The Ottawa Muslim Homeschooling Network

Recent Meeting Summary

2009-12-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

Asalaamu Alaikum

Our recent meeting was a success! We had several 'new' sisters to our group, and enjoyed meeting each other. There was a mistake made on my part in the renting of the rooms, but we finally got ourselves where it was best we be, in the boardroom and the adjacent room, and then were able to get down to 'business'.

Topics discussed were choice of curriculum, and sticking to it. Since one of our members uses Calvert nearly exclusively, she gave us a beneficial description of the pros and cons. Other sisters mentioned that they create their own curriculum from what they have available.

A website was mentioned that I have found very useful that is on the links on the side, Homeschool Inc. It has a free planner that you can plan out your whole year, by semester, even down to daily assignments. All the sisters seemed excited about that one. Since using it, I am petrified that something should happen to my computer or internet access, I rely on it so heavily!

I expressed a problem I was having and got some excellent answers to it. My oldest homeschooled daughter shows a lack of initiative to the point where she is behind. She is very intelligent and insightful and reads books like other kids eat candy, but to get her to practice her handwriting, writing of any kind at length, and math is like pulling teeth! I have other kids to homeschool so her work often gets untouched, and postponed from day to day. There were two suggestions made that I will avail myself to:

1. Offer her curriculum as much as I can in the form of reading.
2. Get her around other girls her age who homeschool, to motivate her

We agreed to meet monthly and that the time and day was good for everyone. InshaAllah I will post to the group and possibly on the blog here when our next meeting will be, but shoot for approximately a month from now. I would like sisters to be more vocal about what they would like for the kids, and themselves, to do during our meetings. Please reply to this entry, or post to the group!

Muslimville Contest makes Ramadan Cool!

2009-08-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

Asalaamu Alaikum

The Muslimville "Making my Ramadan Cool" contest is such a nice way to spend Ramadan. I remember as a child in the days coming up to Christmas, we'd have a little box and opened a door each day to reveal a chocolate to eat. It was a reward for patiently waiting for the holiday.

While I know that Muslims have now begun producing this type of thing for children to use after iftar during Ramadan, the activities in the Muslimville contest far outrun a chocolate a day.

Four programs in the contest focus on each of the main areas that Muslims should be improving themselves to get closer to Allah: Gaining good habits, charity, staying away from bad habits, and learning more about Islam.

My family is going to participate, and the class I teach on the weekends is in it's second year of participating.

I have already invited the Muslim homeschoolers of Ottawa to the contest, and whether or not you want to actually register, the materials for participating are sure to be of use during this blessed month. I create activities from time to time for my weekend class, and for my kids, so check the link to the HILAL class to download coloring pages and learning activities to use with your kids through Ramadan, and of course anytime in the year.

Alhamdulilleh Ramadan is finally here, and we can start working on ourselves. Our children are able and willing to do this too, so don't make the mistake of simply offering them sweets at iftar, but involve them in whatever you do to get closer to Allah, and then they can taste the sweetness of iman!

Good ol' parenting advice - from July's Muslim Link

2009-08-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

World-seasoned educator shares knowledge with Ottawa

Staff Writer

If there is was just one line that would sum up Maria Khani’s perspective on the role of parents in their children’s lives, she says it’s this one, found written on a t-shirt during one of her many trips:

"Don’t blame me, blame my parents!"

In other words, parents are responsible for how their children turn out, says the educator, activist, and world-traveler.

Khani, who currently resides in the U.S., was in Ottawa on a personal visit in May and she offered to share her experiences and reflections with the community.

An engaging storyteller, Khani filled the ears of audiences with advice ranging from how to make your child love to get up in the morning (without wanting to hit you with a pillow), to how to instill a love of Islam in his or her heart.

Here’s are some of her tips:

1- Play

Quoting a saying of Imam Ali, may God be pleased with him, where he says children should be played with until the age of seven, after which they are disciplined for a further seven years, and then befriended for the next seven years, Khani suggest ways to do it.

For example, prayer times should be a time of great joy for young children, not something that is rushed. Parents can tickle and play on the prayer mat and display affection before starting, so that children have a positive association with this important ritual.

2- Love

Parents can nurture love within the home and love for Allah and His Prophet through gentleness and warmth.

Pick up the Quran, take your child in your arms and read together. Ask him or her to point out words they know or that you want them to learn.

Move beyond memorization alone, and capture your child’s imagination by telling them the stories that would make a typical fairy tale pale in comparison. Flying creatures? Al-Buraq. Miraculous objects? A Pen, which wrote about everything that would happen. Look for topics that would engage children – study the animals in the Quran and work on crafts that relate back.

Make the adhan a fixture in your home.

3- Encouragement & Support

Respect is key to the success of any family, and translates to communities where children are heard and are encouraged to participate. This starts at home. Parents should make time for their children – why do teachers often know more about our own children than we do? If that’s the case, more time with your child is in order.

Respect your child’s needs. No one likes to get up in the morning and immediately head to work, for example. Give children at least one hour and a half before they have to leave the house, or start an activity. How best to wake them up? Massage them, kiss them – make waking up a bonding activity that everyone looks forward to. Make sure children are well fed before starting the day.

4- Teach generosity

Encourage children to share with others. Only buy them what they need, not what they want. Let them give of their time and their effort, and they will soon prefer to give, rather than receive.

5- Muslim versus mainstream

Make Eid an awesome party. Talk about the point of celebrating achievements – for birthdays, celebrate mothers who achieved giving birth and raising children! Show how every day is St. Valentine’s Day, or Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, through promoting love and respect in the family.

Teach about sensitive issues – like sex education – through references to the Qur’an and Sunnah (which a parent can slowly impart between grades 4 to 7). Other health topics from the Seerah include information on how to keep bodies clean.

For daughters, show the honour of hijab, emphasizing its beauty as something a woman voluntarily does for the sake of Allah. Mothers should talk about how they feel about their hijab, and share their own experiences with it.

6- Father’s Role

Parents should consult each other on how to raise their children. In Surah Al Baqarah, Allah Talks about the decision to wean a child as one that both parents should make.

". . . but if both desire weaning by mutual consent and counsel, there is no blame on them," (Quran, Chapter 2, verse 233)

Nowadays, many fathers have given up this responsibility, but it is important for them to remain involved in the upbringing of their children.

7- Remember the goal

When Prophet Zachariah called on God to grant him a son, he wanted someone to carry on the Prophetic tradition. The aim of having a child was to raise someone up who would carry on the mantle of righteousness.

