**DO YOU WANT TO OWN IT? Book Giveaway Coming Soon**
Bismillah...
This is the fourth of 5 articles that I will write about our un-schooling journey.
Part 1: What happned to our unschooling?
Part 3: Questioning Unschooling
Part 4: Playful World Travelling -- 26 A-Z Project
Part 5: Conclusions and Reality Check (lol)
Hello lovely readers and friends. While I was writing this post, I was brought back to why we started this project in the first place.
I always thought that my children were (and still are) very spoiled. Even though they do not know it, they have everything. They live in a country that is free of war, famine, or threat, alhamdulelah. They are able-bodied, with access to health-care. They also have access to great schools, libraries, and organizations that will assist them when they are in need. They wear designer clothes, have portable devices of every kind, and lots of foods to choose from. Their parents love and protect them, and they can be children (never having to work to support themselves, or quit school to raise their siblings).
I have always felt a deep connection to my children; all children in fact.
While I had access to many of the things above, my childhood consisted of abuse and humiliation. I believe that, unlike my own painful past, children should have a child-hood. The trauma that I faced as a child has forced me to do my best to ensure that my children are not harmed in any way, and that they will have wonderful memories when they get older.
While I had access to many of the things above, my childhood consisted of abuse and humiliation. I believe that, unlike my own painful past, children should have a child-hood. The trauma that I faced as a child has forced me to do my best to ensure that my children are not harmed in any way, and that they will have wonderful memories when they get older.
When I began this project I was worried that my children were sheltered, spoiled, and not as humble as they should be. I wanted them to see that the world is more than their back-steps. It is important that they understand that they all humans inhabit various social locations simultaneously. More importantly, I wanted them to recognize that we are often burdened with identities that we rarely choose for ourselves (Black, fat, poor, disabled, foreigner etc).
I want my kids to know that it is the identities that we choose, or those that others choose for us that make us who we are, and who we are is never that simple...
The purpose of the 26 A-Z project is to help the kids explore the world around them,
The purpose of the 26 A-Z project is to help the kids explore the world around them,
This project is about OUR adventures in unschooling (somewhat).
This journey consists of 26 carefully selected documentaries; each title beginning with a letter from the alphabet. These documentaries will focus on issues such as disability, culture, poverty, war, environmental disasters, nature, racism, politics and gender issues (to name a few).
Here's the Plan:
Here's the Plan:
- Using the basis of Playful World Traveling as our guide, We will watch 26 documentaries. Hubby has been nice enough to edit some parts of various docs for easier viewer.
- Each documentary will start with a letter of the alphabet...
- We will use various media & outlets to highlight the themes and ideas (photography, art, poetry, prompt questions).
- The girls will also be expected to do community service, participate initiatives, and research organizations, so that they can learn more about the topics discussed.
A. The Amish: A People of Preservation -Culture / Society
This PBS documentary follows life in Amish country, where folks give up convenience and technological advancements in exchange for simple living, out of loyalty to their longstanding beliefs. With insight from Mennonite historian John Ruth and Dr. John A. Hostetler (author of Amish Society), learn how the Amish continue to thrive, and even grow in numbers, amidst the ever-changing world around them.
B. Building Gods - Science
This film by Ken Gumbs tackles the issue of pending greater-than-human artificial intelligence and the possible ramifications. Different individuals with different backgrounds are interviewed on the subject, including a theologian, a philosopher, a brain builder and a cyborg. A wide spectrum of topics are discussed, including trans-humanism, mind-machine mergers, uploading, and artificial super-intelligence.
This film by Ken Gumbs tackles the issue of pending greater-than-human artificial intelligence and the possible ramifications. Different individuals with different backgrounds are interviewed on the subject, including a theologian, a philosopher, a brain builder and a cyborg. A wide spectrum of topics are discussed, including trans-humanism, mind-machine mergers, uploading, and artificial super-intelligence.
C. Children of Alcohol - Drugs
This short documentary focuses on the children of alcoholics. In the relaxed environment of a mountain campsite, a group of young people discuss their anger and frustration, and talk about their struggle to cope with the problems created by their parents' drinking. By sharing their experiences, they open a door for others like them. Aimed primarily at an audience of elementary school children and older, this film provides an excellent vehicle for generating discussion about alcohol abuse and the family.
