Imaan.Net - have faith
Islam Homeschool Journaling

Quran Journal

December 14, 2016 by Imaan No Comments

Did I tell you that I’ve converted the entire family to my notebook neurosis? Each one of my kids (yes, even 5-year-old Peep) has a dori. Theirs are well made leather covers and I bought them hoping that they will be keepsakes that last my children into adulthood.

Marz keeps a commonplace book, crochet patterns and a smash book and Bear does a lot of drawing and doodling. Peep’s is a passport size cover and it is ma shaa Allah so cute! He has a two notebooks in his tiny TN – one is a sticker notebook and the other contains his reading list. The Dad Man has one too – a larger A5 to our standard sized (11cm x 21cm) ones. He has always jotted down ideas and work-related plans in a notebook of sorts, so I thought he would make the ideal victim candidate for a leather notebook.

Bear’s dori

Peep’s – it is small and fits right in the palm of an adult’s hand but is plenty for his scribblings and studies :)

I’ve recently acquired an A5 one too to add to my dori family (don’t judge me!) and this is expressly for my Islamic studies. I already have an insert for supplications and want to organize new ones for Tafseer and Seerah.

There are alhamdulillah lots of lectures online and for those who are keen on Islamic journaling, Sister Sumayah Hassan of Recite and Reflect has initiated a lovely project called Iman Illustrated. This is an open community of sisters who journal together. It doesn’t matter how artistic or not you are… the idea is to put pen to paper and to reflect on the Quran. Check out the group’s links for more inspiration:

  • Iman Illustrated Community Guidelines
  • Iman Illustrated’s Facebook Page
  • Iman Illustrated’s Instagram

I am keeping my journal simple. I can’t draw for toffee, so I am not even going to try… haha ;) I am just going to try and better my Arabic writing and make my notes tidy. No jazzing things up beyond different coloured inks, no embellishments, absolutely no bells and whistles. Just a simple doable and, in shaa Allah, sustainable effort. I am also slowly moving the girls into Quran journaling. For now, Marz is collecting 25 supplications to write out and memorize and Bear, 25 ahadeeth on good deeds.

So… are you Quran journaling? What resources have you found useful and what do your pages look like?

Share:
Reading time: 2 min
Homeschool Journaling

My Midori Mornings

December 13, 2016 by Imaan 6 Comments

My first traveler’s notebook, a Raydori… love it to pieces!

Those of you who know me in person would know that I have a penchant for pen and paper. OK, HUGE understatement!! I am a full-fledged, card carrying, unapologetic stationery addict. You know, a dream of mine is to sell stationery? I think my business would be in the red though, because I would probably want to keep everything for myself. ;)

Initially, I tried going the whole hog with scrapbooking and smashbooking and what have you… it was fun at first – I’d once considered a publishing job and still love looking at good layouts and presentations. The problem was that this hobby consumed my every being to the extent that I was close to making the Dad Man and the kids forage for their meals. It didn’t help that my latent OCD tendencies slowly but surely kicked in – I kept wanting to rip out pages because they didn’t look right. I kept analyzing the handwriting, the alignments, the colours… it all became very very overwhelming, self-defeating and a complete waste of time. That foolishness clearly had to go and alhamdulillah I kicked it to the kerb.

Me and my insane attempts at scrapbooking… the dreaded blank page when no inspiration kicks in!

I have since taken a step back from scrapbooking and gone into journaling – I write about my days and whatever inspires me and I try a bit of craftiness without getting obsessive about it. Since the words take centre stage, I no longer worry about embellishment and decoration… once I focused more on the process than the end product, I found planner peace and my family, thankfully, stay nourished ;)

I use a leather notebook. For the uninitiated (and you folks simply MUST join us on the dark side!), this is a leather cover with 2 to 4 (or more if you are crazy that way!) elastic bands inside it to hold notebooks. The original/most popular was made by the Midori Company and simply referred to as the “Midori”. It now has its own brand name and is called the “Traveler’s Notebook”. (I think “Midori” is a much prettier name, don’t you? The kids and I still call our notebooks “dories”.) The TNs gave birth to numerous DIY versions by other leather craftsmen – these are affectionately called “fauxdoris” or are named by their makers. My first dori, purchased a few years ago, was made by Ray Blake and it is called a “Raydori”.