"And surely I fear my cousins after me, and my wife is barren, therefore grant me from Thyself an heir, Who should inherit me and inherit from the children of Yaqoub, and make him, my Lord, one in whom Thou art well pleased." (Quran, Chapter 19, verses 5-6)

Remember, Prophet Noah lost his son because his son’s actions had cut him off from his own father (which shows that ultimately, even the best parent cannot be sure of the outcomes.)

"[God] said: O Nuh! surely he is not of your family; surely he is (the doer of) other than good deeds, therefore ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge; surely I admonish you lest you may be of the ignorant. "(Quran, Chapter 11, verse 46)

Raise your children with love and kindness, and pray that God will save us all.

READ!

2009-07-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

A list of favourite books – by the Ottawa Muslim Homeschooling Network

www.omhn.blogspot.com

Annotated Bibliography:

Hilmy the Hippo series by Rae Norridge; the Islamic Foundation

Hilmy is an endearing hippo who shows patience and thoughtfulness in his actions. Pictures are well-done, showing nature scenes that are peaceful but in which real questions and conflicts occur. Good for exploring feelings.

Allah Gave Me series; the Islamic Foundation

Lovely illustrations, easy and fun rhymes.

I CAN! Series; the Islamic Foundation

After one reading, my five-year-old tried reading the rhymes herself. She had already memorized most of the catchy phrases – or was trying very hard to!

Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan, by Tony O’Brien and Mike Sullivan; Bloomsbury Children’s Books

We’re studying Afghanistan right now, so you’ll find a few books related to this country. This book is a lovely non-fiction collection of pictures and voices of Afghan children talking about their dreams. Brings their reality home to young children (my daughter is fascinated by the lives of Muslims abroad, particularly those in conflict zones.)

Listen to the Wind; the story of Dr. Greg and the Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth; Dial Books for Young Readers

Gorgeous collage photographs. Beautiful true-story with real-life photos at the end. Emphasizes the goodness of humanity and how people of different faiths and backgrounds can work for the common good. Absolutely splendid. There is also an early reader based on the ‘three cups of tea’ that we are in the queue for at our library.

The Rooster’s Gift by Pam Conrad; A Groundwood Book

Beautiful tale about a rooster who realizes it isn’t his morning call that brings up the day – an Islamic teacher would continue the story to explain that it is Allah Who Brings it on. Otherwise, the story does not lack in imagination, or attractive images. Reminds readers indirectly that every being has its purpose but it is Allah Who Controls everything (connection would be made by the educator).

Stem Series; Learning Roots

This publisher has a number of books out for different levels. We just happen to have borrowed the highest level from a friend but I’ve been able to modify it for my five-year-old. However, after looking at their website, I realize they have a lot more available! From the Stem Series, though, I can see these books are extremely well thought-out and challenge children to think, as well as absorb Islamic stories.

Qur’an Stories for Little Hearts; Goodword Kidz

Of course Goodword Kidz has a lot of titles to choose from and it makes for lovely introductions to the tales of the Prophets, etc.

The Roses in My Carpets by Rukhsana Khan

This is for mature six-year-olds or older. It is sensitive subject matter referring to war and pain. I am actually not yet sure if I will introduce it to my daughter yet. Perhaps mature seven-year-olds? But my daughter is so interested in learning about others and about war so I might try it with a lot of explanation and talking. I want her to be sensitive to the word, but not fearful of it.

Kids Will be Kids series, Nabeel Akbar; Kids Will be Kids

http://www.kidswillbekids.org/tb.html

videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/kidswbkids

On a lighter note, these books are terrific in showing Muslim kids having fun in typical pursuits – sledding down snow-covered hills, looking for bugs in the garden, going to the playground. The stories rhyme and are very enjoyable. Pictures are cute.

The following are further lists / comments submitted by OMHN members, (sorry if there are duplicates):

Islamic

"A to Z of Akhlaq" - Goodword

"Goodnight Stories from the life of the Prophet Muhammad" (may peace be upon him)- Goodword

Uthman ibn Affan (may God be pleased with him) adapted from the Arabic by Amal Khatab published

by Ta-Ha Publishers

The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) by Ahmad Thomson published by Ta-Ha

Portraits from the lives of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad

(may peace be upon him) 3 volumes by abdur Rahman Al-Basha translated by Alexandra S,

Al-Osh published by the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in

America

The Prophets of Allah by Suhaib Ghazi Vol 1-5 published by Iqra

The Prophets of Allah published by Safeer

The Great Light series of 12 books about the Seerah published by Safeer

My Moroccan Village by Nagy and the whole set

Avicenna

When the Moon Split by the same author of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtoum

Books by Harun Yahya

Tell Me About.. series by Saniyasnain Khan, Harun Yahya, Luqman Nagy

published by Goodword Kidz

The Ramadan Adventures of Fasfoose Mouse

The Hajj Adventures of Fasfoose Mouse

Saladin Heroes of the East series

Muslim Nursery Rhymes by Mustaf McDermot

Books by Khurram Murad --some were liked better than others

Tapes by Anwar Al-Awlaki

We love the Arabic books produced by Scholastics. There is just so many of them. We ordered a set for grade 1, and it seems that Haajar enjoys most if not all, alhamdulillah.

Books by Noura Durkee

The Eman Series, edited by Bilal Philips

Muslim Child by Rukhsana Khan

The Amana Reading series by Uthman Hutchinson { Jamal's Jam,

Crocodiles Pray, etc}

Secular

"Ten little ladybugs" - Melanie Gerth

"If you give a mouse a cookie" - Laura Joffe Numeroff

"Cock-a-doodledoo! Barnyard Hullabaloo" - Giles Andrea & David Wojtowycz

"The Giving Tree" - Shel Silverstein (MY FAVOURITE)

"Sitting Duck" - Michael Bedard

-Most Robert Munsch books.

