A Muslim Child is Born

Quraan Centre Word Work: Surah Al-Masad Activities & Workbook

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, this is this Quraan centre word work for surah Al-Masad:

In the word work for this centre, along with the shadow matching of words and the workbook, students embark on early map reading skills with another word hunt! This time, using a simple map, students explore the room looking for certain words from the surah. They are helped by pictures representing centres in the classroom (I've tried to pick centres that can also be places in the home). Students also enjoy a game of completing their ayah before their classmate. Each student gets a game board and the cards are placed face down (shuffled) between the two students. Students take turns picking a card. They must read the card accurately and if they need that card on their board they keep it and put it in its correct place. If they need the card but read it incorrectly after three tries or they cannot read it, they return the card to the bottom of the pile and the next player takes his/her turn. If they do not need the card they simply return it to the bottom of the stack. The game ends when a player accurately complete his/her board.

Students also work with the word building cards mentioned in this post. The teacher/parent-teacher cuts the cards in half, shuffles them and the students work to accurately match the cards to spell some of the words from the surah. Again, Control of Error is built into this particular exercise in the following way: when cut in half, the cards can only be reassembled with their correct match. If the student mismatches two of the cards, the rectangle they form will not be symmetrical/even. It will be either too long or too short. This helps students reconsider the two cards they have placed together and try again insha'Allaah.

Students have an opportunity to work on their handwriting with a tracing worksheet. In another worksheet, they match the words in the right column to the correct word in the left hand column. This worksheet is familiar as students have worked with this in previous suwar word work. There is the word wheel for this surah and students also have the surah written in large print for independent reading. For this activity (the surah in large print), students use their pointers - made from Popsicle sticks with a small/medium decoration at the tip - to read the surah. Using their Popsicle stick pointer, students point to each word as they read it.

Pointers for independent reading or "Read The Room" activities

There are also selected words from the surah in large red print. These can be placed in your classroom pocket chart in the Quraan centre or used in other activities insha'Allaah.

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Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Quraan Centre Word Work: Surah Al-Fatihah Activities and Workbook

2012-01-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the word work for Surah al-Fatihah:

The word work for this surah is brief. Children work with the student workbook as in the other word work files, they have a word wheel as in this post, and they have movable Arabic alphabet cards for one of the words in the surah. Students cut out the letters and move them around until they correctly spell the word. They also have the word matching worksheet as in other word work files. There is also a mini-memory game for children to take home/use at home. There are four memory cards that are blank so teachers/parent-teachers can write in words that their students/children may need extra practice with.

There are also four word cards that teachers/parent-teachers cut in half and invite students to reassemble the words correctly. Control of Error is built into this particular exercise in the following way: when cut in half, the cards can only be reassembled with their correct match. If the student mismatches two of the cards, the rectangle they form will not be symmetrical/even. It will be either too long or too short. This helps students reconsider the two cards they have placed together and try again insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Three Part Cards: Shapes

2012-01-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

3-Part Cards for Shapes

Shapes included are:

- Circle

- Crescent

- Diamond

- Heart

- Hexagon

- Oval

- Parallelogram

- Pentagon

- Rectangle

- Star

- Square

- Trapezoid

- Triangle

All of the shapes are the same colour to allow the child to focus on the shape they see on each card and not be distracted by different colours.

Print on cardstock and laminate for durability. Download the cards here (English) and here (عربي) insha'Allaah. You can find more information here about how to use Montessori 3-Part cards.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Quraan Centre Word Work: Surah Al-Falaq Activities & Workbook

2012-01-12T07:14:00.001-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the Quraan centre word work for Surah Al-Falaq:

Pictured (from right to left): Quraan word wheel, Quraan word sorting activity.

Bottom row (right to left): Word Hunt, word matching worksheet and Surah Al-Falaq workbook with sample page).

To give students a bit of variety,word work centres have some variation. The activities for Surah al-Falaq, while slightly different from past Quraan word work centres, are those that students have worked with in the past or are familiar with.

The word work for this surah includes:

* A word hunt: students are given a clipboard, a glue stick, and the clipboard worksheet pictured. The words on the clipboard are hidden around the Quraan centre, classroom or home and during their time at the centre, students quietly search the room for the words. As they find each word, they take the word card from the spot they found it and glue it in the right place on the worksheet. For older students, you can tape the word cards around the room and students can take the words as they find them and tape them to the worksheet in the correct spot.

In the file, you will find the words for the word hunt in large red print and also on smaller cards in black ink. The smaller cards are for the word hunt. You will make more than one copy so you can hide each word 3 (or more) times so that each student has the chance to complete their worksheet insha'Allaah. There are also two different clipboard worksheets, each with different words for students to find. When done, students write their name on their worksheet and place it in the basket for completed work. The large red word cards can be used as flashcards or for other games/activities.

* A word race: The word wheel above on the right with the orange centre is a word race. There are two (or more) copies of this wheel at the Quraan centre (depending on how large your groups are for centre work). The words on the wheel are on clothes pins like in this post. Make sure there are enough clothes pin words so that each student can complete the word wheel. To play, each student/child takes a word wheel and a set of words on clothes pins and places them on their right. Students race to see who can complete the word wheel first. You can also make this an individual activity by having students race themselves using an egg timer (pictured on the right).

* Sorting exercise: Students/children take a mat. There are word cards in the file so that the parent/teacher can decide which words they wish the students to sort. The parent/teacher puts the two words in the two boxes above the circles. Parent/teacher then gives the child the circular words cards (mixed up) and invites the child to sort them by putting the words in the correct circle (as shown above). The file also contains blank circle word cards and blank square word cards, allowing teachers/parents to add words from the surah that may not be in the file.

* Shadow matching words: you can see an example of how this activity is done here.

* Matching words: students draw a line to match the words on the worksheet

* And the workbook: The workbook is slightly different for this surah. Instead of students seeing a single word from the ayaat in a blue box at the bottom of the page, students see two words. They also have one word in each ayah that is written in green. Students read the ayah, paying attention to the green word, and then from the two words on the bottom, they circle the word that is the same as the word written in green in the ayah. Example pictured above.

Download word work for Surah Al-Falaq here insha'Allaah

Also, the word work for surah Al-Fatiha should be posted soon. The delay is due to the file being redone.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Homeschooling: Planning Your Lessons (Part 3)

2012-01-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

It must have seemed that the third part of the series on where/how to start homeschooling had been forgotten about *smile*. Alhamdulillaah, it was not forgotten. The third, and insha'Allaah, last post in this series is on Lesson Planning. This is a long post, and before we move into this topic I will preface it by saying that some people consider lesson planning to be tedious, time consuming, frustrating, or unimportant. The first three they might be, the last - never.

Lesson planning is a facet of teaching that is essential. With it, a teacher looks ahead to try to anticipate what goals he/she would like to help his/her students master, and he/she plans what type of activities will most effectively accomplish this. It is during this planning stage that a teacher also tries his/her best to anticipate what challenges may hinder students from mastering material in the easiest, most effective manner. If, for example, you have the intention to teach about ocean habitats but you know that 1). You live and teach in an area where there is no ocean and 2). most of your young charges have most likely never seen an ocean before in their short life, then when planning your lesson you will anticipate that you may see a lot of blank/lost looks on the faces of your students if you jump right into the lesson without first pre-teaching some basic information about oceans (for example showing a picture of an ocean).

The process of lesson planning itself is not mind-boggling nor difficult. But it is a process and so, to a large extent, it requires that the teacher adhere to a certain method to help him/her write the most effective lesson plan possible. This means that the information in your lesson plan is logical and relevant to your students.

For those who homeschool, the lesson plan is no less important than for those who teach in a classroom setting. Teachers and parent-teachers both need to know the same basic information when preparing to teach a topic/subject:

- What do I want my students/child(ren) to know/learn when I am finished teaching this topic?
- What materials will I need to teach this topic effectively and make it fun and interesting at the same time?
- What way will I teach this information? Meaning, how will I teach this topic? What activities will I use to teach this topic?
- How long will the lesson take?
- What activity/assignment will I give my students that will help them practice what they have learned? Will this activity/assignment reinforce what I have taught and show me/demonstrate that yes, alhamdulilaah, they've got it?

Looking at these questions, you will quickly notice that they summarize the basic information contained in a lesson plan. The first question: "What do I want my students/children to know when I am finished teaching this topic?" is your objective. Every lesson plan needs an objective. As a teacher you have to know what your ultimate goal is for your students. For some teachers, the objective is the most difficult part of the lesson plan to write and as a result, it can end up being too general or too vague. Some examples of vague lesson plan objectives are:

* Students will appreciate the Quraan
* Students will begin memorizing ahadith
* Students will understand addition

Why are these lesson plan objectives (not the topics themselves) poor, vague and overall, weak?

They are all of these things because they don't tell us anything specific about the lessons. "Students will understand addition". Yes, but how? What will they do/use that will show they understand addition? What aspect of addition will they understand?What will they do to learn addition in this lesson?

Let's re-write that weak lesson plan objective and make it strong, clear, specific and measurable insha'Allaah.

Stronger objective: By the end of the lesson, using manipulatives, pictures and modeling, students will accurately add single digit numbers up to 5.

Why is this a stronger lesson plan objective? With it, we know that students will understand how to add single digit numbers up to 5. We know that they will learn to do this using manipulatives such as counting blocks, or modeling (i.e. teacher has 2 students stand in front of the class and he/she 'adds' 1 more student and asks children how many students are there all together/in all), and we know that to demonstrate that they have leaned what we intended to teach, the students will add, with accuracy, any of the numbers 0-5 using a worksheet (as an example).

Try this. This is a weak lesson plan objective: "Students will learn to tell time".

Come up with a stronger objective and re-write it insha'Allaah. If you like insha'Allaah, you can share your new/stronger objective with others by leaving a comment.

The next question: "What materials will I need?" is the section of the lesson plan that tells you (or someone filling in for you), as precisely as possible, what you will need to teach your lesson. Will each student need to have a sand tray? Will you need a sock puppet? Will you need the overhead projector? If so, make sure you reserve it early enough so it will be available to you insha'Allaah (and don't forget to make sure you have enough over-head transparencies *smile*). If it is an addition math lesson, how many counters will each student need?

The materials sections is just as important as all other sections of the lesson plan. Many lessons go by the way-side because the teacher/parent neglected to foresee what they would need (materials) to teach a topic. They dive into the lesson only to realize that they need a balance scale with various weights (for example). The maddening search begins. In the classroom storage closet, the teacher rumbles around, becoming more frantic and frustrated as he/she tries to find it and this search, no matter how brief, allows students (almost invites them) to get off task. If the search goes on too long, the teacher may, on top of the search, have to deal with classroom behaviour problems. Or the search may leave the classroom as the teacher goes door to other classroom door: "I'm sorry to disturb you. Do you have a scale and the weights for it? No. Okay, sorry to disturb you." Do you see a problem here? Has one question jumped out and screamed to be answered? Yes? The question is: "Who is with the students during this time?" And, what are the students doing while unsupervised? For those who teach in school settings (or parents who have had a child who was bullied), you will recognize this as being one of those times that have been identified as an opportunity for bullying to happen - when no teacher/authority figure is around.

Sometimes, neglecting this part of lesson planning is seen in the most basic way: the teacher leaves the classroom or sends another student out to get copies made because he/she forgot to make sure there were enough copies for each child. So while the teacher is out making copies, again, who is with the children? Or if the teacher sends another student, the teacher tries to pass that empty time with fillers. Just something to occupy the students until the needed copies return.

Even in a homeschooling setting, this section of the lesson plan warrants appropriate attention. It does not matter if you have one or ten children, you do not want to interrupt the lesson to go grab the paintbrushes that you forgot. When you return you will have to spend how much time getting the children re-focused and back on task? Early on, make it a goal to teach your children to respect knowledge and time. Be prepared for your lessons. Plan down to the detail. If you will be doing an activity that requires children to follow simple directions such as colour all of the trees green, make sure all of the colours they will need to complete that activity are present and within reach. Do not make it an option that in the middle of the lesson you tell your child(ren)/students, "Ok, now you need to colour each tree green" and your child says, "I don't have a green crayon!" and you say, "Oh! Ok, well run to your room and grab it. Quickly, quickly!"

The third question asking "what activities will you use to teach the lesson", is the procedure section of a lesson plan. This part should be proceeded by a pre-teaching/activating prior-knowledge session which takes less than 5 minutes. You can see an example of both here insha'Allaah. The procedures section is very important. In this section you will literally go through, step by step, how you will teach the topic. What questions will you ask the students? What will you say to illustrate an example? Will students need to move to another section of the class/house? The procedures section may appear to be almost like an instruction manual and perhaps it is similar. It is step-by-step. It does not need to be very long but it does need to go into enough detail that anyone could step in and teach your lesson.

