Homeschooling may seem like it is a less structured method of educating your children, and many parents alter the subjects which are taught in public schools thinking that some are unnecessary and irrelevant. 

I disagree. I believe in the traditional standards of rigorous study; to prepare the next generation with a broad base of knowledge, so that they will excel in their post secondary endeavors.

Traditionally, Muslims were tutored by many scholars. They studied not only multiple languages and areas of mathematics, but also astronomy, rhetoric, logic, geography and cartography, alchemy and chemistry, history, anatomy, physiology, botany, medicine and pharmacology based on medicinal plants and hydrotherapy, and physics, and all beginning from a very early age. 

Homeschooling is not set in stone. Each family determine the curriculum and the schedule. I am merely reminding you that just because your children won’t take the usual route in education, it doesn’t mean that free-schooling, (child led learning), and casual study patterns are going to give your children a solid foundation in the many facetted areas and depths of scholarship.

I do find this lackadaisical approach to homeschooling disturbing. “Unschooling” has no consistency, no challenges, no goals. Your child deserves to excel. They deserve to be stimulated and excited while learning about Allah’s creation. How and where is flexible. But it is a huge responsibility to ensure their study patterns are well rounded and consistent. I believe that a set schedule and a challenging testing standard are quite beneficial. Field trips should be planned as projects, with parents fully engaged in teaching in the moment, not just a playdate. There is soooo much to learn at the zoo, so teach them while they are there. Science museums are labs. Teach them while they are there. Walking on the beach is a study of marine biology, look at little puddles of life when the tide goes out. Camping is learning how to cook outside, engage them in the process of preparing the firepit or the barbeque and finding unique ways to make toast or pancakes without the steady temperature control of an electric stove. Then make lessons about heat and electricity, (for their grade or intellectual levels).

Even movies and cartoons have learning opportunities. Sit and talk about the challenges they noticed in the video, how could they have avoided the pitfalls, what should they have done as a Muslim, how did that character feel? Never let them watch alone, YOU are their teacher, not the writers and illustrators of the story. Show them that most times marketing is the driving force behind content, not education.

As a homeschooling parent, you don’t always have to be their only teacher. You can hire tutors for some subjects, or trade off with other parents in specialization. Find a community of homeschooling parents and work together to give your children the best learning experience you can. Pooling resources, such as tutors and books, make it more feasible.

With multiple children, resources are expensive. I used to take each workbook, gently tear out each page away from the binding and then cut the edges, then put the entire book into a large white or manila envelope. I would glue the front and back covers to the outside of the envelope, too. Then I could use any order of pages for the day’s lesson plan, choosing what I wanted and photocopying them and reordering them as I pleased. That way I still had the book for the next child to use when they reached that level.

There are alot of homeschooling families out there, and the Homeschooling Support Websites are invaluable. Everyone makes mistakes, and that creates wisdom. Tap into that wisdom.