LOT'S GOING ON...

It has been a very busy time in our house over the last week. I have been trying to get baby I into some kind of routine so that I can focus on A and L again. Alhamdulillaah a very dear sister gave me the idea to work around a topic and then branch the other lessons off from that. We have been doing that from Monday and it is working so much better for us. I felt that we were all over the place before and that our projects were always being pushed aside so that we could focus on Maths, English, Science etc. Now we are getting loads done on our Solar System project and at the same time getting in a whole heap of Maths, Science, English, History and even Geography.

This week we have worked on States of Matter for our Science lessons, and to connect it to our project we discussed how Planet Earth is mainly made up of Solids, Liquids and Gas. The children made a nice poster to show different examples. L made an ocean out of blue tissue paper, complete with fish, sharks and even a lobster. A made some clouds out of cotton wool to show Gas (water vapour) and he also made some mini mountains out of cardboard egg boxes to show an example of Solids.

History has been included by the children making a timeline of events in space, starting in 1957 when the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 was sent into Space. They were not impressed to learn that Laika the dog was the first animal to be taken into space on Sputnik 2, and never returned due to dying from lack of Oxygen (they were very angry at the 'silly spacemen'). They really enjoyed making antique looking paper using tea bags to stain the paper and then popping them in the oven to crisp them up a little.

Tomorrow inshaaAllaah we will be making Country flags for the famous astronomers and discussing where in the world they were from as part of our Geography lesson.

Islamic studies will be connected by discussing Surah Fussilat: Verse 12 in which Allaah says: Then He completed and finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of Him the All-Mighty, the All-Knower.


I have made a table in which I have included Maths, Science, English, History, Geography, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies, Life Skills, Arts and Crafts and Cooking and all this is based around our Solar System project.

The children have been working very hard but at the same time having lots of fun, and I am pleased to say there has not been a work book in sight all week :-)