Back to normal.

Alhamudulillah, our little boy is back to normal now. It was just his runny nose making him irritated. Now he can stay beside us playing with his toys, alhamdulillah.

Well, my girls are also doing fine, now, alhamdulillah. After we got rid of that Shaitaan Box-TV, they both have memorized a new surah. I think when we're without TV, we have silence which brings us time to reflect the verses of the Quran. And I find kids playing more creatively when they're without cartoons.

TV...a Shaitaan Box??

This month, after Ramadan, I realized one thing...

We've been working on hifz for around 6 months or so, and mashaAllah, my girls were picking up well. However these days, they're having a big trouble memorizing one surah, both of them!

Duing Ramadan, they've memorized 7 suwar, but they haven't memorized even one surah after Ramadan... It's true that we concentrated on reviewing for a while and didn't go further to study new surah, but it's been like a week or so since we started the new part, but they haven't memorized yet. I was wondering why, and found out one thing, that is... TV!!

We didn't have TV for a long time... we didn't feel a need for it, and we were having peaceful time without it. However, recently my parents have given us their used TV,thinking we must be boring without it! After that, our life has changed. Children would watch cartoons and other useless programs whenever they have time. Me and my husband would just turn on TV and see what's going on there-usually useless programs. Our house was filled with Quran recitation before, but now filled with this useless noisy sounds!! I guess it's also giving bad influences on my daughters' hifdh progress, too.

In my husband's country, they call TV a Shaitaan Box in their language. I really think it's true. It really is a Shaitaan. Of course sometimes they do have good educational programs, but most of the time, it's filled with haraam. Alhamudulillah, I'm happy that I realized again. We don't need this, really!! I asked my girls' opinions, too. They also agreed that TV is useless and harmful for the reason that we forget about Allah when we're watching it. My husband also said that he feels TV is making him lazy. So, now the case is closed, TV is going to be removed from the plug and sleep in the closet...

O Allah, please make our house filled with love of You, love of Islam, and make it filled with the sweet sound of Quran always...Ameen!!

Dealing with a toddler...

Here I am, still having the timing problem... The main problem is the one-year-old son. He just can't sit and play like before when we're schooling. He cries asking me to carry, or breastfeed, or just to get some attentions. Carrying him is OK, I can carry him and still continue schooling, but he won't be satisfied with it, that's why it's been difficult these days. Plus the day is becoming shorter everyday due to the season change, which makes me feel more running out in time.

As I wrote before, he was OK before, he would sit and play with toys nicely when both of his sisters were being schooled, or one of them would sit with him and play when the other one is being schooled. Maybe it's just he's feeling irritated because he's having runny nose these days, or maybe he's now grown up and not like a small baby as he was before...

The problem is I haven't been able to finish all the daily routine(Quran lesson, Hifz, Ad-Duha , and Calvert...) these days, even if I did, I get very exausted at the end of the day... Ad-Duha actually doesn't take much time, but the Quran lesson takes about 2 hours, and the Calvert takes about 3 hours I guess, only if I don't get interruputed by the boy. Usually it takes more time for I have to stop and deal with him several times during the class... Maybe I should do the Quran lesson after fajr... My girls don't get up for fajr for now, but if they do get up, that might be a quiet peaceful studying time for them, inshaAllah...Well, I'd like to give it a try maybe from next week, inshaAllah... Hope that'd be a good solution.

Time is not enough!

Well, I guess I'm really not good at time management. Sometimes I can't get my daily routine done in one day. These days my one year boy is giving me troubles, too, which makes it difficult to stick to the routine...

Actually, there are more other things I'd like to do with my girls, but now, getting the normal routine done itself is hard, when we're all finished, it's like already Maghrib time! Well, I guess I really need to think something...

Reviewing...

This week, I decided to concentrate on reviewng the suwar they have memorized already. I didn't take much time reviewing up till this time, but now I realized how important it is to review! Children DO learn fast, but they FORGET fast, too!! So it's really important to take some time to review always. Well, I've learned my lesson. So we're not going to the next step untill they review all the suwar.

