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Homeschool Good Reads

May 2006 Reading List

May 31, 2006 by Imaan 1 Comment

Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir (on-going)

Malcolm X : A Fire Burning Brightly by Walter Dean Myers & Leonard Jenkins
Pompeii: The Day A City Was Buried by Melanie & Christopher Rice (DK)
Usborne’s Enclyclopedia of World History (on-going)
Voyages of Discovery – Viking Explorers by Luidi Prunetti (McGraw-Hill) (on-going)

Animal Talk from Singing Birds & Fireflies by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Australia The Gift by Steve Parish
Fire! (DK)
Kangaroos & Marsupials by Lionel Bender
Koala Kate Talks Ablout Koalas by Denise Burt
Longman’s Inquizitive books: Bushfire
Longman’s Inquizitive books: The Desert Gallery
On The Trail from Animal Tracks & Traces by Kathleen V Kudlinksi
People & Animals: Work & Leisure by Barry Silkstone
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Amazing Magnetism
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Expedition Down Under
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: The Giant Germ
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: The Truth about Bats
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: The Wild Whale Watch
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Twister Trouble
Travelling Through Time (DK)

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Bargain for Frances by Russel Hoban & Lillian Hoban
Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping by Peggy Parish & Lynn Sweat
Best Friends for Frances by Russel Hoban & Lillian Hoban
Beryl’s Box by Lisa Taylor & Penny Dann
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban & Garth Williams
Bread & Jam for Frances by Russel Hoban & Lillian Hoban
Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
Miss Lily’s Fabulous Pink Feather Boa by Margaret Wild & Kerry Argent
Mom Can’t See Me by Sally Hobart Alexander
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
The Gold Coin by Alma Flor Ada
The Pudding Like a Night on the Sea by Ann Cameron

DK Readers
Beastly Tales
Dinosaur Detectives
Disasters At Sea
Free At Last: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Horse Show
Outback Adventure: Australian Vacation
The Story of Anne Frank
The Story of Muhammed Ali
Zeppelin

[Books image from Pexels]
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Expedition Down Under

May 7, 2006 by Imaan 2 Comments

Ms M loves all things Australian so we have decided to revisit the Land Down Under. Here are some of the things we have done/are doing.

Books & Stories

  • Animal Myths & Legends – of course we don’t believe in these but it was interesting to see how others think.
  • Australia The Gift by Steve Parish – superb photographs by one of Australia’s best-known photographers who has spent much of his life journeying around the country.
  • Australian Mammals Sticker Picture Book by Steve Parish – a gift from my sister… Ms M had fun with this!
  • DK Readers: Outback Adventure – Australian Holiday by Kate McCleod – a nice book about a family seeing the sites in Broome, a remote place in the Australian outback.
  • Kangaroos & Marsupials by Lionel Bender – a very informative and yet easy-to-understand book about the different marsupials. Very good photos!
  • Koala Kate Talks Ablout Koalas by Denise Burt – a little book we found at the second-hand bookstore… all about the life and habits of the koala told from the point of view of a koala! Delightful photographs.
  • Koala Lou by Mem Fox – sweet tale about a koala who feels sidestepped with the arrival of siblings and longs for her mother’s reassurance by trying to win a medal in the Bush Olympics. Listen to Mem Fox reciting it here.
  • Longman’s Inquizitive books: Bushfire – describes how bushfires occur, the damage it can do as well as how the fire can help the bush and animals that live in it.
  • Longman’s Inquizitive books: The Desert Gallery – interesting books about the amazing plants and animals that survive in the harsh Australian desert.
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – yes, I know it is set in the USA but we drew parallels between the Native Americans and the Aborigines.
  • Miss Lily’s Fabulous Pink Feather Boa by Margaret Wild & Kerry Argent – Ms M cried when we first read this! A lonely potoroo, who feels she must eb the last of her kind, meets a lively and kind crocodile, Miss Lily (she has “a very small appetite” and only eats fish). The Last Potoroo is enthralled by her host and her feather boa which made her feel as if “she could do anything – and everything!” With the help of Miss Lily, the potoroo learns about courage and honesty and goes forth to seek others of her kind. She returns to repay Miss Lily’s love with a surprise!
  • People & Animals: Work & Leisure by Barry Silkstone – about the relationship between man and animals, with a focus on those in Australia.
  • Possum Magic by Mem Fox – about Hush and Grandma Poss who gallivant Australia to undo the bush magic spell that made Hush invisible. A good intro to the different Oz cities and food. We didn’t feel comfy with magic so we called it Bush science/chemistry *LOL* and Hobart’s casinos were changed to hotels.
  • Stories from Australia
  • The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Expedition Down Under

