Learning Together for the Sake of Allah

Playgroup activity "Eyes"

2011-06-18T03:15:00.002+09:00

Ok, now the acitivity on the theme, "Eyes".

I explained to the children, we can see so many beautiful things with our eyes.
Then, I let the children to make the beautiful scenery by pasting the torn papers.

You can download the template here:→sense of sight worksheet.doc

And then, I told the children to find the items on the sheet and circle them.

Children enjoyed this spying game very much.

The template can be downloaded here:sense of sight spy sheet.doc

Here's the book I read to the children.
Can be downloaded from here: Allah Gave Me Two Eyes to See.doc

Playgroup activity "Hands"

2011-06-18T03:05:00.002+09:00

Ok, here's the activity we did on the theme, "Hands".
First, I read this book to the children.

Then we took the chidren's handprints.

Here is the template.handprint template.doc

We also made these handprint plates for keepsake:)

I let the children decorate them with crayons and glitters.
It's so easy to make, and all you need is some ink and a paper plate!

Playgroup activity "Seasons"

2011-06-18T02:50:00.002+09:00

Here is the activity we did for the theme "Seasons".

I made some eraser stamps by curving them into the shapes of leaves and flowers.
I let the children stamp the leaves and flowers on the template accoring to the each season.

There are my children's work.

Here is the template.

You can download it here, inshaAllah.
seasons.doc

If it's difficult to make the stamps, you can alternate by tearing the colored papers and pasting them, inshaAllah.

I've also read the handmade books to the children, which cna be downloaded from here.The colors of the seasons.doc
But sorry, it's only in Japanese.

Another book on seasons, which can be downloaded from here.Four Seasons.doc

Playgroup Activity "Family"

2011-06-18T02:28:00.003+09:00

Ok, I will try to upload the worksheets we have used in the past Playgroup acitivities, inshaAllah.

This is the activity we did for the theme "Family".
I let the children cut out the family members and paste them in the house template.

These are the works done by my children.

My son pasted soooo many children here, lol.

You can download the templates here, inshaAllah.
house template.doc

I've also made a picture book on this theme, but it's only in Japanese.
The book can be downloaded from here.
book family.doc

family members template

Handmade Coloring Sheets

2011-06-15T03:13:00.002+09:00

Here are some handmade coloring sheets.

You can download them from here:

IMG_0002.pdf

IMG_0001.pdf

IMG.pdf

Bismillah Mobile.

2011-06-15T02:57:00.003+09:00

Ok, here I go again!

This is from the latest playgroup acitivity.
We learned about "Saying Bismillah".
I read this book to the children first.

Then we made this "Bismillah" mobile.

Just cut out the shapes and tape them to a string, then it's done.
This is how the template looks like.

You can download the templates here:
bismillah mobile top.doc

Children loved these mobiles, alhamdulillah.
My son loved it so much that he started saying more "bismillah"s ever than before, alhamdulillah!

Sorry, it's been a long time!

2011-06-15T02:28:00.003+09:00

SubhanAllah! I had been away from this blog for such a long period of time!!!
It's been since the last EId ul Adha!!

I guess it was the longest period of time I didin't post anything here.
The thing is, I mainy post on my Japanese blog.
Here is the link of it, if you like to see it in case: http://ummi.seesaa.net/

My life just gets busier as the number of the children increases, and as they grow older.
In addition to that, I need to plan for the biweekly playgroup acitivities, plan for the weekly Sunday Islamic class at the masjid nearby, and my four-year-old son needs some preschool activities to keep himeself busy, so I don't know how I'm managing all these stuff, but alhamdulillah, I feel Allah's help is with us.

I have lots of worksheets I'd like to share on this blog.
I always wanted to, but I just couldn't find time to come back to here.
So here I am.
Back again, inshaAllah.
I'll try to post the past worksheets and craft activities later on. If only Allah wills!

Well, here are the pics of Spring posters that my daughters made a few months ago.

And some pics from the Spring ttime cooking fun.
We made some masjid-shaped cookies!

Ok, inshaAllah, I'll continue posting more!!

May Allah's blessings be upon you all, and may Allah give an end to this nuclear problem in Japan. Ameen!!!

Eid Mubarak!!

2010-11-16T21:48:00.001+09:00

May you have a wonderful and blessed Eid!!

Fall Craft: Leaves Plate

2010-11-09T17:24:00.001+09:00

We did some fall craft activity in the masjid a few weeks ago.
And this is how they turned out.

I let the children color in the leaves first, then cut them out.
Then they pasted the colored leaves around the paper plate.
It' so easy that my three-year-old son could do it all by himself.

You can download the templates here.

leaves template.doc

Fall message English.doc

"Dua After Adhan" sheet

2010-10-22T22:57:00.002+09:00

"Dua after Adhan" with its meanings. (A4 sheet)

Can be downloaded from here:
dua after adhan.doc

More worksheets.

2010-10-22T22:42:00.001+09:00

"Farm" worksheet

The barn door can be opened like this.

You can download them here:
farm clipart.pdf

farm worksheet.doc

"Allah Gives Us Rain" worksheet

Tear out the colored papers and paste them like flowers.

Can be downloaded here:
ajisai template.pdf

Playgroup Activity (Theme: Homes)

2010-10-22T22:13:00.002+09:00

Here's another activity we did.

The theme was "Homes".
We talked about how Allah blessed each of us with homes as shelters.

This is the book we used.
This book talks about how Allah protects all His creatures by provinding them with all kinds of houses.
It also introduces children to the various shapes, such as circles, squares, triangles, ovals, etc.
My one-year-old son loves this book!

And some worksheets on this theme.

Which house is suitable for each creature?
Cut and paste.

You can download them here:
homes template.doc

homes clipart.doc

Another worksheet.

Cut out the shapes and paste them in the appropriate places.

The worksheet should turn out like this when finished.

You can download them here:
house template.doc

house shapes.doc

Again they're bilingual of Japanese and English, you can erase the Japanese parts if you don't need them:)

Playgroup Acitivity (Theme: Clothes)

2010-10-22T22:06:00.000+09:00

InshaAllah, I'll share some of the activities we have done in our local playgroup.

We've been focusing on the theme,"The Gifts from Allah".
We talk about various gifts from Allah, using some Islamic storybooks and crafts.

Our most recent theme was "Clothes".

There were no appropriate books for this theme, so I made one myself.
Here's what it looks like.

You can download the book here:
Allah Gives Us Clothes.doc

And we did some worksheets on this theme.

Cut out the items and paste them in the appropriate places.

It should look like this when it's done.

You can download them here:
Playgroup clothes.doc

Playgroup clothes clipart.pdf

We did some veggie stampings, too.

Here's the template for the T-shirt.
T-shirt template.doc

Some worksheets are billingual of English and Japanese, but you can easily erase the Japanese part, inshaAllah.

InshaAllah, I'll try to update on other themes as well.

13 steps to memorize the Qur’an by Yasir Qadhi

2010-10-15T13:12:00.000+09:00

http://muslimmatters.org/2009/10/27/13-steps-to-memorize-the-quran-by-yasir-qadhi/

During one of his seminar about the Sciences of the Qur’an, sh. Yasir Qadhi shared with us some practical steps that helped him memorize the Qur’an during his teenage years.

