A Muslim Homeschool: A DAY IN THE LIFE

A typical day in our Muslim homeschool, doing Reception (Kindergarten) and Preschool with three small children.

M is 5 years-old, A is 3 years-old and K is 7 months-old.

6.45

‘MUMMMMMMMY! I WANT ICECREAM!’ I crack open one eye, to find A has crawled into the bed in the night and seems to have kicked his dad out.

‘MUMMMMMMMY! I WANT ICECREAM!’ Before he wakes the baby, I slid myself out of bed, eyes still half-closed, and shuffle downstairs.

He gets grapes. I get coffee.

Feeling slightly more human, I feed the cats and then have some cereal.

7.20

K wakes up. I nurse her and head back downstairs to finish my cereal.

It‘s gone soggy.

7.35

My husband needs to drop off his car at the garage at 8am today, so the kids and I need to go in my car to give him a lift home. So I do the unthinkable….I wake up M!

He’s not happy.

After putting a load of nappies in the wash, I make the beds and then give the kids breakfast. It just cereal and juice this morning, and a baby puree for K.

Then I quickly scan through my emails on my phone.

8.00

After a lot of whining, we get everyone into the car … still in their pyjamas. I throw an abaya over mine and jump in the car.

On the way to the garage I see kids already dressed, presumably having eaten something, bags packed, and heading off to school.

How do their mum’s do it?!?

Superwomen no doubt!

I can’t help feeling a little smug though as we all drive home in our pyjamas for a second breakfast!

8.15

When get back from the garage, my husband leaves for work on his bike.

A is unusually grumpy so I feed him. The cats are complaining to, so I feed them.

8.25

I remember that I need to post something on Instagram that morning. 

Whilst typing on my phone, K starts crying. So I  finish writing the photo caption one-handed, bobbing her up and down on my hip. 

The cats start meowing that they want to go out, M starts reading out facts from a dinosaur book, and K is still crying.

8.40

K starts to settle down, so I grab my chance to clean the kitchen.

A falls over and hurts himself, M is still reading aloud (very loudly) out of his dinosaur book and K starts crying.

I give up and take K upstairs.

9.00 

After a clean nappy and nursing, K is asleep.

I finish cleaning up the kitchen.

9.10 

I take out our ‘workbox.’



We settle on the living room floor and read from the children’s Quran the story of Qarun.

Next M reads to me from his ‘I can read' easy reader book, and A listens.

9.30

In the kitchen, I help A make a picture of a summer garden with paper flowers and tissue paper.

Whilst M is doing some Math fact drills and word problems at the table, A goes an plays in the living room and I make another coffee.

9.40

I take the meat out of the freezer for tonight’s dinner and write a to-do list for the day, making sure to write down the things I’ve already done, and then tick them off!

K wakes up. I bring her downstairs, and find M is angry because he can’t do one of the Maths questions.

After diffusing the situation, I take M upstairs to get changed. This makes him angry again!

10.30

All the kids are out of their pyjamas…I am not.

I go downstairs to discover a cold cup of coffee that I forgot about.

I cut some fruit for the kids and then feed the cats again.

M picks up some of the tissue paper that A left on the kitchen table and starts to make a ‘buttercup picture’. A wants to join in, so I have to get more art supplies out.

A gets bored after two minutes and demands a story. K starts to fuss.

At the kitchen table I read to them from yet another dinosaur book, whilst nursing K.

11.05

We start getting ready to go out. We had planned to go on a nature study today, but the weather is bad, so we’re going to an indoor play centre instead.

Not nearly as 'wholesome' but it'll have to do.

11.15

Start getting the kids shoes on and get them into the car to leave.

11.35 

Actually leave.

We stay at the play centre for two hours.

The boys find a group of kids to play with and I hardly see them whilst we are there, except when they want their lunch!

I even get to read for ten minutes whilst K naps in her car seat.

2.00 

Get back home.

