Homeschool Favourites | December 2016

Ok, I know it's January...I'm a little late!

December was so much fun! We've had a blast in out homeschool using these books and educational products. I am so excited to share them with you.

There are a few more than usual, but I didn't want to miss anything out!

We are taking a short break for the next few weeks, to give ourselves time to "refuel" and get ready for the term to come.

I am really happy with the way our homeschooling has been going. Alhumdullilah!

With the exception of Maths (I'll talk about that later), we are loving all of our curriculum. The kids really enjoy "school time" and we are excited to start homeschooling again soon!

Homeschool Favourites | December 2016

To take a closer look at the products, and see inside the books  I mention in this blog post, 

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!

Myriad Toys

I am in love with this online store!!!

Myriad sell natural toys and crafts, as well as home decor and more! They stock lots of beautiful wooden toys and toys made from natural materials. If you follow the Waldof method of home education, this would be a great shop for you. 

We do not follow the Waldorf methodology, but I still adore their toys and craft! 

We bought lots of things this time round, and I've already got my eyes on a few others bits!!!

In our haul we purchased:

Star Weavers

My sons were obsessed with these star weavers! For about two days all they wanted to do was make braids with these wooden stars!

Crayon Rocks

These sweet wax crayons are lovely for my toddler's little hands. She can easily grasp these to colour and draw, and we are also using them to teach her the colour names. 

Lyra Super Ferby Pencils

These beautiful pencils are highly pigmented and draw beautifully! They are triangular in shape so they are easy for my child to grasp. The only thing is, they don't fit into out existing pencil sharpener, so I've had to purchase one separately (around £4) from Amazon.

Wooden Combs

These were a bit of a splurge, but I needed to get two new combs for the kids. These combs are beautifully made from beech wood, and look and work wonderfully.

Beeswax candles

I've never had beeswax candles and I was curious. I needed some to fit into some of my mother's old candle sticks, and these tapered beeswax candles fitted perfectly! 

Write from the Start

This handwriting programme is fantastic! I have never seen anything like it!

Instead of pages and pages of copying out letters, this book contains a huge variety of exercises that improve you child's fine motor and perceptual skills.

My 4 year-old son loves this book, and will often pull it out and start working on it independently!

The Boys Choice: Independent Reading

This month I decided to ask the boys directly, "What was your favourite thing we did in our homeschool this month?"

I thought they might suggest a field trip we went on, or maybe a craft activity...but they surprised me! They chose their independent readers! 

My youngest son (4) is reading through the "Biff, Chip and Kipper" books Level 1 from Oxford University Press. 

These are great for children who are just beginning to read. There a short stories filled with sight words and CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) words. He obviously is enjoying them!

My elder son (6) chose his collection of Roald Dahl books. 

These books are fun and silly, and he loves them! I must warn you, they do not teach good character traits, and some may consider them bit rude; but they have given my son so much confidence in reading. He now goes off by himself to read for fun!

A Maths Journey

As I mentioned above, we have had some issues with Maths!

Previously, we had been using Saxon Math 3. I really appreciate this programme's thorough and systematic approach to Maths. However, for my son, the slow pace and the repetition became very frustrating for him. So we decided to make a change!

Instead of using a complete curriculum, I have been piecing together my own Maths curriculum from various resources. These include:

Perform with Times Tables

Math for the Gifted Student Grade 2

Ray's Arithmetic

and 

A Maths Journey

A Maths Journey if a collection of 4 books that uses real-life exampls to teach kids to understand topics such as geometry, statistics and algebra. They use a variety of pictograms, infographics, fun illustration and photographs to explain these core concepts. 

Titles in this collection include:

• Wonders of the World
• Extreme Sports
• Deep Sea Adventure
• Computer Games

These books are fantastic if you're looking for something to stretch you child in their Maths ability, or if your child does not enjoy the usual math book format. These books are so different and I love them!

If you are in the U.K. this collection can be purchased at The Book People. 

Ali and Sumaya DVDs

At this time of year, Christmas is all over the T.V.! As a family who have chosen not to celebrate Christmas, it can be a very confusing time of the year for the kids. So the T.V. has been  andoff, we have been enjoying these two Ali and Sumaya DVDs: Let's Pray & Let's Read! 

The chidren love the nasheeds and the incredible animations. The children have learnt so much from these DVDs, even my little 2 year-old has started reciting parts of Surah Fatihah after watching these DVD mashAllah! 

I have previously written two reviews about these DVDs if you want to know more about them, click on the links below:

Let's Pray

Lets Read!

If you are interested in purchasing your own DVDs, visit http://aliandsumaya.com/

Islamic Behaviour Chart

This Reward Chart from The Muslim Stickers Company has transformed our mornings! 

We were struggling to get the boys up and going in the mornings. Getting dressed, brushing teeth etc. was taking  forever. This meant we were not starting school until after 10am. 

This Islamic Behaviour chart has been a great way to motivate the children to get ready and reinforce a good morning routine. It's working so well...too well! The kids are up and ready to start school before I've even had my first cup of coffee! 

It is highly customisable and can be used to motivate kids in lots of different ways; such as encouragement to do their homework, chores or improve behaviour.

The stickers are adorable with phrases like:

"Super star MashAllah", "I Love Allah" and "Splendid Subhanullah!"

They're so cute.

These Islamic stickers are great because, not only to they make the child proud of their achievement, but also help to make them proud to be a Muslim! Encouraging a positive self image and Muslim identity is becoming increasingly hard for children growing up in the West, and products like this make it a little easier.

This sticker chart, along with a wide variety of Islamic sticker products, stamps, sweets and toys, can be purchased from MuslimStickers.com

Life of Prophet Muhammad

If you are looking for a new children's book about the Seerah of Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W.), get this one! 

Unfortunately, I have found some Islamic children's books to lack depth and "heart". This book,

"The Life of Prophet Muhammed" by Leila Azzam and Aisha Gouverneur, is the best Seerah book we have in our collection.

As I was reading it aloud to the children, the stories it told reminded me of the stories m teacher used to teach us. It is by far the most accurate Seerah book I have come across for children, as well as the most in depth. The illustrations are beautiful, although they are not faceless, and there is a beautiful family tree in the front of the Prophet's family.

As I read this aloud, it moved the children and evoked feelings in them, like not other children's Seerah book has. 

Since it goes into quite a lot of detail, I anticipate that this book will be enjoyed for many years to come. If you are reading aloud, this book is suitable for children aged 5-11, or 8+ for independent readers.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what we've been enjoying in our homeschool this month. 

Do you have any new discovers? What have you been loving in your home this month?
What is your favourite online store for children's toys?
What is your favourite Seerah book for kids?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

To make sure you don’t miss the next blog post or YouTube video:
Subscribe to Our Muslim Homeschool by Email!

For a daily look into our homeschooling day follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

See you next month insha'Allah!

In need of your duaas.

Peace and Love xx

You might also like:

CLICK HERE