Another Smart Ark Giveaway!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Well, the majority (all two of you...hehe) said yes, continue with the Smart Ark giveaways during the month of Ramadan so that is what we will do insha'Allah. As we are in the last ten days of Ramadan, we will see how this giveaway goes insha'Allah. Here is the next giveaway insha'Allah (Oooo! Masha'Allah, I really like this one! It supports Together We Read so well alhamdulillah):

On the back of the box, the publisher provides game ideas to be used with the cards alhamdulillah.

Have a peek at what the cards look like:

Great for building vocabulary using words from the Quran, also wonderful for helping children recognize animals and associate them with their names alhamdulillah. This is a literacy activity all by itself!

This giveaway will open today, Tuesday, August 31, 2010, and close Sunday, September 5, 2010, at midnight Google time. A note about Google Time and comments: Midnight Google Time may not be the same as midnight where you are located. I googled and it says that their headquarters is in Silicon Valley, California, USA. Please check to make sure your comment is not submitted after midnight Google time which would be California's time zone (those comments will not be posted). I've been thrown off by that a few times when I post so insha'Allah this is helpful. Jazakillahu Khayran!

Tayyib dear sisters, enjoy this giveaway and I think I'm going to have to place an order for myself with Smart Ark since I can't enter the giveaways...lol.

Taking a 10 day break insha'Allah but...

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillah, we have reached the last ten days of Ramadan by the Mercy of Allah. Insha'Allah, I will take a break from blogging.

There will be a few posts during the last ten days, however, blogger will be doing the work for me *smile* by automatically releasing them insha'Allah. Comments will be open and released insha'Allah, but please forgive me if I do not reply right away.

There will be a giveaway opening tomorrow, Tuesday, August 31, 2010, insha'Allah and the upcoming posts will be centred around Eid so do check back insha'Allah.

May Allah make us among those who hasten to follow the Quran and the Sunnah of His Last Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salam) and make us of those who seek His Noble Face with ikhlas (sincerity) during these last ten days and beyond.

~Muslim narrated that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salam) used to strive hard in worship during the last ten days of Ramadaan as he never did at any other time.~

Last Minute Moon Resources

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

*Post Updated!*

I just found these Moon resources and as the last 10 days of Ramadan approaches insha'Allah, I hope to help children see how the completion the moon's phases will look as this blessed month comes to an end. Using these cards: Phases of the Moon Cards; Phases of the Moon Template , I made this file folder game for toddlers 2-4 years old. It's a hide and seek moon matching file folder game.

The index cards on the right and left hand flaps have little Velcro circles on them. The child opens any flap he/she wishes and they will find a card showing a phase of the moon inside insha'Allah (see below).

. 

Each moon card also has a Velcro circle on the back. They take the card out and find its match on the board (which also has Velcro on each moon too).

The inspiration for this game came from here.

(NEW) And try this great idea too insha'Allah! Reader Submission - Sis Alena: Last 10 Days of Ramadan Count Down Activity (Pictures Included!). You can also use these nice resources too insha'Allah:

Animated Phases of the Moon simulation (from NASA...this is nice but more for kindergarten aged children)

Moon Phases Powerpoint (Nice!) Scroll all the way down to the end of the page insha'Allah

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Montessori Websites/Blogs to Help You Get Started

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

On one of the egroups I belong to, a sister asked about Montessori resources to help get started using this method of education in the home insha'Allah. I thought that her question was one that others may have and so I just copied/pasted the information as I hoped that it may be of benefit to someone insha'Allah:

If you have time to do some reading on the side, "How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way" by Tim Seldin and "Montessori From the Start" by Paula Polk Lillard are excellent books to help you get started insha'Allah. If you don't have the time right now, you can also try the following books insha'Allah (they are put together in a lesson plan format so you can easily flip to the age group you need and it has the activities all planned out for you alhamdulillah):

- Child's Play by Maja Pitamic
- Teach Me To Do It Myself by Maja Pitamic
- Play and Learn: A Parents Guide to Purposeful Play from 2 to 6
- Montessori Read & Write by Lynne Lawrence

- Teaching Montessori In the Home: Pre-School by Elizabeth G. Hainstock

You should be able to find all of the above mentioned books at your local library insha'Allah and all are based on the Montessori method and insha'Allah should be a great help to you.

You can also check these websites/blogs for additional resources/ideas (I haven't been to any of them in a loooong time but insha'Allah you'll find lots to help you):

- http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/
- http://www.dailymontessori.com/
- http://montessori-n-such.com/default.aspx (this site has lots of inspiration for Montessori resources you can make yourself at home insha'Allah!)
- http://www.absorbentminds.co.uk/acatalog/ideasbank.html

Insha'Allah that helps get you started :)

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Toddler Travel Activity Box

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Trips during Ramadan can be taxing on toddlers. So to help alleviate the strain I wanted to find a way toddlers can have fun learning on the way to various destinations insha'Allah.

