Resources for evaluating!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

It's that time of the year that most of the homeschoolers worry, panic, wonder, ponder if they have really taught the kids what they should know! I get many email from different sisters as to how I evaluate Maimoonah each year. 

While evaluating is something good I do not agree with putting kids into a great stress by making them sit exams. The kids learn very less by studying for an exam, but they learn pretty much more by just doing a project which includes researching, writing, experimenting, learning as well as exploring! 

Yes I hear you! But what about grades, marks reports!!!! True some of you may be living in places that necessitates grade certificates for each grade or you may be convinced that you should have certificates ready in hand in case you had to send the kids to a formal school at any given time. If that is the case I am afraid you may have to go through a program that could give you the certificates each year and choose what is best for you and your kids.

As for us we do not need evaluated certificates for each grade as I have chosen Cambridge as our curriculum which consists of Primary, Secondary and GCSE Ordinary level right up to GCSE Advanced Level. Even though this Curriculum is purely catered for schools, using this for homeschooling is not a big issue. You do not get an opportunity to get a certificate for each grade or level, but GCSE can be done privately at any age and you can get the Cambridge Certified Certificate for all subjects, plus you do not have to sit all the subjects one shot rather you can choose when to sit what subject. 

In my opinion and experience,  for kids younger than 5 there is absolutely no need for any kind of evaluation, test or exams. They learn every moment and they will continue to learn as long as you have been consistant and have been facilitating the right materials and environment, 

But the feeling and issue becomes a bit deep when the kids are getting older. You seem to stop and think how do I know if my kids are been taught the right thing!!! I have this feeling too, so to get over it this is what I do now. (While Maimoonah was younger I did not do this at all).

I download papers that go along with the Cambridge Curriculum online and end of the year give Maimoonah to do. She thinks its part of her work and keep doing. And I ask someone else  to correct it for me just to see if we have covered everything and we are on track. 

Alhamdulillaah this works for us and I am able to understand the weaknesses, mistakes and strengths, Here are some links from where you could download resources for free.

• SAT UK Papers - English, Mathematics and Science
• More SAT Papers
• National Curriculum Assessment Papers UK
• Education.com - This an American site and they have some nice workbooks for each grade downloadable on monthly or yearly subscription
• For Arabic and Islaamic Studies I make my own revision papers to go with what we have covered for the entire year.

Any other links and resources to download past papers? How do you evaluate and get over this in your homeschooling joaourney?  Please share by commenting!

Al Israa wal Mi'raaj - Lapbook

Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad sallaahualaihiwasallam) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad allaahualaihiwasallam) of Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. (Soorah Al Israa 17:1)

Alhamdulillaah we had a workshop for the kids on Al Israa and Mi;raaj few days ago. With the permission of the sister at Muslim Learning Garden we redid the layout of the lapbook with additional information. May Allaah reward sister Umm Aayah and her friend for helping me with the layout and design as usual. The Lapbook template could be downloaded here 

We got the kids the folders and while explaining each page the kids assembled each page on the lapbook.

This is the cover.

 The next page has the summary on a diagram of the happening with explanation of the terms such as Buraaq, Al Israa, Al Mi'raaj.

Then comes the facts of what happened before the journey, the description of Buraaq, and the happenings at Masjid Al Aqsaa.

The next page is about the Prophets met by the Messenger of Allaah on each heaven and all about Baitul Ma'moor.

 

Sidratul Muntaha and story of the order of Salaah is described on the next page which also includes the meeting of Allaah and the revelation of the last two aayahs of Soorah Baqarah.

 

Next page has the ahadeeth of what the Messenger of Allaah witnessed at Mi'raaj such as the punishments for some sins and some companions in Jannah.

This page talks about what happened the next day in Makkah and how Abu Jahl and the people ridiculed the Messenger of Allaah and about how Abu Bakr radhiyallaahu anhu got the title As Siddeeq,

The last page talks about the innovation of celebrating Al Israa wal Miraaj with a Fatwa of Shaykh bin Baaz raheemahullaah.