When thinking about the activities you will use to teach the lesson, you bring to mind your students/child(ren), reminding yourself of their learning styles, attention span, learning disabilities, the cultural diversity of your classroom, etc. If you have a child who dislikes seat work, your activities should be a suitable combination of seat work and movement activities. This does not mean that you never have seat work for this type of child; it means that while training him/her to learn to sit still and focus, you also respect his/her learning style and give him/her the opportunity to learn in the way that he/she learns best. Likewise, if your son absolutely enjoys fire trucks, making his activities centred around fire trucks helps engage him in the activity and when his learning is joyful, insha'Allaah, it will be remembered and mastered with ease.

The next question asking "How much time will the lesson take" is like its companions: important and not to be ignored. If you are wondering why it matters knowing how much time a lesson will take (in a classroom or homeschool), try viewing it from this perspective: if you teach in a school, it makes transitioning very difficult for students when they hear the signal for the next class and the teacher is not done, so the teacher tries to rush to finish, assign any homework, collect any classwork, get students to put their books away, clean up their area, stop talking, and get ready for the next teacher. Are you out of breath? Imagine how this effects your students. Transitioning is an important aspect of children's learning. You can read more about why here. Conversely, if your lesson is too short, you are left trying to figure out what to have the students do now. Assigning them a meaningless task whose only purpose is to fill up the last 15 minutes of class is not an appropriate option. "Free-time" is an even less appropriate option. The children in your care are an amana. You will be asked about them. Your job as a teacher/parent-teacher is also an amana that you will be asked about. Here, we have to remind ourselves to fear Allaah.

If you homeschool, this section of the lesson plan is important to attend to. If your lesson goes too long, your child may loose interest and his/her behaviour may indicate that they've had enough. While his/her behaviour may irritate or frustrate you, the fact remains, you may have overloaded him/her. If it is too short, you have gotten your child excited about this topic and their hunger for knowledge is there but now they may be left needing more or not completely understanding your lesson. Also, if your lessons go too long, your schedule for your home duties can become so disturbed that one or more things doesn't get done (i.e. children calming cleaning up their area and returning materials to their place - and as a result, things get left where they are, or the salat being made calmly and on time) because YOU'VE GOT TO GET DINNER STARTED! Another potential problem that can result from not planning the time/length of your lessons is this: if you always start your homeschooling day with the same subject, one or more subjects may consistently be neglected and one day you may find yourself frightfully behind in that subject.

The next question you will ask yourself is "what will I give my students/children to help them practice what we just learned?" Will it be a hands-on activity that is directly related to what we just learned? Will it be a worksheet? A field-trip?

As an example, if you have just finished teaching about animals that live in the ocean and animals that live on farms and other places, an appropriate follow-up exercise to reinforce learning (and also as an assessment tool that shows you, at a glance, if students understood what you taught), is a sorting exercise. This cross-curricular activity asks students to sort animals into groups based on where they live. Easily, you can see if your students mastered the material by looking at their completed groups. If you see a giraffe in the ocean you see where you may have to review with that particular student.

Your lesson plan will not be as long as this post insha'Allaah but it needs to be concise, relevant, and clear. The more your lesson plans meet these criteria, the more confident you will be when teaching insha'Allaah. You can go to your lesson knowing what direction you want it to take and the ways you will deliver it to make sure it gets there. Of course, sometimes lessons don't go exactly as you had planned but having the lesson plan gives you a framework to keep you focused and on track. If your lesson goes a bit wonky because one of your groups seems really confused and they don't seem to be grasping the lesson and they are letting you know by calling out, there are things you can do to quickly remedy this situation and move on with your lesson as planned. If you have no lesson plan, how do you even know where to begin teaching a topic? How do you know how much of the topic you want to teach? How do you know what aspects of the topic you wish to cover in this 30-40 minute session (if teaching in a school)? And when that group doesn't seem to be understanding the topic, how do you know it is not because your delivery of the information was not clear? And if one of your students calls out, "This is boring!" in the middle of your lesson (ouch!), will you stop and ask yourself if this student's comment, although inappropriate, is true? Without a lesson plan, have you been talking your way through a subject with no real direction? Plan your lesson. Keep your talking to a minimum, especially in the lower grades. Be prepared. Be fun. And be ready to teach.

You may also wish to adopt the habit of making short notes to yourself in the side margin of your lesson plan after the end of each lesson. Note: what went well? what didn't go so well? why? what might you want to change about this lesson plan if you had to teach it again? Nothing long but enough that you grow and learn from the experience. Here is an example:

The lesson plan, along with your curriculum and long range plan, helps you traverse your classroom/homeschooling learning journey. When you don't know where to start, these three things combine to help put you on the right road insha'Allaah. For example, your pre-schooler is just officially entering the world of "structured" learning. What topic(s) do you start with? Return to your curriculum, your long range plan and start there. Pre-schoolers need to know some basic things: their name (first and last), their age, basic fundamentals about their deen, basic colours, shapes, numbers to 10, basic information about books (where is the front of the book, which direction do we turn the pages), etc.

When you have consulted those two sources, move to your lesson plans. Again, they do not need to be long but they do need to include the basic information covered in this post. And yes, it was a lot! But...are you ready to give it a try? Great! Download this basic lesson plan template and try it for yourself (this lesson plan may help with the materials, activating prior knowledge, and procedure sections). While you are doing it, note how you feel: frustrated in the beginning? Lost? Confused? More confident about your next lesson? Don't worry, it takes practice and patience but it will make you a more effective teacher insha'Allaah and your students/children will reap the benefits of your well-planned, well-delivered lessons. So do not give up on lesson plans and do not abandon them. Master them!

Happy Lesson Planning!

Together We Read (January): Book & Activity Resources

2012-01-05T10:20:00.003-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Although, Together We Read activities haven't been posted in several months, the program has not been abandoned alhamdulillaah. For January, the book that we will be reading is I Am Small by Emma Dodd.

This book, I Am Small, is packed with sight words! There are so many, that once children learn them, and the few none sight words in the story, they can read this book independently insha'Allaah. I hope you will be able to find this book at your local library so that you can join us for Together We Read: January. But remember, you don't have to use the same book we use. So join us again for Together We Read!

The activities for this book are being posted here for your convenience insha'Allaah. Inside the activity pack you will find:

* A poem for your classroom pocket chart
* Math activities
* A penguin science activity
* Sight word games
* Practice constructing and writing sentences
* Word cards for your word wall
* Word wall cards for your students to practice handwriting and to use for independent story writing
* Sight word flashcards that can be used for a variety of games and purposes
* Montessori 3-part cards related to the story
* Mini Reader for students using sight words from the story to aide in independent reading (can be used for Guided and/or Shared Reading also)
* Opposites activity & worksheet
* Puzzle with a hidden message that is discovered when students assemble it
* and more!

Download Book Pack here insha'Allaah (or from the link above)

**Download Missing Montessori 3-part cards here (these are missing from the file above)**

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Qur'aan Centre Work: Surah An-Nas Workbook & Worksheets

2012-01-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the students mini-workbook and worksheets that accompany the word work for Surah An-Nas:

On each page in the mini-workbook children have a single ayah from surah An-Nas. Under the ayah in a blue box they see one of the words from that ayah. Using a highlighter, in the ayah, they highlight the word that they see in the blue box.

Here is a sample from a student's mini book for Surah Al-Fatiha

Students also work with shadow matching words from two ayaat from the surah. The next worksheet (on the bottom right) is for children to not only shadow match the words from the ayaat but when they have completed that task, they cut the ayaat apart on the lines and mix them up and rearrange them in the correct order insha'Allaah. Teachers/Parents may wish to put numbers on the back of each strip so the child can self-correct by turning each slip of paper over to make sure they are in the correct numerical order insha'Allaah.

Lastly, children have a visual worksheet puzzle that invites them to try to locate all of times they see the title of the Surah (i.e. the word An-Nas). Teachers can have students record their responses on a small response sheet (with their names written on it) and place them into a sealed jar/can and when all of the students have submitted their responses, the teacher can invite a student to randomly select one of the slips from the jar/can. If the response on the slip of paper is correct, the teacher can reward the student in a way she feels is appropriate (i.e. a book, a bookmark, etc.). If the response that was drawn was incorrect, the teacher or selected student draws again.

Download file here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Qur'aan Centre Work: File Folder Game for Surah An-Nas

2012-01-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This file folder game, "Let's Read" is part of the word work with Surah An-Nas for the Qur'aan centre:

The game is placed in the Qur'aan centre and when each group of students has their turn at that centre, they play this game to help them in their goal to read surah An-Nas independently insha'Allaah (students have been working with Surah An-Nas before this game is placed in the Qur'aan centre so these words should be familiar to them).

Up to four students can play. To play the game, you will need game pieces for each colour on the board (i.e. one green, one yellow, one blue, and one red game piece). You can use Counting Bears:

Or you can use Snap Cubes (pictured):

To play the game, each student picks a different colour playing piece and sets their piece on the start circle that matches the colour of their playing piece. The playing cards are shuffled and placed face down on the opposing page of the file folder. Students take turns picking a word card. If that word is a word from their column and they need that card, they read the word on the card and then place their playing piece on the word. They return the card to the botom of the stack. The next student takes his/her turn, doing the same thing. If players pick a word card that is not in their row, they replace the card at the bottom of the stack.

It will happen that players end up moving backward and forward on the game board because they will pick words that are ahead of the space they are currently sitting on or behind the word they are currently sitting on. When this happens, the player moves his/her piece to that word.

When a player reaches the last word in his/her row, on his/her next turn, he/she must read, accurately, all of the words in their column to be able to advance to the square that has a picture of the Qur'aan. If/when they do this, they have won/completed the game. If they cannot do this, they must wait until their turn comes again and attempt to read the words accurately. While they wait for their turn to come again, they use the words on the board (in their row) to review the words. When their turn comes again, they make a second attempt. When a player reaches the Qur'aan picture and has finished the game, the other players continue playing.

Insha'Allaah, I will upload the other word work for Surah An-Nas and Surah Al-Fatiha later in the week.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Check it Out: Tractor Factory

2011-12-22T12:58:00.002-07:00

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

2011-12-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-12-07T13:44:00.001-07:00

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 1:1 correspondence 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

2011-12-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

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). They 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.

At the time of this post, I am unable to locate the file that contains the cards and worksheet (subhana'Allaah). Insha'Allaah, I will find it and update this post later in the week.

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

Word Work with Surah Al-Ikhlas

2011-11-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The preschool/kindergarten classrooms are, whenever possible, large inviting spaces. With various learning centres throughout the room, it is a place that invites children to engage in the sheer joy of learning and discovery.

In Islaamic Schools, Quraan and Islamic Studies teachers come into this space to share their knowledge with young students and in support of that, homeroom teachers can try to allocate space to set up a Quraan/Islamic Studies Centre. This centre, given its noble purpose, should be a clean,beautiful space that is superior in cleanliness and beauty than that of its companion centres. What could be found in such a centre?

Believing in and being committed to the power of literacy, I propose that teachers can furnish this centre with literacy based activities. The oft used word work can easily be adapted to be used with the Quraan. Children's familiarity with word work and literacy games can aide them in learning to read the shorter suwar (pl. of surah) from the Quraan independently. Here are some suggested games that can be used in a Quraan centre:

Pictured are 3 games. The first game has game boards for up to four players. There are 3 different boards in the file and the teacher can print enough so that some student's boards will be different and some the same. On the boards are words from surah al-ikhlas. Students shuffle the word cards (in the lower right hand corner of the tray and found on pages 7,8 and 9 in the file) and place them face down on the table, making sure that the name of Allaah is not on the bottom. Each player takes turns picking a card. They must read/say the word on their card and if that card is one they need to complete their board, they keep it and place it on the board. If they do not need the card they replace it at the bottom of the stack. If a student has the board that has the picture of the Quraan in the bottom left corner, when he gets the Quraan picture card, he has the pleasure of being able to recite the entire surah (or he can pass if he wishes). The first player to fill up his board is done. Other players keep playing until all boards are completed and only one player is left with an incomplete board.

The second game pictured is a variation of Go-Fish. Students take the cards and shuffle them/mix them up. One player gives all players cards (i.e. 1 for me, 1 for you, 1 for Ibrahim, 1 for Sa'ad, 1 for Faisal, etc.) until there are no more cards left and all players have cards. The players hold their cards in a fan like fashion in their hands where other players cannot see their cards. The player on the right starts and can pick a card from the hand of any player he/she wishes. If that card is one they need (i.e. they have the matching card in their hand of cards) they take both cards out and place them on the table. Play continues in this way until 1 player is left with the card that says: "Iqra! - read!". This player has the privilege of reciting surah al-ikhlas from memory to the other players. The player with the most sets of matching cards wins.

The game can also be played using other alternate ways of playing Go-Fish.

