General Notice About Resources on A Muslim Child is Born

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Terms Of Use for the materials and resources on this blog have been posted and it has been specifically indicated that no files or resources may be altered, modified, converted to other file forms, etc. it appears that this continues to happen without permission. La hawla wa la quwatta ila billaah.

Please note: NO files or resources on this blog are to be altered in any way. This includes, but is not limited to: converting the files into other formats, modifying them, storing them on other servers, translating the files into another language, etc.

Those who have altered the resources on this blog and then re-posted them on other servers, blogs and website, etc. are requested to remove the files immediately.  Even if you have not re-posted them anywhere but have still modified, altered, and/or translated them, please discontinue doing this unless and until you have expressed written permission from the blog owner.

Jazakum Allaahu Khayr

Umm An-Nu'man

Recommended Book: A Butterfly Is Patient

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is another non-fiction book that may rapidly capture the attention and imaginations of your students/children.

A Butterfly Is Patient is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces children to the life of a butterfly. When the book is opened children are treated to a full spread layout of various caterpillars that will, by the Permission of Allaah, one day become stunning, brilliantly coloured, beautiful butterflies. Page by delicately illustrated page, the author and illustrator teach children about butterflies in a fascinating manner.

Interesting facts for each butterfly are provided but the author only gives enough material to acquaint and to teach but not so much that the amount of information might overwhelm a child. The illustrations alone may hold a child's attention for many long minutes as they take in the gorgeous detail captured in each picture. 

For your classroom library or home library, A Butterfly Is Patient is book that as a teacher or parent-teacher, you may consider adding to your shelf.

*Note*: The page that teaches about the Monarch butterfly requires one alteration when reading it aloud. You will have to replace the word 'magical' with an Islaamically appropriate word such as: awe-inspiring, stunning, breathtaking, etc.

To see a 13 page preview of this beautiful book click here insha'Allaah.

And the next time you're at your local library, check the shelf for  A Butterfly Is Patient and if you find it, check it out insha'Allaah!

Quraan Centre Word Work: Surah Al-Ma'un Activities & Workbook

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, this is the word work for surah Al-Ma'un:

This word work pack marks the beginning of students moving forward to begin learning to identify the Arabic letters in their different forms (i.e. in isolation, beginning, middle and end).

The workbook maintains the same familiar format but the focus of the word work pack itself is on the letter ya and how it is written in isolation, in the beginning of a word, in the middle of a word and at the end of a word.

The activities in this word work book are (by page number):

- Pages 7-8: A site word board game for the surah - you can use a spinner and child safe game pieces of your choice for this game. Children can spin the spinner and when they land on a word, if they can read it, they stay on that space, if not, they do not move from their current place on the board. Play continues in this way until a child reaches the word finish. This game would be played at the end of the word work unit so that students have had sufficient exposure to all of the words in the surah insha'Allaah.

- Page 9: Making words - the teacher/parent-teacher cuts the words cards in two and the students must rematch the cards to make the correct words from the surah.

- Page 10: A Worksheet that helps students with visual discrimination. They must select the word that does not belong in each group.

- Pages 11 - 13: Word work mats that children can either use with Play-Doe, colour, paint, etc. This activity is a fine motor skill activity to help students prepare for learning to write or to practice and improve writing skills insha'Allaah.

- Pages 14 -15: Templates for sandpaper letters for the letter ya in its different positions. (Yemeni Links.com has sandpaper templates for all of the Arabic alphabet as they appear in isolation masha'Allaah. I made these specifically for this letter focus).

- Pages 16 - 18: Children sort words from the surah based on where the letter ya is at in the word (i.e. beginning, middle or end) and there is also a memory game with words from the surah that have ya in its different positions. 

- Pages 19-20: Children have the word hunt (all words have the letter ya in its different forms) and also words to sort. For this word sort activity, you will use the same sorting mat found in the previous word work packets insha'Allaah. You can download a mat from this word work pack insha'Allaah.

- Page 21-24: Selected words from the surah that have the letter ya in its different forms. These words can be used on bulletin boards, word walls, or as flashcards.

Insha'Allaah, your students/children benefit and enjoy this. Before downloading this file, please take a moment to read the terms of use (if you haven't already done so) for this and all resources on A Muslim Child is born. Jazakum Allaahu Khayr.  The file is available for download here insha'allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Sharing: A Poem

 السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The New Teacher

 A tiny ladybug flew into my class

And out the window went my lesson plan, alas

All attention went to her

As every child went running, a blur

Was all that appeared before my eyes

And my ears heard only delighted cries

As she fluttered and pranced across the glass

With no effort at all – she took over my class.

