , french fries , icecream , tried to make a car but she ended to a ship with all her imagination.

Reading Bob books on her own, i mean anywhere , just anywhere , this is the beauty of homeschooling

Subhana's creativity all alone : A flower by popsicle sticks

Did a unit on the first man Prophet Adam as

We read a book on "the first man and woman " by sanyasain khan

Eng : wrote words

Allah
Adam
Hawwa
First
Man
Woman

Used the noble seal too.

We read the book " children all around the world" to get her understand that Allah collected different soils from all around the world.

Then she played on star fall for a while ( vowels).

Then after lunch , she did an activity related to finding numbers 1001 things to spot in the sea by usborne.

In evening , she tried to make words with magnetic letters on fridge.

Homeschooling : a productive alternative ?

2012-01-09T06:05:00.001-08:00

Many people cringe when they hear the word homeschooling. They feel that it is a term only for people living in the amazon or in rural areas where schools are not established. This article will share 5 benefits that homechooling has which other schooling systems do not have.

1. Being able to control what your child is learning and when they are learning it, and how they are learning about it. This is vital for any parent who wants their child to become a righteous, pious person. Garbage in, garbage out. What the schools choose to teach our kids nowadays can be very disgusting and inappropriate for them. How do I know this? I went to public schools and regret how much time was wasted on books, stories, or videos of inappropriate, irrelevant, or unproductive content. Much of what was covered did not benefit me.

2. Making sure that your teaching style and curriculum content is one that is tailored to your child’s learning abilities. This is vital for your child’s success. Each of our children learn a bit differently and in order for them to love learning and want to continue to learn, we must discover their learning styles and their interests, and try to teach them appropriately insha’Allah Ta’ala.

3. Helping your child love learning. By being there to teach your child and being supportive you will be able to instil in them a love for learning and discovery, as opposed to just making them regurgitate facts they will never use. For example, when I am doing science with one of my kids and realize that they do not understand the concept, we go to Google and search for a video on that topic. This helps him visually see what we were just talking about. So he reads about it and then sees it in the video. This helps him understand the concept much more deeply and thoroughly. This one-on-one attention would not be able in a standardized curriculum or large school setting.

4. Keep your children away from negative influences which can destroy their eman and their lives. Nowadays you hear about kids doing drugs as early as 10 years old. Early peer pressure of drugs, alcohol, smoking, bullying, food, and immodest behaviour is rampant in schools nowadays. Our kids are taught to be disrespectful to their teachers and parents, and disobey authority. So much evil is out there, and unfortunately much of it is coming to our schools and influencing our kids. We would be sending our young kids, unequipped, into a negative environment. Bringing them up in a positive environment will make them positive insha’Allah.

5. Make a schedule that fits your lifestyle and Islamic goals. For example, we all wake up for tahajjud and pray, and we pray our other 5 prayers, and in between we study, take classes, do projects, take field trips, travel for events, etc. When everyone is stuck home from school on a snow day, and don’t study we study, so that when spring and summer are here we can have more outside time and activities. When the kids are sick, they rest until they get bored, then they do something creative so they are not bored. Home-schooling also allows for greater time to be spent on Islamic Studies and Hifz-al-Quran.

As you can see, homeschooling has many benefits and an effective option to raising and educating pious children insha’Allah. Even if your kids have started school, it’s not too late to start home-schooling them. It’s a productive alternative that is often overlooked or dismissed all too quickly.

For a comparison between public school, private school, and home-schooling, check out this interview onThe Deen Show by Zohra Sarwari. Also hear about the great accomplishments her children have already achieved maa sha Allah.

For more information, you can visit: Superchargehomeschooling.com or Follow its Facebook page

About the Author:

Zohra Sarwari is an international author, coach, entrepreneur, and speaker, sharing her inspiration and love of learning with those around her. She is the author of 10 books. Her mission is to serve Allaah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) by teaching others how to live effectively and productively and to benefit their communities with the gifts that they are blessed with.

Raising moral children

2012-01-09T05:06:00.001-08:00

Raising Moral Children
1. Commit to Raising A Moral Child

How important is it for you to raise a moral child? It's a crucial question to ask, because research finds that parents who feel strongly about their kids turning out morally usually succeed because they committed themselves to that effort. If you really want to raise a moral child, then make a personal commitment to raise one.

2. Be a Strong Moral Example

Parents are their children's first and most powerful moral teachers, so make sure the moral behaviors your kids are picking up from you are ones that you want them to copy. Try to make your life a living example of good moral behavior for your child to see. Each day ask yourself: "If my child had only my behavior to watch, what example would he/she catch?" The answer is often quite telling.

3. Know Your Beliefs & Share Them

Before you can raise a moral child, you must be clear about what you believe in. Take time to think through your values then share them regularly with your child explaining why you feel the way you do. After all, your child will be hearing endless messages that counter your beliefs, so it's essential that he/she hears about your moral standards. TV shows, movies, newspapers, and literature are filled with moral issues, so use them as opportunities to discuss your beliefs with your child.

4. Use Teachable Moments

The best teaching moments aren't ones that are planned—they happen unexpectedly. Look for moral issues to talk about as they come up. Take advantage of those moments because they help your child develop solid moral beliefs that will help guide his behavior the rest of his life.

5. Use Discipline as a Moral Lesson

Effective discipline ensures that the child not only recognizes why her behavior was wrong but also knows what to do to make it right next time. Using the right kind of questions helps kids expand their ability to take another person's perspective and understand the consequences of their behavior. So help your child reflect: "Was that the right thing to do? What should I do next time?" That way your child learns from his mistakes and grows morally. Remember your ultimate goal is to wean your child from your guidance so he or she acts right on his or her own.

6. Expect Moral Behavior

Studies are very clear: kids who act morally have parents who expect them to do so. It sets a standard for your child's conduct and also lets her know in no uncertain terms what you value. Post your moral standards at home then consistently reinforce them until your child internalizes them so they become his or her rules, too.

7. Reflect on the Behaviors' Effects

Researchers tell us one of the best moral-building practices is to point out the impact of the child's behavior on the other person. Doing so enhances a child's moral growth: ("See, you made her cry") or highlight the victim's feeling ("Now he feels bad"). The trick is to help the child really imagine what it would be like to be in the victim's place so he or she will be more sensitive to how his or her behavior impacts others.

8. Reinforce Moral Behaviors

One of the simplest ways to help kids learn new behaviors is to reinforce them as they happen. So purposely catch your child acting morally and acknowledge his or her good behavior by describing what he or she did right and why you appreciate it.

9. Prioritize Morals Daily

Kids don't learn how to be moral from reading about it in textbooks but from doing good deeds. Encourage your child to lend a hand to make a difference in his world, and always help him or her recognize the positive effect the gesture had on the recipient. The real goal is for kids to become less and less dependent on adult guidance by incorporating moral principles into their daily lives and making them their own. That can happen only if parents emphasize the importance of the virtues over and over and their kids repeatedly practice those moral behaviors.

10. Incorporate the Golden Rule

Teach your child the Golden Rule that has guided many civilizations for centuries, "Treat others as you want to be treated." Remind him or her to ask himself before acting, Would I want someone to treat me like that? It helps him or her think about his behavior and its consequences on others. Make the rule become your family's over-archingmoral principal

Source: http://moralsandethics.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/10-tips-for-raising-moral-children/

A non homeschooler queries answered!

2012-01-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

Assalamu Alaykum,
Here are my questions and queries.

1. I would really appreciate if you could share your and Subhana's daily routine. What time she wakes, naps, eats, snacks and sleeps.

2. What kind of a temprament does subhana have. Is she calm and quiet or is she hyperactive and rowdy. How does her behaviour help/improve your homeschooling experience with her?

3.what curriculum are you using for homeschooling?

4. what discipline tactics are you using for subhana?

thanks so much

Reply to email :

Walaikum Salam sister

Well, for the first question , the details are below:

She wakes up early alhamdulAllah happily , I don't need to wake her up. In fact she wakes me up because after a dose of fajar , Quran n walk , I try to sleep for one hour. Normally , when her father leaves for office around 8.30 am.

After that , washroom visit , breakfast ( variety like corn flakes with milk n honey or cheese butter sandwich or omelete with saute mushrooms.

Then we try to listen to Quran first , she is on surah Humazah. MashAllah . I usually play tanzil.net , we listen to shaikh hudhaify . Her fav Soorah is surah feel and surah teen.

After doing Quran , I do what she likes in a mood to do. I ask her .would she like to do Asma ul Husna first or English writing? Etc. So usually she likes to do Islamic preschool curriculum which I m following from umm nauman ( a Muslim child is born) . We are on book 9 now.

As far as I have observed her , she doesn't like the daily routines. She wants something new every other week.

After the first half , I let her to play on star fall.com or an Arabic site which I have mentioned on my blog too.

Meanwhile , I cook food for lunch or I look after house chores.

After lunch n zuhr , we try to sleep . But that can't happen until we don't read books. We read bob books a lot. And library books too. I have ordered eeman reading series too , they are on the way. The good thing about it that they are Islamic. Negative thing about bob books is ( pigs , friendship between a girl n boy , saying hi n thank you.) but alhamdulAllah she knows that those things do not belong to us. Because we Muslims wears hijab , we thank like saying jazakAllah khair. Etc.....u know whT I mean.

After Asar , we usually take a short nap. Maghrib time is quite early , so these days we are not getting time to. Go outside in play area for swings n to be social with other ppl in compound.

So we do some arts crafts or writing . Or mathematics.

M following a Hungarian curriculum for maths. Mep.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

In evening, she takes bath and after that she like to have some snack too eg . Laban or fruits or chips or biscuits etc.

We do different activities after isha . It all depends on her. Whatever she likes to learn. If she is not in the mood of solving puzzles then I give her another option like to learn a Hadith together. She has leanrt 2 Hadiths uphill yet in Arabic n understood too. AlhamdulAllah .

Other options are to do some practical life skills like she likes to do ironing......hands on cornflour n water with colors , I have bought zaky DVDs for her , in case , if I get busy in cooking or doing something else so I let her to watch those DVDs.they are very informative n Islamic for every child . U can also order from simplyislam.com

Www.one4kids.net

Another DVD is misri bunch. Which teacher asma ul Husna. She gets very well mashAllah.

Before , I used to think that a child must not watch tv. I mean the usual cartoons. ( which I hate ) . So once my tajweed teacher told me if I won't let her to watch tv so she will see it secretly which scared me a lot. So I really worked hard to find the halal entertainment for her. Zaky n misri bunch are enough for her uphill yet. She is learning Islam through it. AlhamdulAllah

we do not watch tv alhamdulAllah except live Makkah n madinah and those DVDs . That's it. In fact , Allah made that happen. We don't have time actually.

After dinner , we spend time with her baba . He likes to watch sports n news politics on CNN . So we shift ourselves to another rooms for anything she likes to do. Revising soorahs or mep.

We try to sleep early by 10 after isha prayers.

We try our best to revise masnoon Duas all day . Recently she has learning masnoon dua for wearing clothes.

For dinner , she sometimes have paratha or normal food I cook , boti with roti.

About second question , subhana is active at home mashAllah , she loves to learn through play. But she is a bit shy when she goes out and meet new ppl . She takes time to get free with new ppl.

M very satisfied with her behavior. I think if she would be going to school , she would have a rude behavior to me , she would not be more innocent as her age would require from her to be. Language could be changed. New non Muslim attitude from her friends may spoil her. Because it's so evident from all around here , children in our surrounding do not have a good attitude. They say hi , bye , hello , Tata , wish birthdays , even happy new year ! A lot fitnah is outside there . At least m satisfied , that my child is getting tarbiyah from her home. She speaks of whT she listens at home . She speaks about Allah , her favorite prophetic stories, rhymes , she doesn't know what a " jhoot " or "lie"word is . I try to teach her positive things now , but later of course I ll be the one inshallah who will teach her what bad influences are there in outside world.

She likes to do those things which I do mostly , she likes to wear complete clothes . Hijab. We mothers must be a role model for our children . So tht they never forget what their mothers like used to be. In future , I don't want the third party to tell my child about the realities of life , we are the ones who must be prepared for the right time to tell them through homeschooling. U ll get the idea from raising Muslim daughters, google it n u ll get the idea inshallah.

For all this , we have to build a strong base so that they can think for a second what they were being taught by their parents , mothers specially. For me , my child's brain is very precious.ni don't want to waste any neuron of her in adapting other useless things which are spreading like fire in woods in outside world. School going children are becoming of it . Why ? Because there is a peer pressure between friends. And simply they cant help it.

For the third question, I do not follow a particular curriculum .

The strongest reason for homeschooling my children inshallah biiznillah , is because of religion .
I want to teach child subjects on the basis of our deen.

Do watch the islamization of education by dr bilal philips on YouTube . U ll get the idea of I m upto inshallah. . May Allah help me.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri3JUdQcP1Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Many mothers in Muslim homeschooling world are trying to implement the idea of what he has proposed . Islimisize every thing we are teaching . For eg: check out this .

http://ummihomeschoolsme.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/quran-curriculum-surah-naas-project/

If we are teaching geography , we will do like above.

Quran Curriculum: Surah Naas Project

Right now , m typing to u . Subhana is constantly reading on her own . This is the quality of home education . Child never gets pressurized to follow a same old curriculum which never interests her/ him. A homeschooling child makes choices by himself , which leads to make their passion and passion proceeds to enjoy whatever they are doing.

U can c my blog too for whT I m doing to her . These days , m quite wondering on a Hadith , that in the first seven years play with a child . And u must know tht children absorb almost everything if we play with them during learning. Thats whT m trying to do n she is loving it alhamdulillah .

Inshallah , in the coming days , we are planning to buy an ICO curriculum .

Www.educatingmuslims.com

Fourth question :

Our deen teaches us discipline . Our daily 5 prayers prepare us to be disciplined . In the same way , whatever we are doing , suppose , I tell my child that

- it's not good to play outside because our beloved prophet saw said that return home when it's the time for maghrib.

- eat with ur right hand as there is a Hadith etc
- sleep on ur right because prophet muhammmad saw told us to do
- let's lie down on bed after lunch as our Prophet used to do qiloolah.

- if she gets angry and make her voice louder which Is very natural so I tell her about Hadith. And ask her to recite taooz so that shaitan can go away.

- at the time of azan , sit by urself if u r lying down n get silent if u r speaking and answer the call of azan loudly so tht ur children hear u. After azan , recite dua.

- if ur husband gives u a glass of water , say jazakAllah khair to him loudly , so that children hear.

Whenever entering house , say Salam to angels.

- while driving , play a cd of Quran , children minds will try to memorize them n recite with them .

U ll see the results inshallah

U don't need to work hard in letting them to learn all these things. They will watch u. They will believe at the first instant that mama is always doing those things which are easy on us because our deen is simple.

U get me?
Can a school teacher will teach above things . There is a long list which a teacher cannot give to children , only a mother can play a huge role in children's lives.

I hope u have understood what m trying to tell u.

Involve seerah n Quran in ur life. U ll see eventually , u don't need to inform ur child. Reminder is okay.

Our deen disciplines us , so our children would be the same.

At the same time , children teaching us too

Homeschooling doesn't demands to let your children depends on parents. It actually demands that what you teach right and wrong ( prescribed by Allah SWT) to your children , gradually when they grow up , they will make decisions according to what their parents and of course what Allah wanted a human being to be !

