Globe Girl blogs from the desert sands of Africa

Who Doesn’t Like a Good Date? Nutrition and fun all in the same package? That’s what you get when you make these yummy date bars with the kids!

Originating in the desert oasis of northern Africa and southwest Asia, the date is thought to be one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruits.

The Prophet of Allah (SAW) is reported to have said: “If any one of you is fasting, let him break his fast with dates. In case he does not have them, then with water. Verily water is a purifier.”

Dates are rich in natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh dates are easily digestible and are therefore good for supplying the body with quick energy. Dates contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are all advantageous for health. And so the consumption of even one date daily can lend itself to a balanced and healthy diet. Pair the dates with a cookie, and you’ve got a winning combination everyone is sure to love!

Oatmeal Date Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted and chopped dates
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups quick–cooking oats
• 1 cup all–purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 egg white

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the dates, water, and sugar. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the butter and egg white until blended. Pat half of the mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Carefully spread with date mixture. Gently pat remaining oat mixture over date mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Source:  allrecipes.com

Sister Reminder blogs

It is reported that “The Prophet (pbuh) was naturally the most generous of people and he used to be more generous than ever in the month of Ramadan” (Sahih Bukhari)

Ramadan can not be a month of fasting without the month of giving. Just as salah and zakah go hand in hand, so does this holy month with charity. Here are some interesting Ramadan charity ideas that can easily be done as a family or as a masjid community. And….don’t just stop after Ramadan! After this month it can continue on as a long term project, and a life long endeavor.

Make a Family Sadaqa Jar 

A friend of mine gave me a wonderful idea about making a family Sadaqa jar which can be made from an empty plastic jar. It’s good to be able to see the jar, so your child can see the money piling up. Every time they want to run to get an ice cream truck, or get a pizza, or want to buy something from the store-tell them to decide if they want to buy the item or place that money to the sadaqa box. Majority of the time they may opt to give instead. Every time they receive money from relatives, a portion of it can go to the  box. Before the end of Ramadan, you can have them open it up and count to see how much money can be raised by just collecting nickels and dimes! They can donate it to their favorite charity organization.

Fundraise for a Cause

A wonderful homeschool mom from Brooklyn sent us her idea to raise $ for the African Horn Famine. Jezak-Allah for the your idea! “My son did a great activity and raised over $160 dollars (through his relatives at iftarr) for the people of Somolia and Ethiopia (29,000 kids have already died this month from the famine!) We are going to send the money through Islamic Relief.

Just take a Ragu bottle (any bottle will do) and take tissue paper of all sizes- mix some elmers glue with water to paint all those tissues papers on. Then write a letter of appeal together. I wrote it and he held the crayon with me. Last, cut out strips of paper and write thank you. this is the person donating ticket they get as like  a receipt for their donation.
Masha’Allah its amazing how much those cute little faces can raise when they ask for money heh!”

Adopt an Orphan

This website Orphans in Need provide you with one to one connection with the orphan around the world. Only about $50.00 a month, you can provide an orphan clean water, shelter, nutritious food, medical attention, and education. They guarentee your contribution will be used on the child 100%, and not go to the overhead expense.

This organization provides information about your child you sponsored, and you receive a monthly report about the child’s progression. You will also have opportunity to communicate directly by sending letters and gifts, as well as visitation rights.

They are also building an ‘eco-freindly’ orphan village outside Delhi, India which will accommodate hundreds of children who would normally live in slums that exist in and around the major urban areas of  India.

Clean the Masjid

You don’t always have to give money… instead, give your time. I saw one high school MSA group that came together and cleaned the masjid before Jumma. This was a great help for the older gentleman working there who usually cleans the entire masjid himself before the Friday prayer!

Create an Eid Toy Drive in Your Local Community Masjid. Set a date for an Eid Toy Drive Give Away. I would do it a few days or even weeks before Eid to lessen the burden. Hand out flyers to masjids, Muslim businesses, and even in local non-Muslim supermarkets.  Then send out emails, facebook, and twitter your event to get your friends interested in donating new toys. You can remind them that it can be considered part of  their Sadaqatul -Fitr. And the needy kids will actually get gifts before Eid!

