So, I’m wondering which curriculum I should be using for my daughter. I mean, she’s three and a half and I don’t want to rush and spend hundreds of dollars if I don’t have to. Actually, I am quite content to wing it for the moment, especially when I find things like this: http://www.eduref.org/index.shtml. There are many lesson plans available online so I am rather happy to go through them and devise my own plan based on these. On the other hand, AlhamduLILLAH I have everything I need to start teaching Arabic, InshaALLAH. I have lots of books that we purchased over the last few years with worksheets and vocabulary with lessons from kindergarten through high school.
Also, I want to make sure they have a well-rounded education so I need to scour the Internet for arts and crafts ideas as well as incorporate storytelling into the agenda. I have some excellent Arabic books with stories of the Prophets for that but I need to translate them for the kids. That means I have to get to work with my trusty Hans Wehr Dictionary .
Speaking of arts and crafts, I discovered the Waldorf doll recently and attempted to make something similar using items that I had on hand . I think she’s not so bad although I got a little negative criticism from a friend and that hit a sour note with me. She said, “sheesh, what a scary doll”, nothing positive, no affirming the hard work I put into crafting something with my own hand for my daughter. It took me about three weeks altogether and I was quite proud of her. I didn’t sew eyes because I thought it Islamically inappropriate. Sigh, some people are always on a negative trip. Simmy was a great help – she gave me the body pattern. If I do it again, I will make it totally in the tradition of Waldorf, including following directions for the head and stuffing.
I’ve also joined the ranks of knitters on http://www.ravelry.com to showcase my knitting and meet other knitters. I hope to find some Muslim knitters out there but so far I haven’t been fortunate. I first started knitting after becoming intrigued with a sister who was knitting at a conference. I wanted to knit before this because of my dad’s mother who crocheted many a project in her time (and still does even though she’s in her late eighties).