Realize it’s a spiritual AND physical project. It’s a miracle and blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that you’re able to absorb the Qur’an. If you want to take advantage of this blessing, you should be in a position to receive it and therefore strive physically to achieve it and strive spiritually to get the maximum benefit.

1. Sincerity. The first matter you have to pay attention to is your intention (if you intend good you will get good). Make sure that the intention you are making is only for the sake of Allah SWT, to seek His Pleasure so that inshAllah, with His Mercy, we will be rewarded in the Aakhirah. It is not to show off in front of others that you have memorized a lot. Sincerity is not a one time factor rather it’s a continual battle that you always have to renew.

2. Consistency . The more frequently you memorize, the easier it becomes. It is very essential to be consistent, and not to skip even one day. There is no Week-end in worship. The bare minimum that one should memorize is at least 3 lines, 5 is more ideal. If you are consistent, inshAllah, you will be able to be huffadh in 5-6 years

3. Timing. The first thing you should do in the day is memorize – even do so before your breakfast, because this is your spiritual breakfast. The best time to memorize is right after Fajr. . (sh. Yasir used to take one hour to memorize a page in the beginning, and eventually came down to 15-20 minutes)

4. Atmosphere. Have a secluded place to go to and memorize in a place that is quiet. You just can’t memorize properly with distractions, so turn off all your devices (like cell phones)

5. Familiarity: start at the same time, at the same place and use the same mushaf every day. You need to have your own copy of the Mushaf (the Madani Mushaf is highly recommended), it will later become so dear to you.

6. No Magic trick: repeat, repeat, repeat, over and over again. It is just repetitive recitation and/or listening that will help to memorize.

7. Memorize with the meaning: read the translation before you start and try to match the Arabic words with their meanings

8. Surround yourself with recitation: listen to the Qur’an. Before you start memorize, listen to what you are about to memorize. Sh. Husary is highly recommended (see here the best resources to help you memorize)

9. Find a recitation buddy: get a friend, a family member or someone you know who will listen to your recitation every day. Ideally, get someone who is also memorizing to create a peer pressure system.

10. Recite daily in your salaat what you have memorized. If you forget one portion, you will immediately rush towards the Qur’an and correct your mistake and you will never do this mistake again.

11. Triple daily dose:

a) New memorization at your assigned time of the day

b) Revision of the previous 7 days, just before you start the new memorization: This is because the fastest thing you forget is the new memorization. And doing so, will also build the connector between the old ones and the new portion you are going to memorize. Plus, it will be a good warm up for the brain when you recall from your memory and recite, before you go into the real exercise of doing the new memorization.

c) At a later/another time of the day, revise those before the recent 7 days. The bare minimum should be 4-5 pages.

12. Do not jump around. Be consistent. Don’t try to go to another surah if you find it difficult and stick to the order. That way, you will have the satisfaction of having completed a juz rather than leaving some portions here and there.

13. The three chunks. Start from the back. Shorter surahs will bring you a big boost. You should divide the memorization of the Qur’an in three parts:

a) Juz 28, 29, 30 or just Juz 29, 30

b) Surah Al-Kahf till Juz 28

c) Surah Al-Baqara to Surah Al-Kahf

Quranic Home, First Step Towards Love for Quran

2010-10-15T13:08:00.003+09:00

What parents do not wish to have children who love and practise Al-Quran?The first step toward this is creating a home where parents read,cherish and practise Al-Quran, because children learn by examples.

Teaching the children Al-Quran and encouraging them to memorise it is an honourable duty in life,wrote Dr Saad Riyadh in his book Kaifa Nuhabibul Quran li Abnaina(how to instill the love for Al-Quranin our children), before commencing on the need to build a home where a love of Al-Quran can be fostered. Build a model home, he said.

If you wish your children to love Al-Quran, turn your home into a model home where interaction with Al-Quran proceeds in the best manner.

This is a home where Al-Quran isread in a beautiful voice and in tranquillity, instead of in a loud voice that disturbs other people.

‘Ignorant’ Home

This is the house where no one cares about Al-Quran. Nobody reads it. Or are reluctant to read it.Yet the parents of the house think that it is important that their children learn Al-Quran, so they send the youngsters to Islamic schools or places where they can memorise the Book. It does not occur strange to the parents that they themselves do not read it, or even if they behave in ways that are against Al-Quran. The children may memorise some chapters of Al-Quran, but those verses remain mere words that they can utter if they have to but not something that the children live. The words ofAl-Quran do not enter their hearts,and they will be forgotten soon.

‘Rigid’ Home

This is the home where Islam is practised by the parents in ways that do not give any space for the children to be relaxed or creative.Parents insist that their children study Al-Quran through methods that disregard the uniqueness ofeach child, their characters, abilities and inclinations.Children will remember this inflexibility and it will be difficult for them to associate learning Al-Quran with ease, affection and comfort.

‘Quran-less’ Home

This is the home where its inhabitants have forgotten all about Al-Quran, and so Al-Quran has forgotten them. Instead of Al-Quran, the noise of all kinds of musical instruments enters the mind and the heart of the children.

‘Model’ Home

T h i s i s a ho m e w h e r e i ts inhabitants love, read, practise and translate Al-Quran into their daily lives. Al-Quran is alive amongst them, and so love and compassion grow strong in their hearts. The children believe in Al-Quran and the guidance provided therein for their lives. When Al-Quran says this or that, they believe in that guidance and follow it. They love Al-Quran because they believe and witness all the goodness that comes from it in their own lives.

My Parents, My Teachers

When parents say they wish their children to love and know Al-Quran, they must first know and close to Al-Quran and love it thoroughly. They say to their children,Al-Quran is the Book of Allah.Whoever guards it, Allah will guard him or her. Whoever holds on to it for guidance in life, Allah will help them. This is the Book that will help us become good people, loved byAllah.After that, the parents go on to show that their behaviour, too, is according to Al-Quran. Which child would want to heed a parent who tells him that Al-Quran will make him a good person, but then goes on to do things that prohibited byAl-Quran?

Winning Childrens Hearts

Parents need to realise that Allah has planted in their hearts the love for their children, but that they will need to work to have that love reciprocated. Before parents can expect their children to love Al-Quran, they need to first win their childrens love and respect for them. Here are some tips from various experts.

● Build closeness with the children.Pray that Allah grant good foryour children, and pray that Allah unite your heart with theirs.

● When introducing your child to Al-Quran, treat him in accordanceto his ability. Do not push him excessively.

● Be creative and use different methods when teaching, including games and quizzes, so children will not be bored. Use CDs, pictures, or films and colourful books for your study sessions with the children.

● Give rewards. Or withhold rewards, as a form of punishment this is better than snapping or humiliating your children for failing to achieve something. In this way the children will be able to maintain their self-respect, and will inturn respect their parents.

● Know your children well, so you can appeal to their uniqueness.

● Try to be your childrens friend,instead of an instructor or even a hero who gives them a home, food and clothing and thus has the demand that they give back by learning Al-Quran for you.

● Be sensitive and pay attention to anything that might prove to be obstacles in your childrens happiness and tranquility at home. Try to prevent any elements that might be harmful, even in the forms of friends of your children or television.

