11/23/2016

FREE Counting Apple Tree Activity Printable

The Counting Apple Tree is an activity for preschoolers and kindergarteners. It is very simple, yet extremely helpful in strengthening your child's ability to count objects. All you'll need to do is cut out the trees (around the black line), laminate them, and have your child put apple seeds or pom-pom balls in the white spots and count as he/she puts them on the tree.
Click HERE to download printable  

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11/18/2016

FREE Numbers Puzzles and Games in English & Arabic



Alhamdulillah, I have another FREE printable for you! This printable has numbers (1-10) puzzles, games, in both English and Arabic. It also has a page for reward stickers that you can use however you like. The puzzles and games are pretty self-explanatory, so you shouldn't have any issue setting it up inShaa Allah.


You will need:
  1. A printer
  2. 14 A4 papers (200 GSM)
  3. A pair of scissors 
  4. A laminator and laminating pouches, or self-adhesive laminating pouches 
  5. Clear tape to secure the cube 
  6. Apple seeds (or whatever other small item) for the games
Let me know if you have any questions inShaa Allah.
If you use this printable, please leave a review by commenting below or private message me to let me know how it was.
Enjoy!

Click HERE to download the FREE printable.

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11/14/2016

FREE Shapes and Colours Sorting Activity Printable

Here's another activity for your mini schooler. In this activity, your child will inShaa Allah learn four different colours and four different shapes. He/she will also learn how to differentiate and separate each object according to its colours/shapes. This is also a very nice hand-eye coordination activity for preschoolers.



The activity printable include:
  • One page with four different shapes (four of each)
  • Two pages with four different container images 
The direction is pretty simple. All you'd need to do is laminate the papers for duration (optional), and cut everything out with a pair of scissors. After that, you're all set to play with your child inShaa Allah!

Click HERE to download

Enjoy!

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11/12/2016

FREE Preschool Numbers and Colours Activity Book Printable

 
(This post contains sponsored links)
Here's a mini preschool activity book about numbers and colour/colors. I have the book in both USA and UK spelling (i.e. Color/Colours). Click on the highlighted title below.
My Numbers and Colors
My Numbers and Colours
This activity book will inShaa Allah help your preschooler (age 2.5 - 4.5) know numbers 1-5 (and how to count objects to 5), and 6 different basic colours/colors. In addition to that, it is a good practice for cutting with scissors (with adult supervision).

You will need:


Direction:
  1. Staple the book after printing and cutting it to size.
  2. Cut out the objects from the last page.
  3. Do the activity with your child by following the pages. Each page has a number (i.e. 1 and ONE) and colour/color (i.e. Green Apple). Glue the corresponding object on the page and colour/color it with the right colour/color.  
  4. Laminate the book after the project to allow the book to last longer (optional).
Kindly leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the book inShaa Allah.
Enjoy!

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11/10/2016

FREE Printable E-Book: Alhamdulillah for Everything

 ﷽ 
I've written a children's book titled "Alhamdulillah for Everything." I've had this book for some time now and my daughter loves it. It is a free downloadable PDF printable. It is for children of all ages, but especially around the 4-6+ age range. But honestly, even at a much younger age, it is important for children to just be read to, even if they may seem not to fully understand. It helps develop their vocabulary, and they learn many other things.

Click the yellow highlighted title for the file. Please be sure to read the Terms of Use of this book and kindly respect it.
The e-book is set up in a booklet format and the pages are displayed on the PDF file exactly the way they will be downloaded if the right selections are made.

Print Format (make sure to):
  1. Select paper size A4
  2. Select "Print on Both Sides of Paper"
  3. Select "Flip on Short Edge"



Printing and Stapling the Book:
(You may put the book together however you prefer. I will share a suggestion which may help you or someone else.)
  1. Print the pages on maybe 130 GSM paper for strength and better duration of the book. The average paper is 75 GSM just to give you an idea. As for the cover and back page, you may want to try a more solid paper like 200 GSM.
  2. Laminate the pages to make the book waterproof and damage-proof for a lengthy amount of time using a laminating machine or a self-adhesive laminator.
  3. Cut to size using a pair of scissors or paper trimmer, and collect the pages in a booklet format following the page numbers and staple them together from the middle sides using a long armed stapler to reach the middle.
There you have it; a new self-printed book. If you print and read the book, I would love to hear your opinion/review inShaa Allah. You are free to also share an image of the printed book if you prefer.
Enjoy!

