AS and Geography

 We haven't done geography work for long time. Especially for AS. Therefore I think it's about time now. We had done some long time ago, but than stop as I was concentrating him on Maths, English, Quran reading and Islamic studies. He did science from time to time as well but from workbook only.

Now I wanted to start other subject more into hands on learning. This indeed need to be done.

To get away from distraction and as weather is lovely, I decided to do this work with AS in the library. Therefore I can concentrate with him on his level without any other interruption from others. My kids always find anything interesting! I thought starting with local area where we live is a good idea.

He start with copy my roughly drawing of the area on the white board. We discuss on the area around us while he drawing. I would say that he do know better than me in term of the name of the street.

Than he copy the one he made on piece of white paper onto the piece of white hard card. On this task, he than use his maths skill that he just learn, measurement. I told him that we will have to try to do exact same plan as he made on the piece of paper into the white card. How? By measuring and transfer the measurement on the the card from the plan from the paper. 

I than talk to him about how important that we used measurement to get the same exact things in doing many task around us. I used this type of lesson since small until now. I love to make schedule and plan and boxe by measuring them and divided them to ensure I got perfect and balance on what I made. Estimating sometimes will leave waste on paper and card. Measuring will help us not to waste anything we try to do. 

We start with the road and used black colour. So we know where to go next.  The blue represent church and red represent care home. AS choose the colour. 

Yellow represent our house.

Purple represent terrace house.

Green represent grass

At the end, we had two plan. One is drawing plan on piece of white paper and the other one is 2D plan with colourful card represent building around, road and grass. Unfortunately as we had label all the road in the local area map AS made, I don't like to upload the whole finish project. 

We took one and half hour from start to finish. Alhamdulillah we include art and craft, geography and maths in the task. So  was please. Although later in the day, As manage to finish his Maths worksheet and English worksheet. 

That's the day done for AS. I am looking forward to similar task with other subject with the others as well. I try to find a simple task, not taking too long and also not too much complicated but achieve the target on what I want them to. 

Card making and progress

I should had put picture in here but never got chance to actually snap it.

PS had finish her 10 weeks card making course and now on the advance course for it. She had im[rove quiet a lots and had become nearly a profesional on card making by looking at it. Of course the material can be very expensive, but she had been told by her tutor where to go for cheap material for card making. Actually it wasn't just for card making, but also other cake decorating and art and craft. It's three store near to each other and had recently be our favourate place although it was about 20 minutes ride from our house. Alhamdulillah the material is very cheap and not just PS, but all her other sibling also start making the card under her supervision. AS really eager to get some stuff for his eid card as well.

Yesterday homeschool as usual. Conquer maths had made my job much more easier. And I am now looking for somethings else as well. PS as usual, as an independent learner, is better learn with online tools without my help. And I had found something interesting for her which I will post up sometimes by early next month when we on trial for it. At the moment, we only concentrate on three core or compulsory subject which is Maths, English and Science for IGCSE. Other optional subject wasn't that bad and she be able to start next year such as Design and technology, ICT, art and design and Child Development. I am not so sure for Art and Design as it seem need a course work but know someone who already tok it as a homeschooler. Also I know someone wo took child development as a homeschooler, so that is not a problem. ICT, she will be fine with it, Insya Allah. Design and Techonoly is the only subject that wil required me and hubby attention. I am looking to see if she can do Diploma as she is now 14+. But, not so sure yet as a homeschooler. Also the subject offer at the moment is not that interesting yet. I will sometimes post a website where parents can get all this information.

MS also had gone pretty well with conquer math. I am very please. Other subject now using workbook only. Plus our on going project. AS who had been play a lots still since we get back on homeschool schedule, now seem to get back on track bit by bit. I guess kids need a bit of a time to settle back down as adult as well and less pressure can easily speed up the process, alhamdulillah. It was good to see how less pressure on kids make things better. Although there are some point that I put pressure on. For example, PS and MS had certain topic of Maths with conquear maths they needed to finish in a day. So, it's up to them if they do one topic and rest or do all together or do half and play outside and come back later to finish it. If they don't for some reason, the next day they will have to recover the loss. So, it was a bit of flexibility and choice but under their own responsibility. Work will pile up if the don't follow the schedule and at some point they had to finish it off and be on track.