I homeschool my child since my daughter was 2. MashAllah now she is 3.3. For us , believe me , this world is our class room . We learn everywhere at its suitable and allotted time to be learnt. I am so much amazed by the abilities I have seen in my daughter mashAllah , she has already known the sounds of letters and she can read three letter words. She reads words from logos of shops , billboards etc. She tries to pronounce them without my help , on her own. See , I do not pressurize her to read and write through a schedule , as it happens in traditional schools. Otherwise , child gets sick of school and doesn't want to go anymore . And remember , in majority of the cases , if a child wants to go to school , he / she goes for fun . Nobody likes the daily routine , same faces everyday, I have personally experienced it. That was just my view.

For Islamic brought up , it's not an another subject , it's a base for all subjects, which lacks in our schools curriculum sadly.

I have been doing Islamic preschool curriculum by umm naoman , u can see at my blog to get ideas with what u can do with your child at home. Introducing Allah , Quran , Prophet Muhammad SAW , HAdith etc . Check out here for details .
www.ummisubhana.blogspot.com

MashAllah , I just read once , twice or thrice , the numbers 1 - 100 to my little girl. She followed them through repetition after wards.

Don't worry , there are lots of resources in the homeschooling world.

I see a difference in my child from other children . She is keen to learn more and more whether it would be plants or fishes or shaitan or prophets stories . You name it! MashAllah QadarAllah

Yes , from the very early age plus the toddlers needs their mothers. At this small age , mothers can work wonders, but they actually dont want to. And unfortunately ,in every society majority of the parents are dependent on whatever schooling system. According to them , " bachey school chale Jain , zara sukoon ki neend mile ya tv dekhne ka time mile" . Always remember , madrassah begins at home. In a mother's lap . I sometimes wonder , how can a mother send her small child to a stranger of whom she does not know??? I don't know Who said this statement , but it was really well said. And that was " give me good mothers and I ll give u a good nation" . How true that is ! A child's base must be made by a mother . She is the only one who can understand her child's feelings . Whether she is educated or not , she can teach her own child at home , instead she send him/ her to school because this world is following this phenomenon of schooling. Indeed , homeschooling is a blessing , specially in this fitnah age. One thing I would like to add here that u have u noticed ( because it happens a lot in our society ) . Mothers are teaching in schools but do they not teach their child at home ( rather their child is on tution by someone else in evenings) , how fair that is ?

If u have more queries , feel free to ask!

Inshallah

Take good care

Was slam

Happy homeschooling!

Quran Memorization Progress!

2011-12-28T01:37:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh,

In recent months , Subhana mashallah is progressing well in learn new Surahs.

She has learnt Surah Maoon , Surah Quraish , Surah Nasr and doing muraajah of other surahs too.

Last week , we visited Madinah Munawwara , there she learnt Durood Shareef too ( the original one , the long one) yes ! m not kidding! AlhamdulAllah , indeed Allah is He who let our children to memorize very well !

At the moment !

2011-12-28T01:33:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Subhana is pondering on some science experiment books for little kids. I think she is going to have interest in doing those activities with me in the upcoming days inshallah. Lets see! :)

Zaky and Little Explorer Magazine!

2011-12-28T01:27:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Asslaam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

zaky DVDs

magazines

We recently purchased the DVDs and magazines for Subhana. The DVDs are really good videos for subhana to learn about namaz , wudu and story of Ibrahim AS.

The colorful magazines really attracts the children to get the hands on. Subhana did the same. Before going on Hajj this year we read the whole magazine of Hajj.

I must say these are worth buying products for your child whether you homeschool or not!

Asma Ul Husna

2011-12-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,
Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh,

we have been doing Allah's names , uptill yet she understood the following names very clearly and she uses in her conversation too with me. alhamdulillah.

Allah

Ar Rahman

to explain the mercy of Allah and the girl towards dog , i told her the story of a woman who gave water to a thirsty dog which lead her to Jannah by Allah's mercy. Subhana enjoyed in coloring it. I tried my best not to make pictures but to let her visualize what happened actually !

Ar Razzaq

Al Alee

we are using this book to understand Asma ul Husna from Goodword

Different activities along the week !

2011-12-28T00:54:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Subahan trying to trace her different personals :) polishing her skill of hand control

pasting with craft glue - no more UHU , a good exercise of hand muscles when she squeeze the white glue with pressure.

alif writing

baa

concentrating in Allah gives me food workbook

her first ever written words , mashallah , baba , mama , Allah , the fourth one i couldnt understood :P

sweeping all around the house

the net result of tracing

she got hand on the sticker book , very busy while i was working

splashing colors

this moment i would never forget ; what happened is tht i was praying zuhur , she stood beside me , when i finished my prayer , she told me tht look mama i have hide my doll's face because u are praying and she is also doing sajda with you :)

Learning addition with Abacus!

2011-12-28T00:33:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Well , Subhana's baba has also started participating in homeschooling her mashallah alhamdulAllah :)

my girl loves to learn with her Baba specially because he makes learning more fun than me. SubhanaALLAH:)

To my utter surprise , when I was preparing for dinner in the kitchen , I heard both of them playing with numbers and adding them through abacus.

She learnt how to count the colorful beads altogether mashallah.

Baba was giving her new challenges and her interest in solving the numbers was increasing more and more .

Happy Home Pre - Schooling ! :-)

Teach Your Children At Home!

2011-12-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Teach Your Children At Home!
Below is an article from an Australian homeschool website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You won't be alone.

Many Australian families choose to educate their children at home. Homeschooling is both rewarding and enjoyable.

You don't need any special educational qualifications to teach your children at home. People from all backgrounds successfully teach their children -- people with university degrees, trade certificates, small business owners, factory workers, people working from home, mums, dads - everyone has the ability to teach their children at home!

The only qualification you need is LOVE for your children. Do you qualify? Yes!

Schools can't, and don't, love your children. They can care for them, look after them and teach them, but the essential successful ingredient in home education is love.

Love brings success to every learning situation.

From the love you offer your children will come the responsibility, commitment and drive to continuously strive for the best education available for your children. Your life-long dedication to your children's health and happiness will drive you to seek out best and most appropriate resources and to facilitate excellent quality learning opportunities and activities for your children. You, too, will become a life-long, passionate learner!

Home education is grounded in love and commitment. A parent's love for a child. A child's love for his or her parent. This is a solid foundation to grow educational success upon.

Do you want to know more?

Are you interested in building strong, enduring and respectful family relationships? Are you interested in becoming involved in healthy, active and interested communities, dedicated to promoting the educational opportunities and well being of not only children, but adults too?

This web site is packed with information about how you and your family can explore the world of homeschooling. You'll find lots of great ideas and tips to help you navigate your way easily into a happy home learning environment.

Homeschooling is empowering!

Become personally involved in your children's education. Be there to mark those special learning moments. To share in the delight of discovery. To guide your child through the trials and tribulations of childhood. The excitement, the awe, the anticipation, the wonder.

Teach your children at home today!

Homeworks magazine !

2011-12-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullah wabaraktuh ,
For the first time , Pakistan has introduced a quarterly homeschooling magazine by the name of "Homeworks". I must say they are doing an astounding work. Recently , they have published 4 issues. If anyone of you want to order them , let me know , I ll try my best with the help of Allah . The content is very beneficial to the readers with lots of tips , experiences , articles by current homeschoolers . Moreover , what I like about this magazine is the layout plus it's all Islamic . Alhamdulillah .

You can view the first issue here inshAllah

Homeworks Magazine

Straight from the heart!

