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.

Addition with base 10 blocks

Multiplication using a paper checkerboard

Living math books and math classics

mathclassics

Matryoshka Dolls

ain’t that cute? and a free pattern to boot 😀

sorting for the 0-6 year olds, and maybe the 6-12 age group can make these themselves!

Classic Arithmetics

http://www.donpotter.net/math.htm

A lot of word problems, stories of addition etc.

Roman and Waldorf Multiplication

Waldorf Multiplication demonstration, beautiful geometries arising from multiplication.

Doing Waldorf Multiplication on wood, using yarn.

Right-brain math also uses the same method, awesome, better laid out video for 2x and 8x tables:

and this one just blew my mind (can skip to 2:19):

really after all these years I still have trouble remembering my tables, and these are just great. Did you know that 1x and 9x, 2x and 8 x, 3x and 7x, 4x and 6x have the same geometry using this method? There’s a pattern! Notice that the ‘partners’ add up to 10! this made me smile:-D, the beauty of it all..
even though I opted for science streaming in school which eventually led to a degree with a lot applied science, I’m still a right brainer, and numbers crazed me up a bit, so this method is really good for us right brainers.

Also, the 6,7,8,9 timestables using fingers. Just bear with it,I think it’s good although very slow!

Just for amusement, how the Romans did their multiplication with their non-decimal system.

About Montessori

http://www.montessoricandy.com/2010/10/montessori-materials-purpose_08.html

http://www.michaelolaf.net/
http://mariamontessori.com/mm/

Learning to Share
Everyone Should Learn Math the Montessori Way
The Silent Journey & Discovery – A Photo Essay (Experiencing a Montessori school)

Thoughts on elementary math

http://www.mathedpage.org/early-math/early.html

Some parts can be a chore to read, but the various games/fun activity suggestions and the summary is really good on elementary math education (imho).

Base10 blocks paper printouts andother virtual manipulatives

Lessons and printouts using the base 10 manipulatives:

Base 10 Blocks printout
Base 10 Instructions
More Handmade Manipulatives Instructions
This one on using geometric shapes to learn fractions is nicely done
The Main Site

Crafts, games and fun!

After stumbling upon handmadebeginnings and following links here and there, I’ve been inspired! We need to get out there and play more!

Some of the cool stuff:
http://handmadebeginnings.blogspot.com/2010/11/map-of-my-home.html
http://handmadebeginnings.blogspot.com/search/label/Geography
http://handmadebeginnings.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-hovercraft.html
http://handmadebeginnings.blogspot.com/2009/06/homemade-bubbles-homemade-bubble-wands.html

Click to access house_count.pdf

http://lets-explore.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/download.php?id=6
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2011/03/cloud-painting.html
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/10/toddler-art-autumn-tree-painting.html
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2011/04/painting-with-water.html
I’ll certainly check out frugal family more inshaAllah, great ideas!

http://www.minieco.co.uk/here-fishy-fishy/
http://www.minieco.co.uk/handmade-boats/

Games

Math

Volume (3-6, 6-9)

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/liquidvolume/

Vedic Maths

I found this really cool Vedic Math website, tried some exercises, cool!

http://www.vedicmaths.org/introduction/tutorial/tutorial.asp

another mental maths site, under tips & tricks:
http://www.way2maths.com/blog/

Multiplication Models

http://www.naturalmath.com/multmodels/index.php

shows different multiplication models, I’ve never thought of all my life.

MEP maths & Astronomy

I set up this site as a record for all the library books borrowed, sort of a homeschooling diary too, with book reviews/ site reviews as such, also other thoughts on education..anyway, the library visits have been scarce lately..anyway here’s a start on recording what I’ve done so far, and hopefully sort of a plan to start cosmic edu (Montessori idea), my style..

For maths, I’ve started to use the Mathematics Enhancement Programme (Primary Extension)

It’s really good in the sense that it’s complete for primary, I see secondary up to A-Levels math lessons, complete with tests for each stage. This program is based on the hungarian syllabus but is made to fit the UK curicullum at each stage, it’s free and schools have even adopted this program in the UK and around the world including Alice Smith, how about that? And it’s free

a wealth of math resources in the parent page, math application, misconceptions, puzzles, you have to browse to find those that are suitable for your child’s age. I especially like this for shape definitions.

Astronomy sites:
Coloring :nice b/w seas of the moon here
Sky MapsThis is a really good site with free monthly star charts for us earthlings living near the equator. Usually you get maps for the northern hemisphere, lucky to get southern, and now equatorial courtesy of this site, and an extra page to help real amateurs locate interesting bodies up there..

Books:
Zoo in the sky This is a really good book, to introduce the constellations to your child, nice illustrations and storyline.