"HOP ON POP" - Dr. Seuss

"Green Eggs and Ham" - Dr. Seuss

"The Berenstain Bears and the dinosaurs" - Stan and Jan Berenstain

"Now you can read about Whale and Sharks" - Mary Hoffman

"Arthur's Reading Race" - Marc Brown

"Arthur's Promise" - Marc Brown

"Mole in a Hole" - Rita Golden Gelman

"Thomas' Big Storybook" - Random House Children's Books

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Charlotte's Web by E B White

Star Wars The Clone Wars by Karen Miller

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Secret Garden by F Burnett

Heidi by J. Spyri

The Swiss Family Robinson

The Meat Eating Vegetarian

Cheng Ho

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel

The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss

The Bernstein Bears Go to the Moon by Stan and Jan Bernstein

Beatrix Potter books

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

There's a Wocket in my Pocket Dr Seuss

A Dragon in a Wagon by Jane Belk Moncure

Rabits' Habits by JB Moncure

"Let's Talk about... " (Tattling, Disobedience, Bossing etc)

Books by Robert McCloskey

Curious George by H.A. Rey

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott

Some by Robert Munch

Some by Nancy Tafuri

Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

* * *

Toddlers to Preschoolers

Berenstein Bears (especially The Berenstein Bears and the Messy Room, ... and the Gimmes - mom's favourites - and the Great Honey Hunt

All of Richard Scarry

Are you my mother? By PD Eastman

All of Dr Seuss (especially The Lorax, the Sneeches, Horton hears a Who ...all a profound social commentory - as well as the rest)

Some of Robert Munsch (Paperbag Princess; Andrew's Loose Tooth; Smelly Socks)

Silly Chicken by Rukhsana Khan

Early Readers

Amelia Bedelia

Berenstein Bear Chapter books

Beverly Cleary

Rohld Dahl - selected (Fantastic Mr Fox; the Enormous Crocodile)

Enid Blyton

Encyclopaedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

Joy Berry's Lets Talk About ...

Joy Berry's A Fun and Easy Way to .... (I remember the books, but think the series may have gone under another name, but the content still appears to be the same.)

The Boxcar Children

William (a series by Richmal Compton)

Bob Books

Not so fast: Home schooling trumps full-day kindergarten

2009-06-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Research shows home-schooled kids outperform their public-school peers. So why so is there little or no financial encouragement for parents to take it on?

Some time ago, our library held an information night for home-schooling parents. The room was jam-packed.

Seated beside a mom with coiffed hair, polished nails and an elegant suit, I listened wide-eyed as audience members talked about a world I had totally misunderstood and stereotyped.

They talked about children who weren't being challenged at school - one daughter came home crying, begging her mom to let her stay home and “teach” herself. Another parent described a school that just didn't know what to do with her rambunctious boy, so she decided to take over. He excelled.

None of them were hippies. None seemed overly religious or way out there. In fact, the only trait they shared was a conviction that they – as moms and dads – could better prepare their children for life.

And you know what? They can.

A 2001 study by the Fraser Institute – updated in 2007 – looks at the growing phenomena of home schooling in Canada and the United States and sets out compelling evidence.

“Many studies, Canadian, American and international, have found that home-schooled students outperform students in both public and independent (private) schools,” write the authors, Patrick Basham, John Merrifield and Claudia R. Hepburn.

They point to a 1994 Canadian study that found that home-schoolers would score, on average, at the 80th percentile in reading, the 76th percentile in language and the 79th percentile in mathematics. Those in school score at the 50th percentile, on average.

In England, a three-year study concluded that home-schoolers achieved better results in both literacy and mathematics. Home-schooling movements are growing there, as well as in Germany, Japan and Switzerland.

So why isn't any of this mentioned in Charles Pascal's report on full-day kindergarten?

I'll quote from John Taylor Gatto to answer that one. He's an award-winning public school teacher from New York who retired after 30 years on the job when he realized school systems were failing students.

“We have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think ‘success' is synonymous with, or at least dependent upon, ‘schooling,' but historically that isn't true in either an intellectual or a financial sense,” Mr. Gatto writes in his 2008 book, Weapons of Mass Instruction . He argues that mass schooling is actually meant to serve economic and political interests, not those of the child.

Mr. Pascal's report is a natural extension of the mainstream's approach to education – let “specialized” people handle it. But parents are often better equipped to know what their children need and how best to deliver it. The problem is, parents get no support, no encouragement, and are usually working.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Jessie Wise, author of The Well-Trained Mind , was also a public school teacher in the United States before deciding to stay home and teach her own children. “When I started, I was convinced I could never do it,” she writes. Her daughter, who co-wrote the book with her, is testament that not only could Ms. Wise do it, she could do it well. “I loved going to school at home,” enthuses Susan Wise Bauer, now a novelist who teaches English and literature at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Most children do love it – research shows that home-schooled children have fewer problem behaviours, watch less television and, overall, are more content.

The Fraser Institute's study also raises two startling points: Children who are home schooled by a parent trained in teaching achieve about the same academic results as children whose parents are not; parents who didn't even finish high school can still do a better job of teaching their children than public schools, scoring “a full 55 percentile points higher in math and 49 points higher in writing than public school students from families with comparable education levels.”

Of all the provinces, only Alberta and British Columbia financially support home-schooling parents in one way or another. Other provinces barely notice them. But the number of Canadian home-schooled children is growing rapidly: One source puts the number at 2,000 in 1979 and 17,523 in 1996, an increase of 776 per cent (The numbers don't include those who aren't registered with school boards, or Quebec home-schoolers who aren't counted at all. Home-school associations put the number as actually being closer to 80,000).

It makes sense for governments to offer parents incentives to take this on. It's cheaper and will give parents more choice while freeing up space in public schools for those without an alternative.

Source: Globe & Mail

Say it ain't so - a sneak peak at John Taylor Gatto's latest book

2009-06-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

From the Prologue of Weapons of Mass Instruction:

“ . . . Once you understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid. School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently. Well-schooled kids have a low-threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they’ll never be bored. Urge them to take on the serious material, the grown-up material, in history, literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology – all the stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone; they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired, quickly abandoned. Your children should have a more important life, and they can.

First, though, wake up to what our schools are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands. Mandatory education serves children only incidentally: its real purpose is to turn them into servants. Don’t let your own have their childhoods extended, not even for a day. If David Farragut could take command of a captured British warship as a preteen, if Ben Franklin could apprentice himself to a printer at the same age (then put himself through a course of study that choke a Yale senior today), theren’t no telling what your own kids could do. After a long life, and thirty years in the public school trenches, I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress geniums because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.”

Wanna hear more? Just say so. . .

2 more philosophies on education....

2009-05-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

Continuing on from several posts back, here are the summaries of a couple more early childhood educating pioneers* -

Jean Piaget - Switzerland, born in 1896.

& Lev Vygotsky - Russia, born also in 1896.

Jean Piaget

As epistemologist (someone who studies the nature and beginning of knowledge), Piaget asked the question how children learn, rather than focus on the what and when.

He said that learning is either intrinsic -- coming from the child, or extrinsic -- imposed by the environment or taught by adults. Piaget preferred seeing children try to make sense of their world and would say, "construction is superior to instruction." From this, he meant that children learn far better when it is hands-on, building upon Montessori's work.

Like Dewey, he believed that children learn when their curiosity isn't fully satisfied, so KEEPING CHILDREN CURIOUS is what drives learning, is what he theorized.

