Mind your Mathemathics

Khan Academy is not a new resource for most homeschoolers and now many a school uses it too. Interestingly some teachers actually assign watching the videos it offers as homework to explain math concepts and later homework worksheets are worked out in class. 

For the younger BAPs watching the videos is fun and attempting the practice exercises online is exciting. Online stickers provide incentive to keep working at those concepts they are struggling with as well as attempt new concepts. IBAP and MBAP are reviewing old concepts and compete with one comparing each other's progress. Insha'Allah we hope they will continue progressing to new concepts of math using this program too.

Earlier I was worried that HBAP (7yrs) would find "place value" a confusing concept, but Alhumdulillah through Khan Academy she found it easy to understand and was eager to repeat the exercises several times even though she attained proficiency level at the exercises in her first attempt. She found the concept of adding two digit numbers simple too, after watching Salman Khan's simple explanation of it.

Alhumdulillah Khan Academy allows me to designate my children as my students and monitor their progress. It's flow charts guide us to which concepts to tackle once the current one is achieved and allow the children to evaluate their progress as well.

We plan to use it to revise Algebra concepts with our two teens (who are busy with Quran memorization and don't have enough time to spend on academic study) and then move on to other avenues of arithmetic as well Insha'Allah . 

Life with Fred

Fred is a five year old math genius who loves his doll and best friend Kingie; his life would seem ordinary - he loves apples, books and fizzy drinks- except that Fred is a professor at Kittens University, Kansas.

With a mind of a child and the thought processes of a mathematician Fred puzzles through life; trying to sip milk from a hand-crafted  straw which creates a soggy paper mess, observing the stars in the sky and looking for patterns in snowflakes.

These books aim at holistic learning; they teach children about Astronomy, Human relations, Physiology, Geography, English and even Arithmetic. Each chapter relates the story of Fred's life and ends with a few questions for the children to answer, so keep a paper and pen handy.

The books are also meant to encourage early readers and are written to be read out loud by the children themselves but we've found that even having a parent read it out can be fun.

Find out more about the books and how to order them at: http://www.stanleyschmidt.com/FredGauss/index2.html

About Curriculum

For any parent embarking on homeschooling, "what curriculum to use?" is a daunting question. Here's a overview on some curriculum options:

- Textbooks: Most families begin their journey with textbook used in most schools. This is easy to do in Karachi at least where one can go to any stationary shop and ask for the textbooks of your chosen subjects at a chosen school. Most textbooks also have an accompanying teachers guide. This allows you to view a large selection of books and chose which is appropriate for your child. Its usually a good idea to speak to relatives with schooling going children to view their books prior to visiting a shop.
Paramount Publishers allows you to view and purchase books from their website (http://www.paramountbooks.com.pk/index.asp).  Oxford textbooks (http://www.oup.com.pk/shopdisplayproducts.asp?catid=326&id=328&parentID=20) can be bought online but unfortunately their entire book list is not available for viewing online and they are slow at delivering. Both places have a cash on delivery option for Karachi.

- Curriculum  in a box: This is an option used by many homeschoolers who would like a structured curriculum where textbooks, worksheets and even day to day activities and study plans are provided.The providers of this are abroad so it helps if you have a way to receive them at a relatives house and then brought to Pakistan (so it can be very pricey) To use these one must register online and pay a fee and the box is delivered to
you. Some of the more popular providers are :

Calvert School; http://www.calvertschool.org/

Kinza Academy (Hamza Yousuf): http://kinzaacademy.com/index.html

(I am not recommending either, but simply letting you know what's out there). Be aware that many online curriculum in a box is Christian based and often made in accordance to state regulations; in many countries there are laws where homeschoolers have to make a portfolio of their children which is evaluated by Councillors and must sit for state funded standardized tests. In Pakistan we have the freedom to chose our curriculum of our younger children and for matric or cambridge papers we can register as private candidates to purchase syllabi and for examinations.

- Online resources: Alhumdulillah the internet has allowed us access to a variety of online resources- free and some at a cost. Its hard not to get overwhelmed, so do try to focus on your child's abilities and needs when selecting what to use and try your best to ignore the rest!

Some popular sites are:
http://homeschool4muslims.blogspot.com
http://talibiddeenjr.blogspot.com
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/index.htm

Most of these sites provide curriculum, free online books, links to useful sites as well as advice on how to get started.

-D-I-Y curriculum: Most families begin by buying a host of textbooks and then eventually settle for a mixture of books, online resources as well as sending their children to tutions and afternoon classes for more tricky subjects. Often informative story books, nature study, kitchen chores and outdoor sports all come together to build a families holistic curriculum. Families also adopt a number of homeschooling approaches or a mixture of several approaches to suit their children, family values and even lifestyle and that's the beauty of homeschooling, its flexibility.