2011-12-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullah wabaraktuh ,

Guess what ! In morning , after doing some interesting educational activities with my girl . Subhana instantly said " Mama ! Shall I tell u one thing ? " I said , " Yes , go on !" . She said , " Mama I really like you." ( mama , aap mujhe bohot achi lagti hen).

Literally this cherished moment ended in tears in my own eyes except by replying to her tht I love her too!

AlhamdulAllah , what else I ever want straight from her heart.

At the moment !

2011-12-12T03:24:00.000-08:00

Bismillah,

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Subhana is quite busy in building a puzzle of " The Giant Journey" by Learning Roots.

I ll update more pics later inshallah.

A for an Ant! ( Lapbook + Activities)

2011-12-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

This week Subhana discovered an ant crawling along here and there in our room. She got excited that an insect she has seen from her own very eyes. So I decided to unit study lapbook with her on the topic of ANTS. We also read some books too related to ants.

We also saw a slide show presentation all about ants. Subhana got amazed that how tiny that creature is.
mashAllah she can tell the types of ants too.

I also bought a Bug Viewer for her from the nearby store Fanateer. It really helped her to see ants with her vivid eyes. She was able to view her 6 legs and antennae too with other body parts.

We also pondered on the ayat in the Quran related to ants in Surah Naml.

Here are the pictures:

Subhana watching an ant through bug viewer

a very nice product which helps kids to ponder and look insects closely

QadarAllah , Allah sent number of ants in our home and Subhana showed me by herself mashallah

arabic ant book from library

thumb painting - ants

ant lapbook - cover

inside lapbook

an ant made by foam and pipe cleaners

pop out ant

questions - subhana mashallah can read the questions by herself and answers correctly

lessons from ants - Tireless , unity , disciplined , sharing , active , speedy , planners etc.

coloring book with a story of Prophet Sulayman

we also got a lot info about ants from this book

It's all about alternatives ! ( if mind and time is used wisely)

2011-12-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

If anyone of you has visited ummihomeschoolsme blog , she has told about the alternatives . I left a comment on her blog so thought to post it here too.

Similarly , m thinking about this tv viewing and youtube plus ipad applications too much these days, we have tv at home , but alhamdulillah we don’t watch tht much but still sometimes I get afraid that if I m working in kitchen or taking bath , shaitan must not let me to switch on tv just for the sake of time pass until I get back to her . Alhamdulillah , I have controlled it completely today with Allah’s help . Guess what ! What my 3 yr old did in my absence ! She painted a picture of children praying salah with her fav color pink ,ended with strokes here n there

- then she peeled garlic for me

- then she got hold of iron n presume that she is ironing her clothes like her mama . She brought a bunch of clothes from her closet.

- then she sprayed water from water spray bottle on leaves of different plants in the kitchen’s balcony.

- then she played with pebbles , sorting out in big and small separately .

MashAllah , I was observing her through out those two hours.

N now she is reading a library book named ” all kinds of people” , bob books , goodnight moon!

I mean how many alternatives are there for our kids to explore with their own hands.

I think , leave the alternatives to the kids with the sources and stuff spread everywhere in home.

An then watch the show! :-)

Hajj Felt Board

2011-12-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamtullahi wabarakatuh,

I know am quite late to share this post but doesnt matter , better late than never.

Before Hajj , I made Hajj days on felt for Subhana , so that she can visualize better .

Idea taken from A Muslim Child is Born.

The pics are given below :

MINA

ARAFAT

MUZDALIFAH

JAMARAT

MAKKAH

Lesson Plan 1

2011-11-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

First of all ! Happy Islamic New Year ! :)

Well the purpose of this post is to attach the first lesson plan of our preschool formally!

While writing this post , am in search how to attach my word doc . uummmmm....m not getting it .

ok doesnt matter , let me paste it here below :

Lesson plan 1

· CIRCLE TIME :

Calender ( Islamic & Georgian )

Weather

Allah Name

Hadith

· ISLAMIC PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM:

Allah wakes me up each day

Activities

ü Tell about day and night

ü Tell about sun and earth

ü Tell about importance of sleep

ü Ayah about sleep in surah qasas ( memorize it)

ü Azkaar before sleep

ü Sorting actions through cards to assemble in day and night

· Language :

ENGLISH – Reading

ü Bob Books

ü Eeman Reading Series(currently unavailable,in search of it)

ü Goodword Books

ü Progressive Phonics

ü Star Fall site

ü Reading Eggs site

ü Education city site

Writing

ü On rice , flour , sprinkles etc.

ü Jolly Phonics

ü Workbooks

ü First Phonics Application from Apple Store

ARABIC – Reading

ü Madinah Arabic Reader Book 1 By : Dr V. Abdur Rahim

ü Omer and Maryam Ebooks ( with games , quizzes etc.)

http://omarmariam.irsyad.sg/web/index.asp

ü Library Books ( of her level)

ü Sign Boards outside ( we will try our best to get familiar new words to build an Arabic vocabulary bank at home inshallah)

ü Arabic site

http://kids.islamweb.net/

Writing

ü Postcards posted by Umm Noman

ü Arabic for Beginners by Goodword

· Mathematics

ü Mathematics Enhancement Programme - Lesson ( 11 to 20 )

· Rhymes , English and Urdu Audio Stories , Hadith learning with understanding etc .

http://www.kids.farhathashmi.com/

· Fun , simple , educational activities :

A month by month Activity Guide for parents of 3 year old

· Montessori Activity

· Arts and Crafts

· Library

· Physical Exercise

Back from Hajj !

2011-11-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warhamatullahi warabakatuh,

yes , we are back one week back from Hajj. AlhamdulAllah our Hajj went great . May Allah accept it . Aameen Ya Rabb ul Aaalimeen!

I will inshallah write a travelogue on it .

well for right now ,

writing another new post of our very first proper - formal lesson plan 1 , so check that out inshallah!

Hajj Activities at the Library !

2011-10-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Today , we had fun in doing hajj activities at the library. Lots and lots of kids participated in it. Subhana got socialized too. No doubt , the libririans worked so hard to make up the models of all rituals incuding Kaaba. Below are the pictures:

art craft hajj card for mama

Hajj Model

Safa Marwa - Saee

Hajr e Aswad ( Black Stone)

Jamarat

Haram

Mina

Hazrat Hajra and Prophet Ismail AS story with zamzam

Hajj Board

Magnets!

2011-10-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

She took interest in this chapter that what they are upto with this red thing, so I thought to do some playful experiments at home , right there so that her curiosity gets over.

The first ever science experiment with magnets !

She got surprised when she saw the magnetic measuring spoons hanging up in the air.

Hajj day by day lapbook!

2011-10-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

This Hajj (day by day) lapbook was pending since a long time , but now alhamdulAllah , we have made it.

Oh nooo! Sorry did I tell you that Allah SWT has invited us to His House this year , inshAllah. Yes . inshAllah , we would be leaving on 7th Zilhajj night from Jeddah. AlhamdulAllah , it was one of my dreams to perform Hajj with my child. Summa AlhamdullAllah Allah SWT has given a chance to us . I have always wanted my child to know what we are going through. Subhana has already known the names of rituals and places during Hajj. Lets see when she will see live Hajj inshAllah!

Lapbooks Resources : Umm Abdul Basir homeschooling Blog

Bob Books !

2011-10-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

AlhamdulALLAH we finally got Bob Books here in Jeddah from Stars Avenue Mall.

A homeschooling sister held a grand sale of books too , I got set 2 from there too at a very reasonable cost.

So , what is more important , mmmmmmm , my girl has started reading on her own mashAllah mashAllah mashAllah. Yes ! I am very happy. I could not believe when I saw her reading three letter ?( CVC) words plus more and more words with her best of the best abilities. She was trying and kept asking me " Mama, how we will read this word?" , in return , I ask her " to pronounce the letters first , then read the word" . AlhamdulAllah she has got the concept of reading.