Piaget developed stages of Cognitive Development that looked like this:

Birth to 6 months --- Stage: Sensorimotor -- Behaviours: learning through senses, reflexes, manipulate materials

18 months to 6 years - Stage: Preoperational -- Behaviours: Form ideas based on their perceptions, can only focus on one variable at a time, overgeneralize based on limited experience

6 years to 12 years - Stage: Operational -- Behaviours: Form ideas based on reasoning, limit thinking to objects and familiar events

12 years and older - Stage: Formal Operational -- Behaviours: Think conceptually, think hypothetically.

Advice for teachers of young learners:

- Provide large blocks of free play time

- Provide real world experiences

- Plan open-ended activities like planting seeds' ask open-ended questions to support cognitive development

* * *

Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky's greatest contribution is called the theory of the "zone of proximal development", or ZPD, defined as:

The most difficult task a child can do alone and the most difficult task a child can do with help. He believed that another person, teacher, classmate, etc., can help a child learn a new concept - through the process of scaffolding.

Just like offering a painter something that is out of reach, a peer or teacher can offer the child new information to reach a new understanding. It means that teachers must be keen observers.

To apply ZPD, teachers should

- observe children carefully and plan curriculum that encourages their emerging abilities

- pair up children who can learn from each other.

Language development

Vygotsky encouraged conversations with children, as well as social interaction among children who can help each other learn new things.

Summaries from the book "Theories of Childhood: An introducation to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky", written by Carol Garhart Mooney.

How to make a difficult subject fun!

2009-04-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

At a recent meeting the presentation was about how to make a difficult subject fun and interesting, for the mom and the child! Although the subject matter was general, we ended up talking about math mostly as for some of us math is challenging and we don't have nice memories of studying it in school. Here are some tips on what to do when you're frustrated with a subject in your homeschool:

Difficult to teach? Hard to Understand?

Go back a grade level to review the steps to learning the skill until all the basics are there
Recruit help from dad, grandparents, other family, older siblings
Relax and enjoy teaching and put aside your own bad feelings about the subject
Discuss the subject matter outside of class during the course of the day
Don't push! There doesn't need to be any pressure for your child to finish all of the subject areas at a certain grade level all at once. Enjoy the freedom that homeschooling gives you!
Use helpful vocabulary. Difficult>challenging Hard>takes more effort

BO-ring?

Buy toys or games on the subject, or off the subject that can be made to play on subject.
Computer games
board games
card games
manipulative toys
Get up and move (esp. boys), use song or rhyme. Look in the library for rhyming educational poems, we've gotten some fun ones from there, or modify popular tunes to set them to the vocabulary you are studying
gamesforlearning yahoo group is a great resource for turning everything into a game, and they have templates in the groups files, from the author of the book "Games for Learning"
involve food preparation, shopping, travelling, in the subject area

Child hates the subject

Find what your child likes and relate the difficult subject through that theme
Example: fashion girl
Math: how many dresses do you like. Make a fraction showing the number of dresses to those that you would wear
English: How does it make you feel when you have a new outfit on? What was your favorite outfit and why did you wear it for the first time?
Science: Natural fibres vs chemical fibres and why those in top fashion would need both to create their fashions
Social Studies/History: How clothing has changed for women over the years, and why
Arabic studies: What are the terms for the clothing in Arabic, describe the ideal outfit in the Arabic language

And of course ask Allah to help in any situation and Allah will give you ease in your work. Remember always the goals of homeschooling that you have set out, and remember that your children must enjoy the school experience to get the most out of it, and you will burn yourself out pushing too hard on a subject that you are frustrated with as well.

Phases of Learning according to Erik Erikson

2009-04-08T03:01:00.000-07:00

Born in Gernmany, in 1902, Erik Erikson would study in Austria and the United States to develop important observations about children.

While he was at Yale University, as a researcher, he wrote "Childhood and Society", considered a classic by those in the related fields.

He came up with an idea called the "8 stages of man", summed up here from a website on childhood development*:

Erikson's Eight Stages of Development

1. Learning Basic Trust Versus Basic Mistrust (Hope)

Chronologically, this is the period of infancy through the first one or two years of life. The child, well - handled, nurtured, and loved, develops trust and security and a basic optimism. Badly handled, he becomes insecure and mistrustful.

practical suggestions: hold babies close, respond to crying babies right away

2. Learning Autonomy Versus Shame (Will)

The second psychosocial crisis, Erikson believes, occurs during early childhood, probably between about 18 months or 2 years and 3½ to 4 years of age. The "well - parented" child emerges from this stage sure of himself, elated with his new found control, and proud rather than ashamed. Autonomy is not, however, entirely synonymous with assured self - possession, initiative, and independence but, at least for children in the early part of this psychosocial crisis, includes stormy self - will, tantrums, stubbornness, and negativism. For example, one sees may 2 year olds resolutely folding their arms to prevent their mothers from holding their hands as they cross the street. Also, the sound of "NO" rings through the house or the grocery store.

suggestions to foster independence by: giving children simple choices, don't give false choices, set clear, consistent, reasonable limits, accept children's swings between independence and dependence and reassure them that both are okay.

3. Learning Initiative Versus Guilt (Purpose)

Erikson believes that this third psychosocial crisis occurs during what he calls the "play age," or the later preschool years (from about 3½ to, in the United States culture, entry into formal school). During it, the healthily developing child learns:

(1) to imagine, to broaden his skills through active play of all sorts, including fantasy

(2) to cooperate with others

(3) to lead as well as to follow.

Immobilized by guilt, he is: (1) fearful (2) hangs on the fringes of groups (3) continues to depend unduly on adults and (4) is restricted both in the development of play skills and in imagination.

Suggestions to support children's development of initiative in the third stage, educators can: encourage children to be as independent as possible,

focus on gains as children practice new skills, not on the mistakes they make along the way

set expectations that are in line with children's individual abilities

focus curriculum on real things and on doing

4. Industry Versus Inferiority (Competence)

Erikson believes that the fourth psychosocial crisis is handled, for better or worse, during what he calls the "school age," presumably up to and possibly including some of junior high school. Here the child learns to master the more formal skills of life:

(1) relating with peers according to rules

(2) progressing from free play to play that may be elaborately structured by rules and may demand formal teamwork, such as baseball,

and

(3) mastering social studies, reading, arithmetic. Homework is a necessity, and the need for self-discipline increases yearly. The child who, because of his successive and successful resolutions of earlier psychosocial crisis, is trusting, autonomous, and full of initiative will learn easily enough to be industrious. However, the mistrusting child will doubt the future. The shame - and guilt-filled child will experience defeat and inferiority.