You can also support the National Eid Toy Drive and buy from http://muslimtoysanddolls.com/. For every $20.oo you buy from the store site, they give one toy and two gifts for parents of impoverished children in the US. It is wrapped and it comes with an Eid Card. The company’s goal is to give 2000  toys this year. For more information you can call 866-390-1559.

Busy Baby Mama blogs

After reading this post, I had to try making my own! I made this one with my child using a tomato sauce jar, tissue paper, wire and beads.

1. Use watered-down glue and tissue paper, and let your child paste the color tissue on the jar. You can add designs, by cutting heart shapes, moons or stars.

2. When completely covered with the tissue, paint modge podge over it to seal your child work.

3. Wrap wire around the top of the jar. Leave enough wire that it can make a loop and tie to the other end.

4. Have your child add beads through the wires. Finally, tie the open end of the wire to finish! 

5. You can use LED light, or even tea candle ( I found the bottle very heat durable) and have it as house decoration. If you want to take it out I would recommend using plastic jars.                                        

My daughter was so thrilled, she could not wait to take it to the masjid to show her new home made fanoose at  the local masjid!

Sr Alif blogs

So many math concepts can be taught in the month of Ramadan! Here are some nifty ideas with masjid math connections! 

1. Here is a shape coloring page for kids to color during Tarawih time! DOWNLOAD HERE: masjid math #1

2. Build some Masajid from around the world using pattern blocks. Pattern blocks are a popular form of teaching geometry, symmetry, and patterns. This site offers an Islamic twist. Well worth printing the color downloads too: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21335679/pattern-blocks-masjids

3. Have fun making these 3-D Masjid using legos. What a great way to spend time with your child building masajid with legos! This clever Muslim mom made wonderful masajid with her child. Two models so far…would love to see some more!

4. Recycle containers can be made into 3-D mosques! This is quite a challenge if your kids are little, but it’s good pass time if you like to papermache and have the time to spend with them. I would recommend making a smaller masjid with the little ones, and tape the boxes together before the child adds the strips. Also, this is a great way to teach 3-D shapes i.e.cube, cylinder, dome, pyramid. This is a great project for the older ones to complete on their own! 

Artsy Ummi blogs

Fanoos Lamps that originated in Egypt around 969 AD have widely been incorporated into other parts of the world including the United States. The history of how the fanoose lamp originated is mixed with legendary  tales of Fatimid Caliph Moezz el-din’s entrance to Egypt in the early part of Ramadan. The Egyptians recieved him with lamps and torches, and since then the Fanoos has been known as one of the icons of Ramadan. Another explanation for this lamp tradition is that during the 12th century in the reign of Mumlek, the women were mostly restricted to stay home after dark. However during Ramadan, they were permitted to go to break their fast with their relatives, as long as they had a child leading the way with a fanoose. This allowed the men to know that the women were coming, so they cleared the path for them out of respect.

If you go to Egypt in Ramadan, you can see the children continuing the lamp holding tradition, running in the streets after dark with their fanoos swinging  from their hands, collecting sweets and money.  You can hear the children singing about the Mesahaty who carries the Fanoos and  wakes people up at night in order to eat before Fajr. The traditional fanoose is made of tin and glass, however this has become a craft tradition in America to both Muslims and Non-Muslims to celebrate the welcoming of Ramadan. Most of them made from paper materials, that use LED lights instead of candles!

Here are some crafty Muslim mom Fanoos Lamp List. 

Here’s a great recycling idea! It might take you two days to make this although it is very easy! 

http://www.americasmuslimfamily.com/hullabaloo/fanoos/fanoos.html

Very cute paper fanoos, It also looks like hmmmm…minature pinatas!

http://muslimlearninggarden.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/eid-lantern-fanoos/

Here’s a link to make your own LED lights with sheet protectors, so easy and beautiful! I also like the Ramadan Gift Bag idea on this same link. You can gift your home made lanterns in these gift bags. 

http://growmama.com/tutorial/ramadan-crafts/

Busy Baby Mama blogs

The Prophet (pbuh) said “This is the month of charity in which believer’s sustenance is increased. Whosoever feeds a fasting person or gives a fasting person a single date or a sip of water, to break the fast, for him there shall be forgiveness of his sins and he will be saved from the fire of hell, and for him shall be the same reward as for him (whom he fed)” (Tirmidhi)

The children are  never too young to learn about charity. It seems the younger they are, the more compassion they have for those who do not have. I remember hearing that one masjid made Iftar baskets to give to the needy people around their area. So my daughter and I got busy, and made our own.

