Accomplishments

After almost 2.5 years of worrying about Ameera's progress with reading, at almost age 7 now I can say she is finally picking up books on her own and reading from cover to cover. I had started teaching her to read at 4 years old. We had some success in the early stages but as we continued she became bored and very anxious and unsettled and I frustrated. I decided then instead of being a momster to shelve our reading lessons till a later time when she seemed more ready and willing. Over the course of 2 years I would bring out the reading book again and get through some lessons here and there but it wasn't until she turned 6 that we began to make it more routine or daily. Everyday I would sit with her and spend about 10 minutes or so on a lesson and she would be done and she did it without objection, a sign that she was ready for learning to read. After just a few short months we got through the remaining lessons in her 100 lesson book! It was a big day for us when she finished the book. And we both felt a big sense of accomplishment. I had watched her grow and learn something that I had taught her. It was a great feeling. And she felt proud as well, now she feels joy at going to the library and picking books that interest her, its a whole new world in a sense for her and for me to be able to observe and learn about what fancies her to read, when for 6 years I had been choosing her books mainly. She is reading at night during story time, in the car, and almost everywhere and its a joy to watch. She hasn't yet turned 7, but will in January. What I learned from this experience again is that when a child is ready to reach a milestone, they will do so on their own good time and do it willingly without struggle and force. This has definitely been a learning experience for both of us as we continue to shift and change our dynamics of teaching and learning.

Our Preschool Curriculum

We have been living in Luxembourg now for over a month and have finally managed to find a home, although, we have another few weeks before we can move in. Living out of the extended stay hotel has become increasingly difficult, but has given me time to think about how I would like to go about homeschooling this year. As mentioned in previous posts, Ameera will still be attending the Waldorf school here where she will be, on a daily basis, engaging in free, unstructured play in addition to cooking, spending lots of time in the forests, tending to and caring for animals, and learning French and German. The school day ends at 1pm, so I have decided to homeschool her in the following subjects: Arabic, Quran, Islamic Studies, and English reading and Writing. After reviewing some of the veteran homeschooling Muslim mom blogs, and getting various recommendations from friends and family we will be using the following resources:

1. Ad-Duha Institute (ALP)
http://www.ad-duha.org/html/alp__recommended_for_prek_.html

2. Kinza Academy preschool reading list
    http://www.kinzaacademy.com/

3. Goodnight stories from the Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( seerah & Hadith)

4. Arabicfirst.co.uk ( intro to Arabic letters & numbers & vocab flash cards)

5. Teach your child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons ( reading & writing)

6. TCRWP Writing and Reading Workshop

    http://tc.readingandwritingproject.com/

As a new homeschooler, I still do not have everything figured out, but I feel this is a great place to start. The Ad-Duha program, recommended to me by sister-in law, seems to be the best option for me only because it is comprehensive . There are many other wonderful books to be used, but I need more guidance as I am not that strong in the Arabic language. I hope to utilize the program to learn with my daughter. I am also considering purchasing the mini mu'min program for my son if I find I really like it. Otherwise, my son who is now 15 months old, I will be doing various Montessori activities with him. I have already begun various activities with my daughter which I plan to post little by little along with a reading list of our favorite books.

As of now I still do not have access to a computer, and am blogging on my iPad, which I personally find very difficult. But inshallah I should be in full swing by October.