I love to see her reading bob books while I am in kitchen or
before the bed time.

Indeed , another achievement !!! alhamdulAllah summa alhamdulAllah ! This is exactly I wanted from her . Gone are the days.....when I just used to dream :) , now I am watching in reality.

She has completed two sets of bob books......she loves them. Interesting thing about bob books that their stories makes sense for the child reader. Sometimes , she laughs at her best that

"look mama ,

The cat ran . The vet ran.
Yes , yes , the cat can run."

Indeed the hard work with phonics paid off.

She has learnt some new words too.

So , please , whenever you get the chance for bob books. I gaurantee you that your child would love them to read inshAllah. And ignore the pig characater in it. I have already told subhana that this is "chi chi" means " not a good animal" . So sometimes she replaces that with rabbit.

Writing : Worksheets Vs Colorful Sprinkles Fun !

2011-09-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Guess what ! What happened today !

The day began with dong young worksheets with dot to dot 'a' , but , on the other way around after hardships ( yes , I mean it !) , it ended with letters 'a' , 'q' , 'A' , 'H' , 'h' , 'b' , 'c' , and 'o' on the colorful sprinkles! :-)

Yayyyyy! We had fun!

Along with that , we also did small practical life activity and that is pouring sprinkles with a spoon through a funnel. Plus , sorting too!

Seriously , how on earth do you make writing fun? Kids want fun in everything they wanted to learn.

More activities coming soon related to writing inshAllah.

Sprinkles ready to be poured !

Letter 'a' made by subhana

'A'

'H'

'o'

another try for 'a'

tracing on the letter 'q' on a poster

things needed for pouring sprinkles inside the bottles

Pouring

we did some sorting of spoons at the same time as well

sorted finally!

At the very moment !

2011-09-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh ,

Right now , subhana is enjoying the site www.educationcity.com.

MashAllah , she is doing so well ! In fact , she does not want to get up from the laptop! Her phonics are getting more refine alhamdulAllah! She was quite bored of star fall.com since a long time! Now , alhamdulAllah we got the 10 day free trail from education city !

Surprisingly , I am editing this post as I got to know that I can also get a one year supscription , so please ladies , help needed ! smile.

My Tell a Friend code is F759GF8F

You also give a try to it!

Calenders & Ramadan Lantern!

2011-09-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warhmatullahi wabarakatuh,

I also made calenders for Subhana. AlhamdulAllah , because of this , she got the concept of counting more than 10 to 30 to 50.

islamic calender

Subhana colored lantern

Hajj Bullitin Board !

2011-09-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

So , alas , we made this Hajj Bullitin Board before Ramadan ! Really helped Subhana to take names of the major places during Hajj . She is not clear about the steps uptill yet but still we are working on it. If any of non homeschooler thinks that a 3 year old child is too young to understand terms of Hajj then wait for the surprise that why we are so eager to indulge these activities in our younger one!

A map of Makkah : Used velcro circles stick on so that Subhana can place by herself

Ramadan concept gets more clear!

2011-09-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

To give more clear understanding to my daughter , I also used the same ever- famous resources from Islamic Bullitin Boards.

I only selected some of it , because I thought it may be too much for my child to absorb.

so here they are:

Ibadah Tracker

Good Deeds Chart for Mama , Subhana and Baba

Phases of the moon

A Day in Ramadan

Ramadan Counter & Kaaba Craft !

2011-09-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

In Ramadan , we also made Flower vase , idea took from A Muslim Child is Born , as far as I remember.

I made Ramadan Moon Counter too to get her familiar with phases of the moon.

Plus ,we also made Kaaba , Subhana enjoyed while painting it.

Phonemic Awareness Activity!

2011-09-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Before Ramadan , Subhana got a present from her to - be - Mami ( my twin's brother to - be - wife inshaAllah).

MashAllah , the present is so attractive to play for a child like Subhana. I was surprised to see how people minds work to bring such product to market.

Well , she likes to make words , by looking at the picture. Amazingly , when Subhana got her gift , she already knew basic sounds of alphabets alhamdulAllah . She didnt need any special sort of guidance from me. She started picking letters and tried to make words at her best.

well , here are the pictures:

Ramadan : Dua Jar !

2011-09-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalamu alaikum warahamtullahi wabarakaruh,

In Ramadan , we made a Dua Jar together , to check how many duas we have learnt or read on a daily basis.

We did glass painting on a chocolate spread jar and Subhana colored all popsicle sticks.

so here it is :

So where were we?

2011-09-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarkatuh,

So where were we? The question is to be answered right here.

well , we were just round the corner , back from vacations , became a silent reader of other blogs before and after ramadan too. I was also looking at the scene of Ummi's Circle and other mothers blogs too... mashAllah , you all did very well! I couldnt participate that much because in ramadan the schedule gets very tight but alongwith that I have been keeping Subhana busy in Ramadan activities , will be posting soon about them inshAllah.Ramadan was busy for us. Attended taraweeh in near by masjid alhamdulAllah , fasted , performed Umrah AlhamdulAllah summa alhamdulAllah . Completed Quran alhamdulAllah with a bit of proper tajweed . And yes , I remember not to forget to say mabrook to Sis Umm Maimoonah for umrah in ramadan mashAllah . I wish we could meet you and your family , but doesnt matter , we will meet next time inshAllah.

Moreover , where we are upto!?!

We have started "formal homeschooling" , I was planning and organizing Preschool Curriculum since I have landed to my home. The work is still under construction. So keep checking my blog !

and have I forgot to say " Eid Mubarak " to all of you ?!? :)

Going on vacations and a lot more!

2011-06-27T00:59:00.000-07:00

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

So it's the time for vacations , we are going to our homeland for two weeks inshAllah. The question is to homeschool or not to homeschool during vacations. Obviously , learning is every time and can be done everywhere.

I have planned to tell subhana about the airplanes,
Dua for traveling ,
Manners of greeting relatives ( shaking hands while saying Assalamnu alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh..... Rehearsals going on . Smile )
Dua for wearing new dresses ( as we are going to attend my sister's wedding inshAllah) ,
gifting presents to paternal and maternal grandparents, aunties and uncles etc.
Not to forget all masnoon Duas of our daily routine inshAllah.
Making new friends . Getting to know them . Gifting a packet of dates to them.
Helping poor people (maids , gardener , relatives)
Adjusting in a new place by being confident ( no crying )

Last night, we had a discussion who are bad and good babies ( people in front of Allah)

So I told her at her level that if she would be crying or screaming , the shaitan is with her and if she would be smiling , speaking politely ,at the time of anger say " aaoozu billahi minashaitan ur Rajeem " , obeying Allah , mama and baba so then she would be a good baby. She understood very well. AlhamdulAllah . MashAllah.

These days , she also learning how to step on stair by herself all alone . MashAllah , she say first " Bismillah " . AlhamdullAllah , I dont think we must force our kids , they will do it on their own if they will see us doing .

As always , I dont want my child to watch tv , but recently I found an Arabic channel for kids by the name of al rawdah . I must say , our Arabic vocabulary has increased in such a fine way . Here you can view this Clip and this channel is all Islamic authentically.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXH2uZOEbSM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

But I have fixed days for her to watch this channel . It's working alhamdulillah.

I have also found a site on internet for Muslim children Arabic site for Muslim Children.

It has Stories of Quran , Arabic numbers and alphabets , Hadith m tafseer , animals in the Quran and a lot more. Explore yourself.

She has also taken first steps in riding a tricycle by herself. Am happy alhamdulAllah but still need more practice. InshAllah.

Whenever she hears Azaan , she asks us to get up even if we are in a deep sleep, or she would ask to turn off the television or computer . Actually , I told her that we must not talk during Azaan and we should answer the Azaan . After hearing the Azaan, she has learnt to dua after Azaan , mashAllah .