The third game pictured is to be used with a CD player. The teacher records the words that are on the cards (i.e. Ahad, As-Samad are on one card.) After she says the words that are on a particular card, she asks the student to use the clothes pins that have the words on them to show the word she just said. This game can be played with students saying the words on the cards and their partner must find the clothes pin that has the correct word. It is suggested that all cards and pins not be used/introduced at the same time but start with 2-3 cards and matching clothes pin words and add more as children become more proficient.

Other work/games in the file that are not pictured include:

Students cut out the word cards from surah al-ikhlas and paste them onto a worksheet that has some of the words missing. They must glue the correct word into the correct space so that the surah reads correctly insha'Allaah. (Pages 5 and 6 in the file). You will use the cards on pages 7-9 in the file for this activity.
Match the words in the right hand column to the words in the left hand column. This is to help students recognize the words in the surah (page 10 in the file) and move toward being able to read them on sight with fluency insha'Allaah.
Handwriting practice: Trace some of the words from surah al-ikhlas (page 11 in the file).
Cut and paste to match the ayaat in surah al-ikhlas (pages 12 and 13 in the file). This activity is different from the one on pages 5 and 6 in that no words are blank but students use the shadow/traced words to help them match the words correctly insha'Allaah.
The Quraan card game pictured above (the variation of Go-Fish) is on pages 16 thru 22. *You must print these pages twice so you have duplicates of each card so students can match them*
On page 23, teacher/parent cuts out all of the sentences and then mixes them up. The student must re-arrange the sentences so that the ayaat read in the correct order.

Using games and activities that children are familiar with and enjoy, this centre supports children as they endeavour to learn to read the Quraan independently. If you are a teacher in an Islaamic school, do you have a Quraan centre in your classroom? What activities and/or games do you have in your centre? How do you and the Quraan/Islaamic Studies teacher work together to incorporate the Quraan and Sunnah across the curriculum?

Posting, Emails & Requests

2011-11-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

If you have sent an email within the last few months and/or have requested a resource be made, jazakillaahu khayr. None of the requests and/or emails have been forgotten, however once the academic school year begins extra curricular pursuits (such as blogging), by necessity, are put on hold or slow down considerably. This does not mean that existing requests will not be attended to, it only means that the speed that is possible during the summer months is not possible during the school year. Therefore requests will take longer to fulfill.

A similar notice such as this one is received by those who email but if you have used the contact page on my website you would not have received this message.

Your patience and understanding is sincerely appreciated.

[Cross Post]: What's Up Duck?

2011-11-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a cross-post from The Well Read Muslim

What's Up, Duck?: A Book of Opposites by Tad Hills is a book that teachers and parents of infants and toddlers may wish to consider purchasing for their student's/child's school/home library. The two characters, Duck and Goose, are in a word, adorable! Duck and Goose help teach children nine pairs of opposite words like: near/far; heavy/light; dirty/clean and so on. The concept of opposites books is not new but the illustrations are what make this book stand apart from its companions on the library shelf.

Teachers who work with very young children may find that this book easily lends itself to be the book for a storytime session that supports an opposites theme that may be coming up in the classroom or currently in progress.

And the title? That alone may engage student interest right away....waallaahu a'lam.

What's Up, Duck?: A Book of Opposites (Duck & Goose): A book teachers may definitely wish to add to the classroom library (perhaps more than one copy would be a good idea if your class is large).

During your next trip to the library, check the shelf for 'What's Up Duck?' and if you find it....Check it out insha'Allaah!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

2011-11-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Source

Theme Pack: I Eat (Manners From the Quraan and Sunnah))

2011-11-03T19:49:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a thematic pack that helps teach preschool children that wasting food is not from the correct Islamic manners. Children also learn/review that we eat with our right hand only and they learn the terms/concepts "right" and "left", "near" and "far". They also learn about foods that are healthy and foods that are unhealthy and should be consumed infrequently.

Included in the pack is a mini-poster with an ayah specific to not wasting food, two mini- student readers (in Arabic only). The first student book teaches the manner in which we eat (رابط التحميل); the second student reader teaches how healthy food helps us grow (رابط التحميل). In the pack there is also a 20 page student workbook (رابط التحميل). Each activity in the workbook helps children develop a specific skill such as: determining which object does not belong in a group, sorting based on the characteristic of healthy and unhealthy foods, a math activity (addition sentences) and several other activities.


A place mat (رابط التحميل).that reminds children to say 'Bismillaah', eat with the right hand, and helps them place their eating utensils in the correct place. This can also be used as a Montessori activity by giving the child a small plate, small spoon and small cup and inviting them to place them correctly (without food or drink in the cup and bowl).

The Student workbook (رابط التحميل): cover page, sample pages and assessment page on the back cover

The teacher/parent assessment sheet

Due to time constraints the mini-student readers are not available in English but in the English student workbook, the last page is an assessment page for the teacher/parent that is intended to help in the record keeping process. This is not in the Arabic version.

After the child completes the workbook, the teacher/parent can quickly go through the checklist and mark off what applies. In this way, when needing to refer back to the students work at a later date, the teacher/parent can see at a glance how each student interacted with this particular activity.

Download Theme pack here insha'Allaah

Download Workbook (English) here insha'Allaah
Download Place mat here insha'Allaah

Download student workbook with no text here insha'Allaah

(this file has no text enabling teacher/parent to hand write the directions in the language of choice insha'Allaah)

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Worksheets (Space and Autumn)

2011-10-23T09:26:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Here is a space phonics worksheet. Children who are becoming readers listen to the words being said (children who are beginning readers read them if they are able) and circle the letter that represents the beginning sound they hear.

Click on the picture for better view insha'Allaah

Download Arabic Version Here insha'Allaah

Download English Version (only the directions are in English) here insha'Allaah

And a little Autumn math worksheet:

Certain numbers are missing in the sequence in each row. Children cut out the acorn numbers on the bottom of the worksheet and glue them in the correct space.

Download Arabic Version Here insha'Allaah

Download English Version (only the directions are in English) here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Space and then back to Earth insha'Allaah

2011-10-17T11:50:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The unit on transportation took a turn and led to an exploration of space alhamdulillaah. From here, it's back to earth to explore the desert and learn about how the Prophet - salllaallahau alayhi wa salam- traveled from place to place. And this will lead into Hajj insha'Allaah.

Here are snippets from the transportation unit as it lead into space:

Math work included number puzzles and patterning
(click on the pictures for larger view insha'Allaah)

Language Arts included Montessori 3-part cards and many storytimes about space.
In this packet there are about 9 cards (cards with words, cards without words and words only) for children to work with. Also inside of this packet is a mini-reader for students about space. You can download the book here insha'Allaah (Arabic only).

Download Space 3-part cards (Arabic only) here insha'Allaah

For a tutorial on how to make the pockets (the pocket is about 14cm x 13cm) to store Montessori 3-part cards visit this website insha'Allaah.

Language Arts also included a workbook about space

(the workbook is about 26cm x 19.5 cm).

Children complete the sentence: "This is..." by cutting out and gluing the correct word based on the picture on the page. There are 6 pages of this nature. Also included in the workbook is a page for students to draw a line to match the word to the correct picture, count the number of space objects and trace over the number (not pictured), a space words memory game (stored in the zip-lock bag on the inside cover of the workbook), and glued to the inside back cover of the workbook are ayaat from Surah Ash-Shams. Students listen to the teacher/parent recite the ayaat and when they hear one of the words that have been studied in this unit, they highlight the word using a highlighter.

It was enjoyable to watch the transportation unit move from the ground to the sky. The interest in space was very evident and each activity was either asked for or done with joy alhamdulillaah. But as al-Hajj is upon us alhamdulillaah, it is time to head back to Earth and visit the desert insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Check it Out: Kitten's Winter

2011-10-14T16:46:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Author Eugenie Fernandes has written three other books about a little kitten and its adventures on the farm: Kitten's Spring, Kitten's Summer, and Kitten's Autumn. All are books that young readers, ages 4-8, may genuinely enjoy. And the newest book, Kitten's Winter, is just as well done as the other books in this series.

The mixed media collage illustrations invite exploration and the rhyming, bouncy text is wonderful for young readers. Children learn about the different sleeping habits of different animals in the winter and they also see how different animals forage during these cold, snowy months. Children will also learn about different behaviours of animals during the winter while they romp along with Kitten on a frosty winter day on the farm.

You may wish to check the shelves at your local library for Kitten's Winter and insha'Allaah, your preschooler or kindergartener will enjoy the winter as much as Kitten.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

DYI: Preschool Geometry Game

2011-10-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a little game that I thought up for math the centre:

The game is a geometry game and also helps children work on visual dexterity skills insha'Allaah.

This is the game board before play

The little box is attached to the board. Inside the sticks children will need to build each shape are stored

The children place a shape card on the black square with the side showing them how many sticks they will need. They remove the indicated number of sticks from the wooden box.

They turn the card over and it shows them which shape they will be building insha'Allaah

Here the shape has been built

There are a total of seven shape cards, all of which can be built with the mini Popsicle sticks.

The shapes children will build are: Rhombus, Rectangle, Square, Diamond, Triangle, and a second Rhombus from a different angle.

What was used to make the game:

Old puzzle - pieces removed and board flipped over
Piece of sandpaper glued to the puzzle board
Small wooden box affixed to the puzzle board
Mini-Popsicle sticks
Small pieces of felt to attach to the back of each stick
Piece of black construction paper cut into fourths and affixed to the board
Shape cards
Glue
Glue stick (to glue the shape cards together)

The Mini-Popsicle sticks have felt attached to their backs so that they will stick to the sandpaper but still be easy to remove. This is to help children focus on building the shape without the distraction of the pieces moving around but if they need to modify their work, the sticks can easily be removed from the sandpaper insha'Allaah. Everything that the child needs to begin building the shape is located on the child's right hand side to reinforce right to left directionality (for reading and writing). It would be reversed for children learning in English. I purposely did not add an element of trying to see who can build the shape the fastest or the one who does so wins as I would like children to feel free to build visual dexterity at their own pace.

Reflections after use: After introducing the game and showing how to use it, if the mini-Popsicle sticks were painted red ( the colour of the shapes on each card), maybe it would help some students see the shape easier in their mind and duplicate the shape on the board. Waallaahu a'lam.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Mini-Book error

2011-10-02T08:52:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, a dear sister brought it to my attention that one of the pictures in the Mini-book "Where is Allaah" may inadvertently lead young children to think that Allaah is in the clouds....astagfirullaah. Therefore the link to this book has temporarily been removed while I change the picture. For those who have downloaded and used this book, please explain to children that Allaah is not in the clouds. La hawla wa la quwatta ila billaah.

Homeschooling: Where and How to Start (Part 2)

2011-09-22T09:22:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

How do you start?

Now that we've talked about a good starting point being the point where your child demonstrated they need more guided and/or direct instruction we can explore "how" you might choose to start.

The first thing when starting any and all endevours is to have the correct intention insha'Allaah. Our goal insha'Allaah, is to, for the sake of Allaah, raise our children to be Muslims who understand and practice Islaam according to how the Salaf-as-Salih understood and practiced it.

عن أمـيـر المؤمنـين أبي حـفص عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه ، قال : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عـليه وسلم يـقـول:

( إنـما الأعـمـال بالنيات وإنـمـا لكـل امـرئ ما نـوى . فمن كـانت هجرته إلى الله ورسولـه فهجرتـه إلى الله ورسـوله ومن كانت هجرته لـدنيا يصـيبها أو امرأة ينكحها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه ).

رواه إمام المحد ثين أبـو عـبـد الله محمد بن إسماعـيل بن ابراهـيـم بن المغـيره بن بـرد زبه البخاري الجعـفي،[رقم:1] وابـو الحسـيـن مسلم بن الحجاج بن مـسلم القـشـيري الـنيسـابـوري [رقم :1907] رضي الله عنهما في صحيحيهما اللذين هما أصح الكتب المصنفه.