This short documentary focuses on the children of alcoholics. In the relaxed environment of a mountain campsite, a group of young people discuss their anger and frustration, and talk about their struggle to cope with the problems created by their parents' drinking. By sharing their experiences, they open a door for others like them. Aimed primarily at an audience of elementary school children and older, this film provides an excellent vehicle for generating discussion about alcohol abuse and the family.
D. DNA-The Molecule of Life - Science
What is the force at the heart of life? What is the engine that drives it forward? That links all living things from the smallest to the largest, that links families through generations, looks, personality, health, and in sickness?
What is the force at the heart of life? What is the engine that drives it forward? That links all living things from the smallest to the largest, that links families through generations, looks, personality, health, and in sickness?
Scientists have searched for the answer for hundreds of years, until 1953 when two young men ran into a British pub shouting that they’ve discovered the secret of life.
E. Enemy Image - Media / Culture/ War
When Baghdad exploded under bombs, television chose to bring us fireworks. But does this distant and spectacular image tell us what is really happening on the ground, how it feels or what it means? Television has the means to take us anywhere and show us anything. It can bring us the physical experience of war with all its’ horrors, like no other medium, and yet the image of American war on television is disembodied, bloodless, and unreal. The invasion of Iraq was the most closely documented war ever fought. Lasting only 800 hours, it produced 20,000 hours of video, but those images were tightly controlled, producing a monolithic view of combat sanitized and controlled by the Pentagon.
When Baghdad exploded under bombs, television chose to bring us fireworks. But does this distant and spectacular image tell us what is really happening on the ground, how it feels or what it means? Television has the means to take us anywhere and show us anything. It can bring us the physical experience of war with all its’ horrors, like no other medium, and yet the image of American war on television is disembodied, bloodless, and unreal. The invasion of Iraq was the most closely documented war ever fought. Lasting only 800 hours, it produced 20,000 hours of video, but those images were tightly controlled, producing a monolithic view of combat sanitized and controlled by the Pentagon.
Food Inc- Food /Environment
For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact.
For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact.
Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs, like co-producer Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Gary Hirschberg (Stonyfield Farms), and Barbara Kowalcyk, who’s been lobbying for more rigorous standards since E. coli claimed the life of her two-year-old son.
Flow: for the Love of Water- Environment
Flow: for the Love of Water- Environment
Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis.
Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.
Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question “CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?”
G. God grew tired of us -War/Immigration
After raising themselves in the desert along with thousands of other "lost boys," Sudanese refugees John, Daniel and Panther have found their way to America, where they experience electricity, running water and supermarkets for the first time.
H. Hooked - Drugs
Crack, Cocaine, Opium, Marijuana, Heroine, etc. – Illegal Drugs have an enormous impact on society. They make addictive, shorten our live-expectancy and change the way we interact with other people. Drugs are therefore not only a risk for ourselves but also for others. Many drugs have not always been illegal, but were a medication against many sicknesses
Crack, Cocaine, Opium, Marijuana, Heroine, etc. – Illegal Drugs have an enormous impact on society. They make addictive, shorten our live-expectancy and change the way we interact with other people. Drugs are therefore not only a risk for ourselves but also for others. Many drugs have not always been illegal, but were a medication against many sicknesses
I. I'll find a Way - Disability
This Oscar-winning documentary presents Nadia, a 9-year-old girl with spina bifida. Her dream is to attend a regular school, even though she knows other kids will tease her. Wise for her young age, Nadia simply decides that she'll "find a way to deal with it." Despite having to overcome many obstacles, Nadia's got spunk and makes it clear she's not looking for sympathy.
This Oscar-winning documentary presents Nadia, a 9-year-old girl with spina bifida. Her dream is to attend a regular school, even though she knows other kids will tease her. Wise for her young age, Nadia simply decides that she'll "find a way to deal with it." Despite having to overcome many obstacles, Nadia's got spunk and makes it clear she's not looking for sympathy.
J. Alicia Keys: Journey to the Motherland - HIV/AIDS
During the spring of 2006 Alicia Keys embarked on a journey to Africa that changed her life forever. During her month-long trip, Alicia witness countless stories of people infected with HIV, who despite the odds, were overcoming personal hardships with astonishing bravery. Some of the communities that Alicia visited on her pilgrimage had an HIV prevalence rate of over 40%, but what she encountered were incredible accounts of resilience and triumph.
