Week in Review

Last week was busy, mashaALLAH. In fact, it will probably feel very busy around here for the next month since Ramadan is on the way, InshaALLAH.

We've been doing a lot more work in a shorter period of time and so far, so good, AlhamduLILLAH. My daughter likes the shorter sessions but she sometimes wants more to do, lol. This weekend, she did extra work so now she's a bit ahead.


Last week, we finished our plant growing section. We learned about growing food and what it takes to make the cereal that we eat.




We also finished our plant growing experiments. We discovered that our plants will not grow if they are missing one of the key components (air, light or moisture). We filled a jar with water and beans and then waited a couple of days to note the changes, if any.





I knew they were going to stink, lol but for the sake of learning, I asked her how they smelled. You can see from her expression that they did not have a pleasant smell.




We also kept track of the other beans that we laid on a moist paper towel inside a plastic bag.



MashaALLAH, those beans are doing well and we have added soil to a small jar to nourish them.



She is very proud of them and is treating them like her new pets (we released the snails a few days ago).





We also began notebooking for our Islamic Studies.





We are using the notebooking binder pages from Talibiddeen Jr. along with our Stories of the World books by Safia Iqbal.

Our second lesson was on the early men and clues of them left behind by archaeologists. Of course, we also learned that the biggest clues about how people lived is found in the Qur'an.

We also attempted to make tools by using twine, sticks and rocks.







We're also learning about implementing Islam outside the home and the importance of being a good Muslim no matter where you are.



When it was all over, my daughter put together an Arabic alphabet puzzle that we bought her last year for Eid. We were so busy after having the baby that she never got a chance to open it!

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Time to shop around

Since my last post, we've been busy in these parts. We just returned from the library, well, actually, we went to two. I am trying to create a library for my kids so I visit the neighbors when they have yard sales and we check the library for old stock. The first one that we visited didn't have any discards but the second had a few interesting books and vhs tapes.



Oh, and I was excited to get this in the mail today:



It's available at Islamic Bookstore. The kids are at the age where they are getting a bit rowdy with one another and they are starting to have issues with sharing and pushing so I have to step in right away. I want them to treat one another with respect in the home as well as outside. The cards are neat; I think everyone could benefit from these, not just Muslims. You can't go wrong respecting your elders or visiting the sick and there's so much baraka to be gained from doing so.


We have nearly finished the Calvert Kindergarten curriculum and it's time to figure out what to do next. I ordered Saxon Math 1 and am very excited to get it. I've read a lot of good things about it and hope that it helps me to not only keep my daughter on track but give her a good foundation. As for the rest of the curriculum, that is still being decided.

My son is of preschool age (2) so I have to get started on that as well. He's learning the Arabic alphabet now via Alif is for Asad which is excellent, and with this puzzle that we purchased from Noor Art some time ago.



We also need to work on potty training and I hope Elmo helps me get the job done a little easier because the boy so far is what I would call a bit reluctant.




We used to watch Art Attack
all the time and I always wanted to do some type of Papier-mâché because it looked so simple and fun. I remember making an elephant in grade school and it turned out really well. My daughter has an interest in planets and solar systems right now so we have dabbled in an informal unit study on planets. Science and social studies are introduced in first grade so I think I might make some lapbooks. In the meantime, we made the planet earth and it is so cool!


I can't believe how well it turned out and must say we are quite proud of it. Now, we just need to do the rest of the solar system - and the moon, eek! Read More...