On the authority of Ameer ul-Mu'mineen (the Commander of the Faithful), Aboo Hafs `Umar ibn al-Khattaab radiAllaahu anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam say:

"Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration (Hijrah to Madeenah from Makkah) was for Allaah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allaah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated."{Bukhari and Muslim}

After conducting and reviewing the results of the assessment, sit down and think about your child and what you would like to accomplish with him/her. Think about the time frame you wish to accomplish this in. Be realistic and be flexible. Consider your child's learning style. Is he very energetic? Then perhaps, flashcards and worksheets may not work well for either one of you. They might bore him and his lack of interest may frustrate you. Try hands on learning with him. Let him move if this is the way he takes in information best. There will be times that he needs to sit and do something but make these times brief and not too frequent. This is not to say let him run wild and unencumbered, disturbing others around him and being excessively loud. This means if he learns by moving and has the energy to compliment this method of learning, teach him with activities that require and encourage movement.
The step just mentioned is leading you into developing and drafting a long range plan for your homeschool. The questions you will begin asking yourself: "What do I want my daughter to know in 10 months time?", "Are there certain things I want to teach her in certain months (i.e. Ramadan, Hajj, Eid, etc.)?", "Are there certain things that seem to be related and I can teach them together in a theme (i.e. Eid, Sunnah, Bid'ah)"? All of these questions will lead you to organizing your thoughts and putting them on paper. This is the beginning of your long range plan for your child. Once you have written your thoughts out (rough draft), consider the following: a). does your province/state require that you keep records and/or report your child's progress to them? b). does your province/state require that you follow the provincial curriculum established by the Ministry of Education (or Board of Education in the states, if I am not mistaken)? c). are you going to be following a pre-written curriculum? If you intend to use a pre-written curriculum and/or your province requires you follow theirs, now is the time to take it out and begin matching your goals/expectations with the goals and expectations outlined in the curriculum you will use (modifying when needed - add in Ramadan, subtract the music strand for example). If you intend to write and follow your own curriculum, check to make sure that you cover the major expectations that pre-written curricula have outlined (i.e. make sure you teach your child the shapes, colours, the essential things that children need to know insha'Allaah). See a sample of what children in JK (Junior Kindergarten - is that considered pre-school in the states?) are expected to learn prior to moving to Kindergarten here and view the Kindergarten expectations here insha'Allaah.
As you are looking at your provincial (or state) curriculum, keep in mind that you do not have to teach each expectation in the order it is presented. Take time to look/read through it, notice topics that are similar and can be taught in tandem (i.e. together).
Doing a long range plan is a step worth taking (and not skipping). By seeing the school year in front of you, the long range plan will serve as your map; your guide. It can help you stay on track and if you happen to get off track, this plan can help to center yourself again and help you regain your bearings. A long range plan is not a detailed plan but a very general one and is not set in stone - if you need to change,modify,delete or add things to it...do so. The long range plan helps you answer the question, "When will I teach certain things to my child?".

If you were to look at the Month of September, for example, you can ask yourself certain questions like:

a). Are there any Islaamic holidays in this month?

b). What is the weather like in this month? What season is it?

c). What commonly happens in this month?

If we look at those three questions alone we will come up with a plethora of things we can teach in this month alone.

- Islaamic holidays? No

- The weather: Autumn/Fall is coming. Teach about this season. This season has activities that span the curriculum: math, science, literacy, social studies, art, gym, etc. Try to integrate your activities (i.e. link them to each other. If you are going to do a Fall theme for September, make your math activities about Fall somehow. Let the children use leaves to learn addition.) When teaching science, you can teach about hibernation and migration as this is the time when animals begin preparing to do these things.

- September is when many children return to school from the summer break. Transportation themes fit well here because children go to and from school using a mode of transportation.

Your goal here is to try to teach subjects/material when they are most relevant. It is easy to teach about Fall in September because children can go outside and experience it hands on. It would be much more difficult to teach about Autumn in the Summer and may seem irrelevant to children due to the contradiction in weather and the natural world around them.

Another aspect of "what to teach my child and when do I teach it" that must be kept in mind is your child's developmental stage. By reading pre-written curricula, you can see when certain topics are generally introduced to children. For children under the age of 4, you may wish to consult texts (and your child's pediatrician) for information about what your child is able to do at certain stages. This milestone chart is a good example. Knowing what your child is capable of doing (emotionally, physically and mentally) , helps you search for and design developmentally appropriate activities for your child(ren) with the help of Allaah.
Now that you know "what" you'd like to teach your child and you know what he/she already knows, you need to look at your long range plan and ask yourself what materials you will need to teach these ideas/concepts. What books might you want to use as resources that you can go to when you need ideas and information? What materials do you feel will be useful to help you child learn these concepts (i.e. blocks, chalk, crayons, games, etc.)? Do not worry too much about the curriculum just yet, that will come insha'Allaah. Now you want to get your thoughts organized so you can map out your homeschooling journey insha'Allaah.
Knowing what you want to teach helps you know what you will need but there are certain things that seem to be standard in classrooms and homes (depending on the age of your child(ren):

non-toxic glue
construction paper
non-toxic paint
wooden blocks
child scissors
crayons and markers

And when you come to your lesson planning stage, the materials you will need will show themselves insha'Allaah. As you are writing your lesson plan, you will begin to see that you cannot teach your child about the passage of time without a calendar. So you will then be led to acquire a calendar that includes the days of the week, the months of the year, etc. We'll talk of lesson plans and curricula later insha'Allaah *smile* but this point supports the desirability of writing lesson plans (ahead of time). A lesson plan helps you avoid certain pit-falls that can lead to a frustrating lesson for both parent and child. If you start an art activity and then realize in the middle that you are missing and essential component and your child cannot complete the project without it, your child may be disappointed and their frustration may transfer to you. Things such as this can also disrupt the learning process. If the child was focused on the activity, although we cannot "see" it, their mind was piecing things together and making connections. If our lesson goes awry because we are missing materials, that focus and concentration is broken. A maddening search of the house for a missing resource/material is also a concentration breaker. Lesson plans take time but it is time well spent insha'Allaah. Try your best not to skip them. But again, I am jumping ahead *smile*.
Part of deciding what materials you will need also leads into another topic: "With so many pre-made materials available, how do you even begin to organize it and then make it coherent so that you can teach your child effectively?" This is a question that I personally enjoy hearing because it reveals the parent's strong drive to give their child the absolute best! Parents may feel flooded by all that is available on the Internet and they search and search trying to find the best for their child and this is a great and wonderful thing insha'Allaah. Try this: after you have drafted your long range lesson/curriculum plan and you know what topics/subjects you want to teach in each month, and you have decided the method of learning that best suites your child, ask yourself what is the minimum you will need to teach that topic to your child and he/she will have fun learning it. Will one workbook and one hands-on activity plus some art be effective? If so, find the minimum that you need. Refine your Google search skills and bookmark sites that you feel have materials that don't require a lot of planning on your part, and are fun for children (and of course Islaamically appropriate). Once you've found a few sites that you feel have what you need, create folders on your computer for each subject and when you download your resources, download them to the appropriate folder right away. This way when you need math, you simply open your math folder and look for what you need insha'Allaah. You will want to have a selection of sites so that you can vary your child's learning experience.
Try always to prepare the materials for each lesson ahead of time. You are a teacher. Come to your lesson prepared and ready to teach. No matter the age, when the time comes for homeschooling, you should be ready. There should be little or nothing for you to cut out and/or assemble. This will help you teach calmly, effectively and confidently insha'Allaah. This way your focus will be on your child(ren) and you both will enjoy the lesson. If possible, do any art activity that is new to you before you teach/present it to your child. This allows you to know what parts may be difficult or if there is potential for the lesson to go in directions you would really not prefer it go.
The last point (is your coffee cold? gone? *smile*): how long should each lesson take?

Kindergarten = total homeschooling time should not exceed 30 minutes (for all subjects)
Preschool = each lesson can be between 3-5 minutes in length and should be as hands-on as possible (depending on your child's learning style) insha'Allaah. It may be a good idea to try to keep this "formal learning" to about 15 minutes total each day you do your homeschooling...waallaahu a'lam.
But...each child is different. If you notice that your child is very engaged in an activity and it's been 15 minutes and their focus is still strong....leave them with the activity. Do not interrupt unless absolutely necessary.If you find that you will have to interrupt, try to give your child advanced warning (i.e. Fatima, in about 5 minutes insha'Allaah we have to start cleaning up because we have a doctors appointment).
You do not need to try to stretch your homeschooling day to match the length of a traditional school day. You may wish to try to homeschool around the same time each day as this structure and consistency is important for children but the amount of time it will take you to teach a curriculum is flexible when homeschooling. If you don't finish the theme when you originally planned, you can keep going. There is nothing that says your curriculum must be completed within 180 days. Of course, you do not want to stay on one topic too long so that your child's interest does not wane.

Okay, another last point...so number 12 was the penultimate last point *smile*. Homeschooling allows you the freedom to break the traditional classroom mold. Learning at this age occurs all throughout the day. Every interaction a child has teaches them something. You can teach math to your toddler when you are cooking. When you are getting him/her ready for bed. Allaahu a'lam how many children have learned to count because mother and/or father always counted the buttons on their clothes as they dressed them. Transportation does not need to be taught with a book. When you go outside your child sees modes of transportation all around him/her. Talk about them. Discuss them/compare and contrast them. What colour are they? (math) Is the sound they make loud or soft (science), Do they travel fast or slow (science), How do people in other countries travel from place to place? With cars, horses, donkeys? (social studies), etc. If you have plants in your home, this is a science lab all by itself masha'Allaah! Reading aloud to your child each and every day teaches reading/pre-literacy skills and so much more. Learning at this age does not need to take place at the table. It does not need to take place every day at 8:30 am if you don't wish it to be that way. Learning at this age (Birth to 5) takes place all day, every day. Your manners with your child and with others teaches akhlaq. You reading the Quraan each day and reflecting upon it teaches your child Quraan. Allaahu a'lam how many children have memorized a surah before the adult just by hearing it every day as the parent was learning it. Allaahu a'lam how early children know the steps of as- salat because they witness it every day in their home (the same for wudu). I believe my point here is: Trust yourself. Believe in your ability to teach your child. Make dua' and tawakaal. Take the asbab and tawakaal. As I stated in the first post in this series, rare is the child who comes to a teacher a blank slate. They learn so much at home before they even get to our classrooms. And who is at home? Father, Mother, older sister, older brother, Grandfather, Grandmother, etc. This being the case, trust your ability to teach your child...you have been doing it since your child was born. May Allaah reward you and grant you the ability to teach your child knowledge that pleases Him and may He grant you success.

Next post in this series: It will depend on any questions/comments. Are there questions that I did not answer in this post that you would like to have information about?

Transporation Theme: Adding Depth Part 2

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Continuing with the Transportation theme and the added layers of depth, students can be introduced to counting cards:

After re-reading the story from this post, students are shown the counting cards. The set of cards pictured is not in order (i.e. the cards do not have pictures of vehicles in the 1-10 order). The cards are random (i.e. one card has two vehicles while the next card could have 10 pictures of a type of transportation vehicle). This was done intentionally to prevent students from guessing and encourage them to take the time to count the pictures on each card.

The cards are printed on card stock and mounted on very sturdy cardboard and then clear contact paper is placed over the front of each card. A hole is punched in the upper right hand corner of each card and a small/medium metal ring is used to hold each set of cards together.

On the bottom of each card a box is present to allow the child to write the number of vehicles they have counted (if the cards are laminated) or in the case of children in the pre-writing stage, they can affix the numbers with velcro insha'Allaah.

This set (which has 12 cards in it) introduces children to vehicles not shown in the book and a small discussion can occur wherein you ask the child where each type of vehicle might be used (i.e. land, air, sea, space).

Here, velcro is used for students in the pre-writing stage.

Students in this stage may require teacher/parent assistance in choosing the correct number

if they do not know their numbers on sight (i.e. they do not know what the number 5 looks like, so after the child counts the vehicles, the teacher/parent picks up the number 5, shows it to the child and tells them that this is the number 5)

Counting cards can easily be found on the internet but you can also make your own to fit your specific theme/topic. Made sturdy enough, these sets can be placed in your math centre and children can be invited to use these whenever they wish with little supervision. If you would like these in English please leave a comment and insha'Allaah, I will upload the file soon.

Download cards here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Recommended Book: Night Shift Daddy

2011-09-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sometimes, there is a book that a teacher, when she reads it, she knows that she will not only read it aloud to her class insha'Allaah but that she will buy it and it will become part of her classroom (or personal) library. Night Shift Daddy is a book that may be one of those books.

This is a story about a father who works nights as a janitor. Despite working nights and needing to sleep during the day, he and his daughter have found a way to spend time together in what has become their special routine. The story is told in such a beautiful, gentle way and it captures the child's perspective so effectively. The story also resonates with affection and it is always nice to see stories that involve father in the children's lives.

Night Shift Dadddy

Another aspect of this book that you may find appealing is that it presents a family that is representative of many many families (economically). The family is not middle class, they do not have a big home, they do not even have a car. But in the story this does not make them less happy or cause them to smile and love one another less or any differently than a family who has these things.

Aside from the wonderful relationship the father and daughter in this story have, children may find aspects of their lives in this story that help them relate to it. And, they may just like the story as the gentle affection throughout may be comforting...waallaahu a'lam.

If your local library has Night Shift Dadddy, consider taking the time to check it out insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Homeschooling: How and Where to Start (Part 1)

2011-09-14T21:52:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Insha'Allaah, over the next few weeks, I hope that Allaah will allow me to complete a series on How and Where to Start when you have decided to homeschool.

