Bait ul ilm

Assalaamu Alaykum everyone,

We have now formally started our home schooling of our son, ok he is only 2 and a 1/2 but you cant start too young and he is uber smart already so best to get him learning.

We might ask how does this home schooling differ from the normal pre-school learning done by most kids before they are pushed off to nursery at 4 years old?

Well our house of knowledge, 'bait ul ilm' has started its first formal lessons, not just reading every now and again to your kids, but an hour a day Quran classes for the whole family, plus some basic learning for Abdullah when we can.

So far we've covered numbers, letters in english and arabic and today he learnt a little about weather with pictures of the Sun, clouds, rain, snow and wind. ok it wasn't a picture of the wind which is an impossibility but a picture of a flag moving in the wind but you get the idea.

Seems simple doesn't it? Is there anyone out there reading this who feels this is beyond them as parents to home school your kids at this level?

We have our own white board, pens, and just write out the letters and numbers to be learnt and ask him what they are, or draw simple pictures and ask him what they are in english and arabic.

We are enjoying it, and I know Abdullah does, shouting 'home school!' as he comes downstairs in a morning, wanting his first go at doing his letters and numbers, but alas his attention span is about 15-30 minutes so we are getting him to do short spurts but he is really doing well mashallah even if he does still mix up his 3 and 5!

I hope this has given people a taste for how much fun home schooling can be and I hope inshallah you all give it a go and realise it is not necessary to pack your kids off to be looked after by the secularists in school who will not only teach them what to think but even how to think.

From a hijrah point of view home schooling makes lots of sense, no need to keep moving schools as you take your school with you! plus some of the schooling in many countries is quite dodgy, expensive or more often both!

Assalaamu alaykum,
Abu Abdillah

So what is new...

Assalaamu Alaykum,

so what is new on planet Abu Abdillah?

I've applied for an open university course, Social sciences (not specialising yet, can do that later) which I hope should improve my employability both here and in Darul Emaan.

I also get a free laptop! which is nice. Should make things much easier for doing course work etc.

I have also applied for a TESOL course, but that is in september by which time i will have finished the OU course, after which I can return to something else.

Its just I dont like to stand still, I want to keep moving, keep improving, keep my mind active and in my life I tend to have three books on the go at any one time. One Islamic book, one fiction and factual.

Mashallah my son seems to get smarter every day, can now do Surah Fatihah, though not perfectly but I still think it is pretty good going at just over 2 and a half.

I have also just returned from my home town, they know how to treat brothers there. I went to two masaajid, one for jummah and one for Maghrib the same day, I almost couldnt get out both times for people giving me hugs, wanting to ask how I was, how was Abdullah doing etc and getting invited to eat.

It just isn't like that most places and it annoys me because it should be!

I think fundementally I am a spoilt child, in that when I first came into the deen it was into such an environment so I get vexed with brothers and with communities when they are not like this because I know this is from the sunnah and I know they should be.

But still it is an amazing emaan boost to see such brothers and feel such love for the sake of Allah, and makes me feel more and more determined to change things for the better where I am now.

Heay, it has only taken my 6 months of giving salaams and being consistantly ignored to finally get some of the local elders to reply to my salaams how difficult can the rest of it be?

I think the best way to change people is to act as a good example, so I need to take the first step more often, invite people to my home more even if they never return the gesture, Allah will still see I have done my bit and inshallah soften their hearts and put more love for their brothers in their hearts.

Assalaamu Alaykum,
Abu Abdillah