To learn more about homeschooling approaches, websites, articles on curriculum and those worrying questions such as "how will I know my child is learning?", "what about tests?" "socialization?" you can browse through the various links provided by our list at :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pakistan-home-education/links

and to read more about how various families are homeschooling do look out for Homeworks magazine as well as read up on our blog:
http://pakistan-home-education.blogspot.com/


Its important to stay focused on your child and families goals  when planing your homeschooling life, there's a wealth of information out there so make lots of dua, stay focused, research and enjoy the experience.

Working Winter

When school winter vacation comes around, they is bustling with winter classes and workshops for all children to chose from, and as always, homeschooling famlies make the most of these opportunities. This winter the Piranis participated in the following workshops:

CREATIVE WRITING
Offered by Hibakidz at their office, this workshop was conducted by the enthusiastic and fun loving sister Umm Zakariyya. She is one of the sub editors of HibaKidz as well as Reading and Creative Writing coach at Fajr Academy. The workshop was available to children aged 8 to 12. The workshop walked the participants through the stages of writing to publishing and ended with the children putting together a short story as a book.

QBAP (12 yrs) was a at first reluctant participant, who returned home and admitted it was a lot of fun, the very first day Masha'Allah. He also realized that though he had studied these steps earlier at school this was the first time he had a teacher that made it fun and we found he now enjoyed writing rather than complaining about what a chore it was.


CALLIGRAPHY

Another workshop offered by Hibakidz. Sister Rubina Khilji who conducted the workshop has been teaching adults calligraphy for many years now and this was her first workshop for children. She is passionate about her work and hopes her students will continue practicing on their own and revive the glory of this form of Islamic penmanship Insha'Allah.

IBAP (10 yrs) and QBAP (12 yrs) both attended this workshop. They were given several sheets with boldfaced prints of the letters of the Arabic alphabet and then taught how to hold and move a thick marker to trace the letters. They were provided with a thick marker specially cut for the work as well as a thinner calligraphy marker (made in Japan). They were shown how a reed pen is made and explained about the importance of literacy in Islam. In the end they werre taught how to write their names and write a Dua asking Allah SWT to increase their knowledge, which was framed for the children courtesy of Hiba Magazine.

Both boys appreciated the art and are keen to practice and develop this skill, Insha'Allah.


ARABIC
Abbati also decided to make the most of the classes offered during this winter and attended a 10 day Arabic class conducted by Ibrahim Abidali. Brother Ibrahim teaches Arabic at Generations School and also conducts a twice a week session at the children's Quran class. Some of the children had attended his children's summer course last summer.

Abbi was accompanied by ABAP (14 yrs) and later QBAP as well. It was a starters course, but br Ibhrahim's informal and warm style had his students soon conversing in simple sentences by the end of the class and lloking oforward to the next class he plans to conduct after a months time Insha'Allah.

QBAP @ Rob-Arts by QBAP (12yrs)

. Masha'Allah the Rob-Arts classes went very well. We each made a remote control car with six volt batteries ,motors ,wheels ,wires and wood. Personally it wasn't that easy but we did it. We needed some help in making it. Like for example we needed help in making most of the holes (some holes were still made inaccurately so Sir felt that he should have made the holes and then  given it to us). We also learned how to design the model of a robot on the computer and how to use a drill correctly.

The class required more time than was scheduled but it was fun. I look forward to attending more workshops if Rob-Arts plans to hold more.

Batteries, wires and buttons

Motors, wheels, clips,brackets

Robot car model

Back

circuit board underneath

EQUESTRIAN

QBAP has just joined an equestrian club near Boat Basin. Run by a couple who own the horses and have a passion for them (even their little son has a horse of his own) the atmosphere is friendly but professional. The dress code is strict: trousers or jeans must be worn and boots or joggers for foot wear. Each member must carry a whip and wear a helmet which they can buy from the club if they desire. New members are run through beginning exercises and their pace is increased as they overcome their nervousness and show confidence in directing the horses.

In his first lesson QBAP was really nervous on seeing the horses but once he got on he loved the feel of the horse under his hands. His first horse was a brown mare named Starlight who was an easy ride and seemed sweet tempered, unlike the horse of a more experienced rider near them who seemed keen to have his way. The horse Badshah  seemed to want to live up to its name but the young girl upon him managed to check him whenever he tried to wander away from the rest of the class.