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For the paperback book, click below










11/03/2016

Can I Homeschool without a University Degree?


 
There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to homeschool your children without having a university degree. Many parents who want to homeschool their children lose the confidence because they automatically think that the ability to teach only comes with having a higher education or specifically a teaching degree. That is far from the truth and I will give you few reasons why.

If you can read, understand, and follow simple instructions; you can teach!
Most curricula available come with table of contents and detailed instructions on how to teach the lessons. All you should do is read ahead of time to familiarize yourself and make lesson plans. So basically, you teach yourself, then teach your children. If you're worried about not being able to answer your children's questions, stop worrying! All you'd need to do is simply research with your children. It's OK not to know all the answers sometimes. Don't children always ask their parents questions anyway? So, what's the difference? Besides, as a student years ago, I sometimes had questions that my teachers couldn't answer right away. And as a former home-room teacher, I certainly did NOT know all the answers! I did exactly what other teachers did; familiarized myself with the lessons, then made lesson plans. It's that simple.



There's a difference between learning theories and having experience.
Just because a person has a degree does NOT automatically mean that he/she can teach several subjects and be an expert at all of them. Even those with teaching degrees and certification have a totally different experience once they start teaching full time. It's good to know the theories, but you will never truly know what teaching is until you start teaching. Also, there are many books available to learn all the 'necessary' theories and many online/offline courses to help your child supplement his/her learning. Do you honestly think that teachers relearn all the subjects/lessons that they teach while obtaining their degree and/or remember everything they learned in school? Absolutely not! The more they teach, the more they learn; and you can do the exact same thing! Just consider the homeschooling laws in your country or state to find out the what the minimum requirement for the educational level is. As far as I know, if you have a High School diplomat (GCSE or A-Levels in the UK, I think), you shouldn't have any issues in most places.

Homeschooling is very different from teaching in a school setting.
School teachers teach their students for few hours in a day and send them home with homework to practice or complete the lesson. Homeschoolers have their children for most of the day (or the whole day), help them prepare for classes (if they are young), prepare meals, clean, and do everything that comes with parenting. Because of the different settings, responsibilities, teacher to student ratio, and the number of grade levels taught, homeschooling should NOT be identical to the traditional school setting. As a parent and educator, you will figure out what works best for your family along the way inShaa Allah, just like you figure out everything else. It may not always be easy, but life in general isn't always easy, and the role of a parent is the most challenging but rewarding role there can be. The only thing that makes it possible is the natural and nurturing love parents have for their children.
No one knows your child more than you do!
There's absolutely no reason why you should put more confidence in someone else while doubting your ability to educate your own children. You have been with your child even before he/she was born. You witnessed his/her first cry, crawl, words, and walk until now (and more to come inShaa Allah). After doing all the research, curriculum selection/creation, and lesson planning, all your child would need from you is love, attention, and patience. Only you (and your spouse) can provide that for your child. Listen, many other parents have homeschooled their children with or without a degree and their children excelled academically much better than their counterparts. If they could do it, you can do it too inShaa Allah. Make istikharah and lots of du'a before or once you make the decision to homeschool. Do lots of research, read blogs and articles about homeschooling, and talk to other potential and/or homeschooling parents to help you boost your confidence inShaa Allah. Just remember, we can plan however we want, but nothing happens without the will of Allah. We're just required to put in the effort and leave the rest to Allah.

__________________________
Umm Sumayyah is a mother of two and a former teacher who turned into a home educator after becoming a mother. She is also an editor and a researcher who loves collecting and sharing information on social matters, education, career, and entrepreneurship.