Homeschool Ballers: We Learn. We Play. We Homeschool.

            This post is not about finding rolled up stinky socks in every corner of the house...although, with three boys that is one of my realities. It is about a very special pair of socks that found their way on to a wall in my son's room.  It is the right of a child that his parents give him a good name. We chose to name our second son Muhammad, after the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the mercy to the worlds, the best of humankind, the most kind and compassionate soul. Muhammad means the one who is praised, and it is the most common name in the world.    Anyone who knows my boys know they are obsessed with sports and look up to great athletes. I’ve always wanted to make sure the kids look up to individuals who are upright in character and faith. After the cricket world cup recently, we watched England cricket team's celebrations. It was wonderful to see the two Muslims on the team, Adel Rasheed an...

Making the choice to home school is no easy decision for any family. You question if you can do it, how you will do it, where you will do it, and how it will affect your child.  When you finally find peace and sign on to homeschooling and think the hardest decision is behind you, you're left to figure out what curriculum to use to make sure your child receives a top notch education at home. For me, settling on a curriculum is daunting....every year. Every home school parent must understand that what works for one family may not work for you and your family. Speaking to veteran homeschoolers can be a relief and sometimes it's overwhelming hearing them talk about how they create their own materials or use their child's interests to create lessons and unit studies. For some people, not having an outline or a plan can be stressful, for others this can be liberating. I personally prefer having a plan, it keeps me organized- without this I can't function well and feel u...

Bismillah ((I start) In the name of God) My Ballers A couple friends and I decided it would be great to jot down our home-school journey, simply for ourselves. May be one day we will look back at these times and think, "Alhamdulillah, I didn't do a terrible job after all!" So here I go... Praise Allah alone, I have been homeschooling for almost 5 years now. It hasn't been an entirely easy journey, but surely it has been exciting and encouraging. I think every homeschooling mother hits a point (every few months) and thinks, "This is awful. What was I thinking? I can't handle this!" But when you regroup, gather thoughts and lessons, and really analyze everything your child has learned with you, you're re-motivated and excited to continue. After I prayed Asr yesterday evening, I sat looking around our classroom. Then in deep thought my eyes focused on the carpet. I started thinking about my own education, religious and academic, and how...