QBAP has learned to use a whip and to direct a horse in his second lesson. Sunshine was a pale brown horse and was irritated by a fly buzzing around its rear end, which made the horse a little frisky. Regardless, Alhumdulillah, the lesson went smoothly.The instructors stated that QBAP listened and followed their instructions quickly and well and hope to start him on trotting in his next class insha'Allah.

For more info on Equestrian look up their Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/EquestrianKhi

Tae Kwondo by IBAP (10 yrs)

As-salaam u alikum, everybody. I used to do TAE KWONDO with sir Zakariyya and then he left. Three weeks ago we got a new instructor.ABAP, QBAP , MBAP and I go for Tae Kwondo at RMI. Today Tayyab  Bhai brought the punching bag and the targets.  The instructors stick the targets on their hands so that we can  punch and kick it.  We take turns to hit it.

  

Mats have been glued on to the floor of the room. We perform tae Kwondo on them.

Our instructor turns off the fans when he demonstrates the kicks  otherwise his legs may hit the fan. 

We perform exercises so that if someone hits our stomachs they  will hurt themselves and not us.

There is a competition coming up on the 29th of October, Insha’Allah. We are going to go to Reflections School where the competition is going to take place.

Marium Appa’s Quran Class as narrated by SBAP (3yrs) & HBAP (6yrs)

I sit next to Isa and play next to Isa and then I did something good! I jumped up with my pencil and then all the teacher came back,. Then they came back to listen to our Quran.

All people come back from their home to read the Quran.

- SBAP

I take off my shoes and put them on the rack, then I sit in the first gali near the garden because all the rooms are filled and are hot so my teacher makes us sit in the gali.

My teacher’s name is Sumairah Aunty, she makes us read and she makes letters on the board and we read it. We also have a test and we also play games and we also read from the Quaida, para. And Sir Ibrahim comes and makes us do Arabic. And Aunty gives us stars and chocolate if we read nice, and I got 5 stars for finding a big letter.

- HBAP

The Lab of Mr. Q

"If it stinks, its chemistry,
if it's slimy, its biology,
and if it doesn't work, it's physics!"
Explains Mr. Q, a long time 8th grade science teacher who has a passion for his work and enjoys working with homeschooling families as well. His website ( http://www.eequalsmcq.com/ ) and his blog offer science insights and teaching tips but the most loved link is a free copy of his elementary science book (for ages 6 to 9 ). This download-able eBook is accompanied with a parents' guide which outlines a three day curriculum for each chapter and includes worksheets and activities in addition to those already present in the student's textbook copy. The books can be downloaded as a whole or as separate units.

The books have an informal and humorous style yet introduce big words like "environment", "biotic factors" and "population" with simplified definitions and easy to relate examples. The activities are fun and require easily acquired materials.

We are using this book for MBAP (8yrs) and IBAP (10 yrs), both boys like to read the text out loud and enjoy the activities as well.

Microscope adventures: The Scope of things

Be it a microscope, telescope or even a kaliedscope, these tools help us see the world beyond the obvious and making us conscious of how limited our personal observations are. Being inspired from a link in our Usborne book of Microscopes, the children photgraphed closes ups of everyday objects, can you guess what they are?

plastic bag by SBAP age3



baby's shape sorter by SBAP




belt buckle by QBAP age 12




yo-yo by QBAP




hairbrush by QBAP



cupboard door knob by IBAP



ariel view of bedside drawer by IBAP



marker mark on white board by IBAP

Ramadan Reminders

Alhumdulillah Ramadan is just a two or three days away and we can feel the change in the atmosphere already as the excitement mounts. Masha'Allah, learning about this month and its blessings comes easily to the children as the elder ones fast and the younger ones participate in Suhoor, Iftar, Taraweeh and Qiyam.  As the little ones learn about Ramadan, the older ones are given reminders and we all work towards becoming more conscious of this month's blessings, it it to that end Ummi put together this wall:

 

Our Ramadan Wall

  What is all over this wall, you may ask? Well, here's a close up: 

Fasting shields from the fire



Our Ramadan calendar

 

Dated dates, to be picked as each day of Ramadan come to an end, special gold ones for the special odd nights



Home-made basket to store the dated dates



moon phases from BrainQuest

 



IBAP's article on Ramadan

Elsewhere in the house:





Reminder that fasting is more than just abstaining from eating and drinking



 

Reminder of fasting duration

 

Days of the week in English, Arabic and numerals, markers to depict weather



We hope to read and learn as we experience this month and hope to share our discoveries as we make them insha'Allah.

Mighty Microbes

We're surrounded! Itty bitty creations float, eat, reproduce and even burp all around us. They are easy to forget, till someone gets sick, and truly fascinating to see, and so we introduced IBAP and MBAP to a world beyond the obvious; the world of microbes.



