Essential Lessons for Every Muslim - Scrapbook

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

As per our schedules we started Shaykh Ibn Baaz's raheemahullaah Essential Lessons for Every Muslim. This is a very comprehensive book that includes Important things or rather the obligated matters of the dheen that every Muslim must know.

It has 18 Lessons. The First lesson deals with Soorah Faatihah and the Short Soorahs from Soorah zalzalaah till Soorah Naas. The rest of the lessons explains about The Shahadah, Tawheed, the five pillars, Pillars of Eemaan and many more essential things that every Muslim Must know.

The Resources we are using for this Scrapbook are as follows:

1. A Scrapbook - I got some thick papers and got them bounded.
2. TJ's Essential Lessons for Every Muslim Lesson Plans and Worksheets
3. Explanation of the Important Lessons for Every Muslim published by Darussalam
4. Stickers, Sticky Notes, Coloured pens and other stationery stuff for decoration
5. Salafyink Soorah Faatihah Worksheet (used this for the First Lesson,details are below)

We together did the cover page of the Scrapbook and this is how it looks.

We started with the First Lesson which is about the Soorahs. It starts with Soorah Faatihah and we have completed Soorah Faatihah. We will cover each soorah each week and get on with other lessons mainly to give variety for Maimoonah and this would make it interesting.

We learnt about Istiaathah and Basmalah then asked her to trace the Isthiaathah and the basmalah. Then we wrote some important facts about them.

I made her listen to Soorah Faatihah and made her recite to me and corrected her pronunciation as much as possible even though its still not perfect. But Alhamdulillaah she is good with it. Then we went through the Tafseer of it. We learnt the meaning for each aayah, the different names of the soorah, where it was revealed, the benefits of it and the connection it has with our daily salaah.

I wrote the Soorah Faatihah on the scrapbook and asked her to trace while reading it. Then I wrote the meaning of each aayaah in pieces of papers and asked her to choose the correct meaning for each aayah and paste underneath each aayah. Then I asked her to identify the aayahs that tell us the three categories of Tawheed. I wrote the three categories on three sticky notes and asked her to paste at the correct aayaat where we can find the three different categories of Tawheed. Alhamdulillaah she did well and this further testifies the benefits of teaching Tawheed to Children from a very small age.

Then I told her to use whatever she likes and display on one side of the scrapbook the different names given to Soorah Faatihah and to write anything she wants where she can give more information about this soorah.

So this was totally independant work and she came out with the above page. I included the benefits of Soorah Faatihah to make it complete.


I feel this is a very beneficial way of learning our dheen as it includes many areas of learning and very much more interesting than worksheets. If you want to try this with your kids and you are not sure how to get about it mainly if you feel that you yourself need to learn before you start off with your kids, do not worry, you still can do it. Learn with your kids by sticking to what is in the text of the book. This book is written in such a way that everything that you need to know is in there and just read through the chapter before you want to do it with your kids and get together and just use your creativity and start doing Inshaa Allaah. If you have multiple kids same age range it would be even more interesting and would be a great family time too while you can make sure each member of the family learns those important lessons without too much fuss Inshaa Allaah. I hope this would benefit you all as much as it is benefitting us.

Will be updating as we finish each lessons to make it easy for others as well Inshaa Allaah.

Work Basket!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

We have started our homeschooling while waiting for some resources still. Inshaa Allaah all resources should be with us in a few days. 

So what is our set up this year!?

Since space is very limited this time, we have adjusted our classroom and work boxes accordingly.

Last year we started the workboxes system and it made things easy Alhamdulillaah. We used mesh file folders as workboxes last year. But to adjust according to space and resources available we are using a "Work Basket". The day's work to be done are arranged in this Basket with Subject labels inside each book or resource.

 When she finishes the work the "Done" card is updated. And when the work is over Basket is empty.

 Then I refill the basket with the next day's work and keep everything ready. It is working well as same as before, but "Work Basket" does give a cosy feeling I guess and she is happy about it.

