10 MORE Homeschool Books You Should Read

I don't know about you, but I'm a big believer in continuing to develop my skills and understanding to help my role as both a mother and an educator. I've read many books over the years and have found them to be invaluable. Right in your hand, you're able to peek inside the brains of experts within the field of education and parenting to take benefit from them without even needing to leave the comfort of your home. 

In my last post I mentioned how important it is for us to continue our own professional development as home educators throughout our whole educating and parenting career not only at the beginning when we first jump in.

Even if you're not a homeschooler, as a parent this idea of professional development is still incredibly important so you can continue to grow as your children do.

In that post I shared ten books you should read if you're a home educator or looking to find out more about homeschool.

Reading is a resourceful way to give yourself almost like a university-level self-education on a budget, by picking out the books written by the experts in various fields.

 Today I want to share ten more that will help to develop an understanding of how children learn, and how we can reach them as parents as we mentor and coach them through their own learning journey. 

Again, like I mentioned in the earlier post, these are all secular books. So be aware of anything that is not aligned with Islamic values that might pop up.

10 Homeschool Books You Should Read

Everyone knows grandma can cook. No one beats grandma's cooking. It is hard to imagine that she has ever burned the rice or dried out the chicken. But once upon a time, she probably did. She has just been cooking for so long now she has mastered the art (and we all enjoy the results!). She has found the recipe hacks and knows all the secrets. But it wasn't always that way.

When you’re learning a new dish for the first time, it helps to have a recipe in front of you. Maybe you’ll try out several alternatives until you find the one that turns out just right.
Once you have mastered this recipe, you’ll start to tweak it and throw in new ingredients, until it transforms into your VERY OWN signature dish that no one else can out-do.

Discovering how to homeschool is like this dish you’re trying to make for the first time...
Go out there and read the recipe books on homeschool, education, and how children learn.
Use tried and tested recommendations from friends and make substitutes to please your palate.
Let those ideas and insights sink in and give yourself time to practice using them, adjusting and adapting to suit your family’s tastes.
What you’ll end up with is your own signature recipe for YOUR own perfect homeschool.

Homeschool Planner 2019-2020 designed with Muslim home educators in mind

Edit: This planner is no longer available to purchase. 

Nothing beats the warm fuzzy feeling when an empty homeschool planner presents itself; an invitation to recreate our homeschool just as a fresh coat of paint gives a new lease of life to old tired walls.

I'm super excited to share our updated Homeschool planner for 2019-2020!

This production has truly been a labour of love....truth be told I am a bit of a planning nerd. Although I have to tell you, sometimes the planning is a little more fun than the implementation of it all.

Its specifically designed for the Muslim Homeschooler, with both Islamic as well as secular quotes relating to education scattered throughout to sprinkle a little inspiration when you need it.

Islamic Studies Curriculum suggestions for kids

One of the biggest questions which floats around constantly, is what Islamic Studies curriculum for kids are available?

Whether you're a home educator, parent or teacher, finding a program which is authentic is paramount to our goals to raise children who know for what purpose we were all created.

They say a picture paints a thousand words, so in this post I'm going to share with you some English Islamic Studies books in video form, that might help you to find something to suit your needs inshaAllah.

Homeschooling with Brave Writer

One of the most common questions I get from sisters contacting me is about Brave Writer. If you see me on Facebook, Instagram or any Whatsapp groups we share, I'm always recommending it and so you come to me wanting to know more. I feel as though Brave Writer really should be paying me because so many conversations I have with mums are like sales pitches convincing them why Brave Writer is so awesome.

I'm going to set out in this article everything I love about Brave Writer and explain what it is so that you can understand it a little better. I kindly request if you have questions about which programme you need for your children, to please contact Brave Writer directly to help you with that....I'm not a Brave Writer employee (I felt that needed clarifying).

I totally get why Brave Writer causes a little confusion. We tend to be more familiar with English and Literature studies through the eyes of workbooks, textbooks and worksheets. Brave Writer uses non of these things, so we are puzzled. How does Brave Writer work if there isn't a textbook in sight?

The postman is coming: This Years Home School Curriculum choices 2017/18

It's that time of year again, and the tills at Amazon and ebay have been cashing in, as home school mums across the globe go into a frenzy getting next years supplies ready....and I am no exception.

This week we've had several (okay, maybe more) packages arrive with new books, as well as a trip to the shops fill up on sharpies, felt tip pens and glue sticks.......rows upon rows of brightly coloured stationary....I love it!

After unwrapping all our new books, I thought it could be helpful to share our curriculum choices for this year. Although I have to admit, we have never been good at sticking consistently to a curriculum style book before we loose interest, other than Math U See which we have stuck to because of its open and go ease.

Home School Shopping...The "new home schooler trap!"

After months of research, months "discussing" with my husband how amazing it would be to home school our children, months romanticising how fun it would be if only he would agree....finally I hear these words with a serious look "Khadeeja is not going back to school!".

.....Ooops!!

My heart jumped out of my throat! Really? We are going to home school? You're kidding... right!?

