Rosetta Stone Lesson 1

I began the first lesson yesterday and worked for a little over an hour. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. I liked the demo but actually starting the lessons is a breath of fresh air for me. I started it yesterday and right away it tested me with singular, dual,and plural nouns and verbs. The program also immediately focuses on pronunciation and correct spelling. So far, it's covering things that I have done before, but the pace is fast so that gives me a bit of pressure and I must think fast. By the way, it is catered to different age groups. Read More...

Oriental Trading Company

I got a catalog from Oriental Trading Company the other day. They seem to have lots of arts and crafts and party supplies. They have supplies for teachers also. If you look on their site, they sometimes have free craft projects. Canadians can order from them through their partner Borderfree. Read More...

Classroom Supply Stores

Here are some sites that sell classroom/school supplies.

They have a lot to offer, including specialized tables for arts and crafts or for younger students, early childhood furniture and play centers.

After searching the net for a bit I am pleased that each of these last three are Canadian. No customs taxes!

edited to add: I posted them (and others) in the sidebar for convenience. Read More...

An Ulema-Run Magazine With a Difference

Yoginder Sikand

A new Muslim magazine with articles not just on Islam but also on a host of issues, from global warming, AIDS, modern education among Muslims, madrasa reforms, gender relations and Muslim women’s empowerment to terrorism, communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims and Western imperialism, in addition to news and feature stories about India’s Muslims…. The monthly ‘Eastern Crescent’, published from Mumbai, promises to make a major splash in the fledgling Indian Muslim English-language media market. And what is special about it is that it is run by an editorial team that consists almost entirely of traditionally-educated maulvis from the renowned Dar ul-Ulum madrasa at Deoband.

Launched in mid-May 2006, the Mumbai-based monthly ‘Eastern Crescent’ is the brain-child of Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, the leading-light behind the Markaz ul-Maarif set of institutions that is now assuming the form of a movement. Ajmal, a successful businessman from Assam and himself a Deobandi graduate, is a member of the Central Committee of the Deoband madrasa. The Markaz ul-Maarif runs a chain of schools, orphanages and social work centres in Assam and elsewhere. Another of its major initiatives is a centre in Mumbai that provides a two-year course in English language proficiency to madrasa graduates, most of these being students from the Deoband madrasa.

‘Eastern Crescent’ is published from the Markaz ul-Maarif’s centre in Mumbai. Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, its editor, and most of its senior staff members are Deobandi maulvis (also known as ‘Qasmis’) who learnt English only after undergoing the two-year course at the centre, before which most of them had little or no familiarity with the language. And, judging by the generally high quality of the articles that they, along with a team of mainly Muslim writers, both maulvis and others, contribute to the magazine, they seem to be doing a great job. Quite atypically for a magazine run by maulvis, the strictly religious content is minimal, because scores of other Indian Muslim magazines, in Urdu, English and other languages, serve that function. Instead, most of the articles are about serious social, economic and political issues to do with the Indian Muslims—subjects that are generally ignored both in the Muslim-owned and in the non-Muslim media. Which is another thing that makes the magazine special and unique.

Modestly priced at a hundred and fifty rupees a year (life subscription is five thousand rupees), Eastern Crescent provides a different perspective on Indian Muslim issues—that of an influential section of the traditional ulema who are trying to relate to a host of contemporary challenges in some very creative (and, for some, unexpectedly progressive) ways.
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(For more details about the magazine, see the Markaz ul-Maarif’s website www.markazulmaarif.org)

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Quick, Easy Crafts

I found a website via Making Memories' blog called kids craft weekly that has a list of printable craft ideas.

We made one of the stick puppets (they don't have faces) and the space shuttle picture.



It was quick and fun and best of all, we had all of the items on hand for once. We were going to use little star stickers but ironically, I gave them to the kids just yesterday because we never really use them.





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I Need Something Like These

This is the perfect height to sit directly under the white board in the classroom without compromising space. It would be perfect for the library. Anyone know where I can find one for a good price?