Allaahu a'lam but it may be that the most common topic I receive correspondence and questions about is wanting to start homeschooling but not knowing where to start.

This is a good question....Where do you start?

The same sentiments and concerns are often mirrored in a similar question that is asked often: How do I start?

And, like its predecessor, this is another good question...How do you start?

A third and a fourth question are so intricately related that I will merge them into one post insha'Allaah. The two questions are:

How do I begin to put together lesson plans?
What curriculum should I follow and/or how do I write my own?

The answers to these questions may be best discussed over a cup of tea insha'Allaah (and in parts) because they are not short answers *smile*. Tayyib, have you got your cup?

The first thing I will tell you is that I am not an expert and what suggestions will be made are only suggestions. It is hoped they will help and if they do then alhamdulillaah. All of the good is from Allaah Alone. The second thing I will tell you is something that may not provide the same comfort that your cup of tea is providing but it is very true: Where to start and how to start varies from family to family and from child to child. I do not know that one method prevails over all others and effectively suites all families and all children. But...

....do not worry.

Let's take one question at time and insha'Allaah, some of the suggestions listed may help you or fit the design or structure that you would like to see in your homeschool. First question:

Where do I start?

To this question, the answer that I prefer is: not at the beginning. There is no hard and fast rule in homeschooling (or teaching) that says you must start each child at the beginning of each subject in the curriculum and then go page by page - in order - until the topic is completed. If teachers did that our students may find their learning community very boring places indeed. In classrooms across the country, teachers differentiate their instruction (you can learn more about differentiated instruction here insha'Allaah) because while children may be the same age or same gender, they are each unique individuals whose experiences and exposure to certain knowledge can vary greatly. Respecting this fact, you start where the child is at. Meet them where they are at and move them on from that point. What does that mean?

In classrooms, we assess our students to get an understanding of their existing or prior knowledge (i.e. what do they already know about a particular subject/topic). What knowledge is already with them? Rare is the student who comes to a teacher a complete blank slate. This being the case, as a parent, after Allaah, you are the most knowledgeable person regarding your child. Assess your child.

For the age group addressed on this blog, it is not necessary that a pencil and paper assessment be conducted. Although as a parent, this would be helpful for you when you get to the curriculum/lesson planning stage. So while not necessary, you may wish to consider it. But do not be alarmed, this does not mean that your 4 year old sits down dutifully at the table and is handed a pencil while a test is simultaneously placed in front of him/her. What this means is that, after locating or designing a skills/knowledge checklist (assessment) that you feel comfortable with, you observe your child and/or do activities that will answer the questions on the checklist. Does he/she hold pencils or crayons and "write" stories, "draw" pictures and colour? Does he/she try to dress him/herself in the morning without assistance? Does your child know the names of the primary colours and can he/she identify them on sight? Questions such as these will provide you with the knowledge you need to tell you "where to start" when you wish to homeschool. So perhaps the answer to the question where do I start is: Start wherever you child is at. If your child knows all of the items listed in an assessment (or the content in the preschool curriculum you may be considering) there is no need to drag them through formally learning information they already know- start with the next level. There is a thirst and love of knowledge and learning that we do not wish to dilute or extinguish altogether. Our goal is to nourish and deepen it. To guide it in the direction that pleases Allaah. Our goal is to quench that thirst with beneficial knowledge.

*A word of caution before proceeding to the next question.*

I do not know if, as a teacher, it is easier to be impartial when the job of assessing students is at hand (many teachers love their students and like parents, they genuinely wish to see their students succeed). A teacher cannot afford to mark off that a student knows something when in reality the students knowledge, while not absent, has not developed to a level of mastery. That would be a great disservice to the child. So when teachers ask a student to please place one sticker in each box and the student for the most part does that but several boxes have several stickers in them and some have no stickers at all, the teacher does not mark down that her student has mastered one-to-one correspondence. The student certainly shows that they are on the road to mastering it, but the student has also demonstrated that he needs more exposure to this topic to help him master it insha'Allaah. With this knowledge the teacher, when designing math activities for this child, will not start at the beginning for one-to-one correspondence because the student has shown that he does have existing knowledge of it. The activities this child will receive will simply serve to help him master one-to-one correspondence. Taking this example, this child might receive an activity that involves him using a pointer and talking his way through placing stickers in the box (i.e. student uses a Popsicle stick and points to the first box and says, "Just one box, just one sticker" - moves to the next box and repeats - "just one box, just one sticker" and continues in this fashion until all boxes have one sticker only). So the teacher, no matter how much she desires to see this student perform flawlessly on the assessment, cannot cheat the student by not accurately recording the level of knowledge the student displays. As parents we must use this same objectivity and be impartial when assessing our children. If your child does not know the material....alhamdulillaah...she does not know. Not a problem insha'Allaah...teach it to her...

Insha'Allaah, the next post will address the second question: "How do I start homeschooling?" This post will, insha'Allaah, answer questions such as:

What materials will I need?
With all of the pre-prepared information/worksheets/etc. available, how do I organize it all to start teaching my child?
How do I know what to teach and when to teach it?
How long should each lesson be?

Comments from sisters who have homeschooled are most welcome but I will ask that any advice be limited to the current topic in each of these posts insha'Allaah. We may also have some quest posts from sisters who have been homeschooling for a while and will share the structure/curriculum that works for their family. Also, if you wish to ask questions about this first question: "Where Do I Start?" please feel free to do so by leaving a comment insha'Allaah.

So dear sisters, when you decided you wanted to homeschool your child(ren)...Where did you start?

The Transportation Theme: Adding a layer of depth

2011-09-12T11:41:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

For the topic of transportation, this year I've added a layer of depth to the theme. After reading aloud a few books whose theme (in general) is transportation and getting from place to place, children hear this book read aloud (sample pages below):

The book specifically talks about how we move from place to place but the book ends by telling students that this is all a mercy from Allaah and then the dua' for alighting means of transport is taught. You can download the text for the book here (with English) and the transportation pictures used here and the planet pictures here insha'Allaah.

To make the book requires that you cut around the pictures leaving no white showing. To make the scenes I used a combination of construction paper, paint, cardboard, aluminum foil, markers, foam and glitter. To give the space scene an outer space look, I put a thin coating of Mod Podge over it (i.e. the scene).

Then to add a little more depth to the unit, I made a board that has the same scenes from the book. A discussion follows the read aloud about what types of transportation are used in different places (i.e. air, land, water and space). For the game pieces, I mounted them on thick card board and then covered them with clear contact paper.

After watching a demonstration of how to use the game, students are then invited to work on the board and place the types of transportation in the correct scene. This involves students being able to a). recalling relevant points of the story from memory b). sort the types of transportation based on the concept of where they are used

This allows teacher/parent to assess if the story comprehension was mastered or perhaps another read aloud is needed with a bit more discussion.

This game can be placed in a learning centre or on a low shelf to allow students to play with it when they wish. Additionally, you can record a story that talks about how we get from place to place and leave it in the listening centre for children to listen to. The book can be placed in a book basket or in your classroom library to allow children to re-read it when they would like (before placing homemade books in the classroom library it is recommended that you laminate them to help them survive student handling).

Students can also make mini-books about how we get from place to place. These can either be found on the internet or you can make your own that your child helps out with. Some other transportation material from the past can be found here insha'Allaah.

A math add-in to use is the popular "How Did You Get To School Today?" activity that is done at the beginning of the school year. The children tell how they get to school each day (i.e. which method of transportation they use) and together the class makes a bar graph showing which method of transportation is used by most of the students in the class.

The following books are nice to go with your transportation theme and may be found in your local library insha'Allaah.

Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep!

Listening to the City

Big Book of Transportation

Insha'Allaah, there will be a few more posts about adding layers to this theme.

And then there is the Autumn (Fall) theme to get ready insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Will return insha'Allaah

2011-09-07T07:32:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Insha'Allaah, posting will resume soon.

Eid Mubarak!

2011-08-30T16:13:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Eid Mubarak from A Muslim Child is Born

"403 Forbidden Error": Box.net bandwith exceeded

2011-08-12T08:50:00.018-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The bandwidth has again been exceeded on Box.net alhamdulillaah, therefore when trying to download any files you may receive the "403 Forbidden" error again and you will not be able to download.

Below are the links for the Ramadan files (Activity Books and Baby in Ramadan Series, Ramadan Bookmarks, Game: Sadaqah Sadaqah and Date Palm Beginning Subtraction Game, etc.) linked through Google Docs.

If you need any files other than these please contact me using the "Contact Me" link on the right hand side of the page. Please provide either the name of the file that you would like or the name of the post here on the blog and insha'Allaah, you will be sent a link to the file from Google Docs.

كتاب النشاط لشهر رمضان

Ramadan Activity Book (Yellow Cover)

Ramadan Activity Book (Blue Cover)

Baby's First Ramadan

Baby Counts Dates in Ramadan

Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan

Ramadan Bookmarks

Game: Sadaqah, Sadaqah
Blank Game Cards for Game: Sadaqah, Sadaqah

Date Palm Beginning Subtraction Game (Arabic Numbers)

Date Palm Beginning Subtraction Game (English Numbers)

Game: Dates and Dots

Page 66 of Ramadan Activity Book

2011-08-01T19:49:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, a reader pointed out that on page 66 of the Ramadan Activity Book there is a typographical error. Jazakillaahu khayr!

The error will be corrected in the book but if you have already downloaded and printed it, you can download the page with the correction made here insha'Allaah. It is black and white so insha'Allaah, it will not be a stress on your printer ink.

Jazakum Allaahu Khayr

Ramadan Mubarak!

2011-07-31T19:19:00.005-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The Official Decision and Announcement of the High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia...
since the moon of Ramadhaan was not sighted this evening, here in Saudi Arabia, we shall be completing thirty (30) days of Sha'baan (1432 A.H.), in accordance with the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa salam):

((Fast when you see the crescent. If it is obscured to you, then complete thirty days of Sha'baan. And break your fast when you see the crescent. If it is obscured to you then fast thirty days)),
[transmitted by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].

We shall be starting our taraaweeh prayers tomorrow evening (Sunday 31 July 2011) after the 'Ishaa. prayer, in preparation for the first fast of Ramadhaan on Monday 1 August 2011, inshaa'Allaah.

And a small gift from A Muslim Child is Born:
8 Ramadan Mubarak Bookmarks (different colours and designs)

Download Ramadan Mubarak! Bookmarks for children here insha'Allaah

Problems Downloading Ramadan Activity & Baby Quran Books

2011-07-30T21:59:00.003-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Jazaakunnaallaah khayr, several sisters have left comments or emailed that they are receiving an error message when trying to download the Ramadan Activity Books and the book Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan via Box.net. The bandwidth has been exceeded and insha'Allaah, the issue should be resolved soon.

Alhamdulillaah, I have re-linked the books through Google Docs and you can download them by clicking on the name of the file you'd like to download. In the Ramadan Activity Book and Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan posts you will see "Download Through Google Docs". Please use the links directly below this title to download the books insha'Allaah. You will be redirected to Google Docs and you will have an option to download (see red arrow in the screen shot below) the books by clicking on 'file' and then 'download original file'.

Jazakum Allaah Khayr

Blog Button Now With Transparent Background

2011-07-30T09:23:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

If you have the blog button for 'A Muslim Child is Born' on your blog you may have noticed that the background was not transparent. Alhamdulillaah, the blog button has been updated and now has a transparent background (jazakillaahu khayr ya ukht Aisha from Easel & Ink!).

You will simply need to copy the new code on the right hand side of the blog under "Grab A Button" to update the blog button on your blog insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan (Book)

2011-07-29T08:00:00.010-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is another book in the "Baby in Ramadan" Series *smile*. One last post before Ramadan insha'Allaah...

After listening to a small, short poem, this little book introduces baby to some of the ayaat in the Quran. Mother and Father then have the opportunity to decide which suwar (pl. of surah) they would like to read with baby during Ramadan and check them off on the checklist provided in the book. This book is intended to be a gentle read aloud that introduces baby to the beauty of the Quran and what benefits it has thus teaching baby that a Muslim's only source of sound knowledge and guidance is found in the Quran and Sunnah.

Download Baby Reads Quran in Ramadan here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Ramadan Activity Book for Kids!

2011-07-27T07:00:00.016-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is the Ramadan Activity Book. It is hoped that this book will assist parents in teaching their children about his Blessed Month.

There are 75 pages of various activities and games for children to play that cover the areas of:

- math

- reading

-cognitive skills

-find motor skill practice

and more alhamdulillaah!

Download books here insha'Allaah:

كتاب النشاط لشهر رمضان

عربي فقط من هنا إن شاء الله

Download Ramadan Activity Book (Yellow Cover) here insha'Allaah

Download the Ramadan Activity Book (Blue Cover) here insha'Allaah

**For languages other than those listed, if you would like the book without any text allowing you to hand-write the instructions in the language of your choice, please contact me by email insha'Allaah.**

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Baby Counts Dates in Ramadan (Book)

2011-07-26T07:00:00.007-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Here is a little Ramadan counting book for babies.