The TN can hold several notebooks, so each insert can be used for different purposes. I have one insert for a weekly planner, one for a diary/journal, one for my Islamic learning, one for a commonplace book and one for my homeschooling ideas/notes. Once a notebook is full, I can store it and put another in its place. It’s all wonderfully portable so I can use it anytime and anywhere – I love looking through my journals when I am out and about. The best bit about these babies though? The leather. There is something simply intoxicating about well made leather goods… they are just WICKED!

My blue Traveler’s Notebook… ain’t he a beauty?

I’ve grown to depend on my notebooks for my homeschooling days – Marz is now preparing for her IGCSEs, so a few notebooks have gone into English Literature notes and lesson plans. I am also moving into Islamic Journaling – I have been copying words of remembrance/adhkaar and trying to memorise them. (I really must work harder on this!) I am also going into Quran journaling, for the simple reason that it is high time – I need to organize all my notes and random scribbles into something more ‘coherent’ and systematic!

Studying and journaling at the park while Peep has football practice.

Mornings are special times with my dori – I get ready a nice mug of chai, settle down with my pens and my books and journal away. This daily fix keeps me cheerfully sane :)

In shaa Allah, I’ll share more about my dori days and resources I have found. Is anyone out there into this analogue culture? Give me a shout out because Midori loves company. :)

Share:
Reading time: 3 min
Homeschool

Early Math

June 3, 2016 by Imaan 3 Comments

Years ago, when I started homeschooling, I fretted over how expensive everything was and felt wretched when I could not afford this or that programme. Now that I’m starting over with Peep, I see that I was being completely ridiculous. Ah… hindsight! ;)

There are lots of free Math resources online and some may lack the bells and whistles that we may often look for or be used to. Still, now that I’m in a back-to-basics mode, I see how these are good, solid materials that have stood the test of time.

Here are some Mathy links you might enjoy checking out:

  • First Lessons in Arithmetic
  • Samuel L. Blumenfeld’s Arithmetic Program
  • First Lessons in Numbers
  • SW Baird’s Graded Work in Arithmetic:
    • Year 1
    • Year 2
    • Year 3
    • Year 4
    • Year 5
    • Year 6
    • Year 7
    • Year 8
  • CIMT’s Mathematics Enhancement Programme (Reception to Secondary level)
  • Comprehensive School Mathematics Program Preservation Project (K to 6)
  • Dad’s Worksheets
  • Khan Academy
  • Eureka Math by Great Minds
  • Ray’s Arithmetic – AN ABSOLUTE GEM!!
Share:
Reading time: 1 min
Homeschool

Early Reading Resources

May 31, 2016 by Imaan No Comments

I am a curriculum junkie. There’s no shame to my game ;)

I wrote a post about homeschooling for free a long while ago. Some links are now outdated so I’ll be revisiting and reposting these resources over the next few days.

Today, early reading… because my youngest, Peep, has turned 4 and has officially joined the student body.

EARLY READING

  • Starfall – the first level of this programme was good for letter recognition and sounds, but oh my goodness… the crazy and corny songs! Peep sang “Va-va-va-va-VAN… Va-va-va-va- VAN…” for DAYS. You best be warned.
  • Progressive Phonics – very simple, straight forward programme… and very effective too! There are also free writing worksheets.
  • Word Mastery – a course in phonics for the first three grades
  • Reading Bear
  • Blend Phonics:
    • Alphabet Flash Cards
    • Blend Phonics Pre-Primer
    • Reading Made Easy With Blend Phonics
    • Blend Phonics Reader – to be used after a unit is taught in Reading Made Easy With Blend Phonics
    • Blend Phonics Decodable Storybooks
  • Stairway to Reading
  • Teach the World to Read – Not free now but at $49 for some 60 booklets + guides, it’s a steal. The site offers the programme for free to children in under-privileged communities.
  • Reading A to Z – They had an open house and made their books free once upon a time. I don’t think I will be welcome at any other open houses they will have in future.
Share:
Reading time: 1 min
Homeschool Good Reads