Here are the steps you can take to make your own Iftar basket.

1. Buy baskets at the 99cent stores, or sometimes thrift stores have a good deal of them! You also need cellophane wrapper , tape, and ribbons.

2. Buy food items that can make one family meal. For example-For Pasta Dish, Buy spaghetti, tomato sauce, spices, fresh oregano or thyme, pamasan cheese will go in the basket. You can even add your favorite recipe too.

3. Have your child put them inside the basket. Explain each ingredient will make  the recipe. Help your child wrap the basket with cellophane. Add tape to any openings. Twist at the top, and wrap it with tape to secure the top.

4. Embellish it with Ribbons and Eid Cards! This one was a dot paint Eid Card made by my little infamous artist!

Sr Alif blogs

Kudos to these wonderful Muslim homeschoolers who share their awesome lessons on Ramadan. In the future, we will add links to our favorites. Insh-Allah. For now I’d like to mention some of the wonderful worksheets that they have contributed for the growing little Pre-K and Kindergarten Muslims for the month of Ramadan.

Go over the Alphabet with this special Ramadan themed alif, baa, taa from Handmade Beginnings!

http://handmadebeginnings.blogspot.com/2010/08/abc-of-ramadan-colouring-book.html

A Muslim Child is Born Blog came up with this Ramadan Activity themed Book. Colorful and bright to make children enjoy their math and reading skills during Ramadan!

http://amuslimchildisborn.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-activity-book-for-kids.html

A whole Ramadan Kit with stories, downloads worksheets, and a certificate too from Mini Mumin Series. 

http://www.mini-mumin.com/RK.html

Ramadan Flashcards that has cutting edge graphics from Smart Ark!

http://www.smartark.com/Blog(1882517).htm

Talibideen Junior Ramadan has even got worksheets for Pre-K . You don’t forget a thing, sister TJ

http://talibiddeenjr.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/ramadan-kindergarten-readingcoloring-book/

My printer is cranking, and my ink is running out….but I can only be grateful! What a blessing for these easy ready-made downloads!

If you have any that you would like to share with us, leave a comment, we would love to add them! 

Sister Reminder blogs

There was a boy who came into my Islamic class very grumpy  one morning during the early days of Ramadan. I asked him if everything was Ok. He said, “No!” ” What happened? ” I asked. He said with detest, “My dad won’t let me fast because he said I’m too young.” Another student piped up and said,”Well you’re already 7 years old. You’re old enough!” He retorted,”That’s what I told him!” I had to chuckle to see the zeal in these children that Allah(SWT) gave them the love of fasting at such an early age.  It also is the spirit of good Islamic parenting that encourages children to fast when their families and friends are fasting too.

Here are some baby steps of fasting to encourage the children who are not yet of age, but can start practicing the Ramdan rituals:

1.  Create a Fasting Chart. Children can help color in the graph through out the Holy month.  They can use- Red for not fasting, Orange for fasting 2 hours, Blue for fasting half a day, and Green for fasting all day. Download the simple template here: Ramadan fasting chart. If you prefer a cut and paste chart already in color, then here’s the download. And here’s another one. 

2. Let them choose their Sahoor and Iftar Menu Daily: They can help write a simple dish on the Daily Sahoor and Iftar Planner.For example Sahoor: Oatmeal, Iftar: Macaroni and Cheese. Download here: ramadan menu of the day

3. Set a goal every day. Discuss with your child how long they will fast. It can be for one hour if you see that your child is restless. Or half a day if your child is very interested. Set the goal according to what is easy for them. The point is for them to feel a sense of hunger just for them to understand what “fasting” means. Do not exceed a point that the child is so uncomfortable that he begins disliking to do the act. You can always start with shorter hours, and everyday increase it. 

4. Let the child eat Sahoor later. If the child is not able to get up for Sahoor at Fajr, leave him to eat later. Let the child know that he can do this only because he is still practicing, and eventually he can practice waking up before Fajr.

5. Keep them occupied. Let them be busy with some play, toys, or games. Their fast will seem easier when they are busy and have something to do. Buy them special toys for Ramadan that you can surprise them with.