Aussie Geography – Overview

  • About Australia – by Pocantico Hills School
  • Australian Flag printout
  • Australia Interactive Map
  • A to Z Kids’ Stuff
  • Enchanted Learning’s page on Australia
  • National Geographic on Australia
  • Outline Map of Australia
  • Picture Australia
  • Photos of Australia

History

  • European discovery and the colonisation of Australia
  • The Flying Doctor

Aboriginal Culture

  • Aboriginal Art and Aboriginal Culture Centre – with gallery, info on didgeridoos and dreamtime
  • Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery
  • Aboriginal Rock Art
  • Australian Aboriginal Art Online
  • Australian Aborigines
  • Indigenous Australia

Uluru/Ayers Rock

  • Australia Government’s page on Uluru
  • Crystal Links on Uluru – has more info on Australia on its index page

Aussie Animals

  • ABC TV’s Our Animals
  • Animal Postcards & Stories – cute!
  • Australian Fauna
  • Australian Koala Foundation
  • Billy Bear For Kids – The Koala
  • Chris’ Joey Haven
  • Enchanted Learning’s Page on Australian Animals
  • Fred’s Chook Page – listen to the kookaburra
  • Kangaroo Theme Page
  • Kids’ Planet – Kangaroo Fact Sheet
  • Kids’ Planet – Koala Fact Sheet
  • Koala Movie – see and listen to a koala
  • Laughing Kookabura photos with sounds
  • Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
  • Marsupial Mania!

Art & Crafts and Other Fun Activities

  • Aboriginal Art
  • Aussie Recipes from Mem Fox – an accompaniment to Possum Magic
  • Australia Colouring Page
  • Australia for Kids
  • Australia Jigsaws
  • Australian animals colouring sheet
  • Boomerangs
  • Clip Art
  • Colour the flag
  • Didgeridoos – make your own!
  • Echidna Craft
  • Ettamogah Wildlife Sanctuary’s Kids’ Site
  • K is for Kangaroo
  • Kangaroo Craft
  • Koala Craft
  • Koala Colouring Page
  • Kookaburra in a Tree
  • National Geographic Colouring Book: Kangaroos
  • National Geographic Colouring Book: Koalas
  • Platypus Craft
  • Sydney Opera House – a template from Paper Toys!

Aussie Songs

  • Kookaburra
  • Who’ll come a ‘Waltzing Matilda’ with me? – about Australia’s best known and much loved national song

Aussie Slang

  • Australian Slang
  • Australians speak English but…
  • PBS’ Glossary of Aussie slang

More Great Links!

  • Herberton State School (P-10), Far North Queensland, Australia
  • Jerrie Cheek’s Australia Hotlist Page
  • Lesson Plan/Ideas on Australia
  • Project by Class 3/4D of Eleanora Heights Primary School
  • ProTeacher on Australia
  • SurfNetKids on Australia
  • Time For Kids
  • Zoom School
[Map photo from Pexels]
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Books & Stories Online

February 17, 2006 by Imaan 6 Comments

Has it really been THREE months since I updated this blog? I have lots of links and ideas to add… BUT we are recovering from a long vacation (does that make sense?) and are inundated with luggage. :)

In the meantime, here are some links to story sites that I posted on a parenting forum. They were well received so I thought I would post them here too.

