Watercolor and Crayon Resist Fish Paintings
Love this art lesson on watercolour on crayon resist. Looks like the students have had lessons on warm and cold colours, and several watercolour techniques beforehand, not a one lesson project.
Watercolor and Crayon Resist Fish Paintings | Ms. Amsler’s Artroom
So we finally did part of the lesson today, (Tues,7 Sept).
We did do the fish and white crayon part a week or two back but on normal art paper. Didn’t have watercolour paper then, so not sure whether to go on painting on it or start all over again and use proper watercolour paper.
We did start today’s activity on the same art pad as the fishes drawn but it didn’t turn out as good as on watercolour paper I think.
We tried sprinkling salt but have yet to see any effects.
Had to read up quite a bit on watercolour painting, on paper, techniques etc. to actually sit down and do it with A. Happy it turned out well, alhamdulillah.
Popeye the sailor man, man, man..
I have this memory of clapping hands with my friends to this song that escapes me, and today I decided to search on google/youtube and found this:
The melody is similar, and I do remember “sea, sea, sea..” somewhere in the rhyme, but I remember the rhyme starting as “Popeye the sailor man, man, man” instead, and saluting and then pulling on an imaginary train horn saying ”toot, toot” just like in Popeye cartoons..a bit frustrating to remember just bits and bobs, and I can’t remember the sequence of claps, but this youtube video looks like the original, with similar rhyming and melody. How creative for kids to modify it and make it funny and interesting.
This week’s art
People ask me about homeschooling sometimes. Sometimes for guidance, sometimes to see how others do it, I guess out of curiosity maybe and well, for guidance. Though I am of a generation and of an upbringing of keeping things to myself, and also having been an introvert do not share many things, especially publicly where all can see and look back to many years to come.
I know this may sound morbid for most and strange for the trendy onliners, but it is horrifying, we all will go through it in the hereafter, having all our lives recorded displayed for all to see, why put ourselves through it in this life?
There used to be a thing called diaries, where people kept their memories to themselves for one’s own eyes only (even then you do get others reading them without permission, but that’s another story). So I have and still have a hard time in these times where I can find out not just about other people’s family, but names of their children, nieces and nephews, cats mostly, what they eat, sometimes how sweet their voices are reading the Qur’an, I mean…it sweet on one hand and scary on the other, and it’s so captivating looking into other people’s lives, but why does it feel so wrong, even if they are giving permission for us to look, it still feels to me like I am looking into another’s home, life, family, it feels wrong. It feels like an intrusion and screams danger by sharing information that should be kept private.
I frequently look back at what I have said as cringeworthy and often in my head wonder why I did say or do most of the things I’ve done. And now I’ll probably feel this is too much, even my picture up with my Mr. is too much and I leave it up though for a reason I keep to myself, for now.
Well, after all that prelude, I was meaning to record the art activities of my children. I am sharing people 😅 I pray it is appropriate and well I guess this is one of the reasons I understand well, for recording purposes, to show that we actually do something as homeschoolers, a blip in our lives, some proof of work, evidence of progress..
No I haven’t talked to my kids about drawing animate objects. Not sure how to go about it. It is a skill to be able to record Allah’s creation, to draw them is to really observe, but to feel that one’s drawing is beautiful is also something that bothers me with my drawings, so I have stopped drawing portraits myself.
So for memory’s sake, the parrot and butterfly was done by A and the rest by M
Tie Dye at National Islamic Museum
We were at the museum in the afternoon after Jumaah for a tie dye session. Jazaakillahu khairan to Ila for organising, I enjoyed it so much I thought it could be made a hobby, but where and how shall I set the table for it? Round the back maybe yes, just a thought.
Anyway Hn, Hs did a sup bunjut style tie dye. I mucked around and did a swirly one for A and a folded in different directions one for M since she decided to stay in school. Boy was she disappointed slightly when the anticipated discussion didn’t happen so she just slept it off instead. Sigh. I managed to tie dye twice over though woo hoo! 😀
The staff showed us some slides on different tie dye examples from around the world and some techniques
Folding technique
Hn,Hs & A’s tie dye t-shirts
M’s tie dye I made
Arabic on Youtube
Just discovered this on youtube, really nice Arabic sketches, just a few and there are some lessons too. Check them out: https://youtu.be/RK5LBw2h-wA
Hearing
Science playgroup on senses a while back
Cycling at the park
One of my targets for last year or maybe even the year before was to get H to cycle with just two wheels. Well, having just moved recently gave me a newfound ‘freedom’ (well, dad still came to sleep over last night when hubby was not around, I’m still their baby!) I mean I have slightly more breathing space. Even without a maid, I feel I achieve more nowadays.
Anyway, I finally got around to getting the kid’s bikes fixed, well except for M’s, and this is in essence why I hardly ever get anything done while we were staying at my mom’s. I just managed to get H and Hboy’s bikes in the car after washing them but M’s were put away behind a pile of things that I couldn’t get it out easily enough to bother then. I tried again yesterday feeling sorry for M, but gave up after a few attempts. Dad tried again today and succeeded finally, but we were back home by then.
