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!

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! 

Sister Reminder blogs

” Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic’ (5:110).

As the Easter Holiday approaches closer, it is a wonderful time to  discuss with our children and students that Jesus (May Peace Be Upon Him) is a common prophetic figure to both Muslims and Christians. Our children probably watch the  Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and the colorful baskets with delight, and may even ask if it’s ok to decorate eggs and go egg hunting. As Muslim parents and teachers it is a “teachable moment” to understand that there are some fundamental differences, but there are more commonalities than we realize.

Common grounds between Christians and Muslims to stress with your child/ren:

1. Jesus is a great Messenger of God.

2. He was born miraculously without a father, and Mary was his mother.

3. He spoke when he was a baby.

4. He was able  to cure the sick, and bring life from the dead and other miracles

5. He was given a Holy book-Injil.

The differences are few but important:

1. Jesus was not put on a cross. It made it appear as he was, but another person was put in his place.

2. Jesus was a great prophet, but not the son of God. He worshipped Allah like all the prophets.

Here is a poem Isa that can be used to teach about the Prophet Jesus (Isa) Peace Be Upon Him. For young children, it is better to read the poem, and explain briefly about each verse.

Sr Alif blogs

It’s such an honor to have 1001 Inventions come to New York City! I had the blessing of attending this wonderful showcase of Muslim Science exhibition. (Also read Globe Girl’s Post on her trip to the 1001 Inventions here.)

To really take advantage of the exhibition and this wonderful information, these are a few suggestions to make the trip extend into your classroom or to your homeschooling group. Even if you did not have the chance to go, some of their resources are very interesting and can be explained without the Museum trip. Here are some suggestions on how it can be applied in your very own learning environment.

For Ages 8 to 14

1. Assign one week  or one month (depending on your Science and Social Studies Curriculum) to the theme: “Dark Ages or the Golden Ages?”-Brain storm information using a KWL chart on the Dark Ages.

2. Watch the video Secrets of the Library and then go back to the KWL chart to add more information.

3. Break into groups according to the different zones of the Museum, and have them read as much about the zones  and the Scientists that contributed to each zone. Use the link here to download topics explaining some Muslim inventions and how they have helped form many of the products we use today like cameras, clocks, cars etc. Have them share their findings on poster board.

4. If you have a chance to go to the Museum and experience the different zones, download these wonderful worksheets, as they can be used for students to find information on their own at the Museum. If you cannot go, you can easily have them do the search online. Use the Muslim Heritage website (http://1001inventions.com/), as they have all the information the student will need to answer these questions.

5. Enrich your teaching skills and Science curriculum by downloading the Teacher Pack here.  It contains well organized lesson plans on how to teach these topics at an elementary and junior level. Although tailored to a junior or middle school audience, the lessons can easily be tailored down to a younger age group.

6. Finally, each group can do a presentation on different Muslim scientists and their discovery and invention from the different zones. It would also be wonderful if they dressed up in a costume of these Muslim Scientists as well and even create a play!

This is a great way to combine Multi-cultural perspective of Muslim civilization and their contribution to the science world. It’s well worth the trip, and if not it can easily be incorporated into your science curriculum using 1001 Inventions teachers resource kits.

For more information on the 1001 exhibition,you can go to http://www.1001inventions.com.

For the museum trip and fees you can go to  http://www.nysci.org/visit/events/1001

Sr Alif blogs

A conversation with Sr Maryam Khaliqi ( a Kindergarten teacher) and the PreK teachers jump started an idea to do something memorable at school for our Hijri Calendar. Her thoughts were that people go all out and celebrate New Years and it’s just sad that we don’t emphasize our own calendar dates for our kids to remember, experience and enjoy. Often kids won’t even be aware of when the start of the new Islamic month is. So it was the perfect solution to create some buzz and excitement in the corridors of the PreK classroom. We were going to have a fun Hijri party and get those little kids learning the Islamic calendar faster than you can say “1432 A.H.!”