As always, visit and read with a critical mind. Ah… but then, you know that already. *S*

  • Aesop’s Fables
  • BAB Books
  • Between The Lions Printable Stories
  • Book Hive – with videos of professional storytellers!
  • BookPALS Story Online – video of celebs reading books… with accompanying activities
  • Children’s Books Online
  • Children’s Literature – Links etc
  • Classics for Young People
  • Contemporary Writing for Children & Young Adults
  • Dr Seuss Ideas – Lesson plans and printables for Dr Seuss books
  • Fable Vision Library – books by Peter Reynolds and more
  • Free Animated E-books (science)
  • International Children’s Digital Library
  • Kids’ Corner – featuring Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit in audio & other languages too!
  • Learning Page
  • Leo Lionni Teacher Resources (my kid likes Swimmy)
  • Mem Fox – learn about the stories behind the stories and hear Mem Fox read aloud!
  • New York Public Library’s E-Books
  • Online Children’s Stories
  • Reading A to Z
  • Reading Rainbow – LOVE their lesson plans!
  • Starfall
  • Story A Month: Printable Patterns for felt-boards or folder games
  • Story Place’s Digital Library
  • Story Street
  • Sunshine Online
  • Teacher Tap E-books & Online Reading – lots of links!
  • The North Star – by Peter Reynolds… inspiring! With teaching resources too!
  • The Rosetta Stone Project – illustrated antique books
  • TumbleBook Library – Queens Borough Public Library
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Butterflies Revisited

August 24, 2005 by Imaan No Comments

Going the regimented route didn’t work out for us … if I’m to be completely honest, it brought out the absolute WORST in me. I trashed my lesson plans and started on a clean slate. Marz and I played silly games, tackled the colouring books and chit chatted in the darkness after Bear and Dad had gone to sleep. We took out stacks upon stacks of books and we just read. It felt good reconnecting with my daughter.

I have decided to follow a more eclectic approach… something along the lines of the unit-study-five-in-a-row way with loads of good literature. So we make the rules up as we go along. So what? ;)

We did butterflies earlier this year, but I’ve decided to revisit this unit … this time remembering to breathe more!

Butterflies, Butterflies!

  • Alan & Hui Meng’s Butterfly Life Cycle Photos
  • Beal School’s Exploring Butterflies in Kindergarten
  • Butterfly File Folder Game
  • Butterfly & Moth Printouts @ Enchanted Learning
  • DLTK’s Butterfly & Caterpillar Crafts
  • First School’s Butterfly Pre-school Activities & Crafts
  • Jenna’s Story – Caterpillar to Butterfly
  • Kidzone’s Monarch Butterfly Picture Story
  • Kidzone’s Online Butterfly Jigsaw
  • Life Cycles – The Monarch Butterfly
  • Monarch Butterfly Links
  • NBII Children’s Butterfly Site
  • Science Museum of Minnesota – Monarchs & Migration
  • Star Tribune’s beautiful photographs of butterflies
  • Yukon Butterflies

Books We Read

  • “All Aboard Reading: Butterflies” by Emily Neye
  • “Butterfly Battle” – The Magic School Bus
  • “Charlie the Caterpillar” by Dom de Luise
  • “DK Readers Level 1: Born to be a Butterfly” by Karen Wallace
  • “How to Hide a Butterfly & Other Insects” by Ruth Heller
  • “The Butterfly Life Cycle” from Enchanted Learning
  • “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle (but of course *S*)
  • “Where Butterflies Grow” by Joanne Ryder & Lynne Cherry

Random Crazy Stuff

  • Pinned a filmy dupatta (that’s the large rectangular shawl that Indo-Pak women wear) on Ms M, gathered up the middle, fashioned huge butterfly wings and let her run about the house in her usual drama-mama fashion :)
[Butterfly photo from Pexels]
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The Little Red House…

August 17, 2005 by Imaan 2 Comments

I did this activity with Marzipan and she loved it to bits! If you have the time, you can make a felt story board or draw some pictures to accompany the tale. I just read with a lot of drama and had an apple and a knife ready! It worked just fine!

As with most resources I purchase or find online, I have adapted the content by injecting an Islamic flavour.