So I made this portable toddler activity box:

To give you an idea of the size of this box, it was a soap box. It held two bars of soap.

It was covered with construction paper and decorations of choice were added.

But when the box is opened:

Out spill activities to be done in the car. There is a little book (there is nothing inside of it yet. I can't decide if I should do a little story or just leave it blank and include a crayon inside of the box); a little girl (she has a hijab that can be put on with velcro -not pictured); there is a felt prayer rug (a small teddy bear fits nicely onto the prayer rug), and a masjid threading activity.

This is a close-up of the masjid threading activity. I used yarn and a pipe cleaner for the 'needle' and 'thread'. I made mini masaajid (from cardboard for durability) and I punched a hole in each one. The child can thread the masaajid with the needle and thread. This is a fine motor skill activity that requires focus on the part of the child.

All of the activities cannot be removed from the box, therefore they can't be lost in the car. They are all attached to the inside of the box. To do this, I punched holes inside of the box and attached yarn, stretchy string (I forget the name of it...hehe), and ribbon. I then tied each activity to one of the strings.

After testing it out, so far, the prayer rug and the threading activity are most popular *smile*. Oh! To ensure the box holds up, I covered all sides with clear packing tape. This also made the box easier to open so toddler fingers have no problem getting inside insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Subhana'Allah, Evolving Activity!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Subhana'Allah, the activity from this post (directly below) is steadily evolving!

I made another set of fruit cards (cantaloupe) and decided to make a sorting mat. I just made three more pieces of fruit, got a piece of cardstock, glued the construction paper fruit on to the top and I grabbed the packing tape again (I laminated the top part where the fruit are because toddlers fingers are...curious...lol).

I then demonstrated how to sort the fruit:

To do this activity: In the demonstration, slowly pick up one fruit card. Say the name of the fruit and nothing else. After comparing it with the fruit on top (compare the card to each fruit along the top of the column), gently placed the card in the correct column. Repeat until all fruit cards have been correctly placed insha'Allah.

Then invite the child to do the activity insha'Allah:

Notice that the cards are not lined up in the column the same way they were in the demonstration - that is okay. There is nothing wrong with this at all and there is no need to correct the child. Here, the child sorted the cards into the right columns correctly and this is the goal. The child's work does not need to be identical to the demonstration.

This is a versatile activity that can be adapted to many themes....Ramadan for example *smile*. Why not sort masaajid, moons, and other things associated with Ramadan? And best of all, you only need construction paper, glue, scissors, and a marker to make these alhamdulillah.

Toddlers that are around the end of 23 months old (and up) may enjoy this activity but to ensure they focus on the 'sorting' and not the various colours, patterns, etc. of the pieces, make the pieces the same colours (i.e. all moons silver, all masaajid blue, etc.) insha'Allah. For 3-4 year olds why not try this great Ramadan sorting activity?

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Butterflies and Fruits (Books, An Activity & A Craft)

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

A few days ago we read this book:

and this was the craft that extended from it

A butterfly made with a Popsicle stick, four circles cut from construction paper and decorated with markers.

(In the book there are two touch and feel butterflies).

Yesterday, we found that this same company also has a beautiful touch and feel board book about fruits

And this is the activity that we did after reading this book alhamdulillah:

A Sorting Activity:

Using construction paper, I made some fruit cards that showed alike and different...

then we sorted the cards according to their attributes

(i.e. alike or different)

I had to make another set for younger toddlers (around 23-24 months old) so I took index cards, cut them in half and put only one fruit on each card. I "laminated" the cards with clear packing tape and after demonstrating how to sort the cards, I put the cards in a basket with the book on the shelf so they can be played with whenever the interest arises insha'Allah.

Insha'Allah, I'll make more of these with different fruits.

This was also a language activity in that we discussed Who Provides fruits for mankind, how fruits are a blessing to us, and why the cards showed alike or different.

You can read the following ayaat along with the activity:

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

سورة البقرة

{Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped).} Al-Baqarah, 22

and

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا ۖ وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ ۖ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

سورة الرعد

{And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnain (two in pairs - may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two varieties, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big). He brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.) for people who reflect.} Ar-Rad, 3

And of course there are many more ayaat that can be read with this activity alhamdulillah.These books are illustrated using collages and the result is beautiful. Enjoy insha'Allah!

Board Game: Our Path in Ramadan

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

A simple, small board game for toddlers (3 years and older) that I put together for children to play during Ramadan.