5. Learning Identity Versus Identity Diffusion (Fidelity)

During the fifth psychosocial crisis (adolescence, from about 13 or 14 to about 20) the child, now an adolescent, learns how to answer satisfactorily and happily the question of "Who am I?" But even the best - adjusted of adolescents experiences some role identity diffusion: most boys and probably most girls experiment with minor delinquency; rebellion flourishes; self - doubts flood the youngster, and so on.

Erikson believes that during successful early adolescence, mature time perspective is developed; the young person acquires self-certainty as opposed to self-consciousness and self-doubt. He comes to experiment with different - usually constructive - roles rather than adopting a "negative identity" (such as delinquency). He actually anticipates achievement, and achieves, rather than being "paralyzed" by feelings of inferiority or by an inadequate time perspective. In later adolescence, clear sexual identity - manhood or womanhood - is established. The adolescent seeks leadership (someone to inspire him), and gradually develops a set of ideals (socially congruent and desirable, in the case of the successful adolescent). Erikson believes that, in our culture, adolescence affords a "psychosocial moratorium," particularly for middle - and upper-class American children. They do not yet have to "play for keeps," but can experiment, trying various roles, and thus hopefully find the one most suitable for them.

6. Learning Intimacy Versus Isolation (Love)

The successful young adult, for the first time, can experience true intimacy - the sort of intimacy that makes possible good marriage or a genuine and enduring friendship.

7. Learning Generativity Versus Self-Absorption (Care)

In adulthood, the psychosocial crisis demands generativity, both in the sense of marriage and parenthood, and in the sense of working productively and creatively.

8. Integrity Versus Despair (Wisdom)

If the other seven psychosocial crisis have been successfully resolved, the mature adult develops the peak of adjustment; integrity. He trusts, he is independent and dares the new. He works hard, has found a well - defined role in life, and has developed a self-concept with which he is happy. He can be intimate without strain, guilt, regret, or lack of realism; and he is proud of what he creates - his children, his work, or his hobbies. If one or more of the earlier psychosocial crises have not been resolved, he may view himself and his life with disgust and despair.

These eight stages of man, or the psychosocial crises, are plausible and insightful descriptions of how personality develops but at present they are descriptions only. We possess at best rudimentary and tentative knowledge of just what sort of environment will result, for example, in traits of trust versus distrust, or clear personal identity versus diffusion. Helping the child through the various stages and the positive learning that should accompany them is a complex and difficult task, as any worried parent or teacher knows. Search for the best ways of accomplishing this task accounts for much of the research in the field of child development.

Socialization, then is a learning - teaching process that, when successful, results in the human organism's moving from its infant state of helpless but total egocentricity to its ideal adult state of sensible conformity coupled with independent creativity.

* originally appeared at http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/erickson.shtml

Suggestions from "Theories of Childhood", by Carol Garhart Mooney

Montessori's secrets to succesful learning

2009-03-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Visionary*

Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. After spending her youth committed to learning, she would emerge as the first female in her country to graduate from medical school in 1986.

It was working with young children diagnosed as "unteachable" that her fascination with the learning needs of children emerged. She would go on to open a children's home for underpriveleged children who would blossom under her dedicated tutelage - her methods became a model for schools around the world. She was nominated for three Nobel Peace Prizes.

Her success lay in her ability to create environments that suited the needs of children - furnishings that were just their size. Tools that fit easily in their hands. A place where children were in control and could easily initiate activities on their own.

Child-Centered Environments

Montessori wanted teachers to create pleasant sensory experiences for children. She also believed that if their play was beautiful, orderly and matching their small bodies, children would learn better.

She said early childhood teachers should:

- provide real tools that work (sharp knives, good scissors, woodworking and cleaning tools)

- keep materials and equipment accessible to the children, organized so they can find and put away what they need

- create beauty and order in the classroom

Competence and Responsability

- Montessori encouraged educators to let kids do as much for themselves as possible

- Also, that repitition creates a sense of confidence and a real chance to develop skills

- The teacher's role is to prepare the environment and then step back for the children to go ahead and do what they will

Accordingly, educators should:

- give children the responsability of keeping space clean and orderly

- offer big chunks of time for free work and play, where children structure their own time

- offer children lots of opportunities to do "real" work, and to "help" as they so often ask to do

- help build skills -- increase a child's competency

Secret ingredient for any succesful educator:

OBSERVATION: Take time for careful observation and reflection and use these observations to guide your environment and curriculum planning.

CHILD-LED learning sums up Montessori's approach to a tee.

Thanks for reading! The next profile will be of Erik Erikson - stay tuned!

*Summaries derived from Theories of Childhood: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky, written by Carol Garhart Mooney.

Students need real civics lessons: educator

2009-03-27T01:52:00.000-07:00

Current teaching methods don’t encourage critical thinking

By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen, March 26, 2009

OTTAWA-If you want to know education researcher Joel Westheimer’s opinion of civics in the school system, just check out the title of his recent paper and a lecture he will be giving Thursday night: “No child left thinking.”

Westheimer, who holds the university research chair in democracy and education at the University of Ottawa, will speak tonight at Lisgar Collegiate Institute on “testing, accountability and the threat to Canadian democracy.”

While North American schools talk about good citizenship, they have done little to kindle critical thinking, he says.

“The kinds of goals and practices commonly represented in curricula that hope to foster democratic citizenship usually have more to do with voluntarism, charity and obedience than with democracy. In other words, ‘good citizenship’ to many educators means listening to authority figures, dressing neatly, being nice to neighbours, and helping out at a soup kitchen — not grappling with the kinds of social policy decisions that every citizen in a democratic society needs to learn how to do,” he wrote in No Child Left Thinking.

Sure, it’s important to feed hungry people and act morally and ethically, says Westheimer, who taught grades 6, 7 and 8 — what he calls a “crazy and amazing age” — in New York City during the ’80s. But the next step is the harder one: find the source of a problem in society and think of ways to solve it.

A community food drive illustrates the three types of “good” citizen. The “personally responsible” citizen will contribute if asked. The “participatory citizen” will organize the drive. The third type, the “justice-oriented” citizen doesn’t see charity and volunteerism as ends in themselves and instead asks why people are hungry. That type of citizen is rarely nurtured in the schools, he says.

(For the record, yes, Joel Westheimer is the son of that other Westheimer, sex therapist Dr. Ruth. “It’s less interesting than you might think. She wasn’t Dr. Ruth when I was growing up,” he says.)

After Westheimer left the classroom in New York, he headed for Stanford University. He taught at New York University, and has lived in Ottawa for the past seven years.

