When I teach bellydance, I teach language, vocabulary, history--I tell stories, we sing songs. I also promote sisterhood, so we may end class with a brunch, attend community bellydance events together, party at Afro Soca Love, have a yoni steam circle, hafla, Full Moon Ceremony, etc. I work to create space for us to bond, but also for self-reflection and empowerment. There's a real comraderie among the Pink Moon BellyDance students and families and once you are part of the Shimmy Sisterhood it's an everlasting connection. Pink Moon BellyDance Students come to class with a journal. We start every class with a reflection, vocabulary, and dance notation. Register for bellydane class HERE.

Nothing says, “My children are growing up!” like a chore chart! I guess we are leaving the baby phase! My youngest is 4 and my oldest is 11. Also, I started to realize that I was repeating the same stuff every day, “clean up your room, update your calendar, take out the trash!” I needed a robot!! But since a chore chart is cheaper, I went with that. 

At first, I was thinking I would hang a color-coded poster board with chores listed and mark each day with stickers. Or buy one of those calendar dry erase boards with magnets that you see on Pinterest. But I didn’t want to call it “chores,” “Jobs,” or mommy’s helpers. How do you expect anyone to get excited about anything called “chores?” or about being “the help.” Then there are child labor laws, jk, lol! The chore chart is bigger than that. I don’t want my children to do the chores because I say so, but because they want too (intrinsic motivation, character development, umoja, ujima)!!! (insert giffy of light shining) I want them to see the interconnectedness. How doing a “chore” or self-help develops them as individuals (mind, body, and spirit) and helps us reach our goals as a family. However, as the idea for the title developed, so did the chart. 

The chore chart became a chakra chart. And the chart became a personalized chakra interfacing system. Birthing the Chakra Interface System (CIS)!!!
I created a monster!!

Before you accuse me of overdosing on Yerba Mate & Kola Nuts, which is probably true, hear me out!! 

Sure! Slapping a poster on the wall would have been easier, but as I stated before I’m trying to “grow humans” here (as In-Tune Mother Project would say)! My intention in parenting and educating my children is not to reproduce employees aka “the help.” The belief of women as baby-making factories supplying the nation's’ factories is a bullet-ridden train hobbling through the black hole of patriarchy. I say, I decide what missions for which to guide my starseeds. The 1st Teacher: Neuro Nurturing series is committed to nurturing the whole child (mind, body, and soul). This vlog is just a preview into the entire series full of meaningful parenting and homeschooling hacks.

I saw the chore chart as an opportunity to build character, purpose, critical thinking skills, and literacy.
The CIS:

1. Is interactive/kinetic/visual: if you want to teach children, appeal to their senses/sensory. The Chakra Interfacing System (CIS) makes the child move. She has to move her body to sort and shift the daily chores/assignments. Movement invokes memory and is FUN! Sensory is also brain-based appealing to the multiple intelligences.
2. Strengthens parent-child bond: the CIS provides a healthy way for the parent and child to communicate with each other. My child lets me know she did the chore by hanging it on the chart. I acknowledge her activities by tallying the Chakra Cards and offering a Privilege Card. Of course, there’s good old-fashioned yelling, but I’m too pretty for that! Lol.
3. Promotes literacy and increases vocabulary. The picture of the activity (chore/study/pray) is on one side of the card, while the word is written on the other.
4. Is personal. The children feel connected and excited about the CIS because I used photos of them in it. It also gives a sense of ownership. “This is mine and my responsibility!” instead of “there goes Mom imposing her imperial rule on us.”
5. It’s culturally appropriate and creates a true worldview. Not only did I use photos of them, so they see melanated children, but I also used photos/clip art from around the world. Therefore, it boosts their self-esteem, again develops a sense of ownership, and develops a sense of connectiveness with the African diaspora, Ummah, and the world at large. Representation matters!!
6. Promotes Umoja/Unity/Family Loyalty/Cooperative Learning. On a regular chore chart, each individual is striving (competitive) to get the most stickers or to check off a list. But with the CIS my children teach and help each other learn the system and complete the tasks. They actually divvy up the task among themselves. At the end of the day we tally up individual scores, but we also tally the total composite score for all 3 of them. They strive to reach an overall total number, not just individual. They check on each other and cheer each other on.
7. Democracy/Negotiation. Promotes critical thinking skills because I left some of the chakra and privilege cards blank. They are not limited to the activities listed on the Chakra Cards and they can create new privileges.
8. It’s spiritual. The CIS teaches the chakras (energy centers important for health and balance) & 7 Kwanza principles. The cards have chores, school assignments, and spiritual practices (i.e. prayer, dhikr, yoga, going on a walk). This teaches that maintaining/feeding the spirit is important. Our body has rights over us; self-care, reaching one’s full potential.
9. Fits different parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, free-spirited, etc). It can be parent-led (for younger children, special needs, etc) or child-led (those ready for more independence etc). The parent can hang the Chakras they want completed and then the child will hang them on the lower 3rd hook upon completion. Or, the child can take the chakra activates directly from the cup and hang it on the appropriate chakra hooks as completed.
10. Focus on completion (one’s full potential) versus standard definition of success as only material things and titles, you as a human matter. Building your higher self. Instead of focusing on chores/jobs, CIS focuses on chakras. As mentioned before, CIS includes physical, intellectual, and spiritual activities.

Points to Remember:

• Parents don’t always have to offer a privilege.
• What is considered a privilege in your home?
• What type of people are you trying to raise?
• This Tribe Neuro VLOG article is an example of a "1st Teacher" video. The Version in the subscription involves more detail and resources than the vlog version and includes consultation. Please help Rites of Passage Institute to keep providing women's wellness and family education services by enriching your family with the "1st Teacher" Video Subscription!!

Free Download Links mentioned in video:
Chess Cards
Alphabet Cards

Chakra Resources
Chakra Bear
Free Chakra Coloring
Free Yoga Printables
Chakra scavenger hunt
Chakra bingo
Chakra System:
Major channels through which life force flows into physical body; mediating channels between astral and physical bodies associated with major glands (endocrine system) and acupuncture points.

I turned to my husband and asked him if he thought it was ok to get the doll for our daughter. He said no. I threw it in the cart anyway. When I got to the register, I gave it to the cashier and told her I wasn’t buying it. Once I got in the car, my daughter being an immature warrior princess said, “Where’s my doll?” I had no idea she’d been paying attention. I had got something for everyone, but her. My husband told me to get the doll if I wanted it. So, I ran back in the store and bought them. 

​I still wasn’t satisfied though. That night I went online and searched how to give a doll an Afro.  A plethora of videos, blogs, etc. appeared. The process looked a bit arduous. What could I do to make it more fun?  In the midst of all this doll business, I had been wrecking my brain for a way to get my daughter around other girls her age. You see she has 2 big brothers and most of my friends have boys. Therefore, she is always around boys, and trust me she holds her own, but I want her to be well-rounded. 

​I posted it on social media and it was an instant hit. People wanted to do it! I got a lot of interesting responses. One woman messaged me that her daughter didn’t have any African dolls. I thought that was interesting. No matter what ethnic group you belong to, living in multicultural America, why not have dolls of various ethnic groups, colors, shades, facial features, hair types? I love that we live in a country where such options are available. There’s no excuse. But I let her know that the doll did not have to be African or of African descent. Like white people don’t have Afros! 

How does it make your melanated son feel when you give him that Buzz Lightyear Toy, Mario Brother’s game, etc?

​If s/he has been fed a steady diet of mainstream media (cartoons, clothes, books, toys), s/he will be excited. In fact, any child may be excited because the mainstream media are exciting, colorful, fun, and it connects one to a group experience. After all, these companies spend loads on marketing to children and parents. However, what is the subconscious message and what is it doing to your child? 