And I love this to lock away all the art supplies and important things. Of course, a file cabinet would do just as well but could I find one in a lovely red? Read More...

More Work for Mom

I recently received the Rosetta Stone Arabic program and I am giving myself more work! I hope to get a nice routine going and then introduce it to my daughter in the fall, InshaALLAH. This is the homeschool edition so it has lesson plans laid out and a multitude of available options such as a full year program for each level (there are three), or you can focus on listening skills, speaking skill, etc. The good thing about the homeschool edition is that you can pay in interest-free installments, AlhamduLILLAH.

I have been a bit lazy with the 10 Forms Chart for Arabic Verbs so I had to break out the books again:



This one has an excellent condensed explanation at the beginning which helped me to remember the main points of the 10 Forms:



Along with this, we have a set of storybooks in Arabic from seller Arabicprints on eBay. We bought these some time ago so you would have to ask if they are able to find more. The brother who sold them was very nice and we were able to buy several Arabic resources from him.



These are written in Arabic and I need to go through them and translate. They are written in a comic book style with plenty of Arabic to read. There's Nuh Alayhis Salaam (Noah), Musa Alayhis Salaam (Moses), Yunus Alayhis Salaam (Jonah) and so on. Read More...

The Books are Here

I got the Islamic Social Studies books from Noor Art and Islamic Bookstore. I am very happy with them.




The box for them is flimsy so I had to take them out but otherwise everything is all right. I like the supplementary book as well. I bought the first grade binder for now because these are pricey.



This one came with a world map and a poster of different Muslim cultures celebrating Eid.






InshaALLAH this will be of great benefit to us. It was very tough finding Islamic Social Studies books and fortunately these are for K-6. I want the kids to learn about the strides of Muslims and most books don't cover these things. For a moment, I was tempted to purchase from this publisher and adapt their social studies curriculum (Christian based?) to suit our needs.

I visit a few non-Muslim homeschool blogs and they seem to have the advantage of established Christian-based homeschool products to teach their children about Christian explorers and founding fathers, so why not us? Read More...

More Garage Sale and Thrift Books

Here are the books that my husband purchased at the garage sale:

He said that he spent about $6.



I also went to Value Village and found a set that is missing a few of it's books on the provinces of Canada.



I'm sure if I had the time to go back and take a look the rest of them are there. The section of books is neatly stacked but they aren't organized. I did manage to find these two and a picture dictionary:

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Garage Sales and Carnivals

This weekend was quite busy for us. Saturday morning my husband stopped by a local Catholic school's garage sale and bought a stack of books and this two-sided easel for $5:

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We bought one a couple of years ago from a yard sale for about $2 but it was bulky and awkward. This one is much better because they don't have to fight for space.

Olive Grove School had their carnival today. Apparently, this was the second summer that they have hosted it and I thought it was nice. Very low-key and easy. The children were well-behaved (all of the children, not just ours) and there was no fighting or unruly pushing and shoving which unfortunately tends to happen during Eid.

Two weeks ago, we attended a picnic hosted by Troid at High Park and it was nice as well. It was sort of cloudy that day so I didn't get a chance to take photographs.



The children had lots of fun on the many bouncy castles and slides.


They were very brave and athletic as they climbed and slid down the shark and Spider Man!





There was also a clown who made balloon shapes for the children.



I really appreciated the fact that he wasn't one of those hyper and obnoxious clowns because they tend to scare children. He simply made the balloons and went on his merry way.

It rained a bit at first but then it got sunny and warm. There was an auction but the kids were too tired so I didn't check it out. We got home just in time because the sky grew dark and the clouds poured buckets of rain. It was so dark, I had to check the clock to see if it was time to pray Maghrib. Read More...

Expensive Ways to Build A Library

If it didn't cost so much I would be all over this: Scholastic My Arabic Library :Grade 2 . Even if I saved the money for it I would feel so bad about buying 40 books for $199.

