“We spread an abundant and delicate feast in the programmes and each small guest assimilates what he can.”
~ Charlotte Mason

We I have let many things slip. I tried to take stock of the past couple of years and I find myself sorely disappointed. I’m not very connected with my teen’s and tween’s education – I have basically set the goals and sent them on their way while I struggle with juggling chores and studies. (I do a rubbish job of it, by the way.) Not quite the broad and generous curriculum I had envisioned clearly.

So, yesterday, I had a conversation with my elder ruffians and we have agreed to revive the following:

1. Faith Journal
There is a genre of hadeeth literature called “al-arba’iniyyat” or collections of 40. The most famous or representative is of course Imam An-Nawawi’s 40 Hadeeth. I thought it would be beneficial for the girls to compile their own collections of 40 ahadeeth based on themes of their choice (good deeds, good behaviour, etc.). They don’t have to make it elaborate with illustrations or embellishments, but they do have to write in their best handwriting. (And I have to appreciate the effort and work on not being a bitter old crone over their penmanship.)

(2) Nature Journaling
Each day, the girls have to draw or paint or photograph something that celebrates nature. They can write if they want, but they can also let the pictures speak for themselves. The goal is to rekindle our sense of curiosity and wonder at the world. Let’s face it, we are so consumed with technology, work… ourselves! … that we are never in awe anymore. Why is that? Why don’t we wonder at the humble beetle in the garden – a creature so tiny yet tenacious that Allah Himself has fashioned and provided for? Why don’t we contemplate and reflect? I cannot draw for toffee so I am going to photograph my way through this ;) I know it is a cheat and I know there are numerous benefits to taking the time and making an effort to draw, but I need to keep things simple and sustainable.

(3) Quran Journaling
My friend Asrina has a scrumplicious idea for Quran journaling that I am definitely going to steal. She is doing a Hafazan Notebook. After memorising a Surah, she and her children jot down the summary and vocabulary. They also journal about why the surah is special to them and write out their favourite ayah. Genius, ma shaa Allah. Please do visit her blog, Muslim Homeschool Mum, for more gems.

I have a few more resolutions to tackle, but I have a propensity to overthink and overdo, so I am sticking with these for now before I move on. Please keep me and my family in your prayers!

“Children’s aptitude for knowledge and their eagerness for it made for the conclusion that the field of a child’s knowledge may not be artificially restricted, that he has a right to and necessity for as much and as varied knowledge as he is able to receive; and that the limitations in his curriculum should depend only upon the age at which he must leave school; in a word, a common curriculum (up to the age of say, fourteen or fifteen) appears to be due to all children.

We have left behind the feudal notion that intellect is a class prerogative, that intelligence is a matter of inheritance and environment; inheritance, no doubt, means much but everyone has a very mixed inheritance; environment makes for satisfaction or uneasiness, but education is of the spirit and is not to be taken in by the eye or effected by the hand; mind appeals to mind and thought begets thought and that is how we become educated.”

~ (Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education, p. 12)

Charlotte Mason, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children

“All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him; for every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton.”

A pretty bloom

“An Observant Child should be put in the way of Things worth Observing.”

Can you see the bee?

They must be let alone, left to themselves a great deal, to take in what they can of the beauty of earth and heavens.
~ Charlotte Mason, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children

Here comes the sun

Children should be made early intimate with the trees, too; should pick out half a dozen trees, oak, elm, ash, beech, in their winter nakedness, and take these to be their year-long friends.
~ Charlotte Mason, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children

Morning in Dadi’s Garden

I have amassed a mother lode of embroidery patterns and am missing the feel of needle, thread and calico between my fingers. Peep’s been quite the little rascal though, so I haven’t able to get back to stitching. The girls, on the other hand, have been quite productive, ma shaa Allah.

Marz went through a bit of a confidence crisis and was convinced that she would never amount to much in the crafty department. After much discussion, we agreed that creativity can be cultivated and that everyone has a bit of artistry in some form or another. We just need to be supremely patient and determined to hone the skills. With renewed enthusiasm, Marz has made a bigger effort to be more precise and exacting. Effort and creative process are just as important as the final product, so she is learning to find joy in the journey as well.

Marz made a quilted mug rug. She chose two of her favourite fabrics from our stash and hand-pieced them together before sandwiching the batting in between and hand-quilting the whole thing. She hopes to use the sewing machine the next time in shaa Allah for a neater finish, but I think this was a terrific effort ma shaa Allah. The mug rug has since been gifted to a a friend of hers — a mum new to homeschooling.

Bear made a little heart-shaped cushion for an aunt who is expecting a baby girl. This was her first major project. She was so thrilled when she completed it. “I can’t believe I finished it!” She is so in love with it that she is almost tempted to keep it for herself ;)

Peep wants to play even though he has the sniffles; Bear is pressing me to draw a heart-shape so she can make her own cushion (“It will be bigger, in shaa Allah!”) and Marz seems to be hinting that she wants me to cook bhunna ghosht … I guess embroidery will have to wait…