6. Be with other kids who are fasting. Have playdates with other kids and moms that are fasting. Just getting together and watching Islamic videos, playing board games, and just enjoying each others company can make the time pass more quickly and easily.

7. Remember those who have not. Most American children have never experienced poverty. The pangs of pain is a good reminder about the suffering of children in war stricken countries or countries with natural disasters. Especially during this time, discuss the African Horn Famine going on now in Ethiopia and Somalia and how over 24000 children died of hunger in this month alone. Reading children books and videos that remind our youth to care for orphans and the poor may also spring out charity ideas and projects. Visit http://islamicrelief.com/ to see pictures and donate.

8. Have some quiet time with the Quran. Let children spend time reading Quran or Hadith. If they are young, this can be a good time to rest and listen to some beautiful Qirat! 

9.  Make their favorite Iftar Sweets that they can break their fast with. Even if the child broke his fast earlier. Let the breaking of the fast at Maghrib be a special time to eat their home made treat. They can participate in making this as well. My children love making jello with strawberries!

10. Rewards! Rewards! Rewards! Have a treasurebox full of Ramadan sweets and prizes. Small prizes for a couple of hours fast while the big prizes for half to a full day. Go to Party City and Dollar Tree to fill your treasure box. You can make the treasure box  out of shoe box covered with contact paper and letter foams or just keep a huge gift bag to hold the prizes for them to dig in! 

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Thank you Rayah and Behi Abdelmaged for sending us this picture of your beautiful Ramadan Journals! We truly enjoyed looking at them! We hope that your journals will be filled with happy memories and reflections in this Blessed month. For those of you who would like to make your own Ramadan journals, here is the link. 

Sister Reminder blogs

Sometimes we tend to become over zeoulous parents/teachers, and become impatient with our children to learn Quran. You can imagine these little children who may see watching T.V. cartoons more entertaining being subjected to daily you-better-sit-down-and-read-Quran-or-else routine. Of course there must  be a sense of discipline in teaching this sacred text, at the same time, we must be flexible to the mood of the child, and know when to stop. Here are some steps and guidelines to teaching young children how to memorize the Quran in a fun and engaging way, whether it is in a school or home

1. Measure their goals and progress visually. Make a poster or reward board for memorizing so many surahs. Decide how many surahs you would want them to memorize and display the names on a bulletin board. Here, the teacher color coded each flower for each surah that the child memorized. As he/she finished one surah, they added a flower until the stem is complete. She made one stem for each student, and wrote their names on the stem. If this is too difficult, you can download surah charts that can be used to track student progress.

2. Repetition is the key to memorizing, but can be quite a bore in the eyes of a 4 year old after saying it for the 20th time. To get them to recite more, use toy microphones (about $3.00 from Toys R Us) to  make them feel like a star! One teacher had them fold crafted flowers with seven petals, and  recited the ayahs of Surah Al Fatiha as they touched each petal of the flower.

3. Reward them after each lesson. Young children need constant praise that they are on the right track. At this age, it’s more important that we give them the confidence and love to memorize. Make sure your lessons are easily accomplished by the students, so they all can get rewarded. Have a  treasure box made from an old shoe box and wrapped with gift wrapper and filled with tiny toys and treats. After every lesson, and each get to recite the ayahs they are memorizing, they get to dip in the box for their stickers, balloons, and party favors.

4. Record their voice and make CDs of all their surahs. What a fun way to celebrate their Quran Memorization! You can also send these CDs home as a gift to their parents for Eid, or gift it to the kids themselves as an end of the year graduation souvenir!

5. Celebrate! Children at any age love getting awards and prizes. You can have a ‘ceremony’ after all the students complete their surahs. Each one can take turns reciting their surah they learned on a toy microphone (or use karaoke to make them really excited!) After all students complete reciting you can give surah certificates with a small goody bag. We’ll be blogging  about this in the future. Insh-Allah.

The key to successful Quran memorization are based on 2 things: First the lesson should be easy enough so that the child accomplishes it with ease (For example the child will memorize 1-3 ayahs and practice for 15-20 minutes a day),  and second, there should be a consistent reward plan such as some listed above. Insh-Allah, after implementing some of these tips, you will have children not only memorize, but love the quran.