And this is her working area.

And these are some of the HomeSchool Supplies we got for this year.

Getting back to routine after a break as usual is not all that rosy. She tends to be more playful these days but finds the work challenging and is determined to get things right even though she is getting immuned to distractions. Strangely though, I thought as they grow up attention span increases and distractions decreases, but I feel the opposite sometimes. When she was younger she had less distractions!!! Each child is unique I guess and needs to be handled accordingly. But with all this the introduction of Scrapbooks is received well by Maimoonah as she is getting very much involved in them to the extent she wants to do only "Islaamic Studies" the whole day!

Will update about that later Inshaa Allaah. Hope you all have started the new homeschool year and enjoying too by the Mercy of Allaah!

Our Schedule - School Year 2013/2014

This is our flexible schedule of course subject to changes. Click to enlarge Inshaa Allaah!

School Year 2013/2014

Islaamic Studies

1. Usooluth Thalaathah
We will continue with Usooluth Thalaathah the last two Principles.


2. Essential Lessons for Every Muslim - Lessons by TJ
Now that Maimoonah is 6 years old I think, its kind of  right time to know these Important lessons that Shaikh Abdul Azeez bin Baaz raheemahullaah put together and our dear sister Umm Ibraheem has done all the necessary lessons to go along with this book Maashaa Allaah. So this year we will be doing this with hands on activities Inshaa Allaah.

3. Prophets Sent by Allaah
We started the Prophets Sent by Allaah scrap book two years ago but were unable to do anything last year due to relocation. Inshaa Allaah now that she is grown and knows almost all the stories of the Prophets it would be more meaningful to continue this book. So we will be using Ibn Katheer's Stories of the Prophets for this.

4. Our Role Models
Maimoonah has been reading the Golden Series of the Prophet's Companions along with the Companion Quest. So we thought we would start on  a "Our Role Models" Scrap Book which could be continued in the future as well. So we plan to learn about each sahabah and to have a master scrap book with brief details about each of them Inshaa Allaah.

5. The Inheritors of the Prophets

Maimoonah has come to understand that referring back to the Ulama is an important part of our lives and that The True Ulama or the scholars of Islaam are truly the inheritors of the Prophets and help us worship Allaah as He should be worshipped. She also knows that the Ulama differ in Fiqh rulings and they are united upon the Aqeedah and Manhaj. To further strengthen this and to give her the glimpse of their upbringing and their lifestyle, I thought of making them familiar through a scrap book just like the above (Prophets and Sahabah). This would be continued as we go on in the later years as well Inshaa Allaah.

6. Seerah of the Messenger of Allaah
We almost finished the Makkan period year before last, but could not do more last year except reading the Seerah. This year we would continue with the Madeenah Period and will be using the book "When the Moon Split". This book is concise for kids more than the Sealed Nectar - Raheeq Al Makhthoom, and at the end of each chapter you get questions too. We will try to continue with our custom made worksheets for our seerah study Inshaa Allaah. (for my worksheets of the Makkan Period please click here in case you have missed them)

7. ICO Islaamic Studies Books 2
I am not for sticking only to a specific text book when it comes to Islaamic Studies. But when I had a look at the ICO Islaamic Studies series I felt it does give a very comprehensive curriculum throughout. And there are many activities in them that I felt these books could be actually used for enhancing English Language and other secular subjects along with the Islaamic Perspective. As you know in almost all English Language text books you get unislaamic contents and we had had to avoid many comprehension passages and activities due to it. So I found these books a good alternative for that as well. We would do these books when we get hold of them Inshaa Allaah. 

Qur'aan / Hifdl

1. Iqraa Books and The Noble Qur'aan
We will continue with the Hifdhl and the practising of Reading the Quraan


Arabic

1. Madeenah Arabic Book 1
We could not complete the lessons we planned last year, so we would continue this year with customised worksheets for Madeenah Arabic Book 1.