My dear ladybug, when do you plan to leave?

Creative Commons Copyright CameliaTWU

Poem copyright 2012 Umm An-Nu'man

[Cross Post]: Recommended Book: Bat Loves The Night

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Exposing children to non-fiction is an important goal of many teachers and parent-teachers. Non-fiction can be a helpful and powerful tool when teaching children about the world and so the selection of non-fiction books should be done with the same care and precision that is used when selecting fiction for children. Providing children with non-fiction during storytime is a task that sometimes requires a bit of research on the part of the teacher/parent-teacher and depending on the age group you are reading to, finding engaging non-fiction is not always easy but alhamdulillaah, it is not impossible.

This book, Bat Loves The Night is a delightful non-fiction book that can be read aloud to toddlers, kindergarteners, and students in grades 1 and 2 insha'Allaah. The author, Nicola Davies, not only manages to skillfully place a large amount of information in the book (as was the case in Surprising Sharks), she also writes in a style that is easy for children to enjoy and comprehend.

Bat Loves The Night is also a book that teachers/parent-teachers may enjoy reading aloud to their students/children for the simple fact that the story is calm but has an air of mystery about it. As you read the story your voice changes, at times being suspenseful and then dropping to become full of intrigue and mystery. The illustrations are beautiful and invite children to appreciate the beauty of bats as they learn factual information about these nocturnal creatures.

Alhamdulillaah, this storytime selection only required one word be omitted from the reading (pixie) because it usually refers to fairies or sprites.


When looking for engaging, eloquent non-fiction for your classroom or homeschool, consider Bat Loves The Night for your collection. You may also wish to have a look at these lesson plans that can be used with Bat Loves the Night:

1. Bats: Preschool Science Lesson (omit the singing part of the lesson plan)
2. Guided Writing Lesson Plan for small group instruction on the topic of bats.
3. Food for Bats: Children make bats and the types of food they eat with modeling clay **Remind children not to make facial features for their bats as this contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet -sallallaahu alayhi wa salam.**

Insha'Allaah more books from this author will be reviewed here soon.

But on your next trip to the library, check the shelf for Bat Loves The Night and if you find it...check it out insha'Allaah!

Critical Thinking Game for Toddlers and Kindergarteners

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This game is both an assessment tool for teachers/parent-teachers and a tool that helps children work on the following skills insha'Allaah:

• Listening to and following directions
• Critical Thinking (the process of elimination based on provided clues)
• Sorting objects based on the attribute of colour

 

In this game, there are 27 picture cards (3 cards for each colour) and 9 cards that contain clues (1 card for each of the nine colours covered in the game). The teacher/parent-teacher decides how many cards he/she will present to the child(ren). When first presenting the game to children, it is a good idea to start with 6 cards (i.e. 3 cards for the 2 colours you will start with).

As the child understands the game and shows proficiency, the teacher/teacher-parent can increase the number of cards presented at one time and incorporate using the game board insha'Allaah.

To play, the teacher reads the clues to the child(ren) one at a time, providing time for the child(ren) to process the clue. Using the example pictured above, the teacher will read: "What I want is orange." The teacher pauses to allow children time to take all of the orange cards from among the other cards.  When the child has removed all of the orange cards and has lined them up in front of him, the teacher reads the second clue: "People eat it." Again, the teacher pauses allowing the child to process the clue and act on it. Here, the child may notice that there are two things that people eat (i.e. the orange and the carrot). The child will remove the card showing the cat because this card can no longer be the card the teacher is asking for.

The teacher reads the next and last clue: "And it is a vegetable." The child will look at the two cards he has in front of him and realize that the card the teacher is asking for can only be the carrot because an orange is a fruit. The child will take the card showing the carrot and place it on their colour mat (pictured above) in the spot that says orange.

The teacher plays the game in this fashion until the child has completed the board. Each card has 3 clues and after the first clue is given the child will always have two cards remaining that are possible answers. The child will not usually know the card the teacher is asking for until the last clue is read.

There is also an answer key in the file for the child to self-correct insha'Allaah and this game can be played with a whole class as well (you would need to print one copy of the game for each student in your class). **Note: the clue card for the colour yellow had an error that has now been corrected. The second clue should read: "We do not write with it.", not "It is long." **

Jazakumu Allaahu Khayran for respecting the terms of use for all material on A Muslim Child is Born; the activity can be downloaded here insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!