During the spring of 2006 Alicia Keys embarked on a journey to Africa that changed her life forever. During her month-long trip, Alicia witness countless stories of people infected with HIV, who despite the odds, were overcoming personal hardships with astonishing bravery. Some of the communities that Alicia visited on her pilgrimage had an HIV prevalence rate of over 40%, but what she encountered were incredible accounts of resilience and triumph.
K. Katrina's Children - Society /Poverty
This memorable and highly evocative documentary examines the effects of Hurricane Katrina through the eyes, voices, and drawings of the city's children. With their disarming honesty and innocent wisdom, the children are at once witnesses, victims, heroes and survivors. The film, like the children, is both deeply moving and at times refreshingly funny.
The children come from all walks of life: from the daughter of a former queen of Carnival, to underprivileged kids still stuck in Texas. Their common denominator is Katrina - an event that affected them all, to varying degrees. The similarities and differences between these children are at times surprising and reveal patterns and problems that predate Katrina.
This memorable and highly evocative documentary examines the effects of Hurricane Katrina through the eyes, voices, and drawings of the city's children. With their disarming honesty and innocent wisdom, the children are at once witnesses, victims, heroes and survivors. The film, like the children, is both deeply moving and at times refreshingly funny.
The children come from all walks of life: from the daughter of a former queen of Carnival, to underprivileged kids still stuck in Texas. Their common denominator is Katrina - an event that affected them all, to varying degrees. The similarities and differences between these children are at times surprising and reveal patterns and problems that predate Katrina.
L. Life & Debt - Politics
Director Stephanie Black's documentary examines how policies of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other aid organizations have altered the Jamaican economy over the past 25 years, leaving the locals to struggle in poverty. Author Jamaica Kincaid narrates passages from her book on the topic, A Small Place, with Belinda Becker to a reggae soundtrack that includes songs by Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Mutubaruka and Peter Tosh.
Director Stephanie Black's documentary examines how policies of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other aid organizations have altered the Jamaican economy over the past 25 years, leaving the locals to struggle in poverty. Author Jamaica Kincaid narrates passages from her book on the topic, A Small Place, with Belinda Becker to a reggae soundtrack that includes songs by Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Mutubaruka and Peter Tosh.
M- Muffins for Granny -Native / Society
Filmmaker Nadia McLaren assembles an emotionally complex portrait of her Ojibwa grandmother in this narrative exploration of Canada's residential school system and its brutal effect on the indigenous population. Stitching together home movies, animation and interviews, the documentary conveys the stories of several First Nation elders barred as youths from embracing their heritage and struggling later in life to gain a cultural foothold.
N. No Logo: Brands, Globalization & Resistance - Politics /Economics
In the age of the brand, logos are everywhere. But why do some of the world’s best-known brands find themselves on the wrong end of the spray paint can — the targets of anti-corporate campaigns by activists and protesters?
In the age of the brand, logos are everywhere. But why do some of the world’s best-known brands find themselves on the wrong end of the spray paint can — the targets of anti-corporate campaigns by activists and protesters?
No Logo, based on the best-selling book by Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein, reveals the reasons behind the backlash against the increasing economic and cultural reach of multinational companies.
O. Our Labor of Love - Animals/Nature
A Full Length Documentary about Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona (near Sedona).
A Full Length Documentary about Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona (near Sedona).
Out of Africa Wildlife Park strives to educate and entertain; to provide an exciting and engaging opportunity to love and respect the nature.
It is a place where family and friends gather to experience oneness with animals and each other during safaris, tours, walks, observations, and shows of wild-by-nature animals in their own natural splendor. In this way, they hope to achieve a kind of oneness with them, which will cause us to consider them to be so valuable that we cannot allow them to be lost forever.
P. Promises - Conflict & War
Promises presents a powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around Jerusalem. As filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg, who was raised in Israel, notes, They live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but they are each growing up in very separate worlds. The children include Mahmoud, Shlomo, Sanabel, Faraj, Moishe, and twins Yarko and Daniel.
