Actually, there are so many teaching and learning while they watching tv, going on computer games, playing with toys for hours and hours and also running around the house. Eating, going to toilet, sleeping is all part of important learning. Watching tv is also learning? Well, tv now a days is not only entertain but teach a lots. Also do computer games. I remember myself watching mickey mouse and donold duck and all sort of disney movies and cartoon. I remember crying when sinbad ship is going to sunk! Crying while watching cartoon. How emotional I am! I remember also playing Pc man for hours and hours! And also riding bicycle around, and play at the playground with friends. It's all become a childhood memories that one can recall as fun! Falling down and hurt myself, crying and arguing with friends, all part of learning. Also trying to reach top score in Pc man games! Puching myself so hard to reach as much level that I can. Actually teach me not to give up!
So, kids learn a lots and more from surrounding than in formal setting. Why don't we just give them pen, colours, paper, scissors, paint and just let them do what they want. Not us giving too much instruction until they need instruction in every single thing they do. Kids need to be stimulate, they need to let their ideas out without us interrupting much. Using art and craft didn't mean will help them be creatif. Creativity will come out with little instruction. otherwise the one that is creative is us, not our kids. And this can be the same as if they are in school, instruction, curriculum and system.
Of course we need the system when we homeschool. But, only us need system. Kids do not need system. Kids need control, boundary and limitation. That's what kids need. They don't need instruction, but they need to know who in control. So, in anything they do and whatever they want, they know everything is under parents control, and under some sort of boundary and limitation in our own family according to our intention and what we want for our kids.
All these will than make homeschool easy, fun and managable. Insya Allah.
Back to our homeschool, today is second day we back on our homeschool track. Below is what we had learn in these two days:
PS:
- As usual on her online school with First college. She was doing year 9 SAT from a website on her own will. I had told her that from now she had to concentrate and focus as she will have GCSE in front of her. She seems to understand the target and as day past by she are getting more motivated without me pushing her more. Alhamdulillah...confronting with teenage girl at this time of the world wasn't easy at least for me. Sometimes I didn't know if I cmake the right decision when I was telling her off of being too lenient to her. But, to create the balance, sure wasn't easy. It's like solving the puzzle. But, the reward can be very amazing. I do had a headache from time to time at some point. Sometimes I feel if I am doing right things when I saw somebody daughter don't have facebook, blog and wearing nikab and black abaya all the time. But, on other point of view, she is a very sensible girl. She know her boundaries and limitation. He do get warning from me, by doing absolutely nothing wrong! Yes, I like to keep my trust up to 99%, but my one person untrust can be very harsh. I can tell her off and warn her like she was doing something wrong, which is actually before it never happen. It's kind off teaching her the boundaries and know that I am watching and observing. They need to be remind, as sometimes they think they are big and we also think they big, but they don't know everything and they do know everything. So, important for us to sit and talk about things we think they don't know although we know that they know. So, we can sit and talk clearly and they can understand clearly as well...Can't understand? May be you had to read it again and again. It wasn't easy to confront with teenager, but you had to let them know, you got the authority, you are in control but at the same time you got to let them make decision, choose and give them more authority than you ever give them before. But, if you already give them too much authority, than when the time come for you to had to give the authority, you find out that you either had less authority left, or no more or loss control.
- This is why it's very important in early days from first day they born up to 4-5 years old or even more, the important learning is authority and be in control. At this time, up to the age of 10, kids are not your friend! If they are,I can tell you, you will have serious problem later. And if you are control freak, than they will be rebel soon. So, to create the balance wasn't easy. This is when we need to open our eyes, be professional and obervent. Bringing up kids especially in these days, is the hardest ever job!
- MS had now finish another Decimal and Percentage book, alhamdulillah. Since we start school just before christmas, he had finish 2 workbook of decimal, percentage and fraction. I am not will get in back on Conquer Maths every other day. The things that I don't like with Conquer Maths is the don't get the kids to go deeper into every topic. Also there are not much worksheet as I want, because Maths need lots and lots of training. Like MS, after hundreds and thousand of training and excersice for Maths, from someone who hate maths, and stress out with Maths, into someone who enjoy maths. And once kids enjoys Maths, other subject will be easy, Insya Allah. It might take time to get in to each topic , to make them really master into each one, but once they get it, it's like long term investment. Plus when you are homeschool, you got plenty time which enable you to cover everything in depth. Don't panic if you feel like according to the topic, your kids will be behind compare to curriculum, but once they got the hang of it, the future topic will be as easy as a,b,c.
- He also did his English from workbook. He hate comprehension, but of course it didn't put me off for getting him not to do it. He also do some handwriting and Other English workbook.
- He alos did some science and Islamic studies with S.
- Reading quran as usual. He is slow, but steady. I don't rush at all, just like Maths. It's better to get them to read properly, rather than just keep moving. Usually I will teach him new page, but I told him, he suppose to be able to read new page on his own now by not listening to me. He said that he scared if he pronounce it wrong, so it will be a sins. I told him that I am listening, and will correct him if he wrong. Plus when we learn, Allah had mercy on us by not sinning us if we pronounce it wrong as long as someone is there to rectify it and we correct our pronounciation. So, alhamdulillah he struggle at first butbuild up his confident afterwards. Otherwise his mind did not concentrate as much as he need to. With quran, our brain need to moved quickly than out recitation. he need to build and train his brain for that. Alhamdulillah he made it bit by bit and manage to read the whole page on his own. So, from now we can moved the page lots more than we used to with his confident.
- S also on Maths workbook. She's now on fraction topic. She will also get back on Conquer Maths every other day probably but not fully as the same reason I had for MS. I was thinking that Conquer Maths will make things easy for us, and for me, but nor as I want it to be. by the way, if I am stuck in teaching kids Maths, I can always refer to hubby.
- She also on English workbook, grammar and comprehension.
- She did her Islamic study with MS with Iqra foundation workbook, they on Hajj topic now. They should be finish it off soon , so we can moved to different workbook, with same topic they learn in Iqra book but probably more deeper and more harder question and understanding.
- She still on Iqra book for her Quran, she's struggling at some point but manage on the other point. Like others, I always make sure they read proper before I moved tham up. Probably 2/3 line only every two or three days.
- AS is always better work without my sitting there next to him. I would love to, but I find him messing around more, when I am next to him. Probably being the youngest, he always try to create attention although he always get attention! He is getting deeper on English now. He still on multiplication for Maths and He is now finish his Iqra book. I am not sure which book now I am getting him into for his Islamic studies. I got plenty, but want to choose the right one that fun for him and easy to understand and not too easy.
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