Sr Alif Blogs

Meet Captain Arabia…..FINALLY, our very own Muslim Super Hero!

Reading Age Group: 4 years old- 10 years old

In Captain Arabia, and the Baby Camel, Little Saif, is a selfless hero that reminds our young readers that Salah is the most important priority of the day. No matter what he’s in the middle of doing, he will put it aside to go offer his Salah!

Lamia Mudarres, the author who graduated from Dar Al Fikr, wrote this story for a 12th grade project. It quickly became popular and they decided to publish it. She obviously has tapped into every Muslim parent’s dream of presenting a hero to their children that promotes and educates a Muslim mind to what the real priorities are in life and what they need to strive for! Thank you Lamia!! You granted our first wish, and I hope you grant our second one too…..we want MORE titles so we can read about Saif!!!

When I read this to my students, the first thing that got their attention were the cute, attractive illustrations and facial expressions. They looked on closely and attentively as I read to them. We discussed why Saif would put aside his own wishes to do something and help others when they asked for help instead. His obedience to Allah is the core of his character! We loved that about Saif, because he showed us how we can prioritize and make our decisions based on Allah’s commands! The kids also enjoyed learning about Saif’s desert lifestyle and his baby pet camel, oh mind you, not just any kind of camel….this little camel knows how to play soccer!!

 If you would like to buy your own copy of this entertaining, yet educational book, go here.  It’s sitting on the shelf of my classroom, and it’s been a great addition to my library, I see kids pulling out the book whenever they get a chance. What a great investment! 

Buy the book here. 

Sister Reminder Blogs

I wanted to share a wonderful website I found, if you register, it sends you daily reminders to your email inbox. Here’s one such reminder….

Questioning About Delights

 The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The first question that a person will be asked, about the delights (of this world), on the Day of Resurrection will be, ‘Did We not give you good health? Did We not give you cool water to drink?’” [Tirmidhi]

Some people do not realize the great blessings that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has bestowed on them. They do not appreciate the blessing of having water to drink and food to eat, or the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon them in their homes, spouses and children. They think that luxury means having palaces, gardens and fancy means of transportation.

A man asked Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, “Are we not among the poor Muhaajireen?” Abdullah said to him, “Don’t you have a wife to whom you return at the end of the day?” He said, “Yes.” Abdullah asked, “Don’t you have a house to live in?” He said, “Yes.” Abdullah said, “Then you are one of the rich.” He said, “I have a servant.” Abdullah said, “Then you are one of the kings.” [Muslim]

How many of us are rich, and how many of us are kings, yet we remain thankless to Allah?

“Then, on that Day, you shall be questioned about the delights (you enjoyed in this world).” [Quran: Surah Takathur, Ayat 8]

Artsy Ummi Blogs

Eid cards are in! Yay!

Wishing everybody a blessed and joyous Eid Day!  

Enjoy the downloads! 

Download Here: Jannahsteps Eid Card1.

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 Download Here: Jannahsteps Eid Card 2.

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 Download Here: Jannahsteps Eid Card 3

Old Eid Card Downloads can be found here! 

Artsy Ummi Blogs

Don’t have enough time to read the Quran? Here’s something you can prepare ahead of time to pull out when you want your little one settled down while you allow yourself to catch up on that Ramadan reading! 

Directions:

1. Masjid Suncatcher Template Print Here….please print this on heavier paper like cardstock! 

2. Cut out the “windows” of the masjid ahead of time, ready to pull out when  you need that time!  

3. Settle your child down with these supplies: glue, different colored cellophane (precut into shapes that can go over any window) 
(If your child can handle scissors, I would just allow him to do the cutting himself, just hand him some larger size pieces to cut!)

4. While you read Quran, you know your child has something to keep himself occupied with! 

Busy Baby Mama Blogs

Just started a Ramadan Suhoor tradition at home….When pancakes look this cute, be warned, your kids might want them for Iftaar too!!

Busy Baby Mama Blogs

In Islam, we learn to give  to others without expecting something in return. 

However, to encourage the spirit of Ramadan, Pik, the super talented Muslimah at Sakina Design has created an entire line of Ramadan Party Printables! For only $19.99 you not only get to donate a toy to a deserving child (100% of the funds go directly to the charity), but also receive a set of printables to use in your next Eid Bash! Owning a set of digital files really means that you will get to print them over and over again for each Ramadan party you decide to throw. If it’s Adam’s first fast you are celebrating, or Salma’s Girls-Only Iftar party….this party line is so versatile, it can go with any theme you pick in this month!

Now you tell me, if that’s not the spirit of giving, then what is? Hurry, the offer will end soon….Go here to Download.

Artsy Ummi Blogs

We all know how difficult it is to find Ramadan and Eid related party supplies at the stores we frequent. Each year, when our festivities approach, I don’t know about you, but I am scurrying around like a headless chicken to find products from stores that I can “Islamify” and slap on the Eid label…. Sometimes, I just wish I didn’t have to spend this much energy in trying to put a party together. And sometimes, I do wish that someone else did all the thinking for me. So when I learned about Eid Creations, no one was happier than moi!!

Eid Creations, headed by a woman (yay!) is a California-based company, whose motto is just that…..”We Create, You Celebrate”, specialize in bringing good quality Ramadan and Eid related products literally to your doorstep! From beautiful colored Mylar Moon & Star shaped balloons to paper goods and napkins, they are working on creating more designs and themes to fit your Islamic lifestyle needs! As if that’s not enough, you won’t find such competitive deals anywhere else! For only $2 – $2.25 for a pack of 10 plates (two different sizes) and napkins to match, you really won’t be thinking twice at your next party or get together! In the spirit of true Islam, Eid Creations also gives back 5% of their sales to charity. It’s a win-win situation for all of us! 