I remember questioning every home schooling mum I met, asking "how do you do school?". I'd find myself trailing blog after blog, buying book after book desperately trying to reach someone who could tell me what we were meant to do now.

Brave Writer introduction and a Gracious Space Giveaway!

I have a little secret I've been sitting on, and its time I split the beans. If you know me, or  if you pay any attention to the FaceBook page, you might actually already know.

Online Book Club!

Despite our best efforts, sometimes a toddler tantrum or forever nagging a teen to tidy their room, eventually gets to us. We break. We snap. We scream. We lay down demands.

We can't understand why our 8 year old is creating such a fuss when we told him we need to get on our coats and get into the car!
We don't see what our 10 year olds problem is to share her books with her younger sister!
We don't see why telling the kids its bedtime causes such an eruption of frustration!
What is the matter with these kids!

Multiplication facts.....sorted!

Anyone who has read my blog from the beginning knows, my eldest is not the biggest maths fan that ever lived! If she had it her way, she would never look at another number again!

Unfortunately, we can not survive without maths in the big wide world, therefore I have to embrace the maths phobia battle with my little darling, because quite frankly, it just has to be done!

The difference between knowing your times tables and not knowing them, is like eating fish with or without bones! .....I am sure this puzzles you...

Bi-lingual Arabic-English tracing board book review

If you are tired of printing off tracing worksheets, and having mounds of paper thrown into the bin, then please allow me to introduce to you this wipe able board book from Fun Tree Books, who kindly offered to send me a copy to review.

I've seen many of these type of letter tracing workbooks, and initially thought it wouldn't be much different to what I've already come across and used in the past. However (and here is where the famous "but" comes in!).....I was genuinely surprised when I opened the package shipped all the way from the US!

Beautiful faceless dolls...

I don't know about you, but I struggle to find appropriate toys for my children. I purchased the material and stuffing to make my own rag dolls to give my girls as an E'id gift..... 3 years on, that material and stuffing still lays sat in the cupboard collecting dust, waiting for me to find the time (and energy!) to put a couple of dolls together!

Grammar book review

Grammar. Love it or hate it, we know we have to learn it!

   To be honest, I really don't remember anything about grammar from my own school days. I guess that says it all!

However, I have always considered my grammar skills are not too bad....a little rough around the edges maybe, but I don't think I am that clueless....am I? (don't answer that!) After all, I can formulate simple sentences that you can understand...right! (I am becoming increasingly nervous as I continue to write this post!)

I have to admit, since really looking at grammar for my children, I know my grammar knowledge is shockingly bad....but that's nothing that can not be fixed inshaAllah with a do-it-yourself crash course a.k.a.....internet research and a couple of handy books!

To help me in my grammar quest, I've recently purchased a few books to assist, so I thought I'd write a quick review of how useful I'm finding them.

The first one is the Oxford Primary Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Dictionary. I've linked it to Amazon where you can see preview sample pages.
It has been designed to help support children aged 7-11 so I guess that is key-stage 2 (if you are interested in curriculum).
I actually quite like this one. Its simple and gives you a very broad overview of the important grammar essentials. Its easy for children to pick up and great for you as an education facilitator if you don't know much about grammar yourself. It serves great use as a basic introduction.
The pages are well laid out with clear basic explanations and simple examples. I like it, and it will defiantly come in useful for us inshaAllah.

The second one is The Usborne guide to English Punctuation. The content of this one is well written and the examples are well thought, clear and simple. The only thing I feel is there is a little too much going on, on each page. But all in all, a useful book.
There is more information in this book than the Oxford Primary, and although I can't find what age /stage it has been designed for, I'd say its probably for secondary stage. Although that is not to say primary age children would not benefit....they will! (and so will clueless grown ups like me!).


The last one, is Help your kids with Spelling and grammar. I couldn't find it on Amazon so just linked to the book people where I purchased it from for only £3.99.
This, is an excellent 251 page book...especially for us grammar-phobic grown ups! It goes through literally every part of grammar with full, clear explanations and examples.

 As the title explains "help your kids...."  it is designed for parents in mind.
 However its carefully planned pages are visually stimulating and easy on the eye, making it great for older children to pick up and work through.
 I have to say, its easily a self-study guide for both parents and children alike.

It is well laid out, visually stimulating, easy to read and goes into quite some detail to give you enough of a solid understanding of each rule / concept, making it ideal for older children....and bored grown ups!

If you want only one good book, then this one out of the three here, is far superior.

I'd say this is a really useful book to have on the shelf, and at the discount price, its excellent value Alhamdulillah.

Since purchasing these books, my grammar-phobia has somewhat subsided Alhamdulillah, and I actually believe this is something that once you have mastered the rules, then you have mastered the rules! Its something which can be easily learnt when the children are older in a much shorter time than what I feel I am facing if I continue to try to teach my now 7 year old.
So, although we have these books on our shelf, they are there to be picked up and glanced through casually, leaving a further in depth study a few years down the road, when it can be learnt over a much shorter time-frame with a greater degree of understanding inshaAllah.

So, on that final note, let's go eat, kids.