Front and Back Covers

A small book for introducing baby to numbers during Ramadan insha'Allaah. The numbers 1-5 are covered and the last page of the book gives baby an opportunity to see the dates graphed 1-5 in descending order.

A small way to include baby in this Blessed Month.

Download "Baby Counts Dates in Ramadan" here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Ramadan Game: Dates and Dots

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This game, Dates & Dots, can be played in several ways insha'Allaah.

1). Make two copies of the cards. Take the first set and tape them around the house with the dates showing. Give the child the second set of cards with the dots showing. Invite them to find the date cards that match the dot cards they have.

2). Make two sets of the cards. Play memory. Place the first set of cards with the dates showing and the second set of cards with the dots showing. Children have to find the dates that match the dots.

3). Or it can be a handmade variation of the Ladybug/Ladybird Game (which has many variations). There is a great version of the Ladybug Game here.

To play: Turn all of the cards down with the dots facing upward (for young children it may be a good idea to start with cards 1-3 first). Children take turns spinning the spinner (or you can put the number cards 1-10 in a box and children pick a number randomly). Whichever number they land on (or pick), they find the card with the corresponding dots. They turn the card over and count the dates on the opposite side of the card to confirm they picked the correct card. If they did, they keep the card. If they did not, they put the card back and the next person takes his/her turn insha'Allaah. There are cards in the file for numbers 1-10 but the spinner in the file goes to 8 only.

...What way would your children play Dates & Dots?

Coming Soon insha'Allaah: Ramadan Activity Book for Kids!

2011-07-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

A simple Ramadan Activity Book that has various activities for children to do throughout the month of Ramadan insha'Allaah.

There will be two different book covers to choose from insha'Allaah, the one pictured and a more 'printer-friendly' cover

The activities are around 40 in total and in no particular order so that you may pick and choose to print which activity you wish to do on any given day in Ramdan insha'Allaah. The activities are for children from birth to 5 years old....and it's coming soon insha'Allaah!

Check back soon insha'Allaah!

Ramadan Game: Dates Fall Down

2011-07-21T07:00:00.003-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a game that can be used to introduce subtraction to young toddlers during Ramadan insha'Allaah. The game is called "Dates Fall Down" and is simple to play alhamdulillaah.

Give each child a palm tree math mat

and Date Game Pieces

Put the numbers 1-5, into a box. Invite the child to close his/her eyes and take a number from the box. This first number they select will be the number of dates they put into the date palm tree. Ask the child how many dates are in the palm tree. You may also wish to encourage the child to count the dates as he/she puts them into the tree.

Invite the child to again close his/her eyes and select another number from the box. This is the number that the child will take out of the tree (subtract). Tell the child, "At first there were _____ dates in the tree. You took ______ out/off of the tree. How many dates are left in the tree now?" Invite the child to count to see how many dates are left in the tree.

Here, the first number selected was 5 and all date game pieces are in the tree

The second number selected was the number 1

So the child will remove one date from the tree and set it aside. The child is then invited to count the remaining dates in the tree insha'Allaah.

The games continues in this way until the child no longer wishes to play. You may also wish to use the following story to play the game insha'Allaah:

This date palm grows sweet dates,

Wonderful treats Abu Musa makes

From all of the dates that fall down,

Quietly and gently, without a sound.

(whisper here)

Abu Musa often looks just to see,

How many dates are in this tree

Let us count, you and me!

Download "Dates Fall Down" game here insha'Allaah (board with Arabic numbers)

Download "Dates Fall Down" game here insha'Allaah (board with English numbers)

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Free Ramadan Kit!

2011-07-20T08:58:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Click here to download a FREE Ramadan Kit for children from Mini Mu’min Publications!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Ramadan Book for Babies

2011-07-19T07:00:00.007-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Many of our dear sisters have recently given birth and for their newest additions to the family this will be their first of, insha'Allaah, many Blessed Months. I thought it might be nice to have a little keepsake book that records baby's first Ramadan and some of the things that baby experienced.

Download 'Baby's First Ramadan' here insha'Allaah

Within this small little book, there are personalized sentences that mother and/or father can complete. There are also pictures of specific items/events related to Ramadan and to baby. Baby also learns a little about this blessed month and what we do during Ramadan. Toward the end of the book, there is also a little list that parents can fill out that mentions things that they hope to do with baby each day in Ramadan insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Ramadan Charity Game: "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!"

2011-07-16T20:26:00.008-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

With Ramadan fast approaching, sister Umm Yusuf, like many other sisters, is planning for ways to help children get the most of this Blessed Month. She asked if I could post a game/activity about charity. Sis Umm Yusuf, this is what I have come up with but if it is not what you had in mind please do not be shy to tell me and we can discuss more so I can try to post an activity that was closer to what you had in mind insha'Allaah.

This game is called, "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!"

Sample game cards and number card

The objective of the game is for children to learn to give away things that they may usually be inclined not to give to someone else willingly due to their affection for the object or food.

The game is easy to play insha'Allaah:

1). Explain to children that during Ramadan we compete in doing good deeds and race to give sadaqah. Explain that we do this seeking the Pleasure of Allaah Alone and His Noble Face. Tell them that they will have a chance to practice giving away things, for the sake of Allaah, that they may wish to keep.

2). After cutting out and assembling the number cards and "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" cards (there are 25 game cards and 10 number cards and 2 "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" cards),shuffle the number and "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" cards (together) and place them face down on the floor.

2). Shuffle the game cards and divide them among each player evenly, if possible. Extra cards can be set aside insha'Allaah.

3). Players take turns taking a number card from the stack/deck. Whichever number they pick, they must give that number of their own cards away to the player to their right. They can choose which cards they wish to give away (as long as it is the amount on the card they picked) but this may mean that they end up with a lot of cards by the end of the game. They must train themselves to give away that which they like. If they pick a number that exceeds the amount of cards they have, they return the number card to the stack and the next player takes their turn.

4). If a player picks a "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" number card that has no number on it and only a money bag on it, they can keep the card and this gives them the right to decline taking cards from any player once only. They have the option to choose another player who will receive the cards and that player must take the cards. After a player has declined once, they must place the card back into the stack/deck (at the bottom or in a random place). They must accept cards from the next player who gives them cards because they no longer have the "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" card in their possession.

5). The winner is the player who gets rid of all of his/her cards first (i.e. gives the most sadaqah).

The file includes, directions for play, 25 sadaqah cards, 10 number cards, and 2 "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" cards.

Download "Sadaqah! Sadaqah!" here insha'Allaah

Download Blank Playing Cards here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

**If you and your children play this game, please take pictures (without any people or animals in the picture) and perhaps we will have several guest posts from readers and their children about their experience with the game insha'Allaah** Please email me with your pictures and post insha'Allaah.

Next School Year Preparations

2011-07-14T19:32:00.004-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Back to School Preparations before Ramadan alhamdulillaah.

(click the pictures for better view)

Seasons Tags for the Calendar Area

I even had the pleasure of making days of the week tags for sis Umm Suhailah!

Weather Memory Game for Circle Time

"What is the Weather Today" Cut & Paste Book for students

Ice Cream Match File Folder Game (for when children are asked about their summer break, what they ate, did, etc.)

Opposites Booklets

I saw these on a blog this weekend (in English) and thought this is a great way to teach/reinforce opposites!

What else do I have to do?

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Recommended Book: شُكْراً

2011-07-06T20:01:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This book, شُكْراً (Shukran: Thank you), is simply lovely for children birth to five years.

The book publishers list the suggested age group as five years and older but the art work is delightful and drawn with such warm colours masha'Allaah and the simple, short sentences are those that children under five can easily relate to and understand insha'Allaah. Young children may find this book delightful and visually appealing....waallaahu a'lam.

The book lists different situations when we should say thank you but this is easily changed to jazakullaahu khayr. The story ends by mentioning how the child looks out of the window and sees the sun, the river, etc, and he hears the sounds of the birds and other things and for this we say to our Lord subhana wa ta 'ala, alhamdulilaah.

This book may or may not be part of your local library's collection (It is an Arabic book) but it can be purchased here insha'Allaah. But if you do happen to find it at your local library....check it out insha'Allaah!

Allaah Gave Me Clothes (Book 18)

2011-07-02T21:11:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, this is book #18, 'Allaah Gave Me Clothes', that compliments the Preschool Islamic Studies curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah (and recently I have learned that it is being used by many others alhamdulillaah). There are 22 mini-books in this series and this book was missing but alhamdulillaah with the posting of this book, the series is complete. Indeed, all of the praise and thanks are due to Allaah Alone who has allowed me to complete this series. I ask Allaah to accept this small, humble effort from me and to make it a source of knowledge and benefit for the youngest of our ummah. Jazakillaahu Khayr dear sis Umm Maimoonah for inviting me to take part in this wonderful endevour.

In this book children learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names and they are invited to explore clothing in its many shapes, sizes and colours. They have a chance to sort clothing according to the attribute of colour, they enjoy colouring activities, they listen to and indicate beginning consonant sounds of items of clothing and objects related to clothing. They also learn the dua' that we say when dressing and the dua' we say when undressing and more!

Download 'Allaah Gave Me Clothes' here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Outside My World (Book 22)

2011-06-29T20:39:00.003-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, this is book #22, 'Outside My World', that supplements the Islamic Studies Curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah. This is the last book for this curriculum but please check back as I will be posting book 18, 'Allaah Gave Me Clothes' soon insha'Allaah (this book is currently not available).

In this book, 'Outside My World', children are invited to complete many activities related to the solar system. Children learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names; they are invited to make a solar system mobile to hang from the ceiling; they have a chance to write their own space story (for children who are not writing yet, they can dictate the sentence to a parent or sibling who can write it for them insha'Allaah); they learn about and label the parts of a space shuttle, and more alhamdulillaah!

Parts of this book are in colour with the reasoning that I was not sure if it would be easy to distinguish the characteristics of the different planets in black and white. If you feel this will be no problem (i.e. distinguishing each planet's characteristics in black and white), printing the book in grey-scale should save your ink *smile* insha'Allaah.

Download book #22, 'Outside My World', here insha'Allaah

Check it Out: Bring on the Birds

2011-06-27T21:59:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The illustrations in this book are.....beautiful.

Bring On the Birds is a rhyming picture book that introduces children to exotic and some familiar birds.The book is intended for children 2-6 years old and the crisp, bold and very colourful illustrations will definitely draw young reader's attention. Each bird, in all of its splendor, is presented in its natural habitat and the short rhyming text teaches children a little about each bird. Children will see yet another example of Allaah's power and ability to create as they observe and learn about yet another part of His creation....beautiful, stunning....birds.

During your next trip to the library, check the shelf for Bring On the Birds and if you see it...check it out...and if you don't see this book on the shelf, stop by and ask the librarian about this book. Insha'Allaah, they may be able to obtain it through an inter-library loan.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Weather (Book 21)

2011-06-23T20:45:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is book #21, 'Weather', that suppliments the Islamic Studies Curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah.

In book 21, 'Weather', I've tried to reduce the level of this book a just a bit so that early to mid twos can also enjoy it and do more of the activities independently insha'Allaah. And there is a lot to do alhamdulillaah! Children learn that although we do our best to predict the weather accurately, in reality only Allaah knows what the weather will be. It is pointed out to children that we are often wrong in our attempts to predict the weather.

Children also have the chance to identify different types of weather, they learn two more of Allaah Most Beautiful Names and they learn (and are encouraged to memorize) the ad'iya for when it rains and when you hear thunder. They also have a chance to describe what types of weather occur in which seasons. There is a dot to dot puzzle and sand castle tracing for children to complete, a seasonal sorting exercise and more!

Download book 21, 'Weather' here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

-ap Family Word Book for Beginning Readers

2011-06-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the beginning reader for the -ap word family alhamdulillaah.

Children encounter the familiar short and repetitive sentences, with pictures accompanying them, to help them read independently with comprehension insha'Allaah. In this book children are invited to find the word in a hadith (provided in the book) that ends with the -ap sound and there is tracing practice, word/picture matching. There are also cards in the back of the book that the child can complete and make into flashcards.

Download the -ap word family book here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Basic Salat Sequencing Cards for Toddlers

2011-06-21T13:39:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The salat (and wudhu) sequencing cards from Learning Roots are excellent and beautifully crafted masha'Allaah. For children three years and older these cards are a wonderful way to teach the sequence of the salat (and wudhu).

But as many parents will tell you, many older infants and toddlers begin to show an interest in praying with their parents before they turn three. Admittedly, they often exit the salat quite early and perhaps skip a few steps *smile* but they seem to really put their heart into it (especially the sujood masha'Allaah!).