Close-up of the pieces

Our game pieces are standing using the old game pieces holders from a long unused game.

 

The Game in play

The purpose of the game is for parents to engage children in a dialog about the things that Muslims do during Ramadan. It is also helpful for parents to use the game as a springboard to help build vocabulary for toddlers by encouraging the children to learn the names of the spaces on the board (i.e. iftar, Quran, salat, suhoor, etc.).

The game does not use dice to play as this is not permissible because of the report narrated by Imam Muslim -rahimullah - from Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salam) said: “Whoever plays with dice, it is as if he dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig.” Imam An-Nawawi - rahimullah - said "what is meant by "it is as if he dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig" is if he were to eat them, so this prohibition (on dice) is likened to the prohibition on eating (the flesh and blood of a pig)".

al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah said that "it is not permissible to play with dice even if that does not involve prizes, especially if it distracts one from praying on time". You can read more here insha'Allah: Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'.

To play the game all that is done is:
- the cards are placed face down on the table/floor
- each player places his/her piece on start
- parents can help children decide who will go first (i.e. who knows the most Quran, listened to their parents well that day, etc.).
- the first player picks a card and moves his/her piece to that spot on the board
- the first player to reach the masjid at the end of the board has the chance to win. Insha'Allah, on his/her next turn he/she recites the du'aa that we say when we enter (or the du'aa for when we leave) the masjid. Upon doing this correctly, the child moves their piece to the last square on the board that says, "Eid Mubarak" and they win.

Some of the images are from Easel & Ink and the game pieces are images taken from Musalla.org. Alhamdulillah, I was told a few years ago that they have indicated that the images are free to use and are not under copyright...jazakum Allahu Khayran.

Download the Arabic game version here insha'Allah.
Download the English game version here insha'Allah.
Download the game pieces here insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Preschool/Kindergarten Lesson Plan: Nabi Musa

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

I fell a bit behind on the lesson plans I've been working on for the Prophets Sent by Allah series but I'm getting back on track insha'Allah *smile*. Hop on over to The Well Read Muslim to see all of the details for the Preschool/Kindergarten Lesson Plan for Nabi Musa -alayhi salam-. 

Here's a peek at some of the activities we did with the story (click on the image for larger view insha'Allah):

Pictured: A Harf Meem Word Reader, A Sheep Scene

and a supplementary reader for the Story of Musa.

Click here to see the lesson plan and the activities insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse....

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This weekend I decided to clean the crafting area. I came across many pieces of scrap construction paper, pipe cleaners of odd lengths, etc. But one thing caught my eye...an empty crayon box. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse....

I realized that the little boxes inside that hold the crayons are the exact size of the learning cards I use alhamdulillah. These seen charade cards have been sitting on the table for a while waiting to be stored because I ran out of the little plastic bags I usually use. So one of those little empty boxes, the scrap construction paper and some foam animals spruced that little box right up and made it just right for storing those cards alhamdulillah. What do you use those little boxes for?

Fatwa about raising your voice to children while you are fasting

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Question: Sometimes the children don’t listen or obey you and you have to raise your voice at them, so too when teaching them to fast and to not argue with each other. Does it break your fast to raise your voice at your children in order to get them to behave?

Answer: Concerning the issue of a child raising his voice toward his parent whether his mother or father, then the ruling differs as it may pertain to something which is prohibited or something which is legislated. However, the basis is that the child raising his voice towards his parents is not legislated. Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) said:

وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَاناً إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلاَهُمَا فَلاَ تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلاَ تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلاً كَرِيماً {23} وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيراً

{And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.”} [Al-Israa’ 17:23-24]

It is established that the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “May Allaah have mercy on a parent who aids his child in becoming beneficent towards them”[1] So it is not befitting for a father to raise his voice towards his son in something which is prohibited; this is not permissible. A son adorns himself with the manners of his father so the father should be a good example for his son. He should be a good example regarding his character, his speech, his actions and his staying away from anything which is prohibited or not good, and practicing everything which is legislated or good. For example, we see some individuals praying in their homes and forsaking the salaah in jamaa`ah (congregation). The son would adopt these characteristics from his father and implement them in his own life such that he would pray at home and forsake the jamaa`ah, following the example set by his father.

Answered by: Shaykh Abdullaah al-Ghudyaan

Title of Lecture: Ramadhaan Q&A Session
Date answered: August 30th, 2008

[1] Shaykh al-Albaanee says this is Da`eef in Saheeh wa Da`eef al-Jaami` as-Sagheer, (Hadeeth #3118).

