‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page’. St. Augustine. The above quote resonates with me. I say so because as a homeschooling mom, I know and I can attest to the health and spiritual benefits I gain while traveling with my family. Without any iota of doubt, I believe that traveling is a passport to the world especially for us as homeschoolers. We could schedule to travel any time of the year and have the flexibility and the choice to choose anywhere we would like to visit. It could…
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Homeschool Planning: Involve Your Child
I have had this task on my mental to-do list for the longest time. Alhamdulillah I finally was able to execute it a few days ago; discuss my 11-year old son’s homeschool plan for the upcoming school year with him. I strongly believe in having the child involved in homeschool planning. Of course, it’s obviously the parent’s judgment call to decide how and to what extent the child should be involved, but because of the flexibility homeschooling affords, this can be feasibly done. Ownership When we hand over the reins…
Read MoreA Different Kind of ‘Homework’: The Value of Incorporating Chores Into the Homeschooler’s Life
Cleanliness is half of faith Prophet Muhammad (SAW) [Sahih Muslim] If you ask a homeschooling mother about the struggles and challenges of home education, chances are she will express the constant struggle to keep up with the messes that come along with it. Homeschooling is a fulfilling, enriching, and explorative journey that the family embarks on together, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. However, the journey is messy, sticky, and can be dreadfully disorganized. When we turn our learning loose, and we trade in our lengthy, dull, drawn out curriculum…
Read MoreTechnology in the Homeschool Classroom
Education is no longer about rote learning or memorizing details and facts. Our children still need to develop fundamental skills such as reading and writing but, in reality, we are living in a time when learners need to take a more active role in their own education. Children need to be engaged; they need to develop and learn skills that the outdated, “traditional Industrial Revolution education system” and passive learning style, can no longer provide them with. We need to redefine standards and curriculum. We need to ask ourselves exactly…
Read More3 Key Ingredients to Homeschooling a Young Child: Play
Part 1 “I am struck by the fact that the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true of human beings. We do not wish to see children precocious, making great strides in their early years like sprouts, producing a soft and perishable timber, but better if they expand slowly at first, as if contending with difficulties, and so are solidified and perfected. Such trees continue to expand with nearly equal rapidity to extreme old age”– Henry…
Read MoreA Meeting of the Minds
“In later days, the Prophet (SAW) told his Companions that there was no Prophet who had ever lived on this earth, who had not worked as a shepherd,” I read emphatically from the Goodwords Seerah book. “Mama!” My daughter squealed excitedly, “Even Prophet Musa Alayhisalaam?!” My daughter is absolutely obsessed with the life of Prophet Musa Alayhisalaam. When I told her that I had named her after his adoptive-Queen mother who is also one of the women of Jannah, she was beside herself with pure joy. “Even Prophet Musa Alayhisalaam,”…
Read MoreAre You On The Verge Of Homeschooling?
Are you thinking of homeschooling but unsure of where, when, and how to start? Do you often ask yourself if you are ready to add this extra unique occupation to your motherhood title? It’s natural to go into that thinking mode. Most, if not all homeschooling families, have their own story of how they finally came to making a huge decision to dive into homeschooling. I am very proud to say I am one of those homeschooling parents. For me, it involved some really deep thinking, thorough discussion with my…
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