Ms M looks but isn’t the girly sort. She likes pretty scarves and pins, princessy dresses, flowers and lace. She also loves learning about spies and the World Wars. She was heavily into snakes at one point and never got queasy watching Venom ER and Austin Stevens at my mum’s.

She went craaaazy over pirates - no, not the Johnny Depp kind, thank you very much… the real ones! We read all about pirates, baked pirate cookies, attended a pirate party, put together a Jolly Roger and also made a pirate ship out of Hama beads. We also got a lovely surprise from the family behind Islamic Unit Studies - a pirate colouring book with stickers! You gotta love the blogging community :)

Some books we read:

Here are some links that you might find useful… I am still trying to download the book from WOWIO - if anyone in the US can help me, I’d appreciate it!

• All About Pirates - a comprehensive educational directory and homework helper that provides a wide variety of resources on Pirates.
• Bartholomew Roberts - one of the most successful pirates in history.
• Calico Jack - Academic Kids
• Cyberink: Pirates!
• Education World ® : Lesson Planning: Ahoy, Mates! Here Lie a Dozen Pirate Treasures!
• Best of Legends - some info on Blackbeard, Captain Sir Francis Drake, Gráinne O’Malley, Captain William Kidd
• Lesson Plans - A Pirate’s Life - from National Geographic
• Lesson Plan 1 on pirates from Suite 101
• Lesson Plan 2 from Suite 101
• Lesson Plan 3 from Suite 101
• Lesson Plan 4 from Suite 101
• Pirate Diary - unit study resources from Homeschool Share
• Pirate Image Archive
• Pirates in the Park - unit study resources from Homeschool Share
• Pirates : Life at sea : Maritime, sea & ships : Fact files : Learning : National Maritime Museum
• Pirates Homepage
• Pirates of Colonial Times - A to Z Home’s Cool Homeschooling History
• Pirates! Fact & Legend
• Pyrates Providence
• The New England Pirate Museum - Who’s Who
• The Pirate’s Realm - Calico Jack, Jack Rackham, Calico Jack Rackham - The life of pirate Jack Rackham: Charles Vane and Woodes Rogers, Mary Read, Anne Bonny, from New Providence to Deadman’s Cay, the whole ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham story.
• Thomas Tew
• Kids Craft Weekly - Issue 33 - Pirates!
• Pirate’s Treasure Map Free Coloring Printable Sheet - free printable pirate coloring page features a pirate ship, treasure island & pirate flag drawing for coloring or children’s party decorations & craft work.
• Pirate’s Face Printable Free Coloring Page Sheet
• Quest for a Pirate
• Pirates & Privateers: The History of Maritime Piracy - Links
• Pirates of the Caribbean, in Fact and Fiction - an historical look at Piracy; not to be confused with Disney’s theme park attractions or movie. What you will find is information on piracy based on historical accounts and popular myths.
• Pirate Theme Page at EnchantedLearning.com
• Treasure Chest Craft - Enchanted Learning Software - a simple-to-make pirate’s treasure chest made from a shoebox
• WOWIO: Pirates: An Illustrated History

Islam

• Al-Qur’an
• Tafseer of Juz `Amma (Ad-Duha)
• Tafseer of Ibn Kathir (Darussalam)

• 99 Names of Allah (Ad-Duha)

• We Are Muslims by Dr Abidullah Ghazi & Dr Tasneema Ghazi (IQRA)
• Our Faith & Worship by Dr Abidullah Ghazi & Dr Tasneema Ghazi (IQRA)
• 40 Hadith for Islamic Schools by Muhammed S Adly (IANA)

Arabic

• Lughah Al-Islam & Al-Qira’ah Wa Al-Kitabah (MUIS)

English

• Reading Made Easy by Valerie Bendt
• Five In A Row
• Growing With Grammar
• Worldly Wise 3000 - 2
• The Weighty Word Book by Paul M Levitt

Math

• Math-U-See
• My Pals Are Here

Science

• Noeo Science
• First Encyclopedia of Science (Usborne)
• Mysteries & Marvels of Science (Usborne)
• Mysteries of Nature & Science (Usborne)
• Magic School Bus
• Among the Forest People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
• Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
• Among the Night People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
• Among the Pond People by Clara Dillingham Pierson

• First Encyclopedia of the Human Body (Usborne)
• Big Book of the Human Body with 3-D Glasses (DK)

• The Life of Mammals (David Attenborough, BBC)
• The Private Life of Plants (David Attenborough, BBC)
• The Life of Birds (David Attenborough, BBC)

• Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System Loreen Leedy
• The Living Planet (David Attenborough, BBC)

History

• The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia Of World History
• The History of Singapore (Discovery Channel)

• When the Moon Split by Safi ur Rahman Mubarakpuri
• The Sealed Nectar by Safi ur Rahman Mubarakpuri
• Mercy to Mankind - Makkan Period Textbook (IQRA)
• Mercy to Mankind - Madeenah Period Textbook (IQRA)
• Life of Muhammad (Makkan period) by Anwar Al Awlaki
• Life of Muhammad (Medinan period) by Anwar Al Awlaki

• Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir
• Lives of the Prophets by Anwar Al Awlaki

• From the lives of Khulafa’ Ar-Rashidun (IQRA)
• Companions of the Prophet vols 1 & 2 by Abdul Wahid Hamid
• Stories of the Sahaba I - Those Promised Paradise by Noura Durkee
• Stories of the Sahaba II - The First Ones by Noura Durkee
• Stories of the Sahaba III - The Loyal Ansar by Noura Durkee
• Stories of the Sahaba IV - Hearts Have Changed by Noura Durkee
• Stories of the Sahaba V - Torchbearers of Islam by Noura Durkee

Geography

• Children Just Like Me (DK)
• National Geographic Beginner’s World Atlas (National Geographic Society)
• Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary Jack Knowlton
• My Islamic Village Series by Luqman Nagy
• Maps and Globes by Jack Knowlton
• Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton