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I’m Imaan, I’m a curricula-holic

November 4, 2010 by Imaan 8 Comments

This post is for Umm Saara, who asked if I use everything I share on my blog at some point or another.

Truthfully, no.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It isn’t that I don’t like these resources – I wouldn’t share them if I didn’t think they were good. I share them primarily because I know how hard it can be to homeschool on a shoestring. I also know how tough it can be to inject creativity and variety into studies when you are pressed for time and short on energy. I remember being new in Pakistan years ago. I wasn’t able to go out much and online shopping was not an option due to the exorbitant shipping costs. These free online resources were my lifeline.

However, there is just SO MUCH out there. I confess, I became quite the curriculum junkie and practically went insane downloading every curriculum idea I could click my mouse on. I was determined not to be caught in a jam and wanted to make sure that everything was at my disposal. The problem was I started to have too many ideas and wishes. I spent way too much time planning, collecting and collating and far too little time executing.

My curriculum junkie tendencies were curbed over time. I learnt to plan better once I knew my children’s learning style and strengths better. I found that the Charlotte Mason approach suits us to a “T”. When these things fell into place, I was able to come up with a set of guidelines for our learning journey and from there, choose the materials that complemented my children’s interests and abilities. (You can see what I do use for my kids here and here.)

Since we do have lots of text, reference and living books in our library, we use the free online resources only as supplements and even then, only what fits. For example, in the case of English, I don’t use the English grammar resources I’ve featured because I already have two good texts that the girls love. (I have saved some resources for when they are older though.) For Arabic, I don’t use the free text books I have linked to simply because I can’t teach my daughter Arabic. (I’ve just enrolled in a beginners’ class myself :P) She goes to an institute for Arabic and they have a customised syllabus for her. I’ve only used the free flash cards and wordlists that I’ve found online and these are only to help her with the homework her tutor sets her.

For Science, I do confess that I want to try and use as many resources as I can. Mars adores Science and I want to encourage this interest. Again, there is a lot out there so I sometimes just let her read or do things on her own. She enjoys learning with me but also likes discovering things independently so my pressure is eased in that I can just leave the material to her.

I don’t know if I’ve answered your question Umm Saara – my propensity to ramble is quite legendary :P I’m no home-ed expert but what I have learnt in a nutshell is this:

1. Plan and set your goals – I know, everyone says this *yawn* but even a crazy hippie like me strongly advocates this. Try to understand your child’s learning style, interests and strengths and also your own teaching style. This will help you determine your home-ed method and philosophy. Some parents want equal emphasis on academic and Islamic subjects throughout the year. Some children are doing hifdh and so are placing less stress on academic subjects. If you know what you and your child can handle and use, it will save you a lot of time and money.

2. Draw up your desired curriculum content for each subject. This will help you determine which of the resources you will use and when. I have developed a real love for large ring files and dividers :)

3. Research the books you want – you can purchase a package or get different packages for different subjects or simply go your own way via your own reference and research. I would strongly recommend asking more experienced homeschoolers who have done their share of shopping rather than just looking up various sites for curricula. I did the latter initially and went mental because I wanted to buy everything. :P

4. Remember that children do not always need fancy learning aids or materials or printables. (I know some are so cute but really, they can be a waste of paper and time.) Sometimes a good book or discussion is all it takes. Kids also don’t necessarily need age-appropriate material. (By this I mean that kids can be exposed to vocabulary/language that is rich and challenging.) I strongly recommend living books that will inspire them and make topics come alive.

5. Roll up your sleeves, grit your teeth and just GET STARTED. You can sit and plan and plan and never get off the computer or you can just commence no matter how meagre your lesson plans seem. I’ve found that if you choose the latter, your child will at least learn something rather than sit around waiting for you to get your groove :) If you just start, the ideas will kick in and your lesson plans will grow. Oh, and your child will also teach you a thing or two as you go along… and this is really when you know that you are doing OK :)

Did I make ANY sense at all?

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Homeschool

FOSSWeb

by Imaan 2 Comments

OK fans and friends – and there are what… all of 2 of you? :P – here is another homeschooling freebie I dug out of the WWW.

FOSSWeb

FOSS (Full Option Science System) is a research-based science curriculum for grades K-8 developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley. It is also an ongoing research project dedicated to improving the learning and teaching of science.

The FOSS project began over 20 years ago during a time of growing concern that our nation was not providing young students with an adequate science education. The FOSS program materials are designed to meet the challenge of providing meaningful science education for all students in diverse American classrooms and to prepare them for life in the 21st century. Development of the FOSS program was, and continues to be, guided by advances in the understanding of how youngsters think and learn.

FOSSWeb

There are interactive activities for kids and teacher resources for grades K-2, grades 3-6 and middle school. There is also a Science Notebook Folio with suggestions for getting started with notebooks plus ideas for deepening student understanding through the use of science notebooks.

I have absolutely no business looking at more home-ed materials, free or otherwise, when I have my books threatening a coup d’etat to expel me out of hearth and home, but I have a tough time trying to determine if you can have enough of a good thing :)

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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. 

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#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.
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#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? 
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#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.

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#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.
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#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
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