The Little Red House With The Star Inside

There was once a little boy named Ahmad who was tired of all his toys and tired of all his play.

“What shall I do?” he asked his mother.

And his mother, who always knew beautiful things for little boys to do, said, “Dear Ahmad, you shall go on a journey and find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside.”

This really made the little boy wonder. Usually his mother had good ideas, but he thought that this one was very strange. “Which way shall I go?” he asked. “I don’t know where to find a little red house with no doors and no window.”

“Go down the lane past the farmer’s house and over the hill,” said his mother. “Then hurry back as soon as you can and tell me all about your journey.”

So Ahmad put on his cap and his jacket and started out, saying the du`aa for leaving the home. “Bismillah. Tawakaltu `allallah wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.”

He had not gone very far down the lane when he met with a merry little girl playing in the sunshine. Her cheeks were like pink bloom petals and she was making dhikr, like the pretty robins in the trees.

“As salaamu `alaykum! Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?” asked the little boy.

The little girl laughed “Wa `alaykum as salaam! Ask my father, the farmer,” she said. “Perhaps he knows.”

So the little boy, went on until he came to a great brown barn were the farmer kept barrels of fat potatoes and baskets of yellow squashes and golden pumpkins. The farmer himself stood in the doorway, looking out over the green pastures and yellow grain fields.

“As salaamu `alaykum! My name is Ahmad. Do you know were I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?” the boy asked the farmer.

The farmer laughed too. “Wa `alaykum as salaam, young man! I have lived a great many years and I have never seen one.” He continued, “Ask Granny who lives at the foot of the hill. She knows how to make molasses, taffy and popcorn balls and red mittens! Perhaps she can direct you.”

Ahmad said, “JazakAllah khayran!” to the farmer who cheerfully replied, “Wa iyyakum!”

He then went on farther still, until he came to the Granny sitting in her pretty garden of herbs and marigolds. She was as wrinkled as a walnut and as smiling as the sunshine.

“As salaamu `alaykum! I am Ahmad,” said the little boy, introducing himself. “Please, dear Granny, where shall I find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?”

Granny was knitting a red mitten and when she heard the little boy’s question, she laughed so cheerily that the wool ball rolled of her lap and down the little pebbly path.

“Wa `alaykum as salaam, ya Ahmad! I should like to find that little house myself,” she chuckled. “I would be warm when the frosty night comes and the starlight would be prettier than a candle ma shaa Allah. Why don’t you follow where the wind blows? Perhaps the wind can direct you, in shaa Allah.”

So the boy bade salaam to the Granny and went on up the hill rather sorrowfully. He wondered if his mother, who usually knew almost everything, had perhaps made a mistake.

The wind was coming down the hill as Ahmad climbed up. As they met, the wind turned about and went along, singing beside the little boy. It whistled in his ear and pushed him and dropped a pretty leaf into his hand.

“I wonder,” thought Ahmad, after they had gone along together for awhile, “if the wind could help me find a little red house with no doors and no windows a star inside.”

The wind cannot speak in our words, but it went singing ahead of the little boy until it came to an orchard. There it climbed up in the apple tree and shook the branches. When Ahmad caught up, there at his feet lay a great rosy apple. He picked up the apple.

It was as much as his two hands could hold, it was red as the sun had been able to paint it, and the thick brown stem stood up as straight as a chimney, and it had no doors and no windows.

Was there a star in side? The little boy said, “Alhamdulillah,” thanking Allah for his find and made his way back home.

Upon reaching home, Ahmad greeted his mother with a cheerful “As salaamu `alaykum Ummi!” and gave her the apple. With a wide smile on her face, his mother took a knife and cut the apple through the center.

(AT THIS POINT, START CUTTING AN APPLE CROSSWISE)

Oh, ma shaa Allah! How wonderful! There inside the apple, lay a star holding brown seeds.

“SubhanAllah… It is too wonderful to eat without looking at the star, isn’t it?” Ahmad said to his mother.

“Yes indeed,” answered his mother.

Apple - Cut crosswise
[Image of apple and jar from Pexels]
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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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