Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: Homeschooling
I received two questions for my homeschooling entry below that i'd like to share with everyone incase others are wondering the same thing but are too shy or busy to ask.
Sr. Khalila asked me in comments about how to teach an active child that likes to play a lot. I responded with the following:
1- choose the right time (if you see my HSing schedule, i start at 9:30 after they have their free play time).
2- make it a daily lesson(s) at the same time every day (i take friday/sat/sun off so for me just mon-thurs) if you choose every other day it might be more confusing for the child.
3- Give a clean-up warning of 5 minutes about 10 minutes before the lesson time. Then help them put away all the toys. This acts as a transition activity that they can associate with lesson time. Small children need this kind of warning and transition because they can't tell time.
4- persistance, don't give up, it takes several weeks. If you give up they won't get the message. Keep telling yourself you are doing everything right but it takes time. Be confident and firm in voice.
5 - You have to make the lesson appealing. Connect the lesson to their everyday lives. Use simple words. Use a 'fun' tone of voice. Sometimes you can try to make it into a story or song. If you can follow the lesson with a relevant worksheet/coloring page/or activity then they will absorb it more. Try to use all their senses. You have to be really really creative and think hard. At this age it's best to learn by playing, easy worksheets in large fonts, arts and crafts, flashcards, songs, stories, etc.
6- patience when it just doesn't work sometimes. I find that mondays they are out of the routine and give me a hard time to start the lessons but the other days they are fine. Sometimes i just give in and let them play while i say the lesson anyways. Occasionally they will look at me and i'll see that they are listening, especially when i say something interesting that is easy for them to understand. Sometimes i get them to stop playing by taking them to the computer and letting them listen to Qur'an or use the Arabic learning software i have.
7- Even when you give up, don't. Like they say, if you can't beat them, join them. So join them in their play. There are many lessons than can be taught through play. All toys have colors, shapes, things to count, names of the objects where you can try to sound out the letters, and sometimes even stories from the Qur'an and other lessons about God as the Creator. You can even use this kind of play as an activity for certain lessons when you don't have a worksheet prepared or feel like the kids need a change. So instead of a worksheet on circles and squares, i will take out the shape sorting toy i have and give them turns sorting the shapes and naming them and noting the colors, how many squares etc. And ask them what objects around them are square shaped.
The other question i got by email was about my satellite system. I got it from Sadoun.com with the Free-to-Air receiver. So i get all the free channels. I just paid for the satellite (motorized) and receiver and the installation. No monthly fees. There are hundreds of channels of countries all over the world. I get the following Arabic channels: Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Morrocco, Kuwait, Sharjah (UAE), Yemen, Libya (Jamahiriya), Tunis, Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, Al-Jazeera English, Dubai, Abu Dhabi sport, Al-Alam, and Oman. I often have several cartoons to choose from in the morning, which is good because not all cartoons are suitable for small children.
Some families get dish network but my friends tell me that currently there are no arabic cartoons on it that they know of. But if you know otherwise let me know because most of my friends have dish network and they would be interested in knowing.
If you have the Free-to-Air satellite and you'd like to know the channels that have cartoons email me. Off the top of my head i think currently it's Qatar, Syria, Jordan. Every few months the cartoons change, the number of channels with cartoons change, cartoon times change, etc.