The sources and links are given in the last few pages,

We finished the lapbook with the kids and also had a review question and answer session which was interesting and we were happy to note that the kids really got something out of the workshop and working on the lapbook as all of them showed enthusiasm and answered many of the questions correctly, 

The kids had some snacks and took home their lapbooks after enjoying a quality evening. Alhamdulillaah! 

I thank the sister and my dear friend who opened up the house for this session and the sister who organized the workshop and the sister who helped with narrating and questioning the kids at the session. Jazzaakumullaah Khayr for all your efforts, 

Free Download Link - Israa wal Mi'raaj Lapbook

Origami Fun!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Picture Courtesy of Origami Qatar

Alhamdulillaah last Saturday our kids and mums had a blast at the Origami Workshop which we organized for the QMuslimah kids with the talented sister Afsheen here in Doha. Maashaa Allaah she was just wonderful and the kids loved the whole session from the very start! She is known as Origami Addict Qatar and you can read her sweet story here

Afsheen was very clear with her step by step instructions from the beginning till the end and the kids easily followed her and started folding the sheets of papers. She was also helping the kids and looking into each and everyone until they all could get every step right! Mums were around making Origami with the kids too and we all enjoyed the session.

The kids learnt to make an Origami Ice Cream, a Sail Boat, Little Origami Notebooks, Flower and stem on a Card, Sun Glasses and cute little dresses and Abayahs. 

 

 

Maimoonah just loved the whole session. And loved making the notebooks. As she came home she could just make few more simple but cute little notebooks without any assistance,

 

If you are in Doha and if Maimoonah knows you do not be surprised to get few of her handmade origami notebooks as gifts Inshaa Allaah as I see her making them for different people by saying w m, w m!(that's a part of making the notebook!) 

Maimoonah is also trying to remember how to make little dresses as she once heard Umm Mujahid from Taalib.com talking about her kids drawing dresses to indicate little girls and little boys while doing Art work, thus avoiding the drawing of figures with souls. Alhamdulillaah! These little Abayahs the kids made with little help are a bit complicated but with practice the kids would get a hang of it soon Inshaa Allaah!

This was a much needed change and a boost for homeschooling kids Maashaa Allaah and they really enjoyed the out of home activity. Maimoonah loved the company of the fellow homeschoolers and the other kids and the group session with Origami was something ideal for a change! 

 

If you are in Doha your kids must enjoy this session with Afsheen. Head over to Katara Arts Studio every Saturdays 2 to 6 until June 2015, register before that and enjoy and learn. Do not forget to find out what is this w m, w m is all about! You can contact Afsheen via her Facebook Page

Our sincere thanks to Afsheen for the fabulous workshop. Jazzaakillaah Khayr, We hope we could have another one soon Inshaa Allaah if time permits! 

The Hungry Reader!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Alhamdulillaah with Maimoonah growing by the Grace and Mercy of Allaah challenges grow too! One major challenge that I am facing now is supplying enough appropriate materials to contend her hunger for reading! When she was small it was easier to satisfy her with few books here and there and it was much easier for me scan through the materials before she get them on to her hand.

As a vivid reader from an early age she can just survive only with books from the time she wakes up till she goes to sleep this without wanting to play or do anything else except salaah. I would be so satisfied if she could do that if all the books she reads would be based upon Islaam and all are beneficial.She is fine with it too as long as the books are interesting and gives engaging information. But sadly as you all know it is not that easy to find such books that would be pleasing to our eyes!!!  Few months back I became more and more concerned with what I want her to read. 

Children do love fiction, mysteries, adventures and the likes. As there are differences of opinions with regard to reading fiction books amongst the scholars as much as I would like to totally eradicate such books, I just did not want to do more harm than good by taking that stance, especially because Maimoonah is brought up without TV and exposure to other entertainments like games and etc. She does go online for reading online or do some educational activities. She has no toys except for very very few little things. Of course we take her out to play and engage her in acceptable edutainment activities. Other than all of this most of her time is spent on reading. The challenge for me is no proper library, and even if I am to buy some books they are pretty expensive plus how should I provide something that is balanced and would benefit her?