A has fallen asleep in the car. K has not.

M goes straight into the house, opens up his dinosaur books and starts reading and making notes. I put a ‘Peter Pan’ audio-book on for him.

I get K out of the car, and leave her in her car seat, whilst I carry A from the car to his bed.

K start crying. After nursing, I try to rock her to sleep.

It does not work.

After praying Dhuhr,  we come downstairs and I give her an apple slice to chew on whilst I clean the kitchen again and empty the vegetable scraps into the compost bin outside. 

2.45

M takes out his Atlas and starts seeing where in the world dinosaur fossils were found.

                M: “Mum, you know Kazakhstan?”

                me: “Ummmm….”

                M: “Is it under Russia?”

                me: “Ummmm…..”

                M: “Yeah, I think it is.”

                me: “Ok then.”

2.55

K starts to fuss, so I carry her on my hip and hang out the wet laundry with one hand.

3.00 

M decides he wants to ‘do’ his calendar now.

3.20 

After changing K’s nappy, I put her in the door-bouncer and start preparing dinner (lamb curry and rice).

Whilst that is cooking, I wake up A.

3.30       

                me: “What country do you want to learn about today?”

                M: “Zambia.”

                me: “Zambia?”

                M: "Yes"

                me: “Which dinosaurs were from Zambia?”

                M: “Actually, lets do Morocco.”

                me: “OK then.” 

After collecting all our different atlases and social studies books, I read from them the pages about Morocco whilst they draw and colour the Moroccan flag.

We talk about Moroccan food, architecture, how the families live, the capital city, the landscape and…what dinosaur fossils were found there!

M decides to start a notebook called ‘Dinosaurs around the world.’ I find a few short documentaries on Youtube about Morocco, and fold laundry whilst the boys watch them.

4.30 

M plays ‘Dino Dan game’ online for having a ‘good attitude today.’ A is happy watching.

4.45 

K nurses and falls asleep.

4.55 

I clean the kitchen again.

5.05 

K wakes up and happily watches the boys wrestling in the living room.

Their dad comes home from work.

5.25 

Dinner is served.

The cats are hungry again.

5.40 

I clean the kitchen again.

6.00 

I make a cup of coffee again and fold laundry again.

6.10 

We all get in the car and head back to the garage to pick up my husband’s car. The boys go in to ‘see how they fix the cars’.

6.40 

We get back. After changing A’s and K’s nappies, I finish folding the laundry, and then tidy up all the toys in the living room.

The boys pretend to help and I’m too tired to make them.

6.55 

Once all three kids have had a bath and are in their pyjamas, I pray Asr.

7.40 

Their dad occupies the boys in the living room,  so I hoover the upstairs of the house.

8.00 

I feed K some baby porridge, nurse her and put her to sleep. (Sigh...one down, two to go!) 

8.30 

I need another coffee, but its too late. I make a mint tea and grab some biscuits instead.

8.45

After some gentle persuasion, I brush the boys teeth, read them two stories, and sit with them till they fall asleep.

10.00 

They are finally asleep. (phew!)

After praying Maghrib, I put away all the folded clothes, tidy up all the toys that are littered around the house, hoover the living room, and take a chicken out of the freezer for tomorrow’s dinner.

10.40 

The rest of the evening is spent reading some Quran, praying and watching Youtube.

Before bed, I scrawl down a quick to-do list for tomorrow, and throw a load of clothes in the washing machine to wash overnight.

12.30 

Sleep!

Baby K wakes up twice in the night. A wakes me up at 6.30am.

Writing this has made me realise that:
(1) I drink WAY too much coffee
(2) My cats eat a lot
(3) Half my life seems to be spent cleaning my kitchen!

How does your day look as a homeschooling mum? Is it similar to mine? I would love to know. Please leave me a comment below.

COMING SOON!

'Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2015-2016'

Our curriculum choices for this coming academic year for Year 1 (kindergarten) and Preschool.

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