with much appreciation to ummabdulbasir.wordpress.com
download the template here: http://ummabdulbasir.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/hijaab-lapbook/
hijabi paper dolls
Month: March 2010
spring at the pond
what could have been a leisurely 15 minute stroll
— although most of them were on some type of wheels,
whether bike, scooter or skates —
around a neighborhood pond
turned into an hour of tadpole-, duck-, geese- and turtle-watching.
i didn’t know you could blow a cattail like a dandelion.
golden bead subtraction
i love it when they say, “ok, ma. i know how to do it!”
and then rush off to do another subtraction problem.
census 2010
the beginnings of civic involvement:
filling out their own page on this year’s 2010 census form.
all work and some play
it’s fun hearing a 3 year old say “magnetic”.
“this coin is older that you, mom!”
the above exercise is montessori-inspired islamic studies to help with the memorization of the number of rakat for each of the five daily prayers in islam. at the head of each column are cards with the name of each of the five daily salat, or prayers, in english and arabic. the other cards show the different positions that make up each round of the prayer, which are called rakat. she has to match the correct number of raka with the corresponding prayer.
aya’s daily accomplishments often remind me
of the satisfaction a child receives from work that is well done.
and she will do it over and over and over again.
getting more into grammar.
our biodegradable bird feeders, inspired by our bird-studies during the great backyard bird count.
in the groove
so, now with three children ages 3, 5, and 7
i’m really testing out that multi-age classroom concept
that is part of the montessori method.
it is a challenge managing my three-child classroom
with an infant tethered to my back west african-style, most of the time
or pulling stuff off the shelves, when she isn’t —
but it is doable
with a LOT of patience, prayers
and practice on how to interrupt properly and wait turns.
but when i hear the silence
— that golden silence —
when everyone is engaged in their work,
it is like bliss.
i can’t help but to think, “i did it!”
but it is not me.
it is the child at work developing themselves.
that is truly blissful.
our maryland homeschool room
here’s a couple of pics of our humble homeschool room
while we’re here in MD, USA.
it’s in the basement of our home.
good tree montessori homeschool 