My husband suggested that we start our very own library at home, (he used to be a librarian). Then, the children could learn the importance of caring for their books and it might help to keep things orderly, InshaALLAH.

We need something like this to get us started,including library cards. I will have to look around and see if I can find a bargain somewhere, InshaALLAH. Read More...

Today's Activities

We hadn't done any painting in a while so today the kids convinced me to grab the watercolors. I have a few photos in a note booking group on http://www.flickr.com/ and the moderator of the group documents her homeschool in photographs there. She had a clever idea for teaching her kids to spell the days of the week. Just take a white sheet of paper and have them copy the words in white crayon. Then, they can use watercolor paints on the paper and the words will show up. My daughter was thrilled when the words appeared. Quick and easy fun, he he.



Also my son has developed a fascination with eggs. He wants to hatch them and take care of the babies! While this is adorable, it is costing me eggs. He went to the fridge and convinced his big sister to get a couple of eggs out for him. He tried to hatch them on the living room floor. Now, he is making his own eggs out of Play-Doh,(AlhamduLILLAH) for his dinosaurs.

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Time to Assess and Plan

So it's about time for me to do a mini-assessment of the school year and see what improvements and changes need to be made. At the rate we are going, we should be able to finish everything by the end of September, InshaALLAH. The second week of October is the worst case scenario. This is good since Ramadan and EID are right around that time and InshaALLAH we will be preparing for the baby soon after that. I think we will take a two week break upon the arrival of the baby so that we can adjust our routine.

So far, I am very pleased with the Saxon Math and Phonics programs. She's learning things a bit earlier than I did when I was in school and I am totally impressed with her recall ability. She is well on her way to becoming a fabulous reader, InshaALLAH.

I feel that McGraw-Hill Science 1 is about average, although we really need to implement some fun experiments into the program from time to time. The experiments are pretty basic and easy to do but nothing exciting. I was disappointed that we haven't had a chance to grow our sunflower seeds yet but maybe soon, InshaALLAH.

Quran memorization is coming along as well. She's memorized Suratul Nas also but due to technical issues I haven't been able to post a recording yet. Now she is working on Suratul Kauthar. My husband took her to a local mosque and she recited for a friend of his who is a Tajweed instructor. Masha'ALLAH he said she is doing well.

We have been working with Harcourt Brace's social studies book A Child's Place, Grade 1 and using the accompanying Activity Book. I think this is a very straightforward way of covering the basics of community and the outside world (map reading, what is a good/service?/how families change, etc), but I want to do a little more. I found a nice set of K-6 Islamic social studies texts that cover these things and add a multicultural, Islamic perspective. The set can be bought separately as well but shipping is outrageous to Canada if I buy it that way. I also got the supplementary books for grade 2 from Noor Art. This I did buy separately because it's a bit on the pricey side. It lists applicable activities and has corresponding lessons.

Another concern of mine is Arabic. I have taken three online Arabic courses to learn Fusha. I can read it and break down sentences grammatically but I cannot speak it fluently. I think we will be taking a different approach with Arabic from now on. We will still learn Fusha but we will also learn MSA for the sake of conversation. There is nothing worse than going to a function (like a recent picnic held by one of the city mosques) and having all those sisters shun you and speak Arabic in your face like you don't exist. Besides, it's important that we learn it in spite of things like that because it is a duty for all of us. Because of this, I have spent some time on Rosetta Stone's website in the Arabic demo section. They are quite expensive but they have a payment plan for the homeschool program. My daughter will be taking this in the mornings, InshaALLAH while I work with the younger two. I won't start this with her immediately; I will probably wait until the new school year for her. I will start this for myself as soon as it arrives, InshaALLAH.

One thing we do to compensate for these purchases is take advantage of any available payment plans. Another big thing for us is that we don't spend extravagantly in other areas of our lives. Neither of us is big on shopping at the malls on the weekend or frivolous buying. Not to say that we are suffering for the sake of education, but we always make sure that we can keep these things within our grasp. Read More...