● You can never say I love you enough so express your love to your children as often as possible.

Islamia/The Brunei Times

Eid Mubarak!!

2010-09-11T03:27:00.002+09:00

Prayer Rug Magnets

2010-09-02T11:41:00.003+09:00

We're in the last 10 days of Ramadan, and this is the craft we did yesterday.

I got the idea from here. Jazahallahu khairan.

I told my children that since we're in the last 10 days of Ramadan, we should be spending more time on the prayer rugs, praying, and asking duas for Allah(SWT).

Egg Shell Mosaic Art

2010-08-28T19:57:00.005+09:00

We did another craft activity today.

We painted the egg shells first, and then pasted them on papers to make mosaic arts.
We loved this craft, alhamudulillah, it was fun!!
This will be another memory for Ramadan, inshaAllah.

Ramadan Lantern

2010-08-28T02:41:00.007+09:00

Ramadan is half way over already!
SubhanAllah, time really flies!
My daughters have been fasting whole day this Ramadan, inshaAllah, hope they will make it to the end this Ramadan.

We're spending our days reciting and memorizing Quran.
We've also memorized some new supplications and hadiths, too.
We're using Ad-Duha curricurum for Islamic studies.
And... here is the fun part of Ramadan! Yes, craft!!

Little ones tend to keep us busy, so we're not able to do much, but, this is the craft we did recently.

Ramadan lantern.

We painted the empty jars with glass paint.

This is what they look like when the candles are put inside.

InshaAllah, we'd like to do more crafts later on.

Our Ramadan Bulletin Board!

2010-08-15T09:13:00.012+09:00

Ramadan Kareem!

Well, Ramadan is already here,and time is going very fast this Ramadan.( Maybe it's because I have two little ones to keep me busy!)

This is the third year of fasting for our daughters, and they've been fasting full days so far. We have set up a Ramadan bulletin board this year.

I have used many materials from this site. May Allah reward the sisters for sharing!!

We made Hifdh Trees for each of the children.
I traced each child's hand, and made it into a tree trunk.

We'll be adding a leaf or a flower everytime they memorize a new dua or a new surah.
It will look like this with leaves and flowers.

And dua lists for each child.

They can be kept in this pocket.

And here is the good deed stars mobile that we made using materials from Umm Abdul Basir's

May Allah reward her abundantly for sharing!!

My oldest one is memorizing Al Hadid right now, and the younger one, Al Saff. Hope they can make lots of progress on their hifdh journey.

May you all have a succesful Ramadan!!

Another Ramadan is just around the corner!

2010-07-28T11:42:00.004+09:00

Long time no post!

Well, time really flies everyday, and another Ramadan is just around the corner already!
This will be the third year of fasting for my daughters.
This year, we'll be fasting right in the middle of SUMMER!
Yes, it's very HOT and the time we need to fast will be sooo long, but inshaAllah, Allah will make it easy for us:)

The news is, we have started out a local playgroup for muslim children last month, alhamdulillah. We do some crafts and worksheets related to Islamic themes, and some Arabic activities. My children loved it so much,alhamdulillah.

We're planning to have some craft acitivities during Ramadan. InshaAllah, I'm thinking of making Ramadan mobiles, Ramadan bulletin board, stained grass jars, prayer rug magnets, etc. May Allah make it a memorable Ramadan with much blessings for you and for us!!

A nice video.

2010-05-19T20:42:00.001+09:00

Masha'Allah, a beautiful video on Muslim Homeschooling:)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-23-2010/muslim-home-schooling/6157/

"Together We Read"

2010-05-13T18:36:00.005+09:00

I'm not blogging much these days, due to my life that got a little busier after my second son was born, and due to my computer which is way too slow!
And I hadn't been seeing other blogs, either.

So when I saw "A Muslim Child is Born" after a long time, all I could say was, "Wow!
MashaAllah!!".

I'm always amazed at her ideas and neat works that she's been doing with her children, mashaAllah. And what excited me the most was the fact that she will start a reading project which will be held once a month, inshaAllah. I'm so excited to see how it will be. And inshaAllah, I'd like to join in this program, inshaAllah(if I have the book used in the program). If you're interested, please go and see her blog(it(s full of neat ideas, mashaAllah). May Allah reward her well for all the work she's been doing and sharing for the sake of Allah, ameen!

Hifdh progress, updated.

2010-03-02T08:50:00.003+09:00

I haven't been able to find much time for posting here. Our days have been somewhat busy with a toddler and a baby who need to be attended from time to time:)

Now we have finised up to the 100th lesson of Calvert, and have 60 more to go to finish up this grade which we're working on.

The good news is, my second daughter has finished memorizing Juz Tabarak a while ago, masha'Allah. Now she'll move on to Juz Qadsamia which her older sister is already working on.

I use some simple charts and worksheets for memorizing and reviwing the surahs. I've uploaded them on my 4shared account. If you're interested, feel free to download and use them, insha'Allah.

Muslims turning to home schooling in increasing numbers - washingtonpost.com

2010-02-23T10:17:00.001+09:00

Muslims turning to home schooling in increasing numbers - washingtonpost.com

Muslims turning to home schooling in increasing numbers

More Muslims turning to home schools
Although three-quarters of the country's estimated 2 million home-schoolers identify themselves as Christian, a growing number of Muslims also are choosing to home-school their children.

On a chilly afternoon in western Loudoun County, a group of children used tweezers to extract rodent bones from a regurgitated owl pellet. A boy built a Lego launcher. A girl practiced her penmanship. On the wall, placards read, "I fast in Ramadan," "I pay zakat" and "I will go on hajj."

Welcome to Priscilla Martinez's home -- and her children's school, where Martinez is teacher, principal and guidance counselor, and where the credo "Allah created everything" is taught alongside math, grammar and science.

Martinez and her six children, ages 2 to 12, are part of a growing number of Muslims who home-school. In the Washington area, Martinez says, she has seen the number of home-schoolers explode in the past five years.

Although three-quarters of the nation's estimated 2 million home-schoolers identify themselves as Christian, the number of Muslims is expanding "relatively quickly," compared with other groups, said Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute.

They do so, he said, for the same reasons as non-Muslims: "Stronger academics, more family time, they want to guide social interaction, provide a safe place to learn and . . . teach them [their] values, beliefs and worldview."

Parents say it is an attractive alternative to public schools, with whose traditions and values they are not always comfortable, and Islamic schools, which might be too far away, cost too much or lack academic rigor.

If Muslims have come to embrace home schooling later than others, it might be in part because so many Muslims in the United States are immigrants who might not be aware of the option. In fact, for many immigrants, the idea of home schooling runs counter to their reasons for coming to America, which frequently include better educational opportunities. And public school has long been seen as a key portal to assimilation.

When Sanober Yacoob arrived from Pakistan 13 years ago and began to home-school her three children, she was the only immigrant she knew of who was doing so. Others from Muslim countries "thought I was weird," she said. "One of them said to me, 'I hope you're not going to destroy yourself, and they will grow up ignorant.' "

Now, more are following in her footsteps, and many use the highly regarded Calvert curriculum for home-schoolers.