I thought for the little ones (under threes), we certainly want to encourage this early interest in the salat. This interest is also a great way to include a bit of math and cognitive work for them by letting them work on simplified salat sequencing cards. With simple language to help them understand ordinal words (first, next and last) we can teach them the basic sequence of a rakat of salat insha'Allaah. The cards can also be used with infants as well. If you print them in black and white you can show each card to the infant one at a time and simply name the position of salat (i.e. Qiyam, Ruku, etc.).

I made four large cards (I did not make the pictures on the cards) showing the four basic steps in a rakat and an answer key for the child(ren) to self-correct if needed.

Using very simple language you present the activity to the child in the following manner insha'Allaah:

1). Ask the child to bring a work mat to the area you'd like to work in insha'Allaah.

2). Bring the tray containing the sequencing cards and answer key sheet to the work mat.

3). Sit on the child's right hand side. Explain that together, you will learn how to make salat insha'Allaah. Take out the cards and place them on the mat. Make sure the cards are not in the correct sequential order.

4). Show the child the card that shows the first step in the salat and explain, using as few words as possible, what we do during this step and when we do this step (i.e. this is the qiyam. This is the first step we do in the salat. We stand like this and then make the takbir - i.e. say "Allaahu Akbar").

5). Place the card in the first spot in the upper right hand side of the work mat, starting from the child's right hand side.

6). Complete each card this way, moving from right to left, until you have shown and very briefly explained all four cards and they are on the mat in the correct order. Take out the answer key sheet and set it underneath the cards and show the child how you check to make sure you have put each card in the correct order (i.e. place the key under the cards and point to the first card and then point to the first position on the key. Alternately, you can even take the each card and place it next to the first, second, third, etc. positions on the key to compare them).

7). Mix the cards up and invite the child to try by himself or herself insha'Allaah. When the child is done, invite them to check (and self-correct if needed) their answers against the answer key. When the child gains proficiency, you can add cards (i.e. another qiyam, ruku, etc.) to show more steps of the salat as it progresses.

Here the sequence of cards was not done properly.

Provide the answer key and allow the child to compare and self-correct insha'Allaah.

Self-corrected activity

Leave this activity out on a low shelf for the child to access and play with as often as he/she would like insha'Allaah.

I printed the cards on cardstock and then mounted them onto poster board just to make sure they can withstand frequent handling insha'Allaah. I would even suggest that after those two steps, the cards be laminated if possible, especially if they will be used in a classroom insha'Allaah.

Here are the cards pictured and the key. You can download the same cards in black and white here and the black and white answer sheet here insha'Allaah.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Check it Out: Kitten's Summer

2011-06-19T19:16:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Kitten's Summer, is the third in a series of delightful books by Eugenie Fernandes.

Each book is filled with wonderful collage art work and each story is a fun rhyming story that follows kitten as he romps around the farm encountering delightful adventures. In Kitten's Summer, children encounter many words that describe how different animals move from place to place. Nicely written, the words in the story are not the common words used to describe movement and in this way children have an opportunity to build a rich vocabulary of verbs insha'Allaah.

There are three books in this series, Kitten's Spring, Kitten's Summer, and Kitten's Autumn and each one has proven to be a delightful read. Children as young as two years old may enjoy these stories...waallaahu a'lam.

The next time you're at your local library, check the shelf for all of the books in this series and if you can....check them out insha'Allaah!

-ake Family Word Book for Beginning Readers

2011-06-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the beginning reader for the -ake word family alhamdulillaah.

Children encounter the familiar short and repetitive sentences, with pictures accompanying them, to help them read independently with comprehension insha'Allaah. There is tracing practice, word/picture matching and there are also cards in the back of the book that the child can complete and make into flashcards, and a complete the sentence activity too.

Download the -ake family word book here insha'Allaah

** Sis Umm Suhailah, did you still need the books in colour? If so, here is this book in colour only insha'Allaah.

Allaah Gave Me A Healthy Body (Book 17)

2011-06-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is book #17, 'Allaah Gave Me A Healthy Body', to compliment the Preschool Islamic Studies Curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah.

In this mini-book children learn about the healthy body that Allaah has blessed them with. They have a bit of math review for the numbers 1-10, they have a chance to review healthy eating, they learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names and more!

Download 'Allaah Gave Me A Healthy Body' here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Things and People in My Neighbourhood (Book 20)

2011-06-12T21:53:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah here is book 20, Things and People in My Neighbourhood that compliments the Pre-School Islamic Studies curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah.

In 'Things and People in My Neighbourhood' children learn about people who live in their neighbourhoods and communities and the jobs they perform. They also learn about the rights of the neighbours in Islaam. They learn two more of Allaah's Names and have fun making new words insha'Allaah.

Download 'Things and People in My Neighbourhood' here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

-ar Family Word Book for Beginning Readers

2011-06-10T13:21:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the beginning reader that teaches the -ar word family.

Like the other books, the sentences are short and repetitive, with pictures accompanying them, to help children read independently with comprehension insha'Allaah. There are cards in the back of the book that the child can complete and make into flashcards, and a complete the sentence activity too.

Download the -ar Word Family Book here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

-an Family Word Book for Beginning Readers

2011-06-09T11:36:00.006-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is the beginning reader that teaches the -an word family.

Within, children will find repetitive sentences with matching pictures that help them read easily and independently insha'Allaah. There is also handwriting practice, shadow-picture matching, and more.

Download -an Word Family Book here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

-at Family Word Book for Beginning Readers

2011-06-06T21:01:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

For the sister who requested a beginning reader that teaches the -at word family, here is a little book that, insha'Allaah, will help in your journey. If you like, I can make a book for each of the word families insha'Allaah. Please just let me know and for the sake of Allaah I will be happy to do so.

Download "My Little Book of -at Words" here insha'Allaah

The language is repetitive (i.e. the sentences) to help the child be able to eventually read the book independently insha'Allaah. Also dear sis, I included some tracing practice for each of the words, a word-picture matching activity and a rebus story as well. Please let me know if this little book is what you had in mind.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Allaah Gave Me A Family (Book 16)

2011-06-03T20:47:00.005-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is book #16, "Allaah Gave Me A Family", for the Preschool Islamic Studies Curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah.This book will (eventually) most likely have two different book covers too. Insha'Allaah, I will add the second (different) book cover soon (the interiors will be the same).

Download, "Allaah Gave Me A Family" here insha'Allaah

Alhamdulillaah, here is the same book with a different cover (Barak Allaahu feki ya ukhti Mabsoota!)

Download "Allaah Gave Me A Family" (Same interior, different cover) here insha'Allaah

In this book, , "Allaah Gave Me A Family", children have the chance to learn about the people who make up a family. They learn that the family is a blessing from Allaah and they learn two more of His Beautiful Names. Children also get a chance to show how they fit into their family and how they are unique. They also have a chance to learn how to keep the ties of kinship with family members who may reside in a different country. There is word work, letter writing practice and more!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Check Back! Book 20, "Things and People in My Neighbourhood" Coming Soon insha'Allaah!

Getting Around: Land, Air & Water Vehicles (Book 19)

2011-05-30T18:58:00.005-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, this is book 19 from the Pre-School Islamic Studies Curriculum that sis Umm Maimoonah uses. Yes, this book is out of sequence but insha'Allaah, I will continue to post books 16-18 at the same time I am posting the books for weeks 19-22 to keep track with sis Umm Maimoonah and any others who may be on the same week that she is on insha'Allaah *smile*.

Download 'Getting Around: Land, Air & Water Vehicles' here insha'Allaah

In 'Getting Around: Land, Air & Water Vehicles', children learn about the Prophet's (sallallaahu alayhi wa salam) camel and how people used to get from place to place and they learn about the different types of land, air and water vehicles that we use today alhamdulillaah. Children are also introduced to using a bar graph to show information, they make new words, and learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names and more! You can also use these (pictured below) transportation puzzles - the puzzles in this file have no border around them but you can download the puzzles with a border around them below- to compliment this book and this colouring book as well insha'Allaah.

Download puzzles with border around them here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Allaah Gave Me A House to Live In! (Book 15)

2011-05-28T11:08:00.008-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah this is book # 15 that correlates/compliments the Pre-School Islamic Studies curriculum that sis Umm Maimoonah is using. There are two different book covers to choose from but the interiors are the same.

Download 'Allaah Gave Me A House To Live In!' (Boys & Girls Cover)

Download 'Allaah Gave Me A House To Live In! (Girls Cover)

In 'Allaah Gave Me A House to Live In', children learn that a house/home is a blessing from Allaah. They learn that not all people have homes or the comfort and security that accompanies them in many cases walhamdullillaah.

Children learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names and they also have a chance to 'build' a house using bricks that have letters on them and when combined, they make new words. Children also have an opportunity to judge for themselves which items do not belong in certain parts of the house; they match animals to their proper homes; they also have fine motor skill practice (tracing) through an activity that asks them to help each animal get home. Children also have the opportunity to count some of the blessing that Allaah has provided them by walking through their home and counting certain items (i.e. how many lamps Allaah has provided them, etc.). They also learn the ad'iya for entering and leaving the home and more!

Enjoy insha'Allaah! and Book 16 (Allaah Gave Me A Family) is coming soon insha'Allaah!

Insha'Allaah, will return to posting soon

2011-05-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Insha'Allaah, I will resume posting soon but prior to that I would like to sincerely ask all those who have taken the time to leave comments or email to please forgive me as I am considerably backlogged and have not had the chance to respond. I extend my apologies and I hope to be able to catch up soon insha'Allaah.

I also hope to post Book 15 from the PreK Islamic Studies Curriculum soon insha'Allaah.

Jazakum Allaahu Khayran

Toddler Busy Work

2011-05-09T12:48:00.007-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sometimes, especially at certain times of the year (i.e. end of school year, summer approaching, Ramadan, etc.), it's helpful to have activities on hand that toddlers can access and complete almost independently. The following activities are some that are used just for that purpose and some can be added to students portable writing centres as well.

Everything the toddler needs to complete the activity is stored in the plastic zip-lock bag. Teachers/parents can make several copies (enough for each student/child) of the worksheet (this worksheet is an extension from the activity in this post) and place them in a basket. In a second basket, you can place the plastic bags with the glue stick and pieces that need to be glued to the worksheet. Students take one worksheet and one bag and complete the activity independently insha'Allaah.

These books need to be assembled by teacher/parent. The pre-assembled book and a sheet with apple stickers is placed in a plastic bag for students to complete independently as well insha'Allaah. This little book (Arabic only) is for students to work on 1:1 correspondence.

Then on to fine motor skill practice and practical life activities:

This is a very common Montessori activity that helps children work on fine motor skills and the pincer grasp (the ability to grasp a small object between the tips of the thumb and index finger).

I added a practical life extension activity so that there was a bit of variety:

From a basket, students take a shirt and a clothes pin and hang the shirts on the line in the correct numerical order. There are shirts for 0-5 pictured here. Each shirt has a teddy bear (or bears) on it ranging from 0-5.

Into this activity you can place Control of Error so the child(ren) can check their work once they've hung all of the shirts on the line. By writing the numbers on the back of the shirts that correspond to the amount of bears on the front of the shirts, children can walk around the line of bears and make sure the numbers are in the correct order - i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The string that is used for this activity cannot/should not be left up when children are done with the activity. This activity also needs to be supervised by an adult as a choking hazard is present (i.e. the string which is at the toddlers eye level).

When children are done, they remove the shirts and clothes pins from the line and put them back in the basket and return the activity to the appropriate shelf/space.

Here is the shirt pattern I used for this and the teddy bears if you'd like to use them insha'Allaah. If you'd like to make shirts with bears up to the number 10 here are bears to complete the set insha'Allaah. An alternative is to use stickers to save time cutting out 55 teddy bears.

I also put together some little workbooks for toddlers and preschoolers to pick up and complete with little supervision or assistance (depending on the age of the child)

Above, these are two of the four (4) workbooks for toddlers to work on. The book in the bottom right hand corner is a little math book for toddlers and the book in the upper left corner is a colouring book for transportation.

In the math book, there are two pages that are to be cut out and the child pastes the pieces into the correct boxes on the appropriate page(s) (i.e. the piece that matches the picture on the page). Another activity requires that the child place the correct amount of stickers in each box (i.e. each box has a certain number of circles and the child must put the correct number of stickers in each box. So if a box has three circles, the child will put three stickers in that box - one over each circle insha'Allaah). Alternately, the child can colour in the circles in each box, making sure all circles for each number are the same colour (i.e. for the box with 5 circles all circles can be coloured blue insha'Allaah).