But, of course this is not really had been the case for the other small two although S will had certain amount of work to do that needed to be done. Especially as weather getting warmer, outside had bring so much attraction for them with neighbourhood friends.

Above: PS work. This is just recently this week. This had been done as part of workbook she learning from. She love doing all this type of learning and usually do this on her own account and learning, not from my plan and teaching. She work pretty much independently on her own now. She made her own schedule and lesson plan and know what next and she also know when she need more resource and etc. This way she can see where she's going on her study and learn to make target. I was pretty much motivated when I was homeschool, I got my own target and know where I am going. I got no help at all from my parents accept provided me with resource and it's all up to me. I got no tutor, no teacher and no other who actually think someone can take exam especially in Malaysia at that time by only learning on her own, but Alhadmulillah, I made it all the way with 9 subject I needed to take and acheive the result where allowed me to futher my study to Uni but I ended up married! Allah know best. At the end of the day, this is why for me, at PS age, I don't actually sit an teach her the subject. But, I support her and give her resource and open her mind and give her the choice. At the end of the day, it's her choice. She can think and she got her target, dream and aim. I cannot make it happen in whatever circumstances. She need to stand on her own choice now and this is what we talk about and what I teach her from time to time. Sh reach the time, where she no need my push. She can think and she need to start to motivate her self more than before. And when the time past, we cannot turn back and regret is not a choice for me. It's not worth regret something is we actually been given the choice. She need to stand on her self more like I did except she got plenty support from us , parents. She is very good in finding resource and organising and planning. Her weakness is at the moment, she still need to push a lots and this is when I gone crazy sometimes. But, i deal with it by sit and talk to her face to face. Open her eyes of what I had spend and gave her, all the choice she got and it's up to her to moved it more. At teenage time, I know that sometimes they forgot about others surrounding them and think only their own emotion and feeling. They usually forgot what other had done for them. So, to sit and have a chat from time to time to wake her up is what I did. And of course it's always a change after and tears. But, it's all good. Nothing easy when bringing up teenage. Girl ad boy need to be approach in different way. Sometimes they need to be tell of, whinge, but they also need a space. They still confuse and think they are big and grown up but at the same time they act like small kids.

It is enjoyable in a way to see all this and try to cope. Especially I got one girl and one boy on pre teenage age. They both need totally different approach, Subhana Allah. It was like playing a games sometimes. And as a parents we just have to be quick and observant and to be there at the right time they needed us. Especially at this time of fitnah, we can't keep them and hide from everything we scared off, because life now is too open. We can't open them up too much as well because they not strong enough yet to make their own decision. They not same like us even though we used to be teen once. Even though they had our behaviour. Everything is just different. We had to catch with all the technology and we can't keep things out from their face as one day they will certainly go out and about. They will get married and live their own life. To get the right balance is so important, and I am trying and trying and tyring..

Above: AS work.

Above: One of unplanned and self learning from AS. If I am to ask him to do this, he won't. So, things like this I quickly capture as this is not in my lesson plan. Paper and writing story and document like this been made on his own time most of the time. He write better when I don't ask him to. Lots os Ialamic vocab comes from islamic studies we been doing, alhamdulillah and the understanding is from what we been talking about time to time.

Above: AS maths, he's now advance on three and four digit and mix regroup and not regroup.

Above: S maths. She will stay on this probably for at least two months.

Above and bottom: As favourate reading book borrow from library. He manage to finish the whole set of this from our local library and enjoy it very much.

Above and bottom: One of tings AS make in his break time during our homeschool routine. When he making this, I didn't actually realise what he is making as I was busy on other things and other kids were busy on their work. He like to make something like this but not all the time. so, usually I didn't sit and make things like this with him. It's usually come out when he feel like it and from his own ideas. Unfortunately when I try to sit and ask him to make something like this, he might run miles away!

Above: AS making aquarium him self while I a busy on other things and other kids busy on their works. This is not on my shedule or planner. But, this is what AS sometimes depends on his mood during his break time in our homeschooling. Sometimes I shoo him to go to another room as he keep talking and distrub others. But, he don't want it , so this is how he always ended up. Making something on his own and using whatever he can find himself.