Text of Darul Uloom Deoband's Fatwa Against Terrorism.

"These days, a sinister campaign is going on in an organized manner, to tarnish the image of, and to malign against Islamic faith, Holy Quran and teachings of the Prophet (PUBH), by linking terrorism with Islam and distorting the meanings of Quranic verses and the Prophet traditions. Therefore, please clarify what is the clear stand of Islam towards world peace? What are the guidelines issued to humanity in Quran and Prophet’s traditions about this matter?-- Mahmood Asad Madani.

Fatwa issued on the letter head of Darul Uloom Deoband.(Signed and sealed by the Grand Mufti and his three Assistants in the Fatwa Department of Darul Uloom Deoband).

Ref: 685 BIn the name of Allah, most gracious and most mercifulAnswer (with the blessings of Allah): Islam is a religion of Peace and Harmony. In Islam, creating social discord or disorder, breach of peace, rioting, bloodshed, pillage or plunder and killing of innocent persons anywhere in the world are ALL considered most inhuman crimes.

There are several verses in the Quran that strictly prohibit the breach of peace. “Do not spread discord on Earth after it has been set in order” (Surah Aaraf, V. 56); “When he (the mischief-maker) turns his back, his aim is to spread mischief everywhere on earth, to destroy crops and cattle but Allah loveth not mischief.” (Surah AlBaqarah V. 205); “And do not spread discord on the (face of the) earth” (Surah alBaqarah V. 60).
The Quran clearly states that the killing of (even) one innocent person is equivalent to massacre of all humankind because its like opening the floodgates that creates a situation beyond anyone’s control; while saving one life is equivalent to the rescue of all humankind. Allah says “On that account: We ordained for the children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life. It would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” (Surah Maidah, V. 32) in another place it has been clearly ordered, “and do not kill any one whose killing has been prohibited except in just manner.”

The extent of Islam’s emphasis on peace can be seen from the fact that even while granting the right of self-defense to the oppressed, it insists that no excess be committed in retribution and strictly forbids the targeting of any innocent person. Thus, Allah Almighty says, “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors”. That is why the Prophet (PUBH) insisted that even during a war, human rights must be fully respected. Several examples of such teaching are to be found in the Prophet’s traditions.

Besides, Islam teaches is that all the creatures of Allah are like one family and whoever treats this family of Allah with compassion and mercy would be loved the most by Allah (Baihaqi). Our Prophet Mohammad (PUBH) has said that Allah takes mercy upon those who take mercy upon fellow human beings. You treat the inhabitants of earth with compassion and the inhabitant of Heaven (Allah) shall show compassion towards you (Tirmizi, Abu Dawood).

In short, Islam rejects all kinds of unwarranted violence, breach of peace, bloodshed, killing and plunder and does not allow it in any form. It is a basic principle of Islam that you assist each other in the pursuit of good and righteous causes and NOT TO COOPERATE with ANYONE for committing sin or oppression.

Allah Almighty says: “Help ye one another in righteousness and piety but help ye not one another sin and rancour.” It is evident from the clear guidelines given in the Holy Quran that the allegation of terrorism against a religion like Islam which enjoins world peace is nothing but a lie. In fact, Islam was born to wipe out all kinds of terrorism and to spread the message of global peace. Allah knows the best.

Signed by:Mufti Habibur Rehman, Grand Mufti, Darul Uloom Deoband

Ratified by:1. Zain ul Islam Qasmi (Deputy Mufti, Darul Uloom Deoband)2. Mufti Waqar Ali (Assistant Mufti

Darul Uloom Deoband)3. Mufti Mehmoodul Hasan Bulanshehari

Issued under the seal of Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Deoband Read More...

WOW!

Look at these! I am looking for something for the children to play with since the newly renovated playground in the back of our house is already covered in some of the most disgusting profanity. These look so incredible, although I was thinking of something a bit more modest than say #133. Read More...