I

t was during the two years that my mom homeschooled me, in grade six and seven, that I got my first real taste of creativity and art.

I remember an art lesson my mom gave me. She told me to simply look at a bowl of fruit and to draw it with some pastels. I had no idea what I was doing, but I gave it a shot, and I came away with this beautiful still-life that I was surprised I had made.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I gave it a shot, and I came away with this beautiful still-life that I was surprised I had made.

I think it was a bit of a turning point in my life. Before that, I never really considered myself creative, nor did I know that I had the potential to be creative.

In high school, I remember learning about art history and spending weeks replicating art by famous artists, but when we got to the chapter on Islamic art we just completely skipped over it.

So now that I'm homeschooling I have the opportunity to tailor my children's learning, and open the door of creativity at an early age.

When I think of Islamic art, I think about beautiful geometric designs and architecture, expertly crafted ceramics and vessels, intricately designed and embroidered textiles.

All of these things take hours and hours to create and lots of skill. Since my children are so young I wanted to recreate some of these motifs found in Islamic art in a way that was more accessible to children.

I would love if you joined me for my DIY Islamic-Inspired Textiles presentation at the Islamic Homeschool Convention.

How do you teach art in your homeschool classroom? Let me know below!