Above and Bottom: S wanted to make cookies her self. This is happening about two months ago actually.

We back again

We back again on our homeschool routine. Although it's not as usual just yet! Why? I bet weather had taken our time at the moment and we can't resist.

We had nearly a good two weeks off. Nearly. As i busy with my other project, I'm really abundance kids and their homeschool. But, this is when unschooling method come into help. And of course without any schedule to follow and proper plan, it's less shouting and screaming and seems like everybody really enjoy it.

This is when in my mind thinking and going back ages ago when kids used to go to school. I never teach them at home except reading quran. That's only when I had time after tired from work. I bought lots of learning resource and kids always on their own, independent, solve any problem themselves and enjoying their imagination, creativity and they just be so much in learning on their own most of the time!

As now, since we start homeschool, I can see the lack of all this although we actually had less problem during our homeschool and we all really enjoy it. But still, for me, there's something missing and I can see and feel it in those two weeks off from our formal homeschool. It did make me think a lots!

Of course not about sending them back to school, but the way we were doing school. I know I need to make sure bigger one concentrate more on their study which means less fun learning for them. But, that's what small kids also did. And as I had four where two is in need of serious learning, and because of weather, we had stuck a lots in the house doing worksheet and workbook. Although that is the plan, which we now will start doing more our door activity and experiment and creative learning, seems like kids wanted me to sit there and command them where this is not the case usually when they used to go to school. Although they still independent, creative and imaginative, I think that they start to lack all this point that I love or might be it just me as they grow up!

PS told me that, it's because she grow up, she just like to do work during homeschool time although she was asking me the other day to print lots of maths worksheet for her to do at night! Also she had create and make lots of art work on her own in attempt to take Art and Design for GCSE next year. May be the way kids had work is actually different and change by the time they start to change from childhood to teenage world and may be I'm just a bit backward thinking about how she used to be!

S produce lots of art work on her own bedroom, with beads, paint, pencil colour and sticking and gluing. I lost count of all that and never take any picture of it as it's a normal environment in our house. So, did AS and PS who can actually draw and create such a specialist drawing which can impress anyone, Masya Allah. I'm actually put into plan to get them to take a picture on what ever creativity they did and put up in their own blog by themselves. But, as I said, their creativity for them is just like a normal work although always get a very good impression by others who see it. PS been told by a friend in college whose took GCSE in Art and Design before that her work is same as year 10 work. I'm also getting impress day by day of her work which she had improve a lots on her own account!

I had too many and so many things to do these day and try so much to up dated my three blog, plus my other project. And yet, there's other project coming which is more to hubby's but will be me to look after as his helper. And as the weather nice, staying home with worksheet and workbook make me feel so much guilty! So, whenever I feel like drive off to the beach, park or where ever around us, I told kids to leave their work and let's go. And that's what we did for the last two days when we start our homeschool routine. I don't actually feel guilty of leaving kids study. They had done a lots and we had manage to learn plenty of new things until we lost count!

Go green activity and a day out

My weekend with six kids to go green activity...AS in the picture pretending to sleep while PS taking the picture!! At the back is S and Jay, a neighbourhood friends age 10 and in front is MS, AS and jack, our neighbour son age 9. Yeah, same age as S but look how different they are..S was tiny..

Bottom: Kids favourate of course...animals..
Bottom: And got to hold rabbit and hamster tooo..awww..PS and Jay

Jay live not far and only ten year old. She come to our house sometimes and play with PS and S. She a polite and manner girl and her parents allowed herto come with us on Saturday for go green activity.

Bottom: S holding the rabbit.

Bottom: AS seems a bit nervous with rabbit and hamster..wanted to touch but scared if he hold them too tight it will hurt them..

Bottom: AS trying to hold the hamster..

Bottom: Go green activity which making art and craft using recycle item. Theme that day was Appolo 11.

Bottom: Busy making a rocket.

Bottom: As with his alien..

Bottom: PS rocket.

Bottom: AS alien

Bottom: S rocket and alien..