Maqsood and Zakia Khan of Sterling, who emigrated from Pakistan two decades ago, say home schooling has allowed them to enhance and internationalize their children's curriculum. Now, in addition to the standard subjects, their children, ages 15, 14 and 9, study the Koran for a half an hour a day, one-on-one, with a woman who teaches them online from Pakistan.

"If they were going to school, we could never do that," Maqsood Khan said. "You spend any number of hours at school, you're tired, your brain is full and you don't want to spend hours with Islamic studies. But now it's part of their curriculum; we made it part of their time."

The food incident
The Khans decided to home-school four years ago after a kindergarten teacher, unaware of the religious issues, told their son that he could not refuse school food in favor of the Islamic-sanctioned food he had brought from home. The food incident was small, but it highlighted the issues many Muslims say their children face every day as minorities who don't celebrate Christmas, Halloween or birthday parties, who don't eat pork and who fast during Ramadan

The family did not consider Islamic schools, Zakia Khan said, because "they learn more at home than they learn at school."

By contrast, Abdul Rashid Abdullah of Herndon said he would have considered an Islamic school for his 11-year-old son, who was struggling in public school, if it weren't for the cost.

"My children are extremely aware that they are Muslim, and they are extremely aware that other people aren't," said Abdullah, whose wife, a Malaysian immigrant, started to home-school their son last fall. Two of the couple's younger children, ages 10 and 6, remain in public school; their fourth child is 3. "There is a mainstream culture, and my kids aren't a part of that mainstream culture . . . and to hear, 'We don't do this, we don't do that,' how are they feeling when they're sitting in that chair? Home schooling really takes the pressure off."

Martinez, a convert to Islam who is of Mexican descent and grew up in Texas, said that despite stereotypes of home-schoolers seeking to shut out the world, the point is not to restrict children from mainstream culture so much as to make sure they don't get lost in the shuffle.

"We don't isolate ourselves from the rest of the world and sit here at home just not being attuned to our community and our identity as Americans," she said. "But we're also not sending them to school where generally speaking they would have to leave most of their identity at the door."

There are also religious reasons. "We definitely do learn from a different worldview," she said. "Everything has God as its center. We don't just study the bee, but we study what the Koran says about the bee and the many blessings and the honey. . . . We get religious studies out of it, we get biology out of it and chemistry."

Former naysayers
The idea of teaching kids at home has found more acceptance in the Muslim community since Yacoob started doing it. Now, she said, former naysayers congratulate her on her children, who are pursuing college degrees. Her son Saad, now 21 and an English major at George Mason University, managed to memorize the Koran while being home-schooled. "The same person [who once criticized her] stopped me, and he told me, 'We are so proud of Saad!' "

As with home-schoolers of any affiliation, questions arise about socialization. Abdul-Malik Ahmad, a 34-year-old Web developer, was home-schooled in Beltsville in the 1980s and '90s. While he said overall it was a positive experience (he now home-schools his daughter), it had drawbacks.

"There were very few Muslims, and we were very scattered, and the community wasn't as developed as it is now," he said. "So we didn't have a chance to socialize as much as we could have now. It took a while for me to adjust once I got to college."

To ease that transition, some home-schoolers say they plan to send their children to public high school once their characters are more fully formed. "It's not that you don't want them to know the world," said Norlidah Zainal Abidin, Abdullah's wife, "but you want to instill certain values in them first."

Maqsood Khan said his children connect with the outside world through Islamic scouting troops and visits to the mall. "They're typical teens; they listen to the music full blast, but they listen to Islamic music."

His daughter Meena, 15, who attended Sterling Middle School until she completed sixth grade four years ago, was at home recently in a Redskins sweatshirt and black headscarf. She said there were things she missed about public school, including the Harry Potter club.

"I liked going. I got good grades," she said. "But we didn't get enough Islamic studies."

Many home-schoolers seek out social interaction in outside classes or group field trips. On a recent afternoon at the Cascades Library in Sterling, mothers in headscarves dropped off their children at a resource room where Jean McTigue was teaching art to Muslim home-schooled children. As the boys and girls looked at reproductions of Dalis and Goyas, McTigue, whose own children were in the class, said there had not been similar opportunities for her oldest, 15. "When Yusef was 6 years old he would have loved to do something like this, but there was really nothing."

Downstairs, among the waiting mothers, Ayesha Khan said that five years ago her friends and family back in Pakistan had criticized her decision to home-school her children, now 10 and 8. But when they see the children, they are impressed.

"Over there, it's like, 'Wow, your kids are going to American schools,' " she said. "I say, 'Yeah, we are giving our kids an American education.' "

Taking the Homeschool Leap - IslamOnline.net - Family

2010-02-10T22:35:00.001+09:00

Taking the Homeschool Leap - IslamOnline.net - Family

Taking the Homeschool Leap

Through Baby Steps

By Maria Zain

Freelance editor, writer - Malaysia

My head was throbbing whilst looking forward to another sleepless night when my toddler was recovering from a cold that she had passed on to her baby brother. Yet, I needed to submit an article to a magazine, and I was relentlessly trying to come up with an idea. One of my editors was on-line and her "status" read, "Homeschooling."

An idea sprang out of my weary mind, so I left a message through the Yahoo Messenger asking if she would like to be interviewed for a homeschooling article. I watched in awe as she began typing out her homeschooling story, and though I was falling sick, I extended my bedtime to two in the morning.

Three interviews, seven e-mails, and one article submission later, I took my daughter out of her cold-infested preschool, and we began homeschooling.

Nearly two years, an additional baby was crawling around the house and over 50 websites and blogs later; we have no regrets and our journey presses on.

What changed? I had been a stalwart preschool junkie, believing that institutionalized schooling was the only way for my children to succeed in life.

However, after speaking to three Muslim mothers, with 10 children between them and being passionately homeschooled under their belt, I always remind myself that it was through their interviews that I found the homeschooler in me. Here are some of their responses, which keep me going:

You wouldn't give your car to a perfect stranger for eight hours a day, five days a week, 40 weeks a year, even if you knew what was happening to your car during that time. What more with your own children, gifts that you are unable to put a price on?

This was the first blow to my conscience. I could not necessarily know what my children were up to; no matter, how I wished to monitor them, and Yes, they are more important than my car.

The Hazards of Schooling

Having them around me now means I know what they know. I do not have to worry that they were being left behind in class. I know if they can add from two to five using their fingers. I know if they are able to recite alif-baa'-taa' (Arabic alphabet) in a correct sequence. I know of the words they can read and the ones they love to spell. I know that they know the seven colors of the rainbow.

I live in a society, where not getting an A in a subject is considered a failure. Speak to any mother, and their ultimate worry is that their child did not receive an A for one or more subjects in school. Technically speaking, they are worried because they do not know what their child does not know.

Through homeschooling, not only do I fill in that void of my children's education and development, I am also able to appreciate them for their positive developments, strengths, and interests rather than to dwell over what they are lacking in. I also do not have to worry about the A's, as I am not bound by standards set by a one-size-fits-all educational system, which measures students' progress through a year-end exam and compares the results with a graph. My children's developments are completely unique, fully appreciated from a holistic angle, and most of it cannot be simply quantified by a grade.