Ok, wait, now that’s not it…..Eid Creations will be hosting a GIVEAWAY this Ramadan exclusively for our Jannahsteps readers!!!

We now have a winner: REIAN!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The Giveaway starts from August 3rd to August 6th (11:59 AM PST).

You can enter by simply leaving us a comment after visiting the website EID CREATIONS.

Come back and tell us what design you loved best.

A random selected winner will receive this amazing set of party ware for your Eid Celebration (Set of 10 Appetizer plates, Set of 10 Dinner plates and coordinating napkins for both)!

US Shipping only. Sorry international readers, perhaps in the future, Inshallah! 

By the way, you can also follow them on facebook or follow their tweets!

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Being a class mom can be fun, but being a creative class mom can sometimes be challenging!

My first challenge – a twist on the regular bake sale……a Lunch Sale! Every Friday, each class gets an opportunity to do a Bake Sale during lunch hours, and my turn came last Friday! After hounding money from my class parents who didn’t want to cook, finding moms with baking skills, making my grocery list and going shopping, printing flyers on a whim…. then, standing all day selling or haggling with students who wanted a $3.00 sandwich for $1.50…hang in there, FINALLY, counting the money that amounted up to $800 at the end of the day, did make all the headache and the sweat turn in to sweet success.

Let me tell you about our top selling item on the menu that made all the difference. Our very own, Home-Made Happy Meals! They were a huge hit!  I had 22 Kindergaten kids decorate white lunch bags with their colorful artistic  doodles. I had them write “Minhaal Happy Meals”, you can replace the school name with your own. Oh and they had no problem making 150 bags for me in two days! Some kids even remembered how to write the word “Happy” and “Meal” because they wrote it so many times!

What went into our meals? Easy peasy, we baked chicken nuggets and made fun shaped pasta. Added 100 % juice boxes, and for snack, filled zip lock bags with cut apples & grapes. Did I mention the most important part of this meal? Ok, this is key …throw in a PARTY TOY!  We advertised our happy meals on our flyers, and it was a winner for parents and kids both! Healthy food choice for mom, and toy prizes for kids. The teachers were telling me to sell Air Heads and Ringpops, because they made a lot of money from them in the past, but I did not want to give into the the junk-food-get-rich-scheme. I insisted that parents truly don’t want to give them junk but are caving into kids passion for sweets. I stuck with fruit salad packs, and I was pleasantly surprised that kids ate them happily.

Remember to advertise your event in advacne and work up a buzz in the corridors. I had the kids make an ad headband and sing a jingle (in the process, allowed them to experience the power of advertising).  We also went into every class including the teachers lounge and had them promote our bake/lunch sale!

Here are the details if you wish to do one in your school or masjid. Please let me know how it went…what new ideas do you have that worked in your sale?

Materials:

White Lunch Bags

Markers

Chicken Nuggets (home made or purchase the Zabiha ones from a local store)

Colored pasta (wheels, bow ties, shells, etc)

Olive Oil

Seasoning

Grapes

Apples

Pineapples Chunks

100% Juice Boxes or Milk Boxes

Cheap Lunch Containers (from your local wholesale place)

Cute little toys (from your local wholesale place)

1. Decorate the bags with markers and write “HAPPY MEAL” on them

2. Have class parents bake the chicken nuggets and cook the pasta (no tomato sauce-just add olive oil and seasoning)

3.  Pack the same amount of food in each container

4. Make fruit baggies. Wash & cut the apples. Drizzle some lemon juice on them  so they do not brown. Pick the grapes from their stems. Cut the pineapple into small chunks. If you add pineapple chunks from a can then you will not need any lemon juice. Place a few apple slices, some grapes and pineapples in each ziploc.

5. Pack your lunch bag- place a food container, a juice pack, fruit bag,  and a toy. Have the children help assemble the Happy Meals, and deliver them to each class on a wagon!

My first challenge accomplished, Alhumdulillah….I can’t wait for my next one!

 Globe Girl blogs

I chanced upon a beautifully illustrated children’s book: Kids of the Ummah by Peter Gould and Inshirah. Peter Gould as many of you may know, is a very popular upcoming Muslim artist who Mashallah does amazing things with his God given talent. You can take a look at his website here. 

Perhaps I cannot call it a “book” as Kids of the Ummah is a quality children’s publication or digital download. Which means, you can directly purchase it on this link. Then you will receive an email with the PDF file. This file can be opened on your PC/Mac, iPad or similar  device with PDF capabilities. Oh and did I mention, it can be purchased for JUST $1?!! Yes, one dollar!

I think it is a must have for any Islamic Preschool and Kindergarten….a great way to incorporate some kind of technology in class. It’s perfect to have on the iPad for your own kids to run their fingers through the gorgeous pages when they are waiting in line at the doctor’s office. I personally found this to be a decent first time exposure to Muslim names as well as getting acquainted to Islamic cities around the world. I found that my 7 year old loved observing the architectural differences and similarities. She asked questions about the newly heard of cities too. Where as I am sure a toddler will be just as happy to listen to you read and point at pictures and stare at the cute little peek-a-boo faces.

I hope they come up with some more titles to make a whole series, Inshallah!