Ramadan is over!

Ramadan is finally over, it flew by so fast, really!

Alhamdulillah, it had been a wonderful month, and I miss it so much. It was the first time fasting with children, our two girls have fasted for six days total, mashaAllah. And they have memorized 7 new suwar each. So the Ramadan Tree that we made got filled with all the leaves and fruits at the end! Alhamdulillah!

And I have read the whole Quran by recitng one Juz a day, and I recited the last Juz with two girls, and we all made Dua together. I couldn't go to masjid to pray Taraweeh, for my baby would cry, but I managed to pray it at home for some days, alhamdulillah. I, too, have memorized 7 new suwar just as my girls did. Those were the accomplishments.

And my one-year-old boy has learned to make ruku'u and sajdah along with us at the end of Ramadan, and mashaAllah, it's cute.

During Ramadan, I was able to see many sisters who I met after such a long time, alhamdulillah. That was also wonderful.

So It had been a wonderful month on the whole, I really thank Allah for giving us such a month.
May Allah continue to guide us all the muslims in the world to the right path, ameen!!

Half over now...

Now that a half of the Ramadan is over... It' s really going fast.

I'm trying to recite one Juz a day so that I'll be able to finish the whole Quran by the end of Ramadan, and trying to learn some new things whenever I have some time.

Children are working on hifdh almost eveyday, mashaAllah, they have memorized 5 new suwar each so far. As for fasting, they fasted for 3,4 days, but since they're still small, we, as parents decided that was enough for thier practice. But children insist on fasting again, so inshaAllah, we might let them fast again for a few days more...

Since it's Ramadan, I try to make some Ramadan atmosphere here. I decorated the classroom, and I let the children make Zakaat boxes with paper clay so that they can collect some coins in them. And they have learned some concepts of lunar cycles, also. We're not doing Calvert for now, but continueing Ad-Duha. So the Eid should be here soon, my husband asked a package of clothes which would include clothes for a whole family. I'm looking forward to it!!

Happy Ramadan to everyone...!!

Ramadan Tree

I have made this Ramadan Tree. I got the "It's Ramadan" letters from TJ Ramadan site.

The kids will paste a leaf for each day they fast, and a fruit for each surah they momorize.

Hope it will be filled with lots of leaves and fruits at the end of Ramadan, inshaAllah...

Fanoos

We made these a few days ago. We have made some other things, too. MashaAllah, TJ Ramadan is a great site, and I'm getting lots of ideas from it,alhamdulillah!

Ramadan Kareem!

So the Ramdan has started already!

It was the first day of Ramadan here in Japan. Our two girls have fasted throughout the day, mashaAllah! As for the homeschool, we will stop the Calvert for a while, and concentrate on the Islamic studies, inshaAllah. We will continue with the Ad-Duha curricurum, do more Quran reading, and some coloring acitivities with Islamic themes, inshaAllah.

We have set up some Ramadan goals for the kids.
They are
1)Memorize Juz Amma(for the younger daughter, a half of it)
2)Learn how to make salaat by self
3)Try to fast as much as they can

Hope they will do their best to establish thier goals, inshaAllah.

And as for me, I'd like to read a whole Quran, work on my hifdh, and get more Islamic knowledge, inshaAllah.

Let this Ramadan be a blessed month for every muslims, ameen!

Started Calvert...

Recently I have enrolled my two kids in the Calvert Kindergarten, and have started out the lessons already. It's going well, alhamudulillah, and the kids are having fun!

Before enrolling, I really worried whether to enroll them in the same grade or in separate grades(1st and K), for they're only 1 and 4 mos apart in age. The older one can read most of the English sentences without help, on the other side, the younger one has just started out reading simple words like dog and cat. So their abilities differ a bit at this moment. And it took me a full consideration before deciding... but I thought it must be more fun for them using the same grade level just like they're enjoying the same level of Ad-Duha curricurum right now. And plus, it's easier for me to teach!