Not sending my children to school has also helped curb unwanted influences. Children learn a lot more than just from books, even in school, and not all of the extracurricular may be positive. Foul language, for example, would be curbed at best at home — and this was another reason why I took my three-year-old out of preschool, after she called her brother an illegitimate child in the coarsest sense.

It was true; I would not hand my car over to another person five days a week. Thus, leaving my absorbent sponges with teachers who I do not know personally, and who were not going to get to know my children personally — no further than the grade they were going to achieve at the end of the year — is no longer an option. I realize that educating my children is the most precious gift I have received besides my children themselves.

Who says homeschoolers do not socialize? Who says you have to socialize with people of the same age group? Forcing a child into a peer group just signals one message: conform or be rejected.

Everyone knows about peer pressure. Peer pressure kills the individual spirit. The need to be cool, to have the latest gadgets, to hang out at the latest haunts, to have watched the latest movie, to know all the latest mean expressions to describe parents and siblings, etc. The culture of school itself causes children to become uniformed, nurtures the need to become accepted, and creates labels for children even before they are allowed to venture out into the real world.

The Real Child

In homeschooling, children live in the real world. They socialize beyond their peer group, without having to sit in rows and rows of tables and chairs for a fixed amount of time and have a recess for a certain number of minutes.

They are not bound by a structure that may not suit them; they are able to express their thoughts and opinions about dinosaurs, China, Prophet Job, or The Cat in the Hat, without being judged by an answer scheme that does not accept answers beyond what is given.

Peer pressure compounds uniformity and reinforces the need to be spoon-fed academically, not only killing the joy of learning but removing the celebration of differences and diversity.

I know if I resort to institutionalized schooling, my daughter's loudly opinionated, boisterously friendly, temperament of a drama queen personality would be squashed and my son, as a mysteriously intrinsic, self-directed, and thoughtful person with a high locus of control would be lost in the sea of empty vessels floating around the classroom.

Not only would a teacher who has to handle 20 to 40 different students be unable to cater for discrepancies in learning style, they would be unable to gauge the differences in their students' personalities. Children who are often neglected or feel underappreciated due to the lack of attention that needs to be tailored-individually tend to act out, causing disruptions. And in a schooling system, disruption is a sign of a bad student — one that should be subjected to further discipline, and one who is unable to conform to the environment, whether academically or socially.

Allah gave me my children, and at the end of the day, I will return them to Him. In what condition do I want to return them to Him? How far different will they be as compared with the day they were born?

I am often reminded of the days my children were born, without a blemish of wrong. Each day that passes by leaves them susceptible to picking up dirt and grime, and whether I homeschool them or not, the responsibility lies heavily on me as their mother.

The Natural Teacher

So, when we sit down to read a book, look at a map, or draw an animal, I include everything Islamically-possible in our conversation. I answer every question they have, even if it means running to the computer for a quick Google. We sit down and discuss qualms they have about different topics. I do not have to charge to complete a curriculum, or be held back by slower learners or rush them because they cannot keep up. I do not have to tell them "that doesn't matter, it is not important for the exam," but I acknowledge their curiosity fullheartedly. Rather than telling them to be quiet and have them looking for information in the wrong places, we look them up together, and when the time is right, they will be able to decide where they should look for answers themselves.

The disadvantage of living in a Muslim community is that parents tend to let their guard down. They are falsely led to believe that because everyone is Muslim — even in school — there are no "foreign" influences, but this is sorely untrue. Even in the most rural and "protected" areas in the country, we hear of teenage pregnancy and gang hooliganism.

I feel it is not worth the risk taking, if one day my child comes home with fluorescent hair and tongue studs, there is no amount of insurance premium that can cover a "spoilt" good. In fact, there is no replacement for it. Mothers whose children have absorbed values that do not live with their own families end up trying to correct their behavior, and parenting becomes burdensome and stressful, especially if the children have already reached adolescence. With homeschooling, instead of churning out my energy trying to correct what has already gone wrong, we are taking learning and development one day at a time, with care and sensitivity to inculcate values that we believe in as a family — but that is the journey that presses on.

Homeschooling Network

After sending the article off for publication, I was left alone to take an untampered route in my area. It has been wonderful but challenging. The most difficult part for me is looking for support locally; very few families in the vicinity homeschool and even fewer understand what it entails. After asking around, I received answers ranging from, "I homeschool when they come back from school,"” to "I am homeschooling them now until they are of school-going age," to "We should set up a school for homeschoolers." Finding a network has been literally virtual for me (i.e., I network with homeschoolers through the internet), and at times it was because of the lack of support that I did not feel comfortable to pursue this goal. Yet, the same sisters, who I interviewed, cheer me on, reminding me of why I am educating my children at home, and I believe these baby steps I am taking are opening doors for homeschooling to grow by leaps and bounds.

Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1265741037326&pagename=Zone-English-Family%2FFYELayout#ixzz0f8jop99s

Homeschooling in America Today - IslamOnline.net - Family

2010-02-05T22:03:00.001+09:00

Homeschooling in America Today - IslamOnline.net - Family

Homeschooling in America Today

A Growing Trend

By Maryam Bachmeier

Psychologist, Counselor, Writer – U.S

More and more Muslim families are considering the option of homeschooling for their children. One of the main reasons mentioned is that homeschooling empowers families to model family and religious values. It is often less expensive and can make it easier for a mother to stay at home with her children. In this small article, there are attempts to offer a look into one mother's experiences as a homeschooler, and her daughter provides us with insight and her own personal experience as a homeschool student. We see why they found homeschooling to be the best choice for them and their family. To complement this peak into a family's personal experience, we also take a look at a powerful and well-known advocate for the homeschooling movement and her thoughts about why it is so popular.

*-*-*-*-*

The first woman interviewed chose to remain anonymous, so we will call her Nadia. She explained that her initial reason for homeschooling was financial. She was in a situation where she had very limited financial resources, and one day, her car broke down. She felt she had no other option than to homeschool her daughter as getting her to and from school was going to be very difficult.

At first, Nadia thought it was going to be very hard. However, to her surprise and happiness, she found out that it was not that hard after all. In fact, she found that her children actually got along much better with each other, and there was not that much bickering. Her children were happier because they did not have to deal with the stressor of a "school hierarchy," in which often, the children pick on those who are in earlier grades, or who are more vulnerable.

Over time, Nadia found that it was easier to introduce her children into a variety of social situations. They were learning better social skills than they would at a public school, and Nadia felt homeschooling strengthened family connections and a sense of unity. When asked about the challenges of homeschooling, Nadia felt that the biggest challenge is finding resources. However, living in California, Nadia found the resources to be very easily obtained. Nadia felt that the way to success is to learn about your community and utilize your communities' resources.

In some states or counties, you might have to worry about the children's protective services if they are not a community that supports homeschooling. States that do not have many homeschoolers may suspect your child of being a truant and the parents of being neglectful. This attitude is fading, as more and more homeschool advocates work with their local communities to bring resources to the homeschool projects. Nadia's daughter, who also wanted to remain anonymous, will be called Yasmin.

Yasmin, who is 14 years old, reported that she liked her homeschool experience. She was allowed to create her own curriculum and was allowed to progress as far as she wants to in any given subject. In other words, she is not limited to her grade. Her brother graduated early and went on to college, and she wants to do the same.

