A non homeschooler queries answered!

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!