This led me to consult one of the students of knowledge and discuss my concern. Alhamdulillaah the naseehah I received:

 "Focus upon always finding them some forms of beneficial non-fiction, from historical to practical to craft (knitting crochet sewing, cooking ) etc." 

"In terms of fiction books there is some historical fiction  that seems to not have the dangers of modern books. And Allaah knows best. Because things creep in unnoticed. Here I think you just have to use your discretion and always , make sure to read/skim well before hand."

So I have been thinking on those lines and making some effort to make it beneficial for Maimoonah. We do not have a fully fledged Library here where we can choose materials and benefit and very rarely you would find some good books in the stores and even if you do find some they would cost a huge amount. But Alhamdulillaah my dear friend here in Doha who has 3 girls and are also homeschooled and faces similar challenges invests in books and readily shares everything with us. Last week Maimoonah borrowed these books and this really made me write this post in spite of all my commitments!

These books keep her occupied for hours and she learns too. When she talks about what she read we try to relate that back to the perfectness of Allaah's creation. 

Opening more than 80 odd flaps and looking through the little details makes it fun and exciting indeed.

Working on those lines here are some of ideas that have occurred to me that I hope to make it work when I am relieved of some commitments soon Inshaa Allaah. I thought I would share them here for myself first and for others out there who are in a similar situation.

Islaamic Books

Alhamdulillaah the QMuslimah Library has some nice Islaamic books. So we keep borrowing them in and off. Other than them we focus of the Golden Series of the Companion Books by Darus Salam. I think now they are having a new edition on those series that look much more attractive. These books along with the Sealed Nectar, Stories of the Prophets, Darul Kitab Books, When the Moon Split and the Noble Qur'aan are what Maimoonah reads and re reads especially when she has ran out of other books I am happy to note that she can hang on to these for some hours! 

Non Fiction Books

Look for these kinds of non fiction books that can be useful for a long time. Checkout this website for some nice books as they seem to be much cheaper than others. Science Books and Encyclopedias are doing the job too! Having some hands on experiment guidebooks and sp[lying some of those items to use and try things out would occupy them for sometime and helps them to investigate and discover while acknowledging the ability of Allaah to Create everything. 

Arts and Crafts

Girls this age I think are very creative and love to do more and more arts and crafts activities. Those days just painting would be more than enough but now I find that Maimoonah loves to explore some creativity coupled with imagination. Having some Arts and Crafts books and sewing projects would be a lovely idea with some materials to explore. Especially with the Community Project at the Tarbiyah Classes she is learning how to perfect her crafts and make use of them. So I would want to have some craft supplies and Arts and Crafts books to help her explore Inshaa Allaah. 

Sewing

This is something we need to work on again. Due to time and other commitments we have not being continuing sewing for a long time and hopefully Inshaa Allaah I want to start on easy projects with her soon. Little sewing idea books would also help in this case and would love to get her some supplies soon Inshaa Allaah! 

Fiction
To have a balance I also lookout for some old fiction books with good language and give her those books. Some of the books she has read are some of the famous five books, Sheltie, Animal Ark and few others. Almost all of these books have some thing or the other unislamic contents, so we make sure that they are explained and corrected.

Cook Books
Cooking books and projects are next online. Maimoonah is trying out her cooking skills but I need to make her more independent soon Inshaa Allaah. Reading and understanding some cooking and homemaking skills would benefit her. Need to work on those lines soon Inshaa Allaah!

Trying some healthy snack after reading a recipe! 

Those are few of the things that came to my mind. I am sure many of you are doing these already and please do share what more you do to keep you little reader occupied.

Alhamdulillaah every situation we are in is indeed a blessing and mercy of Allaah that we keep remembering His Greatness and we keep learning many things too. As children grow we need to think ways and means to emphasise more and more the purpose of our creation and make them contend with worshipping Allaah alone and inculcate the passion to do so with whatever is available. May Allaah make it easy for all of us and may He keep our children firm upon His Straight Path. Aameen!