From: Al-Baseerah.org

Toddler Activity: Find The Moon For Me

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This idea was inspired by this post over at Handmade Beginnings (jazakillahu khayr dear sis for the inspiration!). Because some sisters children are too young to be up when the moon is clearly visible in the night sky I wanted to do something for them to have fun with. Sooo...we decided to do an activity indoors during the day that would give the little ones a chance to share in the excitement of seeing the moon (well, not the real one but construction paper moons cause excitement too....hehehe). What did we do? We made Ramadan Moon Sighters.

I later paired this activity with the book from this post.

That was really enjoyed because they connected the hilal with the first page of the story alhamdulillah. 

After these are all made, cut large moons from construction paper, tape them up on the wall, and invite young tots to scour the room with their moon finders and find a moon. Here, there was lots of cheering when a tot succeeded in finding a moon and smaller tots of course, should get lots of loving help and encouragement *smile*.

For older tots you can extend this activity by writing letters or numbers on the construction paper moons and challenge the child to find a certain letter or number insha'Allah. Or, for children that are reading simple, two and three letter words alhamdulillah, you can write small words that they are familiar with on the moons and challenge them to use their moon finders to find the words on the moons. Try to hide the moons where it will be a challenge for them (but not impossible or frustrating) to find them insha'Allah.

What you'll need for this is very simple alhamdulillah:

- The empty roll from the paper towels or something similar

- Paint, stickers, glitter, markers or crayons

- Construction paper

Invite the children to decorate their moon finders and when they are done, stick up your moons and have fun sighting the moon little ones!

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Small Book About Charity: Your input please

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Dear sisters, I put together this small book about charity for Ramadan. I would appreciate it if you can give your (and your children's) constructive criticism to help me make it its best insha'Allah. I have an idea for it but I want it to be in top form first *smile*. Your advice/input/suggestions are appreciated and welcome. Also, if you would prefer to tell me what you think of the book privately, you can email me your input insha'Allah *smile*. Jazakum Allahu Khayran!

Click here to download the colour PDF book insha'Allah.

Download the black and white version here insha'Allah.

No Time For Lesson Planning?

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a month full of 'ibadah, reading Quran, and racing to do good deeds and seeking Allah's Forgiveness for our sins...walhamdulillah. That means that for many, finding activities and lesson planning for our youngest is not always easy subhana'Allah. I want to share this book with you that may help insha'Allah. And guess what? You can read a good portion of it for free alhamdulillah. Free is good, yes?

This book, Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready, has lessons for each week of your child's life from birth to the end of age four. The materials you will need are usually found around the house so no need to go out shopping for supplies alhamdulillah. Insha'Allah, you find this book helpful as you plan this months learning for your children. 

Click here to read the book insha'Allah.

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Ramadan Smark Ark Giveaway Winner!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillah, the winner for the beautiful card making kit from Smart Ark is......

Tayyib...who was # 12?

Okay, number 12 was sis Tampa Muslim Mom. Mabruk dear sis! Please email me the postal address where you would like your card making kit sent (there is a contact me link on the right side of the page) and I will get it in the poste insha'Allah.

Dear sisters, do you wish that we put a hold on the giveaways until after Ramadan or would you like to continue insha'Allah? There are more delightful products from Smart Ark just waiting so I will go with the majority insha'Allah *smile*

Ramadan Paper Bag Book

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This Ramadan paper bag book has a concept included in it that is inspired by Lemons Are Not Red (in this book, there are cut outs on each page and when kids lift the page with the cut out, there is a picture underneath).

For this paper bag book, I used three brown paper lunch bags and folded them in half and them stapled them together on the right hand side. Alhamdulillah, there are many tutorials on the Internet that show you how to make paper bag books and I just applied the concept used in Lemons Are Not Red to make this paper bag book about Ramadan.

Front Cover (above)

It says, "What do we do in Ramadan?"

The back cover

I feel like I should put something in that empty space yes?

First Page:

There is a cut-out of the hilal. The writing is the first part of the hadith where the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salam) instructed us to fast when we see the new moon.

 When you lift the flap there is a picture/scene underneath. I think I should add some stars insha'Allah *smile*.

 

Second Page:

Left side/page there is a cut-out of a date. The writing says, "We break our fast with dates." When kids lift the flap, the picture underneath shows a plate of dates.

On the opposing page, kids can colour the du'aa that we say when we break our fast. You can find this colouring page at Easel & Ink insha'Allah.

Third/Last Page:

The cut-out is of a masjid and it says, "We pray taraweeh in the masjid."

On the opposite page, kids can colour the du'aa for making wudu (I can't find the one for entering/leaving the masjid...hehe). This colouring page is also found at Easel & Ink.

 Enjoy insha'Allah!