Today was the first day we started to homeschool the twins. I didn’t want it to be a very academic day and the thought was to make it a hands-on and fun start before doing some “proper work.”
Our Motto
We decided to work on a motto, like most schools have. I wanted to do this to remind them when things go wrong I can refer back to our motto, which acts like our ethos we all agree to follow.
I told my twins that I had thought of our motto already and the initials for the motto spelt TWINS! What do they think the words are to our motto?
After some discussions about what Mottos are, the twins started to work together and write down two guesses each to what each initial represented.
What does TWINS stand for?
Trust. Initially, the twins were not sure about homeschooling. They realised it was going to be better than they thought and they had to trust their parents that it was going to be something that would benefit them.
This trust is what allowed us to start the homeschooling process and I reminded them that when things get tough, or when they are unsure about anything, to remember that they trusted their parents to do the right thing, and we will always try to do the right thing by them.
Worship. As muslims, we believe we were created to worship Allah. This doesn;t mean just to pray 5 times a day, but anything we do can be a form of worship. For example a person who goes out to work to feed their family, if they do this to please Allah then it is a form of worship.
I wanted the twins to remember that when we learn, it can be a form of worship and that it would please Allah if we have that intention, and we would make Allah happy and get rewarded for it. This had to be at the forefront of why we are doing what we are doing, as this knowledge can help us to be people who contribute to society and help others – whcih pleases Allah and is a form of worship.
Inspire/Inspiration. I wanted to the twins to inspire themselves with things we see and do and be an inspirational to others.
Never Give Up. I wanted the twins to have a strong level of determination and have a never give up attitude. Resilience and determination will not only help them in lessons but also the rest of their lives by giving them a growth mentality.
Self-Respect. Having this positive mentality will allow them to feel good about themselves and have a positive, internal sense of their own worth and value as an individual.
The First Core Lesson
As a maths specialist, the first lesson had to be maths.
I know the twins lack confidence in maths, and I know they have the ability to understand and thrive in the subject. The lesson was a basic one, but one that showed me my twins can do very well in the future if they consistently put the effort in.
The 6-minute Diary
After lunch, we did some more maths before delving into our 6-minute diary, where I introduced them to the concept. The 6-minute diary is just a simple & effective tool for more gratitude & mindfulness. Here’s a sample of one of the pages…
That’s All Folks
…AND that wraps up our 1st day of homeschooling the twins. Well, actually I did ask them one last thing to do, which was to tell me how they felt the day went.
“If someone was writting an article about your 1st day of homeschooling, what would you want them to say about how YOU felt the day went?“
It was an outstanding experience and I absolutely loved it. My favourite lesson was decorating the Motto poster.
Twin H
My first day of home schooling was way better than I expected, like WAY better. It was soo good, I don’t have any words to describe it!
Twin A