​Play at the expensive of my child’s self-esteem—no thanks. “Hispanic and Black girls who watch more Black-oriented television have higher body satisfaction,” (nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eating-disorders). Negative media stereotypes (thugs, criminals, fools, and the disadvantaged) are demoralizing and reduce self-esteem and expectations. Dealing with negative expectations may also create stress and drain cognitive resources in some contexts — leading to the lowered performance. Not to mention these negative media stereotypes feed white fear/imagination. Lack of diversity in children’s literature is a blockage to melanated children becoming motivated, engaged, and proficient readers. And even when they do become proficient readers, despite the lack of positive representation, guess what that teaches them? Don’t be yourself and you will be successful. Serve those not like you and you will be successful. 

Here is a list of Black-owned businesses that create children's toys, books, etc with equity and positive representation. Go shopping:
​
https://edanimeproductions.com/shop/dvd-meltrek/
http://www.blackbeautydolls.com/
http://www.misszee.net/
http://www.myakids.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
http://www.bbe4.com/vandora.html
http://www.martidumasbooks.com/books
http://babysparkles.biz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=259
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1530439191/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
https://www.icecreamtoysandbooks.com/
http://www.pattycakedoll.com/black_dolls
http://www.sugarfoots.com/
http://shawncrealcreations.com/
http://yeslioness.bigcartel.com/category/coloring-books
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OffDHookCreations
https://sites.google.com/site/buymoorish/place-your-order
http://www.funrise.com/positively-perfect/#/store/collection/zair
http://www.itsbathtimebaby.com/order.html
http://www.taylormadenc.com/new-products/
http://www.kujichaguliapress.com/
​Swift Walker Books
Fred Crump Jr Fairy Tale Books
Children's Backpacks, clothes, shoes:
https://www.facebook.com/AyAnnAsArt/
ayannasartfashion@gmail.com
Islamic Children's Books:
Reading Books
Fairy Tales 
*The Prophet 
*not Black-Owned, but positive representation.

The Rites of Passage Learning Center style of education is best described as wholistic educultural academics. Right now you are making that "huh?" face. So here, I thought I would put it into pictures with these examples from past classes.

Do I spend loads of money on curriculums? No. Do I enroll in online programs that will track and monitor each neuron we develop? No. Do we sit at the desk doing page after page of worksheets day after day? No. I'm not knocking these things. But as a homeschooler and ROP teacher I have to accomdate a lot of intelligences, levels, domains, subjects, learning styles, special abilities, and make it all cuturally relavent. The easiest way to do that is to do a project.

I love projects! Projects demonstrate how everything is connected. Projects bring real life into the classroom. And it is easy to adapt a project to many different age levels. And projects are hands on kinesthetic, which = FUN!

​Here are some of my greatest education hacks/projects:

Every concept I teach has to be a Visual Tactile Audio experience. Here's what we did:

• Represent place value on the abacus (if you haven't bought and abacus or signed up for my abacus math classes, you are missing all the fun!!)
• Watch a youtube playlist about How to build a speedometer and Place Value 

How to Build Speedometer
Place Value Song
Place Value Story
Place Value Cartoon

• Build a "speedometer" (place value cups)
• Inspect the spedometer in a car
• Use the speedometer they built along with worksheets & Starfall place value games. Starfall has like 5 different place value games.

Here's what we did:

• We learned about cells on my youtube playlist:

​Cell Rap
Cell Song
​Animal Cells
Plant Cells

• The students colored and labeled plant and animal cell worksheets
• We laid out a buffet of ingredients. The students decided which food represented the different parts of the cell.
• Each student built an animal cell sushi & plant jello cell (all gluten-free, dairy-free, and halal).
• Each student presented and ate their cells

Here's what we did.