All of the workbooks are:

- Transportation (Arabic Only)

- Math (Title in Arabic but no words in the book)

- The Shapes (Arabic Only) colouring book and cut & paste activity

- Hadith Colouring Book (this is just a smaller version of this hadith colouring book)

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Picture Hunt (Vocabulary Building Reader)

2011-05-02T07:00:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is for a sister who wanted a book and activity that would help build vocabulary and observation skills for a young toddler insha'Allaah.

The mini-book asks if the child can find certain objects. The teacher/parent/ or another child who is reading the book to the child, picks an object from the many objects on the page and the child (who is being read to) attempts to find it first on the page in the book and then on his/her mat. When found, the child places a chip on the object. This is an Eye-Spy variation I would guess.

This is a sample page from the book and an example showing how the child would place the chip over the object on their mat.

To help build vocabulary, the names of all objects pictured in the book are found on the last pages of the book. Parents/teachers may choose to teach the names of the objects first, even if the child is not reading yet, prior to doing the activity with the child...waallaahu a'lam. And alhamdulillaah, I remembered that some sisters had asked for Arabic mini-books with the harakaat on the letters, so the letters have harakaat *smile*.

A second variation to the activity (not pictured) is intended for two children to play. Each child is given a mat that has some of the objects from the book on it. Each child's mat is slightly different (i.e. some objects on one mat are not on the other mat and vice-versa). Each child is also given matching pieces for their mat so they can place them over the objects when they find them insha'Allaah. A third person uses the book, picks an object from the page and asks children if they can find that object on their mat. The children check their mats and if they have the object on their mat, they place the matching piece over the picture. The first child to finish his/her mat wins.

Dear sis, if this activity is in line with what you needed, please let me know and I will make more mats so that all of the objects pictured in the book are available to you so that you can add variety to the activity insha'Allaah.

Download "Can You Find...? (book & mat) here insha'Allaah

Download "Can You Find..." (Second activity mats) here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Arabic Letter Identification Cards (Beginning, Middle and End Positions)

2011-04-28T20:46:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

A sister requested more cards to add to the set from this post. Dear sis, here are 8 more cards to add to the existing cards. If you need more than this please let me know. It may be a few weeks before I can upload more but insha'Allaah, for the sake of Allaah, I will be happy to do so.

Download "Which Letter?" (Set 3) here insha'Allaah

These cards are used with children who have a firm grasp of the Arabic alphabet and are ready to begin identifying them in their initial, medial and end positions insha'Allaah. Using a do-a-dot marker or a plastic chip, children indicate which letter is highlighted in red.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Who is Allaah? (Book 1)

2011-04-25T21:11:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is Book # 1 that compliments the Preschool Islamic Studies curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah. The book is called, "Who is Allaah?". This book was not originally done because sis Umm Maimoonah had already completed week 1 of her curriculum before this idea was born. For those who have looked for it, I apologize for the delay.

In this book children learn who Allaah is. They also learn two more of His Most Beautiful Names, and they learn about the vowels in English and the question mark. They have a chance to trace Arabic and English letters and more!

Download "Who is Allaah? here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

A side note: A sister emailed me a version of this book that she did. Dear sis, I have not had the chance to open that email and see the book but as soon as I am able I will most certainly do so with pleasure insha'Allaah. Jazakillaahu Khayr!

Allaah Gives Me Sickness and Cure (Book 14)

2011-04-23T21:25:00.000-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Innal Alhamdalillaah, here is book #14 that corresponds to the Preschool Islamic Studies Curriculum used by sis Umm Maimoonah. The book is called "Allaah Gives Me Sickness and Cure".

In this book children learn that the sickness and the cure are from Allaah Alone. They learn the dua' that one says when feeling pain in the body, they have fun making new words and doing "Band-aide" math, and they learn two more of Allaah's Beautiful Names, plus more alhamdulillah!

Download "Allaah Gives Me Sickness and Cure" here insha'Allaah

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Posting Slow Down

2011-04-20T07:14:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Due to current demands on my schedule, posting on A Muslim Child is Born will be a bit slower than usual. Insha'Allaah, I will resume posting the Islamic Studies Books soon as well as other activities.

If you have recently emailed me, please accept my apology for the time it is taking to respond. Insha'Allaah, as my schedule resettles, I will do my best to answer all emails.

Jazakum Allaahu Khayran

Aqeedah Activity for Preschool (Part 4)

2011-04-10T12:18:00.010-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Working with the sentence:

وَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ الْمَطَرَ وَيَرْزُقُ عِبَادَهُ وَيُعَافِيهِمْ وَيَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُعْبَدَ وَحْدَهُ

{And He is the One Who sends down the rain and provides for His slaves and protects them and He deserves to be worshiped Alone.}

The following activities can be done insha'Allaah:

First, children listen to the teacher/parent read ayah number 11 from Surah An-Nahl:

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ

{He it is Who sends down water (rain) from the sky; from it you drink and from it (grows) the vegetation on which you send your cattle to pasture.}

After a brief discussion about how the rain that Allaah sends down provides food for us by His Mercy and Permission, and how much of this food can be grown in gardens, children 4 years and older can make this garden activity (and children 4 and under can glue the raindrops into the scene after an adult draws the garden scene for them).

Using a paper plate, children draw a garden that has different vegetables and fruits. They then glue (or draw) rain clouds and rain drops into the scene.

The gate/fence is done using construction paper and is not glued directly onto the garden scene, instead it is glued around the edge of the paper plate. Children can place cards in this little pocket that show different types of foods that are grown in gardens or you can make cards that have different ad'iya (pl. of dua') on them that relate to rain, and thanking Allaah for our food. It can then be hung on the wall insha'Allaah.

Here are a few ad'iya related to rain that can be used:

Supplication for rain:

اللّهُمَّ أغِثْنـا، اللّهُمَّ أغِثْنـا، اللّهُمَّ أغِثْنـا.

Allahumma aghithna, allahumma aghithna, allahumma aghithna.

‘O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us.’

Supplication during rain:

اللّهُمَّ صَيِّـباً نافِـعاً .

Allahumma sayyiban nafiAAa.

‘O Allah, may it be a beneficial rain cloud.’

Supplication after the rain:

مُطِـرْنا بِفَضْـلِ اللهِ وَرَحْمَـتِه.

Mutirna bifadlil-lahi warahmatih.

‘We have been given rain by the grace and mercy of Allah.’

For the part of the phrase/sentence, "and He protects them and He deserves to be worshiped alone" you can talk with children about what type of clothing we wear and the things we need when it rains (i.e. raincoat, galoshes, umbrella, etc. and how Allaah has given us these things to protect us from the elements (i.e. weather) and we should remember that it is Allaah alone that deserves to be worshiped. We were unable to do this section of the activities but if you have a template of clothes worn in rainy weather, there are several activities you can do with your child(ren) insha'Allaah.

The next activity is a math activity: students work on sorting using umbrella mats and raindrops. Different colour raindrops are presented and then children sort the raindrops and place them on the appropriate umbrella mat based on colour.

When done, children return the mats and raindrops to the basket and then return the basket to the appropriate shelf.

An art activity: Continuing with the part of the sentence that says, "And He is the One who sends down the rain...", children learn about the ways we keep ourselves from getting wet when it rains. You can invite children to make umbrellas.

Using construction paper, a dowel, a hot glue gun (teacher/parent only), and stickers, children can easily make these umbrellas insha'Allaah. For older toddlers and kindergarten students, you can invite them to decorate their umbrellas with markers or crayons (and even paint) before it is assembled. For young toddlers, they seem to enjoy the fun with stickers.

Next, the hard work begins. Well, not really... maybe it's fun work.

First, I put together an umbrella puzzle. You can find these type of puzzles easily on the Internet alhamdulillaah and they are very simple to make. Children around 2.5 years old can begin to complete these puzzles with accuracy insha'Allaah.

The pieces are mounted on very sturdy cardboard to withstand (as much as possible) frequent toddler handling. In the lower right hand corner there is a picture of the umbrella so children can check their work afterward to make sure they assembled the puzzle correctly insha'Allaah.

Piecing the puzzle together in progress.

I later added two other puzzles for increased challenge and/or variation:

I chose a fruit and vegetable to go along with the garden that was made.

Then, after reading aloud the book A Closer Look, I had the idea to have an activity that encourages children to guess.

This activity uses the same concept from this post.

The raindrops inside of each envelope are not in sequential order, they are in random spots so that children may work on guessing and not say the numbers in order because they realize the raindrops follow the 1-10 sequence.

Before the child opens an envelope, which is kept closed with little Velcro circles, they guess how many raindrops are inside of the envelope. Then they open the envelope and confirm their guess by counting each raindrop to see the actual number. You may notice that there are 11 envelopes and not 10; there is an envelope for 'zero' to help reinforce children's understanding of this number.

The last activity is also a math activity and is for younger toddlers or older toddlers who are working on 1:1 correspondence.

Using this little book, toddlers use confetti, glitter, crayons, or other art materials to colour in the rain drops on each page. The book covers the numbers 1-5.

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Allaah Hears Everything (Book 13)

2011-04-04T21:20:00.002-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, here is book # 13 that compliments sister Umm Maimoonah's preschool Islaamic Studies Curriculum. The book is called, "Allaah Hears Everything".

Download 'Allaah Hears Everything' here insha'Allaah

**Download corrected pages (2) here insha'Allaah**

In this mini-book children learn that Allaah hears all things through a story from the Qur'aan. Children are then given several activities to do that involve learning about our sense of hearing. They are also introduced to decibels and learn how the ear can be damaged by being exposed to things that have decibels over a certain level. There is handwriting practice and children learn two more of Allaah's Most Beautiful Names.

If you find any mistakes in this, or any of the books, please contact me so that I may correct the error insha'Allaah. Jazakum Allaahu Khayran!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Another Way to Encourage Children's Writing

2011-03-28T08:52:00.003-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

What do you get when you take a box:

a few paper towel rolls,

and add a little clip art, some paint and a lots of imagination?

............ a portable toddler writing centre!

Inside, children find both regular and colour pencils, crayons, a glue stick, small envelopes, a writing pad made with scrap paper, erasers, a ruler that was made with cardboard and a fine tip marker, and stamps downloaded from Easel & Ink.

As early as 18 months, some children are able to hold markers, pencils and crayons. Thus they begin their first attempts at writing and although we may not be able to decipher the text they happily present to us, these are their first steps toward what will later develop into letters and pictures insha'Allaah.

As parents and teachers, we can help children in this process by providing crayons, pencils, markers, scratch paper, erasers, and all sorts of goodies that children love to "write" with. Keeping these accessories handy encourages children to begin to attempt writing insha'Allaah.We can also help by cheerfully acknowledging those doodles and scratches when the little ones show them to us. By acknowledging these attempts with comments such as "Masha'Allaah! What a wonderful truck you've drawn" or "That is a very neat letter C masha'Allaah!" (or whatever they have told us their writing/drawing is) we are helping children feel that what they have attempted and contributed counts and that we truly value it. And as children begin to understand that print conveys meaning, they are also beginning another incredible journey...learning how to read insha'Allaah.

This little writing centre is portable and while I say toddler writing centre, the portable part and all other aspects of it really go right up to Kindergarten. So grab a box, some paper towel rolls, some paint and imagine away! Whatever you and your children design, it will be "write" on target insha'Allaah!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

[Cross Post]: Check It Out!: Where Do Tiger-Heron's Spend the Night

2011-03-27T07:00:00.001-06:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This is a cross-post from The Well Read Muslim

Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night?

This book teaches about unusual birds and their habitats and behaviours. Each page presents children with subtle and appealing acrylic illustrations of each bird and its habitat. The text asks the child a question about the bird and the child lifts the flap on the opposite page to find the answer. The text rhymes and also presents children with vocabulary that they may not be accustomed to hearing. Words like: mangroves, crests, plunge, warbling and gizzard are just a few examples.

This is one aspect of the book I liked. I recently read that Jim Trelease said [paraphrasing]: "If a child never hears a word, he won't say it. If he never says it, how will he be able to read it or write it?" That is a key in literacy education - putting words in childrens' ears. And that is yet one more beauty (and advantage) of reading aloud: children are exposed to scores of words that, independently, they cannot read but can understand when heard in context or with a little explanation insha'Allaah.

In Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? even the names of the birds are unusual and exotic sounding. Have you ever heard of a ptarmigan (pronounced tar-ma-gun)? That aspect mixed with the appealing illustrations and fun text combine to make this book one children may love hearing read aloud...waallaahu a'lam.

The only thing I changed in the story when reading it aloud was a line of text that seemed.....a bit...ummm..morbid? The text reads, ' Why does a vulture soar high overhead ? It's sniffing the wind for the scent of the dead.' Instead I read, 'Why does a vulture soar high overhead? It finds dinner but doesn't get dirty with its shinny bald head.'

Overall, Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? is a wonderful book that I hope to add to my library insha'Allaah. The next time you're at your local library, check the shelf and if you see 'Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night?' check it out insha'Allaah!

Enjoy insha'Allaah!