November 12, 2011
Alhamdulillah, although we do not have many Muslim children in our area, we have started reaching out to other parents and their children of whom we feel would be a positive influence upon our son.
It is important that our son have Muslim children to play with, as well as discuss Islam, or share in greetings of Salaam. Because he is often discussing Allah wa ta'Allah with other children, children here in our area who are not Muslim will not understand when he discusses Allah or wishes to recite with them.
It is also difficult for him when he witnesses a child doing a deed of which he knows is not correct. If he himself has been called names or treated with unkindness by another child, he will often come to me and we will discuss what happened and learn from the experience.
It is of vital importance that a parent know who the child's friends are, as well as their parents and upbringing. When you let your child alone with another parent in their household, they are subjected to inadvertent teachings that may go against what Islam teaches for us to do. For example, some parents may not find it disagreeable that the child is using foul language. It may also be that your child may witness a parent or another adult doing or saying that which may be considered improper.
I often come across this while taking my son to the local public library, or to the park nearby. We will often hear the shouts of a child calling names to another, without any word of reprimand from the parents.
From whom do you want your child to learn from when you are not in their presence? A child who grows up with a true Islamic upbringing will likely develop a stronger friendship with their peers, and be able to support one another despite what ever adversity they may face in the future.
Insha'allah, I look forward to my son meeting more good Muslim children who take Islam to heart, rather than discarding the teachings altogether.
Posted by Nasrin.
November 11, 2011
For our English studies, we read the book, "The Mighty Mississippi" written for children who are independent readers. With each page, we discussed the general concepts of the paragraphs as well as where Mississippi is located geographically on a map. I found that my son comprehended a greater amount once he read the book aloud himself versus if I was reading to him and asking him questions based on what he just heard. At the back of the book, we discussed about the author Mark Twain who wrote... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : 2nd Grade English
November 3, 2011
 Yup! You heard it right, for this method we created our own geese and used their legs to multiply! How fantastic is that? Masha'allah my son memorized 1 x 2, 2 x 2, 3 x 2, 4 x 2, within 15 minutes! What fun! We first drew up the geese, colored them in, cut out the parts, glued them together and voila! We were ready to practice our multiplication!
We started out using one goose. I told my son, "We have one goose, how many legs does it have?". He quickly answered "two". So I wrote down on a wo... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : 2nd Grade - Math
October 23, 2011
This project was done during my sons 1st grade studies earlier this year. One of the beautiful aspects of Allah's creations is that many of his creations have perfect symmetry, in addition to the using golden ratio (Phi). We practiced using symmetry by paper, folding it in half and drawing half of the image, then cutting along the lines. Step 1. Direct your student to fold their paper lengthwise, creasing the paper carefully with their hands.
2. Teach your student how to draw half of an i... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : 1st Grade Mathematics
October 22, 2011
Earlier this week, we continued our studies learning about line segments and rays. For this lesson we used two simple materials to complete the lesson. We used straws for the line segments, and paper for the points. First we cut four squares and labeled them a, b, c, and d. This represents the points that will be used in between each line segment.
We then split the edges of each straw, and placed one "point" on the edge to create a ray. To create the line segment we placed another "point... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : 2nd Grade Geometry
October 22, 2011
Over the past week we have studied about the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. We drew sketch notes to learn about the H20 molecule, and to assist us in remembering how the molecules change, and how their speed also changes depending on the state they are in. First we defined how many protons and neutrons are in an hydrogen atom. Secondly, we defined how many protons and neutrons are in an oxygen atom. Then we drew the H2O molecule, and discussed what happens when we increase or... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : 2nd Grade Chemistry
October 20, 2011
As every loving concerned parent has come to know over time,
one of the most irksome habits children will undoubtedly incur is the habit to
be like they are a miniature tornado. Always seemingly one step behind their
mother, another with their hands picking up one toy after another, and forgetting
to put them away, thus creating mounds of toys that seem to appear from nowhere
only moments after a mother has made efforts to clean up.
At times, a moment is taken to
teach the child where th... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : clutter free
October 14, 2011
Salam Alaykum Sisters!
One of the most effective ways to ensure the success of your child’s education
is through proper planning, such as creating a curriculum map, as well as a
flexible daily schedule that fits the needs of your family. If you have Microsoft
Excel, you can easily plan out what you will be able to teach each week, or
each day if necessary.
Our own schedule is always flexible and changing depending on the time
available and the proficiencies that need to be accomplished.... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : homeschool
October 13, 2011
 I am so thrilled my son scored high marks on his English exam this morning. I am sure we will need to repeat the lesson to reinforce the concept of antonym, synonym, and homophones, however I do feel we are off to a fairly good start. Late last night I had spent many long hours preparing his lesson plan for today. I was able to utilize Powerpoint to integrate animation, clip art, and interactive files to help reinforce the lesson. I am so happy that Microsoft has now enabled users to integr... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : English Language Arts
October 12, 2011
What a fascinating journey one takes when they decide to teach their own children. I have met many amazing and stalwart women who have taken on this tremendous challenge, and have lead their children to become honorable Muslims. I am excited to announce that through our own journey, my son has surpassed all of my expectations and his joy for learning has inspired me to become a better teacher. Even at the tender age of five, he has suggested improvements in our lessons, which have taken our t... Continue reading...
Posted by Nasrin. Posted In : homeschool
|
The Auf Family
| The Auf Family |
| Cairo, Egypt |
Salam Alaykum! We are future expats to Egypt, but currently we are stateside enjoying our time homeschooling, traveling, and spending time with friends.
|
|