Yasmin also gets more attention from her parents than she would if she were in a public school, because they are teaching her. She reported feeling more confident in social situations as well, and attributed this to being with her parents and experiencing a variety of social situations with them. She does not feel awkward when talking to adults since she is around them more, and she still gets to socialize with other Muslim children as her parents make the effort to connect with other homeschoolers who have the same goals. Yasmin especially likes not having to worry about peer pressure. She likes being a "good Muslim," and she is allowed to feel comfortable about being herself.

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In an interview with Kinza Academy founder and homeschool advocate Nabila Hanson, we found that homeschooling is becoming more and more popular among both Muslims and non-Muslims in the US. Sister Nabila was recently interviewed by Baltimore Muslim Examiner J. Samia Mair on June 15, 2009. In this Interview, Nabila commented that the popularity of homeschooling can be attributed to:

"A few people being brave enough to reclaim the right to educate their children, and in so doing produced educated, self-governed, and moral people that made other parents stop and ask, "What's going on here?"

She continued to say that another reason is the desire to protect the family's religious beliefs and to keep their children from becoming secularized by the public school. Also some families are:

"Concerned about the total failure of government schooling to produce educated citizens; and safety is also a huge concern now with children becoming the frequent victims of violent crimes and sexual abuse in public and private schools".

Nabila summarized the popularity among Muslims as follows:

"Amongst Muslims, I think the first concern is the child's deen and the second concern is the quality of education"

"From a religious perspective, I don't have to worry about my children's self-esteem being damaged or their deen being hurt because they are teased about their religion in school. I don't have to worry they are being taught things that contradict our religious belief, and I don't have to worry that I will lose them to peer pressure. Christian home-school studies have shown three out of four children who graduate from public school will no longer share the same faith or belief as their family. This is alarming.

"From a mother's perspective, every day I am amazed by my children. They are creative; they march to their own beat; they are eager to learn and interested in so many things, and they are self-motivated. I am often times astounded by the things they have taught themselves and teach each other in their free time.

"I would add that children need down-time, too. Because children educated at home are taught individually, they learn more quickly, and the school day is much shorter, permitting them time to explore their own interests and take part in family life. There is also no homework"!

With this said, and the many other homeschool stories that can be found among families both Muslim and non-Muslim, the benefits seem to clearly outweigh the risks. As homeschooling networks are being built and are becoming stronger, so are homeschooling resources becoming more available. Additionally, Sister Nadia mentioned that it is a good idea to find out the homeschool laws in your state; some states are friendlier toward homeschooling than others.

Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-Family/FYELayout&cid=1264249940416&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Family+Feed#ixzz0f8iSF2wX

Hajj Poster and some painting activity

2009-11-26T08:36:00.002+09:00

We have only one day left for Eid al-Adha, and we did some short lessons on Hajj and Eid al-Adha yesterday. Here is the poster we made.

We did some painting activity, too. Each of the child got their hand and arm painted and printed them on the sheet of paper so that they look like the stems of trees. Then they used their fingers to paint the leaves and flowers. It's an easy activity that small children can also take part.
(It can get a little messy, though.)

Miniature Masjid

2009-10-17T12:22:00.005+09:00

We made a miniature masjid using an empty cardboard box.

And some paper dolls and paper prayer rugs.

A bookshelf out of a milk carton and some books to go with it.

Door can be opened.

It was lots of fun!

Fall Poster

2009-10-17T11:37:00.004+09:00

I haven't been posting here since Ramadan.

After some break in Ramadan, we're back to normal now, doing Calvert, Ad-Duha, and hifdh of Quran.

This is the Fall Poster we made using origami and kirigami. It's getting colder everyday, and it's nice to see the leaves changing their colors gradually, subhanAllah.

Eid Mubarak!

2009-09-24T22:25:00.003+09:00

Ramadan has gone by so quilckly!

And here is our harvest...

MashaAllah, children have worked hard, did lots of fasting, Quran reading, praying... The older one has memorized 2 new suwar, and the younger one, 3, mashaAllah.

Ramadan really is a blessed month and I already miss it so much. May Allah make it easy for us to keep up the high eeman that we acquired, aameen.

Ramadan lantern

2009-09-07T21:35:00.005+09:00

We made a Ramadan lantern using an empty jam bottle.

Ramadan Pop-up Cards

2009-09-02T22:31:00.003+09:00

Children made these Ramadan Pop-up Cards.

Hifdh progress.

2009-08-30T00:18:00.003+09:00

MashaAllah, alhumdulillah, my daughter(older one) has finished memorizing Juz Tabarak today. It took her almost 7 months to finish, and now she'll start working on Juz Qadsami' next, inshaAllah.

My second daughter is still working on Juz Tabarak, and so am I. As the amount we memorized increases, it's getting harder to review. I don't know how much I can manage supervising their hifdh, but inshaAllah, I'd like to do my best.

If any of you're working on hifdh with children, and if you have some nice tips, please share with me, inshaAllah:) And I'm looking for some nice charts on this, too.I'm going to make some myself, but if there are some nice ones available on the net, that'd be very helpful, inshaAllah.

Allah's Beautiful Names Craft

2009-08-29T00:05:00.004+09:00

We had some craft activities today.

We've decorated some of Allah's beautiful names on paper plates. I let the children pick up their favorite names.

Good addition to Ramadan decorations:)

Ramadan Kareem!!

2009-08-21T19:10:00.002+09:00

Decorarion

2009-08-20T17:58:00.001+09:00

We started decorating our house.

These are what we made today. We'll be adding more inshaAllah.

I used the coloring pages from here.

Hifdh Journey Poster

2009-08-19T15:37:00.005+09:00

I had this idea from long time ago, and I finally got to make them, alhumdulillah.

These are the Hifdh Journey Posters, and children can color in each items as they memorize each surah until they become Hafidhas, inshaAllah(Ya, Allah,please help us on the way...).

On the top, there are 30 stars to color in for each Juz memorized.

Ramadan Tree, again!!

2009-08-19T15:32:00.003+09:00

We made a Ramadan Tree again this year!!

We'll be adding leaves and fruits as the kids fast, or memorize new surahs, inshaAllah.

This year, we added some flowers on my children's request.
And I also laminated them so we can use them again next year, inshaAllah.

Ramadan lapbook!

2009-08-17T16:14:00.027+09:00

Our Ramadan lapbook is finally finished, alhumdulillah! We'd been working on this for several days until today. It was our second lapbooking project, and it was lots of fun!

Ok, here is the front cover of it.
This is the backside.

This is the first part(it's a double lapbook).

Second part.

This is an Islamic months calender which I got from here. I also got much of the other materials and ideas from this site. May Allah reward her well for sharing these beneficial materials and ideas.
And the below shows that "Sawm is one of the five pillars of Islam"

Here are "Why do we fast?" flap and "Hadeeth on Fasting" flap.

This part is my favorite, "Ramadan moon phases" slide. You can slide the moon strips to see how the moon phase changes.

Here, if you open this flap, it shows an iftaar picture at the masjid. I got this idea from this site. I thought this picture was cute, and fun coloring activity for children. May Allah reward her well for sharing her ideas.

Here are "What breaks your fast?" and "Who are exempted from fasting?" petal books.

"When fasting, STAY AWAY from..." envelope book.