2. Gateway to Arabic Book 1 and Book 2
Few more pages to finish in Book 1 after which we will start Book 2 Inshaa Allaah. I hope to improve her writing skills with this book.

English

1. Nelson Thornes Developing Non Fictions Skills Book 1 and Book 2

2. Nelson Thornes Developing Fiction Skills Book 1 and Book 2

3. Nelson English Workbook 2

Over all as I said before I am happy to continue with the Nelson Books as my primary Text Books for English Language as they cover all aspects comprehensively and its stress free to use them. Of course they do contain unislaamic contents and we avoid using most of the comprehension passages due to it.


As a side note those of you who are able to get hold of these new text books from Oxford, then its worth looking at it for Cambridge Curriculum. The books will be available in September and January next year. They look much richer than Nelson but not really sure of the contents.


4. Ronald Ridout Workbook 1
These books were recommended by my sister in law who is a professional elocution English teacher and she says they really give a good practice for kids. I remember using all of these books when I did Elocution during my school days. It did really help us especially as students studying English as the second language. It has activities that looks as if its repeating but actually by doing them it makes the child master the concept. So we would be using this book as a complementary practice book Inshaa Allaah.

5. Spelling workout  level B and Level C
Maimoonah finds this book interesting and infact had learnt spelling in the traditional way to my surprise. She is enjoying the use of this book and likes the concept of having a spelling notebook and writing the dictated words at the end of each lesson.

Mathematics

1. Nelson International Mathematics Books 2C and 3
We will be getting into the next stage of Nelson Maths this year. Year 3 has a separate text book and a workbook. (the books I have are the old Edition, but this year Nelson Thornes have put out the nd Edition)

   

2. MEP Year 2
Will continue with MEP Year 2.


Science

1. CGP Science Book 2 and Work Book 2

 

2. Junior Science Book 1

3. Usborne First Encyclopedia Series

4. Rainbow Resources



Geography

1. Oxford Geography Success Starter and  Book 1
I chose these books for this year as it goes along with the UK National Curriculum and it has some hands on geography activities to do. It has some field work as well which I think would make things a little more interesting Inshaa Allaah.

  

With this we will use our Geography resource books this year Inshaa Allaah which we were unable to use last year.


2. Hayes Developing Map Skills Book 1 and 2
Map skills book really gave Maimoonah a good basic understanding of Maps and we will continue with the next level.

ICT

1. CGP ICT Book Year 3
I found this book in the bookstore and my husband was saying to teach her ICT (as he is into IT) just to make her familiar with technological terms and might be useful for her Inshaa Allaah. This will not be priority subject but we will squeeze in every now and then Inshaa Allaah.

Fun Activities/Arts and Crafts/Sewing/Cooking
As I mentioned last year we got some fun activity packs from Rainbow Resources and did not use them all. Fun activity is something that she really looks forward to every day in her work box and this drives her to complete her work for the day. So each day there will be something for her to do. This year we would include sewing and cooking for fun activities as well Inshaa Allaah as she is now a 6 year old Maashaa Allaah.


So that's about it. Looks very stressful for a 6 year old? Yes, it might give you that feeling but as I keep telling each subject lasts only maximum 15 to 25 minutes per day this includes my explaining and her work. And some days each subject would last only 5 to 10 minutes. This way she is not stressed and all the work gets done for that day. 

Next will post the flexible schedule that we would be following this year Inshaa Allaah.

Ramadhaan 1434 - Notebooking Pages

Alhamdulillaah we have completed the the first part of the Ramadhaan Notebooking pages.(second part is of Ramadhaan Memories so that will come later Inshaa Allaah after Ramadhaan) It was a stress free beneficial learning experience and I wish to thank the sister at Iman's Home School for the Ramadhaan Notebooking pages.

Maimoonah loved decorating the pages, copywriting (she is not a big fan of this but managed to get it done with less fussing), researching Alhamdulillaah.

Here are the pics.