Check it Out: Tractor Factory

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Little Muslims (3 years and older) who are fascinated with all things mechanical may find this book a pleasure to read over and over again. Even those who are not yet reading may enjoy this book.  The numerous tabs, once lifted or pulled, reveal the inner workings of a tractor and the factory where it is built. The pop up features of the book may entice children under three years old to take a peek and with mother or father assisting, they too can enjoy the delightful mechanical world within the pages of Tractor Factory.  And children may find the last page irresistible.

Tractor Factory: A Pop-up Book

During your next trip to the library, check the shelf for Tractor Factory and if you see it...Check it out insha'Allaah!

*Note: On the second to last page, the two mechanics are crossing their fingers for good luck hoping that the engine on the tractor will work. If checked out from the library, you can place small post it notes over the hands of the two men. If it is your own personal copy or classroom copy, you can simply use a permanent marker to colour over this insha'Allaah.*

Math Activity: Ten Fingers

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This activity was the final/closing activity for learning to count from 10-20 in order (رابط التحميل) from this post. Students learn and talk about what we do with our 10 fingers.

This is one student's book

On the cover: the students trace their hand prints and colour them in. They then add the book cover label.

Inside: students learn the names of the fingers and then talk about the things we do with our fingers, such as make tasbeeh, give charity, worship Allaah, play, etc.

On the back cover, students learn the words for at-tashahhud. If the class time runs out, this part can be completed at home. This back cover page can be found at Easel & Ink here.

These little books are made using two pieces of construction paper. Students pick which colours they want and the teacher/teachers assistant tapes or stapes the two pages together. The students then (with teacher/parent guidance) construct the book.

Download file here (English)

The cards are blank in the file to allow teacher/parent to write in the words they choose. Two cards have words on them as examples.

Counting Activites for 3/4 year olds

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a counting activity for 3/4 year olds. Insha'Allaah, when/if I am able to post about lesson planning I will refer back to this post when discussing the topic of checking to make sure you have the materials you need ...ahead of time. This activity was an important reminder to self to always check to make sure your stock of paper has not been exhausted and the only colour paper you have left is.....pink. This oversight set the tone (colour wise) for the math activities and trying to move it away from pink was....interesting. Imagine trying to explain to your male students why the math centre activities are pink *smile*.

Using the book of buttons and number cards (numbers 10 - 20), students practice matching the number card that shows how many buttons are on the page and also reinforce their knowledge of the sequential order of the numbers 10-20.

Students count the number of buttons on each page and then find the card that shows the correct amount.

They place the correct card in the white pocket on the opposite page.

Extension activities for the button book and number cards:

1. Using Painting Tape/Masking Tape, make a number line on your classroom/home floor. Write the numbers 10-20 on the tape (each number evenly spaced). Invite children to match the cards to the numbers on the number line.

2. Early graphing skills activity: Gather various small/child safe objects and place one object beneath each number on the number line. Giving each child a turn, ask the child to go to a certain number and tell you what object they find at the number you said. (This also falls under the preK/kindergarten strand: listens to and follows simple directions).

3. Pair work: Take the button book apart. Place each of the pages around the classroom (on your circle time rug for example). Invite the children to go to a card, count the buttons and put their card on the correct number. The self-correcting element is: if a child has counted the buttons incorrectly and placed his/her card on the wrong number when the second child has a card with that number and he/she tries to correctly place it, he/she will already find a card in the spot and this will alert the child who misplaced the card to his/her error.

4. Small Group Gross Motor Skill Activity: Using the number line, have the children line up behind the number 10. The teacher/parent will say "Go!" and the child skips, walks fast, tip-toes, etc. until the teacher calls "Stop!". The child must stop and tell the class which number he/she is standing on. If he/she correctly informs the class, the teacher gives him/her the corresponding number card and the child returns to the end of the line. Play continues this way until the teacher has no more cards left to hand out. The child who has the most cards gets to be the next caller (i.e. the one who says, Go! and Stop!).

Your students/children may also enoy playing a game of Button in the Box.

The game (and the rules) pictured was modified for group play.

You can also invite children to do a cupcake worksheet using buttons.

A sample of a child's completed work

This activity helps children continuing learning to count from 10-20 (in order) and it is also a fine motor skill activity. The children cut out the numbered cup cakes and then match them to the numbered cupcakes on the worksheet. When done, and the teacher/assistant/parent has checked and verified their work, the students are each given 11 buttons and glue. They are then invited to glue a button on to the top of each cupcake (as if they were cherries). 

When you are moving about the room, aside from making sure that no student is putting any buttons in his/her mouth, you can note each child's skill with picking up the buttons using the pincer grasp. This may help you identify children who may need more practice in this area. You also have the opportunity to listen to students counting to themselves as they work to get the cupcakes in the right order. You may very likely hear students counting to themselves: some start from the beginning (i.e. the number 10) each time they have to place the next cupcake in the sequence and count on aloud; others start from the beginning and count on silently but you see their finger moving from cupcake to cupcake as they count in their minds; some may surprise you and already have developed the skill of counting on! (i.e. they have 8 cupcakes placed already so they are at number 17 and should place the number 18 next). You may see this student look at the number 16 and then say aloud "16, 17....18" and then place the number 18 on the page, instead of starting over at number 10. Others may just place the cupcakes randomly as they pick them up (i..e they are in the correct order in the end but they did not glue 10 first, 11 next, 12 after and so on). When they picked up 18 they glued it to the page and if they picked up 11 next they glued it to the page. You may also have a few students who have glued their numbers in random order and out of sequence. This lets you know that these students may benefit from a mini-lesson to help them in their journey of learning to count the numbers 10-20 in sequential order. 

Students can also complete a puzzle that reinforces sequential counting for the numbers 10-20. 

This button puzzle has control of error built in to it in the following manner: When children have completed the puzzle they can look at the bottom right hand corner of each puzzle piece and look at the numbers there. If the numbers are in the correct order -starting from the number 10 - they know they have put the puzzle together correctly. If not, the numbers assist them in assembling the puzzle correctly insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Quran Centre: Math Work with Surah al-Ikhlas

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This activity idea uses the mathematical concept of sequencing that preschool and kindergartners are familiar with (or will become familiar with during the course of the school year insha'Allaah). 

Children are given sequencing cards for surah al-ikhlas (the cards are in colour in the file and have three different border to choose from. To assemble the cards simply cut out each rectangular card and fold the card down the middle - to get the front and back of the card). Children are invited to read the ayaat on each card (or the teacher/ another student/parent/etc.) and then place the cards in the correct order (i.e. the card with the first ayah of surah al-iklhas is placed to the child's right as the first card in the sequence and so on). 

 The activity has the self-correcting element built in so when the child is done they turn over each card one by one to see if they have completed the activity correctly.

Here the child easily sees that they have incorrectly ordered the cards because the number 3 does not proceed the number 1. At this point the child self corrects. 

All cards have the numbers 1-4 on the back in large print to allow for efficient and easy self-correction. 

At the centre, you can also place a basket that contains a short sequencing activity worksheet (one worksheet for each child) that children can complete to reinforce what was learned (and this can also serve as a concept check/assessment for the teacher).  On the worksheet students have to cut and paste the ayaat of surah al-ikhlas in the correct order. They then have a cut and paste activity where they correctly identify the number of ayaat in the surah.

This activity goes with the activity from this post and is meant to assist teachers in easily changing out the materials in the Quraan centre.

*Update*

You can download the file here insha'Allaah

What type of math related activities do/would you use in your Quraan/Islaamic Studies centre?