So I decided to go with K for both of them, and the 1st grade math for the older one, K math for the younger. I guess that was a good decision, alhamdulillah. We have finished some lessons up till now, and it's working well for both of them. The most important thing..., they're enjoying it!!

So here is our brief daily routine lately.

-BREAKFAST-

• Qur'an recitation(Juz Amma) using CD for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• check their hifdh progress
• check their Arabic Reading
• Ad-Duha Lesson

-SHORT BREAK-

• Calvert Lesson(except Math)

-LUNCH-

• Calvert Math(separate grade levels)

• Free Activities(crafts, coloring, baking, etc...)

Tafseer

Ad-Duha curricurum offers children's Tafseer books. They're written in simplified languages so that the children in this age can understand. They learn some Quranic Arabic vocabularies, too, which is very helpful for me, also.

As my children learn Tafseer with these books, I also decided to read along my Japanese print of Tafseer Jala-layn. I hope to read on more this coming Ramadhan, inshaallah.

Learning with children.

Learning is an obligation upon all the muslims. And being a convert muslim myself, there still are a lot to be learned. I love learning, especially about Islam, because when I learn more about Islam, alhamdulillah, it draws me near to Allah.

Now I'm homeschooling my children, but it's not like I'm teaching them, but it's more like we're learning together. And alhamdulillah, I love it, and am enjoying it so much. Although there are still some improvements that should be made, but I like what we're doing now. I love seeing my children improve, and I love learning together with my children. I thank Allah for giving me this wonderful chance, alhamdulillah.

Things we've been doing so far.

We've been using the Islamic curricurum(Ad-Duha Institute) for about 3 months now. My children are doing the ALP level together.

I think Ad-Duha is really a well-made curricurum. It covers Tawheed, Tafseel, Quranic Arabic, Ad'iyaa and so on in this level. I think the curricurm is really secure and reliable, they base the curricurum on the reliable sources like Tafseer Ibn Kathir, An-Nawawwi's 40 Ahadeeth, , Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Minhaaj Al-Muslim (Creed of the Muslim) and so on.

My two children who are 1 year and 4 mos apart in age, are using the same level together, but it's working well, alhamdulillah. The older one often learns and cathes up faster and she's teaching the younger one even when playing, that helps the younger one learn. So far they're enjoying the program. And it's useful for the English education, too.

We also try to recite the Quran together everyday. I made a small chart for them so that they can color in after they finish reciting, and I reward them with stickers every ten days. They love it.

We're working on Juz Amma now. We recite after the CD recitation. To my amazement, it really is working well, alhamdulillah. It made me realize again that THE CHILDREN DO LEARN FAST!! I knew that children catch up the language very fast, they acutually learned to speak their father's country's language so quick that I often used them as translaters for me. The same thing applies to the Quran recitation, too. They learn and memorize quicker than I do, and sometimes my older one corrects me when I recite. So now I really did realize how impirtant it is to start early! I also personally wish that I started in this age! ( I became a muslim when I was 21...)

The choice that I made...

Bismillah.

Currently, I'm homeschooling my two girls(4 and 5).

Children's Islamic education was always a big concern for me, as it is for most of the concerning muslim parents. Living in a non-muslim country like here, it often requires more efforts to bring up children Islamically. I was wondering what would be the best for my children... there acutually were many choices, and I did many Isthikharahs... Then here I am, came to the conclusion of homeschooling.

When I first found out about the homeschooling years ago, I really fell in love with that idea, learing with children! What a great idea! I never thought there was a choice like that. After that I'd been researching and collecting all kinds of information about homeschooling. Although I had a strong feeling this might be for us, however, I still had some doubts if I could really handle it or not. So there were times I thought of sending them to school, but after some consideration and Istikharahs, it seems like homeschooling is the best choice for us for now, inshaallah. May Allah help us on the way, ameen!