I’ve taken a rather gradual, low-key approach to Yusuf’s schooling since he finished preschool last spring. Even though Al-Huda was going to put him in kindergarten, according to Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland, Yusuf won’t be a kindergartener until this upcoming fall. It’s hard to imagine that in a public school setting Yusuf would be in preschool, but the cut-off date is September 1, and his birthday is significantly after that. Thus, I don’t have to register him as a homeschooler for quite some time. I’ve been spending past months “de-schooling” Yusuf, providing extended time for imaginative play, materials for art and projects, and encouraging independence, curiosity, obedience, and good character.

In the kitchen, in the kitchen

Experimenting with clay

Mansoor likes to play, too

All that said, Yusuf has been asking for more serious school work and showing all the signs of readiness. He’s such an avid listener of stories, he’s just itching to read. So, we’ve started the journey. After much research and trial and error, we’ve come up with a few language resources that are working really well for us: All About Spelling, Explode the Code, Handwriting without Tears, and miscellaneous readers. Insha’Allah tomorrow I’ll give a snapshot of how each program works and the work Yusuf has done in each.