During tawaf , at hajr e aswad , she has also learnt to raise her hand up by saying " bismillahi Allah u Akbar walillahil hamd " .

Alhamdullilahi rabbi il Rabbil aalameen. Thank you Allah ! I hope am bringing up my child according to the lifestyle u have prescribed on us. Please accept it and open more doors for us so that we can reach Jannah inshAllah. Save us from all the huge trails and tests too.

Aaameen summa aameen.

Dear readers, If anyone of you has any suggestions or ideas for us , so please do share what we can learn more in our vacations. InshAllah.

Have a happy homeschooling!

Gifts from Allah Lapbook!

2011-06-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalamu alaikum warahamtullahi wabarakatuh ,

Today morning , we made a lapbook together about the gifts of Allah . Subhana had a great time in coloring and pasting it with me. I kept asking her , if Allah has not gifted her "this" or" that" , then think what she would do ? She really started to use her brain. After the lunch , we went to bed for 'qayloolah' , she suddenly asked me that mama if we dont have this pillow then what we would do , I smiled at her at my best . I felt the sense of the fruitful achievement ! subhnaAllah ! mashAllah!

front cover

full close up

Blessings by Allah : lips , teeth with toungue , 2 hands , 2 feet , ears , 2 eyes

Makkah , Al Madinah ,zam zam , dates , Quran , clothes , fruits , sun , rain , clouds

Although , there is a long list of blessings , but for the toddler level , we made this up together. alhamdulAllah

Daily Routine File Folder !

2011-06-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

For daily routine schedule , we made stick on small laminated pictured cards using velcro circles so that at the end of the day subhana can place them in daily routine file folder .

Book 3: Allah Created Me ! ( Islamic Preschool Curriculum )

2011-06-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

The third book for Islamic preschool curriculum is " Allah Created Me!"

In this book , a child is taught the purpose of a human creation on this earth. Subhana already knew that ALLAH made trees , sea , mountains etc but for her the words "me" and "you" were different. I let her to ponder that her baba , her mama and her are also created by Allah. After doing some talks , she told me that she has a stuff baby named as "summayya" is also created by Allah. She likes to listen the creations of Allah no matter how much i repeat them. AlhamdulAllah , from this I have learned that really every human born in this world has innate nature of fitrah.Every child who enters this world is by default Muslim. SubhanAllah.

Activities related to the workbook " Allah Created Me":

We also did a small book named Al Musawwir ( Allah - The Shape Maker) designed by Talibedeen Jr.

We pasted objects which are made by Allah and made by a man. At first , Subhana was poiting that everything is created by Allah , because she was told so . But now this was the time to move on . I explained to her in her own language that indeed everything is made by Allah but after that a man has used those things to make more objects of use. After practicing this concept , she understood very well. AlhamdulAllah.

Book 2 : Who is Allah ? (Islamic Preschool Curriculum )

2011-06-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Bismillah,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

We have already completed our first book by the name of " Where is Allah ?" Now the second little workbook which we have completed is " Who is Allah?" designed by the sisters Umm Ibrahim , Umm Maimoonah and Umm Nauman . May Allah reward you all !

After taking out the print out of this book , I laminated it so that I can use it again and again in future inshAllah.

Activities related to this workbook " Who's Allah ?"

We read the book published by Goodword by the name of " Who is Allah? "

In this book , subhana is introduced to Allah through asking questions and exploring answers together . It makes the sharing of a basic knowledge of Islam simple , clear and enjoyable. Moreover , it tells about Allah in terms of His creation in terms of opposite terms . For example : big and small , length , height etc.

Daily , she wants to be read by her baba or me before the bedtime .....sometimes if we are not in the mood to read so she starts reading by herself , subhanAllah ! Smile.

Another book we are also reading and it's Level 1 is "I see Allah everywhere" from Quran Stories for Little Beleievers series !

It's a terrific book for toddlers because it introduces Allah through nature colorful pictures in just three or four letter words on each page. We simply love these books !

Third book is written by Umm Nauman named " Hudhayfa learns about Allah " .

This book is indeed an imaginative story for toddlers to ponder about Allah SWT. Subhana loves this book too to be read again and again by us . There is a lap book by Umm Nauman which we have not don't uphill yet. InshAllah I ll update it soon .

We also did a small book on the topic of Surah Ikhlas designed by Talibedeen Jr. After doing this little piece of work , whenever , Subhana recites Surah Ikhlas , she raise her index finger telling us that Allah is one and so on and on. mashAllah.

Then seperately , we discussed about Allah on white board.

we played with playdough to form a name of ALLAH.

Hajj Activity

2011-06-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Asslam ualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Last week , I made a somewhat mixed media art craft on the topic of Hajj by following A Muslim Child is Born. This crafts depicts that they are 10 haajis who have come to perform Hajj to Kaaba. The main purpose to make this craft is to instill love of Kaaba , Allah and importance of Hajj to subhana. It is made of foam (sun) , felt ( mountains and Kaaba) , cotton buds ( clouds) , yarn ( doors of Haram) We enjoyed this craft by reading the poem which is quite similar to "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed" . Umm Nauman islamisized rhyme with this craft. It goes like this :
Here is the rhyme:

Five Hujjaj went out one day,
Down to the Haraam because they wanted to pray.
The guide soon called for them to come pack,
But only four hujjaj came walking back.

**Continue changing the numbers in red until all hujjaj have left the haraam.**

Then read,

The worried hajj guide went on his way,
down to the haraam where the hujjaj went to pray
He called and called for the hujjaj to come pack
And all five hujjaj came walking back!

Toddlers Ramadan Lapbook!

2011-05-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warhamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Alhamdulillah , we have made a Ramadan lap book ,got the resources from umm Abdul Basir blog. Jazkaallah khair to the sister. We really enjoyed in making this lapbook. Full of colors , ideas and new concepts for Subhana.

It comprises of the following :

Moon phases from Ramadan till Eid

Moon sizes

Ramadan counting

ABC's of Ramadan matching ( dot to to letters writing in both lower case and upper case letters)

Masjid puzzle

I tried my best to laminate so that can be used by my generations too inshAllah . Yes , my generations , dont be surprised , am not kidding . If Allah wills! Smile.

Here are the pictures:

the front cover

ramadan lapbook looks like this when opened

Booklet : Under the Ramadan Moon front cover

moon phase 1

moon phase 2

moon phase 3

moon phase 4

moon phase 5

moon phase 6

moon phase 7

Eid Day

Masjid Puzzle

pieces placed on a masjid puzzle

moon sizes pocket

a close up towards right hand lapbook

counting 1 2 3

a close up towards left

back cover of lapbook , lapbook colored by subhana and i love it , no matter what ! :) n sorry forgot to put the 2 on 1432

ABC s of ramadan , laminated it and can be used for matching upper case and lower case letters

subhana sorting the moons

Love to do grocery!

2011-05-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh,

Yes ! Subhana loves to do grocery , specially she loves to put veggies in a plastic bag acting like her ummi. Surrounding people starts to stare at her or smile at her..because she is involved in her own world . Recognizing fruits , taking out different veggies , counting and putting them in a plastic bag, in the end , handovering to Baba so that he can tagged at the cashier. A homeschooling child is somewhat different from a schooling child , he / she learns at any time and anywhere because this world is our classroom.

Arabic Weather Wheel !

2011-05-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

To understand the concept of weather , natured by Allah , we made this wheel which is on our bullitin board now. Daily , subhana watches the sky from her balcony and comes to change the arrow from sunny to rainy or windy! Its a great learning tool for toddlers . We got this resource from Islamic Bullitin Boards

Ramadan Dates Counting !