Promises presents a powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around Jerusalem. As filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg, who was raised in Israel, notes, They live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but they are each growing up in very separate worlds. The children include Mahmoud, Shlomo, Sanabel, Faraj, Moishe, and twins Yarko and Daniel.
Q. The Quest For Life - Science
How did life on Earth begin? Is there life beyond our planet? Is there a future for humankind on other planets? This documentary examines the search for life, from its origins on Earth to possibilities in space. Produced in high definition, the program features interviews with scientists who share their opinions about the possibility of life beyond Earth, and examines the latest developments in astrobiology, one of the hottest fields in science today.
How did life on Earth begin? Is there life beyond our planet? Is there a future for humankind on other planets? This documentary examines the search for life, from its origins on Earth to possibilities in space. Produced in high definition, the program features interviews with scientists who share their opinions about the possibility of life beyond Earth, and examines the latest developments in astrobiology, one of the hottest fields in science today.
R. Racism: A History - Racism
A documentary which is exploring the impact of racism on a global scale, as part of the season of programmes marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Beginning by assessing the implications of the relationship between Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 15th century, it considers how racist ideas and practices developed in key religious and secular institutions, and how they showed up in writings by European philosophers Aristotle and Immanuel Kant.
A documentary which is exploring the impact of racism on a global scale, as part of the season of programmes marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Beginning by assessing the implications of the relationship between Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 15th century, it considers how racist ideas and practices developed in key religious and secular institutions, and how they showed up in writings by European philosophers Aristotle and Immanuel Kant.
S. Shooting Hope - Politics / Poverty
The film Shooting Hope follows a project that uses photography to bring Palestinian and Lebanese teenagers together.
In this article, filmmaker Toni Oyry describes how the teenage residents of impoverished Palestinian refugee camps and their Lebanese peers are learning to see the bigger picture of their neighbouring communities through the lens of a camera.
The film Shooting Hope follows a project that uses photography to bring Palestinian and Lebanese teenagers together.
In this article, filmmaker Toni Oyry describes how the teenage residents of impoverished Palestinian refugee camps and their Lebanese peers are learning to see the bigger picture of their neighbouring communities through the lens of a camera.
T. This is What a Democracy Looks Like - Politics / Poverty / "Democracy"
This film, shot by 100 amateur camera operators, tells the story of the enormous street protests in Seattle, Washington in November 1999, against the World Trade Organization summit being held there.
This film, shot by 100 amateur camera operators, tells the story of the enormous street protests in Seattle, Washington in November 1999, against the World Trade Organization summit being held there.
Vowing to oppose, among other faults, the WTO’s power to arbitrarily overrule nations’ environmental, social and labor policies in favor of unbridled corporate greed, protesters from all around came out in force to make their views known and stop the summit.
U. Alienated: Undocumented Immigrant Youth - Immigration/Gender issues
In Alienated, we meet Licia, a determined young woman from St. Vincent who commutes from Brooklyn to New Jersey to work as a nanny for $4 an hour. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant groups rally around lobbying efforts that seek to impose ever harsher policies and to "protect our borders." Through interviews with individuals on both sides of the immigration debate, Alienated examines what it means to be young, able and "illegal" in America. and
Underworld: Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age - The Unknown
Between 17,000 years ago and 7000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, terrible things happened to the world our ancestors lived in. Great ice caps over northern Europe and north America melted down, huge floods ripped across the earth, sea-level rose by more than 100 metres, and about 25 million square kilometres of formerly habitable lands were swallowed up by the waves.
In Alienated, we meet Licia, a determined young woman from St. Vincent who commutes from Brooklyn to New Jersey to work as a nanny for $4 an hour. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant groups rally around lobbying efforts that seek to impose ever harsher policies and to "protect our borders." Through interviews with individuals on both sides of the immigration debate, Alienated examines what it means to be young, able and "illegal" in America. and
Underworld: Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age - The Unknown
Between 17,000 years ago and 7000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, terrible things happened to the world our ancestors lived in. Great ice caps over northern Europe and north America melted down, huge floods ripped across the earth, sea-level rose by more than 100 metres, and about 25 million square kilometres of formerly habitable lands were swallowed up by the waves.