In the past two decades, civics have become more formally woven into the curriculum along with increased standardized testing.

It’s not necessarily a good thing, says Westheimer. The focus on literacy and numeracy have forced other kinds of learning to take a back seat.

“We can test math and reading skills, but it’s harder to test critical thinking,” he says. “We end up caring about what we can measure instead of measuring what we care about.”

In Ontario, civics is now a mandatory course in Grade 10. Westheimer believes it actually turns students off civic engagement because it’s dull.

“Kids really want to get involved. But they’re involved in such superfluous ways, they get disengaged.”

Two years ago, Ontario also mandated “character education” for all schools in the province. In an editorial for Orbit, the magazine of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the writers noted that research in the U.S. has demonstrated character education has a positive effect on student discipline and achievement. Teachers are also happier because student behaviour and the tone of the school is improved.

Maybe character education improves discipline, but so does beheading, jokes Westheimer. Critical thinkers are not easy to teach. “Everyone likes to teach critical thinking, but no one wants to teach a class of critical thinkers.”

He argues that the time and resources spent on character education would be better spent in creating a stimulating curriculum. When students are engaged, then discipline problems are reduced.

“They’ll cause trouble for the right reasons,” he says. “Some forms of trouble are the engine of democratic society.”

Quick primers on pioneering theorists of early childhood education: Part 1

2009-03-22T00:37:00.000-07:00

Sound exciting?

It actually is. Read this, and upcoming posts, and you'll discover that it's fascinating to understand the roots of modern thinking around early childhood education. Here is the first profile of five that will explore the thoughts of some of the most influential thinkers on child development.*

John Dewey (American, born 1859; PhD in philosophy, significant contribution to education - "My Pedagogic Creed", a document published in 1897 by the Progressive Education Association)

Quotes:

-"[T]rue education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself."

- "The school life should grow gradually out of the home life. . . It is the business of the school to deepen and extend the child's sense of values bound up in his home life."

- "I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not preparation of future living."

- "I believe, finally, that the teacher is engaged, not simply in the training of individuals, but in the formation of a proper social life."

Dewey believed that teachers must:

- have a strong base of general knowledge as well as knowledge of specific children

- be willing to make sense of the world for children on the basis of their greater knowledge and experience

- invest in observation, planning, organization and documentation

Advice:

- Observe children closely and plan curriculum from their interests and experience.

- Don't be afraid to use your knowledge of the children and the world to make sense of the world for children.

When planning activities, teachers need to ask:

- How does this expand on what these children already know?

- How will this activity help this child grow?

- What skills are being developed?

- How will this activity help these children know more about their world?

- How does this activity prepare these children to live more fully?

An experience, according to Dewey, can only be educational if:

-It is based on the children's interests and grows out of their existing knowledge and experience.

- It supports the children's development.

- It helps the children develop new skills.

- It adds to the children's understanding of their world.

- It prepares the children to live more fully

How can early childhood educators use Dewey's criteria?

- Do not accept "it's fun" as a justification for curriculum, but ask how an activity will support the children's development and learning

- Invest in organization and documentation of the children's work.

*summarized from "Theories of Childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky", written by Carol Garhart Mooney

What every parent should realize when it comes to their child's education

2009-03-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

One of the great scholars of Islam, Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali said it best when he described the child as "a trust (placed by God) in the hands of his parents,
and his innocent heart is a precious element capable of taking impressions."

With these thoughtful words in mind, Muslim parents know
they face an important responsibility in guiding their children on a path of
learning that will impress upon their hearts sound knowledge.

Where are they getting that knowledge? Muslim students are attending all sorts of classes in a variety of environments. The majority of Muslim students in Canada attend public schools where there is little opportunity for Islamic learning. Other Muslim children and youth are taking classes in Islamic schools and high schools. Here in Ottawa, for example, there are
Muslim elementary schools as well as one of Ontario's few Muslim
high schools (Ottawa Islamic School) and a small minority of Muslim
children are at home, taught by their own parents, which is legal in Ontario.

So who among our children is gaining sound knowledge?

Any Muslim parent or educator would agree that first, and
foremost, a child must understand what it means to be a Muslim. At the
outset, this is a simple exercise, but the goal is to raise a child who is
aware of Allah Subhana'wa Taala in every action and who looks to the
final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as an example.

This kind of outcome can only come about through constant
effort by parents regardless of where the child spends the school day.

To be aware of Allah Subhana'wa Taala requires knowledge of
the Quran. Islamic tradition encourages children to memorize the Quran
between the ages of 7 and 9. It may seem like a daunting task to adults;
however, most children are quick to absorb information. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said that on the Day of Judgement, crowns of light
await the parents of a child who has memorized the Quran.

Memorizing and understanding the Quran would require
knowledge of Arabic; an important skill for anyone who sincerely wants
to gain sound knowledge. But are Muslim parents placing as high an
emphasis on learning Arabic as say, learning French?

Compare these two assessments of the Quran by two British
men. Marmaduke Picktall described the Quran as, “That inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy."

On the other hand, Thomas Carlyle dismissed it with the following words: "As tedious a piece of reading as I ever undertook, a wearisome, confused jumble, crude, incondite --
nothing but a sense of duty could carry any European through the Koran."

In his anthology of Islamic literature, historian James Kritzeck wonders
and then concludes,

"How could two sensitive and intelligent men
of very similar backgrounds differ so markedly concerning a book which
everyone knows is a wold classic? The answer is complicated, but it can
be made simple: Pickthall read Arabic and Carlyle did not."

Learning Arabic also opens up many new worlds to our children,
because vast tracts of Islamic literature remain untranslated from
Arabic. It offers the student an opportunity, too, to read the words of Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him), in their original form.

Sources: Anthology of Islamic Literature "From the Rise of Islam to Modern Times" selected, edited and introduced by James Kritzeck, 1964 Canada, Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada, Ltd. Western Education vs. Muslim Children by Khadija Anderson at www.jannah.org/articles/ westernedu.html

This article first appeared in the Muslim Link, Sept. 2003.

Fun times at free fair this weekend

2009-03-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

Check this out:

http://ottawagogreenexpo.com/visitor/features/kids.html

"Hey Kids, let's SORT - Start Organic Recycling Today & Reverse Global Warming with Earth Worms . . . . ."

Worms? Who could resist? Making your own house out of recycled materials? Why not?

New website launches out of UK

2009-03-15T02:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.islamichomeeducation.co.uk/

What it contains:

* Nine years worth of articles on all aspects of homeschooling. There is a wealth of information in those articles written by sisters who are home educating.

* A free forum where you can meet other sisters who homeschool or who are considering starting and discuss everything pertaining to home education.