2011-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

We also have made Dates Counting flash cards , from A Muslim Child Is Born .
JazakAllah khaira to Sister Umm Nauman.

At the moment ....

2011-05-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

At the moment , I just got up from sleep , before that , subhana was lying beside me, she also woken up from a nap. I found her reading a story book which we just read before sleeping about Ramadan and Eid. Suddenly , she sneezed and at an instant she said " AlhamdulAllah " . Believe me or not ! I get overjoyed when she says those things which are necessary in a muslim's life. MashAllah. It's just the start.

Sometimes , I also notice that whenever she is trying to do something and it's not happening because of her innocence. For example : opening a wrapper of snack or pulling a bicycle when got stuck somewhere , she says " Bismillah " . SubhanAllah!

And the list goes on and on! I ll tell some other time more cherished moments which I preserve them as a treasure.

Got to go , she is calling me in washroom that she has finished her pee! AlhamdulAllah she is toilet trained now!

What a blessing to teach your own child at home !

Another post has a surprise for you that what we are upto these days ! I have already told you a clue in this post! Wink wink. Smile!

Check back for the next post inshallah!

Lapbook : Learning to read and write through Progressive Phonics

2011-05-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

At last , alhamdulAllah the day has arrived to post on blog . I got busy in last two weeks in preparing resources . Anyways , I will rewind from the very fresh piece of project we have just started and that's making a lap book on three letter CVC words based on progressive phonics. Well , alhamdulAllah today subhana was in keen interest to practice the letters d , o and g. We are following from the very start of alphabetti section. They have lots of books freely downloadable. I invested so much time that through which resource , I should introduce reading and handwriting actually to my child. I chose progressive phonics. It has well explained books, they teach letters through shapes. For example : letter d can be formed by joining a ball and a stick. Letter 'o' as a ball. My child got easily and was desperate to practice it again and again in her own way. They have also provided activities , flash cards and much much more . Before starting this project , I was thinking that my child is just 2.7 months , may be it would be hard for to read and write at this age , but believe me , QadarAllah mashAllah, she has welcomed to learn more and more . You see , this is the homeschooling benefit that a homeschooled child is never meant to be pressurized . He she learns in his / her own style. And guess what ? We started doing this labpook after dinner , she was quite active mashAllah and fresh too.

Below are the pictures of the lapbook , sorry for the pictures which are inverted ( there is some problem with my camera) . As for handwriting , am linient , we are just practicing in rough and then she will fill the handwriting activity book , inshAllah.

front cover

shapes circle and stick depicting the letters d , o and g

flap opened

story book related to the letters d , o and g

handwriting activity book

other things that starts with the letter d

practice on board

practice on notebook too

Counting Practice and CVC flash cards !

2011-05-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

Counting Practice

I got this idea from here . Sister shared the document with us too through mail. JazakAllah u khaira ! I took a print out and laminated it easily with a ring. My child uses it whenever she wants to. After laminating things , it makes me not to worry about it as it has got sturdy and the child cannot even chew it hard. She used to count orally with me but now I have showed this visible handy counting list to her.

Same goes to CVC flash cards !

I took a print out from progressive phonics . It's a bunch of about 38 to 40 cards . Simply laminated it , punched it with a ring. AlhamdulAllah subhana can read all with a phonotic sense.

This is the thing I wanted from her to work with her activities alone when I am in kitchen or doing other work . I keep these laminated cards anywhere on the centre table or on the lower shelf so that she can pick by herself and read aloud . Literally , I cannot explain I love those moments. AlhamdulAllah summa alhamdulAllah!

Muffin tin meals !

2011-05-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

I have started a concept of giving food ( mainly lunch ) to subhana in a muffins tray. So that she eat a variety in a glance . And it really worked. Onwards ,inshAllah I will try to make single color meals so that she get more interest to eat healthy food .

On the first day menu , I gave a try that how much she can eat in one go. In the end , she left apple and some fried potatoes . Then I improved the menu for the next day , keeping it simple and less amount. She left carrots for the sake of her stuff toy rabbit , otherwise she might be eating that as well . A bit of self feeding mission accomplished ! alhamdulAllah

Bread , cheese , chicken , cucumber and carrots , onion rings , fried potatoes , apple and water

having lunch , she opted to eat bread with cheese first

2nd day menu : 1/2 cup yougurt , carrots , chicken , rice , cucumber and water

alhamdulAllah almost finished

Home Lamination - a blessing that is!

2011-05-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ,

The thing which I am going to post here is indeed a blessing to our homeschooling and that's Home Lamination. JazakAllah o khaira to sister who assured me that it can be done at home and it's quite cheap too. After taking suggestion from this sister , I bought lamination sheets . I started laminating all those flash cards and stuff which I wanted my grand grand children to use them inshAllah . Wink , wink . Smile. :-)

I mean home lamination is just great. No need to buy a home laminator. AlhamdulAllah. I will update this post later ( through pictures ) that how do we laminate important cards , documents , flash cards to preserve at home with iron.

That's for now!
Happy laminating !

Sorting between big and small !

2011-05-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahamatullahi wabarakatuh ,

This is another activity introduced to subhana that how to sort between big and small, asked her to pick one by one not to grab a bunch of them. I provided her with small and big colorful pom pom balls , 2 glass containers ( recycled from cream cheese spread bottles ) . She enjoyed .

It refined her fine motor skills through her fingers. Motor skills are motions carried out when the brain, nervous system, and muscles work together. Fine motor skills are small movements , such as grabbing something with your thumb and forefinger — that use the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips, and tongue.

Practical Life Skills - Activity 1

2011-04-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

We did another activity related to practical life skills.

I provided two containers ( once closed with a slit - i used roasted honey peanuts can - RECYCLED ) and the glass contains pasta of flower shape. I gave a demo to Subhana that how she has to insert this flower pasta in a can.

AlhamdulAllah she followed me and loved to repeat it again and again. I also asked her to do counting too.

Clothes Theme - Arabic Counting Activity

2011-04-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

This weekend we continued our arabic numbers activity with clothes theme. Again , Umm Nauman has shared beautiful file folder games to us. In all , there are two file folders :

Shirts with buttons ( a child needs to count the numnber of buttons and then place another numbered shirt on it )
Numbered Hangers ( a child places the corresponding blue shirts to it) , mashAllah she has provided variety of shirts.
Mini Book - Clothes , A gift from Allah ( in this book , we both ( yes , me too :)) have learned the arabic names of clothes we wear. AlhamdulAllah , Umm Nauman had already listed the arabic names which are given below.

Qamees - shirt

- Sirwal - pants

- Fustaan - dress

- Jawaarib - Socks

- Hidha' - Shoes

- Mi'taf - Coat/Jacket

Subhana colored the shirts with a great interest when i was cutting them

counting buttons and shirts placement

final required result

demonstration :)

numbered hangers.....between i love them

specially these :)

Clothes - A gift from Allah

subhana pasting clothes in the book.

applying UHU stick on pants - she enjoys it

we also learned dua of wearing clothes which was in the end of the mini book

This activity is under going . inshAllah , I will be posting more about it in the coming posts. Need to introduce Hijab , Abaya and Niqab , Khimar ( dupatta) , Shalwar Kameez etc as our part of clothes too.

Ladybugs Counting Activity

2011-04-21T05:01:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

We did a ladybug activity on the base of counting in both arabic and english . Subhana took interest in this activity and was eager to do it again . This activity is quite handy for the toddlers for their motor and sensory skills. AlhamdulAllah. JazakAllah Khaira to sister Umm Nauman who has provided a number of activities , themes and file folder games for the sake of Allah SWT.

these are the numbered ladybugs are to be placed on the basis of dots counting

in action

closeup

these are the dotted ladybugs placed on counting dots

Phonics Lapbook

2011-04-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Last month , I saw this lapbook related to phonics on a sister's blog . The plus point of this lapbook is that it has flash cards related to Islam with other normal cards. For example : A for Allah , K for Kaaba , Q for Quran , H for Hijab etc. Each alphabet has 6 cards or less . A child is asked where to put that respective card on the basis of sound. AlhamdulAllah , Subhana enjoys it and her practice of phonics is refining as well along with the three letter words reading.