V. The Virtual Revolution - Technology
Twenty years on from the invention of the World Wide Web, Dr Aleks Krotoski looks at how it is reshaping almost every aspect of our lives. Joined by some of the web’s biggest names – including the founders of Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, and the web’s inventor – she explores how far the web has lived up to its early promise.
Twenty years on from the invention of the World Wide Web, Dr Aleks Krotoski looks at how it is reshaping almost every aspect of our lives. Joined by some of the web’s biggest names – including the founders of Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, and the web’s inventor – she explores how far the web has lived up to its early promise.
W. War dance - War / Ppverty / the Arts
Set in civil war-ravaged Northern Uganda, this Best Documentary Oscar nominee follows the lives of three youngsters who attend school in a refugee camp and find hope through a rich tradition of song and dance. Coming from a world in which children are abducted from their families and forced to fight in the rebel army, these kids give it their all when they travel to the capital city to take part in the prestigious Kampala Music Festival.
Set in civil war-ravaged Northern Uganda, this Best Documentary Oscar nominee follows the lives of three youngsters who attend school in a refugee camp and find hope through a rich tradition of song and dance. Coming from a world in which children are abducted from their families and forced to fight in the rebel army, these kids give it their all when they travel to the capital city to take part in the prestigious Kampala Music Festival.
X. Maxed Out - Economics/ Society
With sobering facts, this thought-provoking documentary unveils the consequences of Americans' collective addiction to plastic debt -- including its contribution to the vanishing of a once-robust middle class. Investigating personal debt, the U.S. government's out-of-control national debt and those who prey on the poor, this film explores the staggering financial burden people live with every day, which has driven some to extreme action.
With sobering facts, this thought-provoking documentary unveils the consequences of Americans' collective addiction to plastic debt -- including its contribution to the vanishing of a once-robust middle class. Investigating personal debt, the U.S. government's out-of-control national debt and those who prey on the poor, this film explores the staggering financial burden people live with every day, which has driven some to extreme action.
Y. Yellowstone: Battle for life - Nature
As one of America’s most popular destinations, Yellowstone National Park has attracted millions of visitors.
Ghandi: The Last Days
All events and principles of Gandhi’s life and thoughts are viewed in this film as integrated parts of his truth-intoxicated life depicting permanent and universal values. The purpose of the film is to tell the present and the future generations ‘that such a man as Gandhi in flesh and blood walked upon this earth’, and to spread his message of peace.
Keep the Dream Alive: Martin Luther King
We all know him because of his historic impact on civil rights, but many don't realize that later in life he fought just as passionately for the rights of workers and against the entrenched institutions of injustice.
26 A-Z Notes & Disclaimer
*A project like 26 A-Z can be a bit time consuming. The process was a bit slow, because I had to watch all of the films before I presented them to the girls. This also means that some films are deleted from the list for various reasons (doesn't fully capture the idea that I want to present, inappropriate material, etc).
*I don't necessarily agree with the point of being presented in the documentaries...that is not the point of the project. There are many documentaries that we have watched and will watch in the future that are not on this list. My aim is give my kids a forum for discussion around various topics (that start with each letter of the alphabet..not very easy, but not impossible).
* It might be difficult to put together a project such as this one for younger children. How about trying a 26 A-Z projects with books?
*I have not uploaded links to videos. If you choose to watch any of the documentaries mentioned, please watch at your own discretion.
Doc Sources:
Top documentary films
Netflix
Snagfilms
NFB
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Posts
This post comfort me in the idea of how amazing you are Salma. It seems like lots of work but at the same time what you share with your children is Gold, you gave them the keys for their future.
Thank you so much for sharing with us, it gave us many ideas to choose to follow.
Salam Marie- it is a lot of work, and I love putting it all together. Then the real work starts...c'est la vie!
Thanks Marie.
xo
As I have said before, you are a great Mom! I know selecting these videos for the girls is very difficult. I'm sure your hardwork will be payed, with the girls growing up to caring and responsible humans. When a girl is brought up with such a good guidance, I think you will have a society of philanthropist in the near future. People like you make the world a good place to live in. Thanks for the inspiration.
Najeeba...hubby's so great with all of this. I think he was very nervous having daughters, let's be honest, the world is not kind to women. He pushes me to always try something new and different with them.
Thanks sis, you are a great mom as well, Aisha is lucky to have you.
May Allah bless your family.
Salam alaikum!