* Plus a children’s gallery on the forum to upload pictures of your children’s work.

* Children's competitions, and updated newsletters

New book series that puts our kids in the stories!

2009-03-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind,

* * *

Storytelling is hugely important in the lives of our kids. I could go on and on about this, but I think most parents know instinctively that their children appreciate a good story - and that it is a chance to help shape their understanding of their place in the world.

So, el Hamdullilah, I was delighted to discover a new book series homegrown in Canada, that tells fun stories about children that look, talk and think like our own kids.

The books are as well-produced and as well-written as any mainstream book, but simply incorporate simple phrases and images that reflect an Islamic identity. Here's an example of the cute rhyming and subject matter, though as you see in the image above, the pictures in later books are even better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL6xzw7kKN8

And check out the website for their available titles: www.kidswillbekids.org

I'm hoping to bring these books to Ottawa, so email me if you are interested!

homeschoolingmuslimah@gmail.com

Neat site

2009-03-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Assalamu Allaykum sisters,

The website is called homeschoolfreebie - and today, Friday the 13th - Rabee' al-Awwal 16 - they've got a neat and short little booklet on time management available for free download.

If you miss it, just sign up for email notices to catch future freebies!

Enjoy!

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Nurturing Learning: March 10 Meeting

2009-03-11T02:52:00.000-07:00

Bismillah Al Rahman Al Rahim

* * *

About eight moms and a huge pack of children ranging in age from five months to 13 years, gathered at a local community centre on Tuesday morning. It was the first meeting of the reinvigorated Ottawa Muslim Homeschooling Network - full of the "new generation" of homeschooling mommies, receiving much needed advice and guidance from the veterans amongst us. Here's the rundown of what went on. Special thanks to the young gentlemen and ladies who took care of the little kids in the room next door, and did a great job - providing lollipops and crafts. Also, a thank you to the bakers amongst us who supplied both kids and moms with delicious treats, masha'Allah.

Start of the meeting

Introductions kicked off the gathering - most moms who were present listed their children as being under about six years old, however two moms also have teenagers - a subject that deserves a whole session of its own, joked our presenter, Sakina.

The super-busy mother of six then began sharing her experiences with getting organized for the school year. Sakina is currently homeschooling four children (including a friend's), while her eldest opted for school a few years ago, in grade 5 (which, although with its own set of challenges, is a mercy says Sakina because it would have been otherwise too difficult to keep up with her daughter's studies, while homeschooling the littler ones.)

Sakina's TOP TIPS

1- Name your homeschool: This will help give homeschooled children a sense of place, and a confident answer when inquiring minds want to know exactly where they go to school. Sakina's was called 'Flowering Hearts', though now that her learners are mainly boys, it may have to change to something a little more manly.

2- Decide what to teach - Moms - figure out your abilities and resources. Don't teach Slovackian if you don't know it.

3- Be flexible - let children follow their interests. Sakina's five-year-old loves to draw so she just lets him go and he is teaching himself how to write with very little guidance - simply because he wants to be able to describe the pictures he draws.

4- Look at where you live, where you hope to live. Check homeschooling laws.

5 - Plan subject by subject, level by level. Assess your children's abilities through gentle ways - no exams, please : ) .

6- Be fluid. Children will grasp information at their own pace, so work with them at their own level with a general outline of where you want the child to get to.

7- Figure out ways to teach a subject to varied age groups, eg. water wheels - teaches one child about renewable energy, other children about water sources & energy, etc. Simultaneous learning would make it easier for moms teaching multiple ages.

* * *

How to plan for Learning: Sakina's method

Plans for 3 semesters each year, each consisting of 8 weeks.
Roughly plans the entire year - in a very basic way, based on Ontario curriculum
Then breaks it down by semester goals
Then by weekly goals and schedule
Then daily -- where creativity comes in to prepare lesson plans/ resources to use

Related points

Languages : Combines oral, written elements of a particular language in the same day, ie. Arabic Day will have conversation in the morning, later on there will be written work in Arabic, etc., to keep it together, and in the minds of children instead of spreading out subjects in the same language throughout the week.

Setting Goals: Children are different in what they can achieve. Think of different ways of imparting knowledge. For example, Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, would touch people when he wanted them to listen well. It works wonders on children to get them to pay attention. (One sister mentioned a study on touch therapy and its positive effects.)

Use affection to help teach, esp. when a child is struggling.

Let go: Sometimes it is important to remind yourself of your own hang-ups on a subject and figure out how to teach it without letting your own feelings about it creep into the experience. Sakina had to pretend to love math, when she didn't at all - and now, masha'Allah, math is her daughter's favourite subject!! Make it fun!

Flexibility: Do what you can, but don't force anyone to do what they don't like. Leave a lesson for a few weeks, let the child enjoy the experience. Don't make them dislike it.

When to start teaching: Whenever kids are ready.

Thoughts & Reflections

Sakina mentioned the saddest thing she heard from her school-going daughter was when she replied that "I don't need to know it", about learning more on Canadian government. Sakina wants kids to LOVE learning and want to know more, not to think about education as a list of items to be checked off, one by one, to meet school requirements.

"My goal is to have children ENJOY learning."

Quick tips for The Learning Day

- Start with Quran - lots of blessings, helps children retain / receive information, improves memory

- Be prepared at least the day before

- Teach subjects that are relevant to their lives, like social studies/ French

- And, most important of all, build relationships with your children.

* * * **
To all of you

Jazak'Allahu Kheiran to everyone who was able to attend, and to those who were with us, without being physically present : )

Next meeting will be at the same location, on April 14, Rabee'ath thaani, from 10 a.m. to one p.m. The subject will be Resources - how to plan lessons, and a closer look at curricula options.

Housekeeping

El Hamdullilah, we were also able to start a lending library of books, so please bring your borrowed materials to next meeting, and anything you would like to share with other Moms & their children.

Future plans include a meeting about the differences between girls and boys when it comes to learning; and a plan to organize a community conference related to homeschooling. Sugar Bush visit also in the works, Insha'Allah.

* * *

All goodness is from our Most Merciful Lord; It is He Who Taught Humanity by the pen, what we knew not. We praise Him and Thank Him for His Kindness, that is immeasurable.

اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْـتَنِي وَ عَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي
"Allâhumma infa‘nî bimâ ‘allamtanî wa ‘allimnî ma yanfa‘unî" {Oh Allah! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me.}

In this month's ML newspaper: Organizing playtime for Muslim kids

2009-03-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yet another relevant story from our favourite community paper (see our events section for the precise details):

"Playgroups can be a great
opportunity for pre-schoolers
to meet and play with other
small children and develop their
personal and social skills. But for
many Muslim mothers in Ottawa,
ensuring that their little ones have
Muslim playmates is tough. Most
mothers have little choice but to
take to their children to city-funded
playgroups where their children,
sometimes only a few months
old, are exposed to unIslamic
influences.
One young mother is hoping
to change that, however. The
Muslim Link spoke to Hala
Adam, the coordinator of a new
Muslim playgroup at Outaouais
Islamic Centre in Hull. "

To read the full article, go to:

http://muslimlink.ca/downloads/09mar.pdf
page. 8

From the pages of. . .

2009-03-06T01:26:00.000-08:00

. . . here's a snippet from an article that appeared in our community newspaper last year, but is still fun to read:

Learning on Mom's Lap

Members of the Ottawa Muslim Homeschool Network discuss home-based learning

Nine-year-old Zaahid wakes
up to a cup of hot chocolate,
six days a week. It's a
pleasant way to ease him into
a morning of Quran
memorization. A little while
later, he relaxes before
plowing through his math and
English worksheets so that he
can later indulge in his love of
books.

His younger brother,
Isma’eel, aged 7, has his own
leisurely breakfast before
spending half an hour playing
outside, burning off some of
his endless energy. Later, he
snuggles onto his teacher’s
lap for phonics, which he is
still struggling to master.

Two children, same family,
same basic philosophy of learning, yet two very
different learning programs. Welcome to the world
of homeschooling.

For full article, go to
http://www.muslimlink.ca/downloads/07sep.pdf
page 14

Mom of the year - to all the OMHN moms

2009-03-05T00:46:00.000-08:00

A special award to all of us!

Here are the rules of this tag:

1. Admit one thing you feel awful about (involving being a mom). Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. Remember you are a good mom!

2. Remind yourself that you ARE a good mom, list 7 things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you.

3. Send this to 5 other moms of the year that deserve a reminder that they are too the best moms that they can be. Remember to send them a note letting them know you have selected them, and also add a link to your post that directs people back to the person who nominated you.

* * *

Sometimes I feel awful that I desperately need to do things just for me.

1. I love being close to my kids, watching them grow.
2. I love doing my best to nurture their good traits.
3. I love when my girls are excited about what the day will bring.
4. I love it when my child internalizes what we’ve learned — “Allah can make anything happen, He just says ‘Be!, right mom?’”
5. I love it when they talk about how much they love Allah Subhan’wa Taala and His Prophet.
6. I love it when they are happy.
7. I love it when we pray together.

3. I tag:

fisabillilah
loving Allah and raising my kids
Teaching Mastery for the English speaking muslim child
Come share my thoughts. . .
Talibideen Jr.

omhn.blogspot.com

* * *

Why Would a Muslim Homeschool?

2009-03-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

In different presentations and conversations I've had in Ottawa, I've gotten different opinions and attitudes from those in the community. The reactions can be summarized as follows:

-"Isn't that illegal?"
-"I thought that kind of thing was for strict Christians"
-Looking at my kids with a sympathetic face, worried for their education
-Insulted, defending the honour and purpose of our local Islamic schools

So this post I will examine each opinion and discuss how valid is each concern.

No, homeschooling is not illegal here in Ontario, although in other parts of the world it is. Alhamdulilleh the organized groups of homeschoolers have fought long and hard to make sure they could homeschool legally. One step beyond Ontario is Alberta, which offers people's school taxes back to them, if they homeschool, MashaAllah. If you don't believe me, you can check out the authority on homeschooling in Ontario and find all the legal stuff here.

As for homeschooling being left to the Non-Muslims, I say that Muslims didn't come up with chocolate first either, but that doesn't mean we can't share in the sweetness! (Expect a lot of my posts to include the word 'chocolate' by the way) For the Muslim family that can homeschool, we can bypass a lot of the fitnah (trials) that Muslim kids endure among Non-Muslim teachers, students and materials. Just imagine the difference between studying ancient pagan civilizations and making your child actually fascinated in the culture, as opposed to explaining that the culture was destroyed by Allah because of their wrong-doing and oppression of the believers and rejection of His Prophets. Imagine keeping your child away from school during the the Non-Muslim holidays or enduring Christmas coloring pages, as opposed to continuing on the school schedule, oblivious to the holiday, except perhaps with a lesson as to it's evil origin....

And the level of educational standards is the easiest point to discuss, as every exclusive, private school that produces the future leaders of the world has a small ratio from teacher to student. The larger the class size, the less one-on-one time the student has to understand the information. Now, let's take that teacher and make him or her know the student from birth, being thereby aware of his/her likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and put that child in the comfort and relaxation of their own home, and you have: homeschooling. There is also a greedy satisfaction in watching your child learn and grow under your care, and having your hand in what your children learn and how they learn it, without you ever asking yourself, "When's the last time I spent 'quality time' with the kids?"

Those who run the local Islamic schools, and those loyal to them, need not be insulted by Muslim homeschoolers. By and large, the main reason that Ottawa Muslims homeschool is because they cannot afford the tuition or live beyond bus service. There are of course those that have actually taken their children out of the Islamic schools to homeschool them, but this is still a better solution than public school.

For those reading this article with interest since you don't homeschool yet, I want to say that you can still be a large part of your child's education even if they attend school. If they are in public school, make sure to make time for Islamic studies at home, or at a weekend school, such as this one. Play tapes or CDs of Quran in the house, and reward them for memorizing new surahs outside of school time. As Muslims, we should always strive to teach what we know, and continue to learn, and the best place to start is with our children.

Math Contest

2009-03-02T18:17:00.001-08:00

In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind,
* * *

From a local homeschooling mailing list:

"You STILL have time to register your kids so they can participate in
the World Math Day. This is a totally FREE online event for all kids
around the globe!

The event takes place for the whole time it is March 4th anywhere on
the globe, so in reality it starts when it's still March 3 in the US.

In the World Math Day, children from across the globe unite in their
quest to set a world record in answering mental arithmetic questions.
This event involves more than a million students from 160 countries.

Why should your or my children participate? Well, they might love
being part of setting a world record! And it's just simple math questions!

Also good to know:

* The event is designed for all ages and ability levels.
* There are prizes.
* And it's FREE!

I registered my oldest daughter. She's enjoyed competing against other
kids around the globe. Each competition takes 1 minute and the program
finds 2-3 other kids to compete against. She also likes that you can
choose the hair color, style, and hat or other head piece for your
virtual character.
Please read more about the registration, the levels, and so on. Or go
directly to WorldMathDay. com to register. "