• I told the class a Zulu story about owls
• I explained the digestion of bird using posters
• I distributed the owl pellets and dissecting kits
• Each student dissected an owl pellet, organized and labeled bones by gluing them to a vole skeleton sheet.
• identified the animal skulls found in the pellet
• Created a food web with the barn owl at the highest trophic level.
• Watched the animated movie Legend of the Guardians 
• Went to an animal sanctuary and zoo to visit owls

Topics Discussed:
The digestive system, skeletal system, food chain, owl legends
Other resources

• http://kidwings.com/

• Wild Kratts Cartoon: Episode 140: Raptor Roundup

• And you know I love youtube

Projects are an easy inexpensive way to cover a lot of subjects, material, learning styles etc. It's the perfect education hack for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to supplement their child's education. We hope to see you for the next Rites of Passage Learning Center class!!! Better yet, I can help you tackle your specific homeschooling challenges through the 1st Teacher Video Series or as your Education Consultant.

Subscribe to Rites of Passage Learning Center on YouTube to see all of my education playlists!!

See our classes on www.moorishrites.com or Facebook

I don’t know, but we did it. We were on this beautifully orchestrated schedule of tutors, and classes in our home classroom (which was in our 1800 square foot home in Oklahoma). In addition, our children had horseback riding, tennis lessons, tae kwon do etc. I had it flowing so well, I provided classes for other children. 

My home classroom was my teacher (as explained in 1st Teacher Series)! Just as parents work when their children go to school, I worked when my children had tutors and classes. It was nice to have someone else teach while I filled orders, updated my blog, and ran errands.
​
How was I going to recreate that on the road??

It was easy to transfer to using their learning space and to fall into their learning routine. And a bonus—they were gluten and dairy free too!

​We were off to a great start and I could tell the children were making a smooth transition. Not only did they have a classroom in this home, but as any homeschooling family does, they had an itinerary of community educational activities. We visited museums, play dates, festivals, community vegetable gardens (where we learned about the toxic levels of lead in the soil), etc.  

In addition, we parents had so many educational resources to share with each other; we had to set up a schedule to ensure we shared everything we said we would share with each other. By the end of our stay my thumb drive was full, and I had new playlists on YouTube. We were off to a great start.

​While on the road, the children were entertained with their laminated maps, markers, cameras, children’s atlas, which was all within reach on their travel desks and pencil bags. They took solace in their DIY personalized pillows and the river of snacks. When we did stop, we did yoga or Have Fun Teaching’s Fitness Songs usually on a grassy null near the gas station. People often watched and praised us. One time I heard a chuckle, and looked up from half moon pose to see a police officer smiling at us as he pumped his gas.  When he saw my 3 year do 15 full push-ups, he was floored. I think it made his day. Oh! Let’s not forget the portable urine receptacle. Tiny bladders are the roads enemy.

​Our next stop was Milwaukee, WI. We stayed in a charming 2 family duplex with my father. With a front yard, back yard, and nearby parks, our children engaged in biking, foraging, catching fireflies. With two living rooms, we instantly set up the other as the classroom. This is where my pull out bins system discussed in the 1st Teacher Series came in handy. I also got my hands on the Summer Milwaukee Recreation Guide and enrolled my children in a few science and engineering camps. We also enrolled them in capoeira (3 times a week) and Arabic classes.  

In no time, between workbooks, camps, and classes we were our busiest and their education was “in the bag.” This stay was filled with family visits, book signings, and workshops. It was an intense schedule, but with the help of friends and family it went smooth. In fact, it was a new & refreshing experience to have extended family members pitching in to shuttle the children back and forth.  It was hard to leave as we had all grown attached to the teachers, family, and flow. However, we were on sleepless night number 3 of the Milwaukee Uprisings, which were raging a block from our location. Sleep deprived, we hit the road.