Geography through postcards

August 31, 2012 by Imaan No Comments

I should be getting out more instead of plonking away at my laptop, but it is SWELTERING here in Islamabad and I am trying to draw up a homeschooling schedule… so, I guess I am justified? ;)

Anyway, I’ve got something to share! Marz enjoys Geography/Social Studies. We had been reading books about children from different parts of the world in June to acquaint ourselves with other cultures. The library has been a wonderful resource, but what we really wanted was some kind of human connection to enhance the experience.

Alhamdulillah, I came across a wonderful idea! Postcard swaps! There are numerous groups on yahoo – some are for homeschooling families and others, for postcard collectors. I think with parental supervision, they are safe, but for added security, you can get a PO box.

You can put together an album of postcards received, label a huge map, branch off into unit studies and research each country/city’s history… great possibilities!

I’ve joined a couple of groups and am already committed to some 30 exchanges, ma shaa Allah!

Here are some links to get you started…

  • Homeschool Exchange
  • Homeschool Shoebox Swap
  • Postcards Around the Planet
  • Postcard Heaven
  • Postcard Kids
  • Postcard Kids’ Geography Lessons
  • Postcard Plus
  • Postcrossing
  • State and Country Exchange

Update!

Here are books we have enjoyed for Geography/Social Studies:

  • Books by Miroslav Sasek a Czech artist and writer. His This Is… series is simply delightful – the illustrations are cheery with a special touch of whimsy. I purchased a few from The Home Library. They were a little pricey, but since I don’t have access to a library in Pakistan, I found them well worth the money!
  • Children Just like Me by Dorling Kindersley Publishing, in association with United Nations Children’s Fund – I had a preview of this book when I bought a condensed version from a second-hand bookstore in Islamabad. This book features children in more than 30 countries – we get a chance to visit each of them as we learn about their families, homes and food. It’s one of those books I wish I could have written :)
  • A Life like Mine by Dorling Kindersley Publishing – I bought this book a few years ago at a book sale for myself… now it will come in handy for my kids in shaa Allah. It profiles 18 children and is formatted around basic needs for survival. Leaves you counting your blessings…

Two other series we like are Child’s Day and Letters from Around the World:

  • Child’s Day: Bongani’s Day by Gisele Wulfsohn
  • Child’s Day: In a Vietnamese City by Jim Holmes & Tom Morgan
  • Child’s Day: In an Egyptian City by Khaled Eldash & Dalia Khattab
  • Child’s Day: Iina Marja’s Day (From Dawn to Dusk) by Jaako Alatalo
  • Letters from Around the World: France by Teresa Fisher (author)
  • Letters from Around the World: Spain by Cath Senker
  • Letters from Around the World: Pakistan by David Cumming
  • Letters from Around the World: Costa Rica by Patrick Cunningham & Sue Cunningham
  • Letters from Around the World: Greece by David Cumming
  • Letters from Around the World: Canada by Andy Orchard & Clare Orchard

I also found a set of books called Maya’s World by Maya Angelou about children from different parts of the world. This is a good introduction to other people and cultures.

(Credit: Postcard photo from Pexels)

Share:
Reading time: 2 min
Page 2 of 3«123»

Search

About

  • Just a bunch of crazies
  • The Head Crazy
  • Send a Message

Archives

  • Islam
  • Homeschool
  • Charlotte Mason
  • Craftiness
  • Good Reads
  • Good Food
  • Journaling
  • Marzipan
  • Bear
  • Peep
  • The Stuff of Life
  • The Chai Files – Pakistan
  • The Rice Files – Singapore
  • Whatever
Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

.
.
.
.
.
.
#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

© 2020 copyright imaan.net // All rights reserved
Designed by Premiumcoding