"What can we learn from fasting?"fan book, here. I got these ideas from here. (Well, I have to adimit that I'm getting ideas from here and there. lol) May Allah reward her for sharing her wonderful ideas.

"Verses on fasting in Quran".

I got this coloring page from here.This is a True or False game from "My Ramadan Fun Book" from Goodword Books. I printed them, cut out, and laminated theme. You can put hte sheeps with correct sentences in the envelope with the red barn, and the wrong ones in the one with the blue barn.

Ramadan Quiz, which I got from here, again.

Here is a "Ramadan Memory Game", which I got from here. This is a very nice card games that children can enjoy playing. May Allah reward her well for sharing!!

Ok, here is the last part, " Good Deeds we can do during Ramadan" mini-book. I got the templates from here.

Both of my girls enjoyed cutting, coloring for this lapbook. InshaAllah, we'd like to work on more this coming Ramadan, insha'Allah!

And may Allah reward all the sisters who are sharing their ideas and materials for Allah's sake, ameen!!

Earthquake Lapbook

2009-08-11T21:52:00.007+09:00

Here is our first lapbooking project.

There was an earthquake this morning, and I thought it was important for our children to know what to do if a big earthquake occurs, so I decided to make a lapbook on this subject.

This is the cover of it.

About the "Ring of Fire" and "Get Prepared" mini book.

"Disasters after an Earthquake" wheel, and a copy of mini tafseer book from Ad-Duha on "Suratuz-Zalzalah".

"What to do if an earthquake comes" flaps.

Most of the materials I used are from here.

Insha'Allah, I'd like to work on some more lapbooks on Islamic themes one of these days.

Why didn't I find this before!?

2009-08-10T21:25:00.006+09:00

I wanted to see this post before making my salat timetable! Masha'Allah, all kinds of materials on salaat were there.

The Duaa Booklets were great, masha'Allah and I printed them all out. I was too lazy to make pockets to keep them in, so I just laminated them and hunged them on the wall. May Allah reward her for sharing these nice materials!!

These two(for waking up and going to bed) on the bedroom wall.

Calvert lessons.

2009-08-06T18:54:00.006+09:00

We've started Calvert new grade lessons recently. Again this year, my two daughters who are 1 year and 4 months apart in age are working on the same grade, and I relly feel this was a good choice. They both love the new grade so far. Especially Reading and Sicence are the fun part. I made this simple word wall here, and we'll be adding new words here as we learn throughout the year, inshaAllah.

zakat box

2009-07-31T22:13:00.003+09:00

Today we've made a zakat box using milk cartons. We used three milk cartons. Cut and sticked them together, and decorated with paper mosaics.

BOX DAY!!

2009-07-28T17:24:00.003+09:00

We've just received the box of Calvert first grade curricurum today, and it looks much more interesting than K last year. I'm getting very excited,and so are the children!!

Calvert is really a school in a box and it has everything in it!! I loved all the colorful textbooks, especially the Science book which seemed pretty much exciting with all those experiments!

I can't wait to start. But as the last year, I might stop Calvert lessons during Ramadan for I'd like to concentrate on more Islamic studies on this special month.

There are some Social Study topics on American history in this curricurum, but I guess I'll just skip them since we're living in Japan, and will spend more time on other stuff, inshaAllah.

Salat Timetable

2009-07-24T13:33:00.004+09:00

My daughter will turn 7 next month, inshaAllah, so I guess this Ramadan would be a good time for her to start praying regularly.

I made this Salat Timetable that shows the starting time and the number of raka't of each salat.

Islamic Social Studies

2009-07-20T07:31:00.004+09:00

Ramadan is approaching again. Time really flies fast!!

This is our second Ramadan as a homeschooler, and I've been thinking of what kind of activities to do for this season. The ideas that I came up with at this point include making Zakat boxes using milk cartons, making the Ramadan tree posters as the last year, and making Eid greeting cards.

And I found this book,"Eid Mubarak" from Islamic School Book, a series of Social Studies programs helpful for studying about Islamic celebrations, and how the muslims celebrate their Eid in different countries. I think this is a good time to cover this topic, so we'll start using this soon, inshaAllah.

Magnet Cards

2009-07-18T00:04:00.008+09:00

I made these magnet cards a few days ago. I just laminated them and sticked the magnets on their back. Kids loved them, especially the weather ones.

Japanese study.

2009-07-11T02:43:00.004+09:00

Since we're not using Calvert right now, we're concentrating on Japanese education these days. We use the textbooks which we got free form the local school, and the workbooks from local bookstores.

My life got busy after the new baby has joined, and in addition to that, we have moved to a new place(countryside) recently, but alhumudulillah somehow it's going on.

Two girls are now working on the hifz of Juz Tabarak, mashaAllah. We still use Ad-Duha for Islamic Studies.

What I need now... is more time! Well..., maybe I need to get better at time management. The good thing is the daytime is getting longer everyday:)

A new additon to our family.

2009-06-12T13:02:00.005+09:00

We've recently welcomed a new addition to our family, a new born baby boy, alhamdulillah. Now we're a family of six with two girls, and two boys.

It's been about two weeks since the baby has come and our homeschooling days have been rather laid back style. Maybe if I take unschooling method, our days would seem like this. I let my daughters recite some parts of Quran daily so that they won't forget what they have memorized, that's like the only fixed routine these days. Other than that,I let them do what they like to do. They do some worksheets sometimes, and they read the books they like to read, but most of the time they're creating something with papers.

We've finished the Calvert K last month, and we will start a new grade next month, inshaAllah. Until then, we'll enjoy some short unschooling days:)

Ad-Duha new grade.

2009-04-23T09:33:00.002+09:00

We've finished the ALP level of Ad-Duha about a month ago, and we've got another grade's curriculum recently, alhumdulillah. The new grade covers 40 of Allah's 99 names, more Adiyaa and Tafseer, and reading and writing of Arabic letters and words. We've started two days ago, it looks as nice as the last level, children also love it, alhumdulillah.

Farm diorama!

2009-04-23T08:44:00.003+09:00

As we covered the topic of farm in the Calvert lesson last week, I came up with the idea of making a farm diorama. This was the first diorama project that we've done, and it was a lot of fun!! As usual, we used Origami crafts for all the items.

Now the children are telling they'd like to visit a farm. There's a nice farm that we can experience milking the cow, feeding the animals, etc., so I'm thinking of taking them there, inshaAllah.

Animals in the Jungle Poster

2009-04-16T13:59:00.004+09:00

We've made this another poster, the Animals in the Jungle.

I've written names for each in Arabic, English, and Japanese.

Children are happy to see the new addition on the classoroom wall!

Spring Poster

2009-03-26T15:06:00.004+09:00

Spring is here, and the cherry blossoms are getting ready to bloom here in Japan. We've made this Spring Poster using Origami crafts. Children had fun, and so did I!

Islamic Home Schooling Advisory Network (IHSAN)

2009-03-21T22:14:00.002+09:00

MashaAllah, a great site! Lots of imformation and resources, and even the forum!

Islamic Home Schooling Adivisory Network (IHSAN)

Being a double minority.

2009-03-21T21:49:00.002+09:00

Here in Japan, being a muslim itself is being a minority. And the homeschooling is still very rare and most of the people believe that all the children MUST attend the school. So being a muslim homeschooler is like being a double minority. You may find a Christian homeschooler's support group here, but not a Muslim one. I guess I'm like the only one doing this here and sometimes I do get a bit lonely and scared. But alhamdulillah, those blogs and the sites of other homeschoolers overseas have been great encouragements for me. I guess internet could be a great blessings from Allah if we use it in a correct way. And I hope inshaAllah, homeschooling will be another well-known option among the Muslims in Japan someday...aameen.

A few of the things we've made so far.

2009-03-13T23:43:00.006+09:00

Here are a few of the things we've made so far.

Suratul Ikhlaas Mobile

Dhikr Beads

Masajid Around the World Poster

Lapbooking

2009-03-13T17:46:00.002+09:00

I've never done lapbooking with my children, but this Hijaab Lapbook looks really nice! I also have two girls myself, so inshaAllah, I'd like to try this one with them when we have time. And I also was amazed to see all the lapbooking ideas here! May Allah reward them all for sharing their ideas!

Like to learn Arabic!

2009-03-05T09:28:00.003+09:00

As I read Quran everyday with my children, I began to feel that I really would like to learn the Arabic language, and be able to understand the meaning of Quran in Arabic. At the moment, I just know some of the words that appear often in the Quran only and of course it's not enough. I've found some nice sites to learn about the Quranic Arabic, so I'd like to work on them with my children, inshaAllah.

Arabic Comes First
This site is for children, and has a lot of downloads that we can get for free! It includes coloring books, story books, curricurums, Arabic words from the Hadeeth, and Arabic words from the Quran, and more. As my children work on this, I'd also like to learn, it's good for a biginner like me.

Understand Quran -the easy way-
This site is also good. It has four courses(all free!) that includes a Children's Course. It has some ariticles that are good to read, too. InshaAllah, I'd like to work on this after we finish the curricurum mentioned above.

Science-A Drop Of Mercy

2009-03-05T09:19:00.003+09:00

Now we're learning about the water cycle in Calvert, and this book that I bought before really goes well with the topic we're covering now. It talks about the water cycle but put emphasis on Allah's blessings and how the water is essential in our life.

Joy of Homeschooling.

2009-02-14T08:49:00.003+09:00

It's been almost 10 months since we started homeschooling. And I have found many developments in them. Especially, the younger one. She couldn't read nor write both English and Arabic(she knew some Japanese letters, though) when we started out, but now she can read some short Quran verses in Arabic, and she is actually reading some easy English sentences, and her handwriting got much better, mashaAllah. And she memorizes suwar quicker than before. I'm actually surprised by her development, subuhanAllah.

The older one, of course, has learned a lot, too. She can read English books more fluently now, and she can read most of the Quran verses in Arabic. I teach her Tajweed rules by color, so she follows that when reciting, and she recites beautifully, mashaAllah. And she has memorized the whole Juz amma, and now working on Juz Tabarak.

So two of them have shown many developments, and I feel very happy to see them like that. Especially when I listen to them reciting Quran, my heart shivers with joy. Alhumdulillah, and subuhanAllah, it's nothing but Allah's work! Of course, it's true that I need much sabr(patience) sometimes when teaching children myself, but the joy and the reward are countless, and I really love homeschooling. I do hope that Allah would let me continue to homeschool our children, inshaAllah. And I always have to remind myself of renewing the niyah of homeschooling. It should be for Allah's sake only, nothing else!! Ya Allah, give our children good knowlege and characters and strong imaan so they can benefit the Islamic society in the future, Ameen...

It's so cute!!

2009-02-07T20:34:00.002+09:00

This is from the curricurum we're using, Ad-Duha. You can download the Dua Posters for free, and they're sooo cute!! I know it really works when putting dua posters at home. Children memorize them very quick in this way! I was putting my handmade dua posters till now, but now I want to replace them all. I prefer these much better because not only the designs are good but it includes the meanings as well. So I'm going to print them all and laminate them, inshaAllah. And they have nice e-books we can download for free, too! May Allah reward them for their work.

Alhamudulillah, finally!

2009-02-03T15:15:00.008+09:00

Alhamdulillah, it seems like my oldest one has memorized the whole Juz Amma finally! We have started officially from around April, so it took almost 10 months to finish. The younger one is on the half way around, she has memorized 28 suwar for now.

Reading some articles from this site, it seems like the first Juz would take the longest time to finish in most of the cases, and it would get faster as we go along. Well, I don't know if it's true or not, because we're still on the way, but inshaAllah, I hope it would get easier as we carry on... I also hope that our children would benefit from this "golden age" and memorize the whole Quran before they get much older in age, inshaAllah.

Now we've started Juz Tabarak using a CD. I check their hifdh progress independently. As each surah gets much longer in this Juz, I found out that this Quran Memorization Schedules here helps a lot in deviding and scheduling the hifdh process.

Long time no post...!

2009-01-21T07:37:00.003+09:00

Wow, it's been such a long time since the last post! Well, the fact was we had been away to my husband's country for a while where the internet connection was not available. Plus, I had been busy getting our routine back on the track after coming back here in Japan... so I didn't have much time to sit and open the laptop.

Well, things have got better,alhamdulillah, and we're finally getting back on the track now. When we were away there, the kids were just busy with playing other kids(there were so many children under one roof!), and they have forgotten about the study! I also got busy dealing with my one-year-old son who was crying in the midst of so many people!!(He was afraid of new faces those days. And it was a big family.) And all of our kids had serious fever there in turn, so we were busy always going to hospital and taking medicines, So it had been like a long holiday, we did Quran study when we had time, but that was all. No Calvert, no Ad-Duha. So after coming back here, it took some time for us to get back to the routine.

Well, now I try to homeschool everyday, even on weekends if possible(We usually go to nearby Masjid on Sundays.). The kids are also always asking for it all the time after having a long holiday. Here in Japan, April is the start of a new grade, so I hope to finish the grade we're working on before April or May, inshaAllah. And about the Hifz... the kids have forgtotten a lot when we were away, so we were busy revising the surahs after coming back here. Alhamdulillah, now again, they are working on new surah these days, it's also getting back on the track now. It's really important to continue everyday, no matter what. Really! If we are away for a while, it takes such a long time to getting back on the track. Well, this is my first year of homeschooling, so I'm still learning everyday. I hope to get better next year, inshaAllah.

Back to normal.

2008-10-30T17:41:00.004+09:00

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??

2008-10-25T17:15:00.006+09:00

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...

2008-10-25T16:30:00.003+09:00

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!

2008-10-21T17:23:00.003+09:00

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...

2008-10-07T17:12:00.003+09:00

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!

2008-10-04T20:38:00.005+09:00

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...

2008-09-16T20:05:00.005+09:00

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

2008-09-01T23:01:00.003+09:00

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

2008-09-01T22:42:00.003+09:00

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!

2008-09-01T21:55:00.004+09:00

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...

2008-08-26T18:25:00.006+09:00

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

2008-08-08T15:34:00.004+09:00

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.

2008-08-08T15:23:00.004+09:00

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.

2008-07-11T20:41:00.006+09:00

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...

2008-07-06T00:57:00.005+09:00

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!