​Our last destination-- North Carolina. As soon as we landed in North Carolina we were booked for events.  We were blessed again to have the benefit of staying with a homeschooling family with a home classroom. Our children had instant playmates & classmates around the clock. However, this time, I couldn’t tap into all of the camps and classes in the community because we were in a rural area. Plus, we only had one personal room and we were limited in our ability to physically integrate into the home classroom. Therefore, we used the land as a teacher and workbooks. We built fires, cleared land, road on tractors, visited local farms, ran up and down pine needle covered roads, sought out constellations, crafted stars out of pine needles, and hiked. During this time workbooks, the pull out bins, and the computer became our best learning tools. My favorite thing was to spread a blanket outside under a tree. Set out our pencil boxes, musical instruments, workbooks, and abacus, and get to work. 

In NC I didn’t know anybody (except for our host family, I had no family, I was far from any Muslim community, I didn’t know the area, and I wasn’t mobile (no sidewalks, public transportation, etc). However, between the computer, workbooks, and great outdoors I was able to come up with somewhat of a schedule. One of the best parts of being hosted by a homeschooling family is that the children have an automatic audience for project presentations. It is during this time that they honed in on their speaking skills the most.

So that is how I survived mobile homeschooling. There’s probably a book out there somewhere on how to do it, but we just jumped right into it. Now, I am preparing to settle back into our home and rebuild our home classroom. One thing mobile homeschooling and seeing so many other home classrooms has taught me is that I can teach with a lot less stuff. Most things I thought I needed, I didn’t. My new classroom will be a lot more feng shui!
​
So my biggest advice, meet up with other homeschool families along the way, take advantage of local camps & classes, order some great workbooks, clipboards/travel desks, have a laptop with a hotspot, have online educational subscriptions, have material (poetry, definitions, spelling) for the children to recite while you drive, and a killer ass activity bag to keep all your supplies packed and ready to go at all times! The Classroom is the teacher, but the world is your classroom!

Coming Soon! Tour Home classrooms of various homeschoolers across the nation! Look for it in the 1st Teacher series.  Email me at admin@moorishrites.com to submit a video.

So an hour into homeschooling our children, I look and notice my husband, Hakim is recording our class session. While I was happy I wasn't in my robe, I worried that it was too raw. Out of all of the amazing projects and workshops Rites of Passage Learning Center does, this one had to be the most mundane and chaotic. I mean, our two year old was on the verge of a melt down and with our range of neurodiversity anything is bound to pop off! Nevertheless, there are 3 things to be garnered from this video: 1. Homeschooling your children and teaching other people's children are two different things. Teaching my own children is more challenging for me, than teaching others. 2. What's it like teaching 3 different levels and 3 different learning styles at the same time? I do one-on-one, small groups, and class/large group sessions with our children. They also do independent work. Using a student-centered individualized approach is essential to reaching our objectives. 3. Sometimes we learn the most from our most simple everyday actions.

Yes! My lawn looks like a prairie. And while I'm sure the homeowners association wants to egg my house, my lawn is not just grass, it's food. "Weeds" have such a bad reputation, but lately they have been the source of our outdoor classroom ventures, meals, and healing. 

Not only is it a survival skill, but it makes for great cross-curriculum lesson plans. We use the "weeds" to make art. We learn about identifying traits such as stem and leaf structure and color of flowers. We also learn to look for warning signs of poisonous plants. While most weeds/herbs are edible, they are not edible especially in the city because of the use of pesticides & herbicides, etc. So, if you know you have been spraying your lawn with chemicals, don't pick a weed and eat it!! Moreover, don't eat anything from your poisonous well manicured lawn!! With that said--Happy Foraging!! Next frontier--edible insects!!! 

 properties of herbs (science), serving (pouring technique and order of presentation), and jazz and classical music.  I have even gone so far as to do themes inspired by my sons: space tea party, super hero tea party, safari tea party, and tea parties based on books. Tea time is an integrative educational experience, but most of all, it is fun and relaxing.