So we had an outing to Bukit Kiara Park today. Everyone, even A had their own bikes, except for myself and poor M. She’s old enough to not be bothered by it and had a ride on H’s for a bit anyway. A enjoyed it tremendously. Hboy could ride a bike now, been a few days now. H is still struggling a bit, she’ll get in insya Allah, but she’s a bit apprehensive since younger Hboy could ride before her. She’s not far behind though.
No pics! I was too busy pushing A’s pedal-less bike I bought her. She’s not tall enough for it yet her toes are just touching the ground. I’d love to buy her a trike, but I am holding back.
BASF
So the kids got involved in BASF experiments again. What a shame M’s name got missed out. I don’t know what happened, most probably the only registration didn’t go through and I didn’t realise. There was no e-mail confirmation of names, so we never found out until the day..urghh, poor M.
So only H and Hboy did the experiments this year. M did join the BASF programmes for the past two years, but then the experiments are different from previous years’. I still have not looked through the booklets to find out what experiments they did, and it was not much use asking them to explain. I’ll try again some time, and see if they retained and understood anything.
Trip to Sasana Kijang
It’s been a while since I’ve updated. We are now officially maidless. There’s a never ending stream of clothes, and dishes, chores now. Anyway, I’m slowly coping and training the kids.
We went to Sasana Kijang today for the Currency Education Program. It was OK, but was too focused on identifying false bank notes. I’d rather have a one hour session rather than two and went to the museum instead.
And I forgot about the jam, again. I’m so absent minded. So, we missed, had to cancel, our first Arabic class today. I pray the Ustadha was not inconvenienced by our cancelling. I still feel bad about it. The timing in the evening is rush hour though, so I think I should discuss other suitable and less stressful class times.
//
HS record
M:
Hifdh- Al-Hadid
Fractions
BM kbsr – peribahasa, isi utama & huraian
JAIS
H:
Hifdh-‘Abasa
JAIS-fiqh-wudhu’-niat
Science kbsr
Math- GALT Multipliclation
H-boy:
Hifdh- ad-Duha (need to remember to do revision with all my kids..)
Math-addition with carrying, hundreds using base 10 blocks
Reading BM and Arabic – drawing based on what was read
Du’a waking up
What we do and did
I’ve been meaning to outline what we actually do day to day, for the benefit of those who want structure in homeschooling. This is what we do and did.
I came across Robinson’s Method, which I think is sublime in that it makes sure Math is done, and language too, and it’s real simple. Math is done éveryday and takes the first portion of the day, then a full page essay on anything, history, geography, anything you want your child to learn basically. It’s like notebooking really.
So, I adopted this method with some changes, being a Muslim, the first thing we do is pray and then we have Hifdh or memorisation of the Qur’an, chores, breakfast, bath, then Math, then language (either English, Malay/Arabic). For English, I’m happy that I could free myself from the local syllabus and used First Language Lessons, we still do, but have moved on mainly to Galore Park English, and we’re doing a grade lower than the books intended, both FLL and GP, since it’s already higher than the local syllabus I don’t think we’re losing out. Malay, we’re using the KBSR/KSSR books and Arabic, JAIS books, but I’m thinking of moving on from JAIS with Maryam especially, and just getting her to write half a page every time we do Arabic on anything since it’s not our mother tongue.
Last year, I did 2 days of English, 2 days of Malay, and a day of Arabic, sometimes we did Arabic instead of Malay. We didn’t quite finish the Malay KBSR books last year, so this year, we’re really just skimming through the text and focusing on what’s interesting and what I think we may need to work more on. Looking back, I’d rather just get them to write an essay in the respective language and then read a good book in that language, memorise poetry, pantun, Arabic songs. I think I’d start doing that for Arabic with M and let H soldier on and finish her Y2 Arabic (JAIS) workbook. Oh yes,I forgot to mention that we end the morning session with reading (at least that’s what we did last year). This year is a bit hectic since I have started sending the 2 girls to BaoBei, a mandarin reading class. It’s not perfect, but they enjoy it. I’m still looking out for an alternative that’s fun, teaches traditional characters, and have more immersion put into it. At the moment, the girls are enjoying the classes 3 times a week, and I’m on a look out for Mandarin playgroups we can join in the mean time.
Since my husband insists on exams, it’s pretty hard for me to choose whatever I fancy. I’m still tied to KBSR and JAIS curricula especially for my eldest, since she is the one taking exams this year (UPKK) and next (UPSR and PSRA), yes there are still exams everyone. I’m not 100% against exams, but really I’d rather go through Allah’s names and verse in the Qurán and Sunnah, than do Sifat 20, and Sifat 20 goes on and on until Y5 (Tauhid, JAIS). In Y6 they do go through Allah’s names, all 99 in one year, amongst other things, phew!