We are Still Around!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalaamu alaikum dear sisters!

Jazzaakumullaah Khayr for all of you who mailed me, left comments, and sent me messages inquiring my well being. It was indeed touching and may Allaah bless all of you. I have been battling for time to blog, subhanallaah as right now I have some family commitments that needs to be attended to! Please do keep us in your duaa and ask Allaah to rectify our affairs!

All of us are well by the grace and mercy of Allaah, Maimoonah is growing and is busy with her work and reading even though we are not giving her enough attention these days. Inshaa Allaah things will change soon and we should be sharing some beneficial projects she has been doing and will explore more possible projects too.

Blogging will happen slow inshaa Allaah for the next few months and we will try to share as and when possible what we have been upto!

Baarakallaah Feekum to all of you.

Umm Maimoonah

Tarbiyah Girls Club - Level 2 - Class 5

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

At the 5th Class of the Tarbiyah Girls Club we learnt the next part of "Who is your Prophet?" in Al Waajibaat where the kids learnt the interesting parts of seerah with regard to receiving the revelation and the details of the Prophethood and Messengership. We learnt the excellent example of Khadeejah radhiyallaahu anhu as well along with the other incidents!

We also learnt the benefits of the ahadeeth mentioned.

As for Tahaarah the children learnt the next hadeeth from the book of Tahaarah - Continuing with etiquettes in relieving oneself we learnt the ruling of facing the Qiblah.  

Alhamdulillaah there was a lot of benefit in learning this hadeeth as it explains the ruling and also teaches the kids what to do in case of already built toilets that are facing the Qiblah and gives the example of the sahaabah with explanation. The kids were busy thinking about their own toilets and bathrooms at home and in which directions they were built. Its really pleasing to see the girls trying to apply and act upon the knowledge they have learnt. Alhamdulillah

For the next few classes we hope to get the kids to make some crafty items for a reason! We thought of educating them that the skills that Allaah has given us can be used to worship Him alone and please him. We hope to do a community project with the girls where the kids will make some items each week and after few weeks and when we have enough items the kids will organize a yard sale and sell those items. The proceedings from the sale will be given in charity Inshaa Allaah. Our main aim here is to make the kids go through the process from scratch which is first and foremost the "Intention" then the learning the skills, then using them well to please Allaah, understanding how to organize and plan an event, and of course the essence and benefit of giving charity!  

So we started off with talking about intention and what our intention should be. We made them understand how this project is connected with worshipping Allaah alone and the reward for every step they do, We hope to talk more about Ibaadah next time Inshaa Allaah!

Then we started with our first project which is making some little magnetic items. This week the girls painted and made the papers to past on the items!

As for Great Women in Islaam we learnt the life story of Aayshaa Radhiyallaau anhu. 

Alhamdulillaah the kids really enjoyed and there was a lot to learn from this for all of us. The kids were amazed to know the size of the house she lived in and the things she used to do. Every incident was filled with lessons to learn and discuss. They all loved the little stories of Aayshah and Inshaa Allaah we will continue it next session as well.

Tarbiyah Girls Club - Level 2 - Class 4

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Continuing with Level 2 of the Tarbiyah Classes we had Class 4 sometime back. The Girls learnt the second part of "Who is your Prophet?" in Waajibaat. This included the following:

• Where he was born
• Names of his parents
• How many years did he live in makkah and how old was he when he died
• Knowledge about his life

Learning about our Prophet sallaahu alaihiwasallaam is always refreshing and the kids are enjoying!

As for Adab Al Mufrad we continued with obedience to parents this time the girls learnt about Avoiding cursing the parents. This hadeeth also brought out many other aspects that we discussed such as how the companions were so diligent is preserving knowledge and conveying!

We had completed the cutting skills for home making at the last class. Since there are few new students enrolled for this level we decided to talk about our Role Models and make a poster as a revision for all!

So we spoke about who is Sahaabiyaat and there characteristics and why are they our role models. The kids used their creativity and made some beautiful posters! I have lost the pictures of the posters Qadarallaah.