We began our journey sometime ago before their Arabic classes began and resumed it after the classes came to an end.

 The journey began with a the book Mighty Microbes, which helped identify some nasty germs, how our body fights them, as well as others in our environment like algae and those microbes we use for food and oil.



The children made some posters about what they learnt.

 

 

   

On reading about yeast and fungi which help make food, we watched videos about making bread, cheese (how its made videos on youtube) and farming mushrooms for sale (not very appetizing!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvnR55mbIgk

We observed yeast at work by making bread, Masha'Allah.

Later we travelled with a Magic School Bus book for a closer look at microbes at work and followed it with videos of The Magic School Bus going into a child's body to watch the immune system at work and another video about plankton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTHLpXbgcg   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTHLpXbgcg (keep a steady hand on the volume control for muting music)

Watching the movie Osmosis Jones gave the children a grand tour of the inner workings of a man's body and the consequences of ignoring basic hygiene. the story was fictitious and as movie progressed the fictitious parts were explained and discussed.

We have begun to delve further and look at the world through a single lens - a microscope lens that is, and we hope the children will understand that in most things in life there is more than meets the eye, Insha'Allah.

From the Farm to the Fridge



A few of our books



Where does our food come from? Though the little BAPs have learnt to thank Allah SWT for the food they eat, they needed to learn that the food is not naturally produced at at the grocer's stand, refrigerator or in a box, and it is to that end we have been reading up and watching videos about where our food comes from.

Masha'Allah the BrainQuest workbooks offered pictures of heathly food and their storage.

The following websites show how cows are milked and bread and cheese are made. Even the elder kids were fascinated.

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/3275-how-to-milk-a-cow-by-hand

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/3276-how-to-milk-a-cow-by-machine

http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/VideoActivity.aspx?contentId=163&sectionId=66&siteId=15&titleId=169

http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/VideoActivity.aspx?siteId=15&sectionId=66&contentId=163&titleId=171

 

Popcorn poping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFh6RAwELi0&feature=related

Peanut Butter being made in a factory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H_M6yw32M0

Honey from the comb into the jar at a factory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT6IQx26eHk&feature=related

Cereal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ6ek9UOvxA&feature=related

Chocolate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiMjr3Rwdjs&feature=related

Coffee ( does not say how its made but you can see the plants and
beans etc)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdvovtRVfkM

Chickens:

http://www.kandns.com/TheKandNsWay-video.htm

Mushrooms (warning you may not want to eat them again after seeingwhat
they grow in =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n99zZ4nbunE&feature=related

for fun:
Bubble bursting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIZwQ24_OU0&feature=related

 

A link on turtle hatching:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SNAkids?blend=8&ob=5#p/u/17/kNfee1o6zXc


This theme led us, amongst other things, to discuss how do plants grow - the origins of our food, more on that soon, Insha'Allah.

Arty Facts

The children and their Ummi have enjoyed some arts and activities over the last year, which we have not had blogged about, but since we really enjoyed them we thought we'd share the pics here now:

 

fused beads, Jazakullah Khair Didi Phopu!

 The kids enjoyed making all kinds of designs with the fusion beads given by Didi Phopu. Masha'Allah all of the kids gave it a try including the elder BAPs, even SBAP (3yrs) managed to patiently put a small thing together (the little rectangle in the pic). The mostly pink heart is a sample of HBAP's (5 yrs) work (she eventually ran out of pink beads and the patience, since SBAP broke her work 3 times while she was still putting it together, Masha'Allah she did persevere till it was complete but the hunt for pink had to be compromised)

 Roasting marshmallows using the sun's heat energy, yum!





origami balls



Origami balls were fun to try once, but did not kick off as a skill to be practiced because tennis balls are a lot more fun to play with and not as much effort to get :( 



eggs striped bare of their carbon and protein shell

The yellow eggs are called "naked eggs" because there outer shell has been dissolved. There were immersed in vinegar and refrigerated.  The vinegar caused the carbon of the shells to be released, creating bubbles and white foam. After changing the vinegar over three days the shells dissolved leaving the egg membrane intact, and the egg yolk could be viewed through it, Masha'Allah. You can view a partially dissolved shell on the egg upfront between the regular eggs and golden ones.

MBAP (aged 7) built a catapult following instructions from a book.

 

weaving loom bought from airport Saudi Arabia

The above loom was purchased from the airport at Saudi Arabia, on our way home. Alhumdulillah the children enjoyed making little pot holders and marvelled at how long it takes to make such a small piece of clothe by hand.

 

weaving