We are doing khat with an ustaz this year, and M is taking a liking to it. Akhlaq (JAIS) is also a chore, some are ok, Jawi is a bit confusing for me, there are different rules maybe for JAIS and Klinik Jawi on IKIM (course notes on Perpustakaan Negara website). In short, the JAIS syllabus is bogging me down. I glance longingly at ad-duha tafseer books, Yahya Emerick’s intro to Islam, maybe I’ll get to do them with H & H-boy when M goes back to school next year. I’ve been looking for something like Yahya Emericks book, which goes briefly through history since the beginning of time from the Islamic perspective. I love Mufti Menk’s stories of the prophets lecture series on youtube too, I’m just wondering if it’s a halal option. Also, Bidayah wan Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, the English translation at Dakwah Corner is not really my cup of tea, we have the Arabic, but I don’t read Arabic well, so I think a Malay version would be nice for our collection. These are what I’d do for Deeniyah Studies, but then as I said, we are bogged down by JAIS, and impending exams. SO I have this nagging feeling everytime I think about currciculum and I felt again when I looked at samples of Montessori lessons on the NAMC website. It was on Geometry, I love Montessory for geometry and the choices a child makes in a controlled, prepared environment, I love it but i feel I have failed to live up to my dreams of providing a Montessori style education/space for my children. I pray I get to do it some time, may be this year, dreams and hope.
With us planning to renovate and then move this year, and not having a maid starting June, how am I going to cope? I pray we get to move when it is best, and get a lot of things if not everything sorted for a nice, condusive environment for my children and myself to work in. Dear husband prefers tiled interior space to a small garden, and I’m trying to accept it, although at the moment I’m planning an alternative plan with some greens for him to look at, but I’m not that hopeful.
Back to education, I’m still looking for a science curriculum, I’ve been looking at supercharged science for aeons but have still not the courage to try it because I’m not 100% sure how it works. I think we pay yearly, and I’m not sure then if we would still have access much later on after having done some of the experiments but have stopped paying. I stumbled through http://www.sciencebuddies.org recently and I think we’ll be trying it out, it’s free and even has a robotics section which was how I found it through google. Incidently I help out in M’s previous school’s robot club. We did OLLO for two years, and this year we are venturing into the unknown, for starters, we did a spongebot, and it was a modest success, I would say. Next project in the works is an art-bot, inshaAllah.
Oh, and we join a multi-age playgroup twice a week. Nothing carved in stone so far, but we did botany loosely, and am aiming to a more structured co-op, science from the Islamic perspective maybe. But it’s so vast I’m having trouble to focus and get it started.
Museum Trip
We went last Tuesday, on the 4th of March, for the Look & Find activity at the National Museum. We were given worksheets with pictures of some of the artifacts on display. It was a brief introduction into history, from plate tectonics, a bit on ice age and sea levels, prehistorical human remains,stone age tools, cave drawings, pottery then bronze and iron age, the start of trade and so on. It was nice as a prelude to my attempt at introducing history to the children.
I’ve been forever looking at Story of the World, and not quite buying it, and just as I’m getting on to it, I met a fellow homeschooling mum who has actually gone through the first volume, and they live nearby! Good to meet other homeschoolers, and working mums homeschooling!
I remember seeing the copper reliefs when I was a child, but no pics taken, since they were mostly reliefs of people, Hang Tuah etc.
Picture courtesy of MHsN President 🙂
MHsN Art & Craft Show & Sell
So we had a Craft Show & Sell on the 3rd of July 2013 and we had a booth for DIY finger crocheting hairclips or brooches, and we had (just four) hair pins to sell (ha..ha..), but it was a good experience for the kids.
Here's a pic of our booth, with two of the four pins left.
(Picture courtesy of Zaszima Abu Samah)
And there was an art competition. We sat outside a few days, for inspiration, and looked at a few books of flowers. On the first day, Hasan produced this, real quick, no thinking, just like an artist!
I want Ideaventions
Ya Allah, I want my kids to be in an environment where recyclables, cardboards, paper, plastics, metals, wood, nails, fabric, electronics bits and bobs, tools, sewing equipment, stationery are suitably organised for them to use, create and experiment with. And I want them to have mentors that will mould them into exceptional beings in your eyes, al-muqarrabuun, so they will succeed in this life and especially the next, ameen.
So, I’ve discovered Ideaventions, and have been awed by this coming together of professionals to create a stimulating environment for kids to explore in, I’m impressed and I want one here in Malaysia! Something similar anyway, I want one!
Montessori Zoology, and other elementary stage Montessori ideas
So I’m overwhelmed by the work and inspired by what other mummies have done, and dream the perfect place for my kids and er.. myself. Before I ramble on, her’s an excellent blog for elementary (that is primary level for Malaysians) from a Montessori viewpoint: called Montessori Muddle. Great site so far for zoology, specifically insects and nature study, this is only from a brief glance.
Map lessons form USGS
THe US geological Survey website offers quite an abundant stash of materials for teaching geography/geology to students. Here’s one we’ve used, and are going through this week (we’re right on lesson 4 today): Map Adventures
Skipton Castle
So I stumbled upon this, and it looks great for history, specifically English history, and thus castles, from 1090 to about 1670.
And what’s great is it has colouring pages and printouts to make a model of the castle and a kitchen scene. There’s also special paper for letter writing with a coordinating envelope
Comprehending Life.. 
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