Phonics Lapbook - I have joint 2 file folders

close up

sorry for the inverted pic , my option is disabled to rotate the pic. But just for an idea i have put it here.

Islam is my life ! ( Islamic Preschool Curriculum)

2011-04-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam u alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Finally , we have started Islamic Preschool Curriculum . Idea taken from Umm Nauman and Umm Maimoonah. JazakAllah khair to these sisters who has conceived such a master piece in the sense of today's toddlers.

First Week : Where is Allah ?

Montessori Activities!

2011-04-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalam ualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!

Last week , Subhana did some montessori activities which are given below:

Use of a tweezer by placing pom pom balls in a vacant fishes! This activity helps a child to have fine motor skills through little fingers.

Subhana pretended as she is giving food to fishes.

Marble painting through shaking

Colors ready to get mix mix

marble are ready to get a shake shake

here subhana starts shaking and laughing out loudly mashALLAH at the same time :)

the end result .....the splash of colors mixed

two more artistic posters on the canvas

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2011-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Recently , we borrowed an ever famous book for toddlers and that is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" . Subhana really enjoyed the way the caterpillar is coming out of every fruit and going to another. From this book , she got new words and concepts "cocoon" , "life cycle of a butterfly" and " when we eat a lot , we become fat " and whenever she sees someone fat , she says " mama , look he/ she is fat because they have eaten a lot of food" . Smile. After reading this book , we did some arts and crafts related to caterpillar.

caterpillar made of egg carton ,cheerios for eyes , and straws for antenna.

caterpillar made of construction paper.

Reading three letter words!

2011-04-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

MashAllah , subhana has learnt the sounds of alphabets. Because of that , she has also learnt how to read three letter words. For sounds , we used Jolly phonics video on YouTube. For Jolly Phonics Handbook which is unbelievably online for free download . And for jolly phonics workbooks can be found here.

Well , those were the details for learning sounds through actions. But just to check subhana that ow she blends the sounds , I am using progressive phonics. AlhamdulAllah she is really doing well. She can reads words along with pronounciation of sounds like c-a-t implies to cat. Bat , rat , sat , pat , mat , pan , ran , can , fan etc. You can downlaod free resources from here .

Moreover , we borrowed a book from a library and it's " I can spell " book with a beautiful catchy cover for kids. This book is really helping us a lot in improving our reading of three letter words.

I also bought a book of phonics which has an interesting aspect of revolving the circular round shaped cards words corresponding to the correct picture. When you will see the close up of the picrue , you will get an idea inshAllah.

Well that's the update on literacy for now!

Farm Animals Tot Book !

2011-04-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Last month , I made a Tot Bok based on Farm Animals . I saw this activity from a Christian blog , where she has shared the pages to download . It was indeed a nice effort by her to get familiar a toddler with farm animals . This Tot book includes matching , puzzle , ABCs of the farm , sequencing , heads and tails matching and counting animals. At first , when I thought to make it , I didn't had a file folder. So I thought to cut out the cheerios box and to recycle in a sort of a file folder. Well , now I have finally got the the file folders . They are indeed play an important role in homeschooling. Well , I come back to the farm Tot book pictures which are given below:

sorry for the pictures taken so oddly , next time , i ll take pictures in an appealing way.

Signs of Sense of Responsibility !

2011-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Today , when we returned home , I just took off my shoes and went to my room to hang my abaya. When I came back , I saw Subhana putting her shoes back in the shoe rack . At that instant , I thought I did something . I felt again a sense of achievement , alhamdulAllah. I gave her a big huggie and kissed her . I appreciated her effort ( yes that's an effort by a toddler , as far as I think ) . Smile. She is getting to know her minor responsibilities ( like , throwing a wrapper in a dustbin , even if we are in the car, asked mama to when it's time to goto washroom, putting the glass back on the slab after drinking water or cleaning toys or anything), we usually read a rhyme together when we clean up things together and that is given below :

Clean up , clean up ,everybody , everywhere .

Clean up , clean up ,everybody , do you share.

I think it's good for a child to know from the early age so that he / she can remember in entire life , not to forget the important element with it , and that is , consistency.

Asma ul Husna - Allah's Beautiful Names

2011-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Bismillah,

In evening , alhamdulAllah Subhana learnt a series of Allah's names in a rhyme with me. She has been repeating from a small booklet till about 20 or 25 names without any disruption. I was so glad to see her . SubhanAllah , I was thinking she also made me to learn Allah 99 names . Look ! This is another benefit of homeschooling a child because the parents learn too at the same time, whatever it is! I have a plan to introduce her one name of Allah in a week so that we can do activities to understand His characteristics and Greatness , InshAllah. But for now , she is just memorizing them. There is more to come on Ramadan and Hajj and u just keep visiting our blog inshAllah.

Happy homeschooling! :)

The Three Questions Game !

2011-04-06T03:01:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

I had always a dream to let my child know about her deen from the very early age. People might think that would be too much . But I have a firm belief that " Madrassah begins at home". And yes , I got something from A Muslim Child is Born about three questions game which every Muslim child must be taught from his or her very early age. I took a print out of these as instructed in this page . We revise these questions both in Arabic and English daily and subhanAllah , Subhana loves to answer them with actions. Moreover , she looks more cute when she says Muhammad ( sallalahu alahi waalihi wassalam) . She also heard these peaceful greetings from videos of " Hurray for Baba Ali ". For that , u may check a series in here inshAllah :
Hurray For Baba Ali

Learning Roots - World Class Islamic Resources!

2011-04-06T02:57:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Recently , we bought the famous Learning Roots products through it's agent in Madinah Munawwarah. Since a long time , I was in search for it but alhamdulAllah we got them very easily. I must say , these products are the world class Islamic resources ! They are beautifully designed for kids so they can understand their deen naturally. On another note , I had been telling Subhana that baba and mama will be presenting her new gifts inshAllah in coming days. When we received the parcel , she couldn't wait to open. The happiness on her face that only we could see is just unexplainable! SubhanAllah! The products which we ordered are given below in the picture. I highly recommend to every parent to buy these items as they are the worth learning products. Plus , if any sister who lives in Saudia Arabia wants to buy , you may contact me so that I can inform you the details inshAllah.

http://www.learningroots.com/lr/

Quran for Kids!

2011-03-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

A teacher at playgroup introduced the best book of the world to kids that is Quran. Its very well binded and the plus point that its hard bounded so that kids dont tear pages. It includes short surahs and my kid loves to read from it. I think it will instill the personal love to Quran to the little minds, inshAllah!

Intro and a new blog !

2011-03-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Bismillah ,

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

I m a mother of my child named Subhana. I got this homeschooling idea two years back when I just got stuck on a homeschooling blog.After that , literally from there I entered the homeschooling world .

I have changed the blog because of multiple reasons. As far as I have observed , in word press I had to do multiple tasks manually . But if we compare it with blogspot , it's more easy because it has default built in widgets which I don't need to drag it manually! Same goes for tags!

Well let's see how will I update this blog inshAllah with it's features!

My ~~old~~ blog ( ummmm.....not that old ) is : Ummi Subhana Homeschooling Journey

U may visit this too for the early start of our informal homeschooling journey!

Keep polling this blog as inshAllah I will be updating a 2.6 years old toddler homeschooling here!
Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Homeschooling!