We were off to a great start, in the morning the kids colored their 1432 AH Party hats in English and Arabic numbers (Download template below). The teacher took the children out for outdoor activities while her assistant set up the tables and decorated it with table cloth and decorations. When the kids returned, they got to wear their 1432 paper hats and sat down around Sr Zahra Biler’s homemade cake with delicious whipped cream and blueberries. The children decorated it with green M&M’s carefully making the numbers 1432 (Great for eye-hand coordination). Then they sang “It’s an Islamic New Year, It’s an Islamic New Year! !1432….After Hijra!!” This was a song they sang to the tune of Happy Birthday!

Finally, they all returned home happily with party blowers in their mouths and goody bags in their hands. The bags were decorated with 1432 A.H. tags. You can download party hats and gift tag templates that can be used for class or just a fun kids get together.

Download 1432 Party Hat Template here: Islamic New Year 1432 Templates

Sr Alif blogs

During their theme on Outer Space, one Pre-K student was asked “What do you see in the sky after it gets dark?” The girl quickly responded with, “You see a sled with reindeer flying way up high”, “Yes, you go to sleep and someone brings you a surprise gift!” another chirped in.  Now all the Muslim children excitedly started calling out, “Santa! Christmas!” Well, it was interesting to know what was on the children’s mind when they were learning about the solar system.  The lesson began with the sun and ended up with Santa from outer space! As the teacher diplomatically changed the topic, you know her mind was racing with ideas, “OK, I need a quick lesson about the Islamic view on Christmas…”

But how do you teach that to a very young child bombarded with exposure to media (PBS, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network…..and the list goes on) with holidays that are not part of their religious tradition? You certainly don’t want the children to offend their Christian neighborhood friends by dropping the ultimate myth blower. I heard one Muslim girl tell a horrified Christmas loving friend on the school bus, “Don’t you know that there is no such thing as Santa!? Go to the North Pole and see for yourself!”

So how do you explain this day and respect it as a Christian Holiday, but at the same time understand that we do not celebrate it? Often I find that parents shun their kids away with a hard-hitting phrase that slips out of their mouth very easily and mindlessly, not explaining much or anything at all, “No, we don’t do that, it’s HARAM!” Or it is the opposite in some houses, “I’ll let my child celebrate and let him decorate his own Christmas tree, it’s the intention that counts after all. He just wants to have some fun. I’ll explain things when he gets older and when he is able to understand better.” Teaching Muslim kids about religions or ideas that do not belong in the fold of Islam can be a tricky thing. Teaching religious tolerance and at the same time appreciating and believing in what our teachings hold is a very fine balance. It needs to be tackled with love, care, and understanding. But most importantly, parents need to give clear answers and logical reasoning to their children starting at a very young age. Always remember that our children are born with an inborn Islamic fitrah or an inborn natural predisposition towards Allah and His deen.  It is the influence of the environment and negative exposure that change the child’s fitrah. Help retain this fitrah by protecting the child’s understanding and giving explanations before the child’s mind is trained into thinking a certain way.

Here are simple steps to tackling this curiosity in the classroom Pre-K to 1st Grade. Teach a lesson on Christmas with the Islamic perspective. And if you have ideas, don’t forget to email them to jannahsteps@gmail.com. We would love to share them with the rest of the world so we all benefit. Inshallah.

Approach this at a “Circle Time”:

1. Discuss with the children what they have seen and heard these past few weeks on TV and around them. Of course, you will hear the jingles of “Christmas trees”, “reindeer”, “sleds” and “Santa”. Christmas Templates Download Here. Have these pictures available on these Christmas “characters” to help with the circle time discussion. Help them understand that these characters are not part of the original Christmas celebrations. They actually do not exist, characters much like Spiderman and Dora. However these fantasy creatures are used to tell a pretend story- one that includes Santa coming down a chimney and bearing gifts, encouraging you to be at your best behavior if you want to receive a special something! They frighten us with stories of Santa secretly watching over us to see if we are good or bad…help the kids understand that only Allah can know what we are up to and if we’ve been at our best behavior or not. You will be surprised at how much the kids comprehend this idea. They actually are more mature than we take them to be!

2. Tell them that in Islam we respect other people’s religion by not ever making fun of others beliefs, traditions or culture. But we do not participate in them either. For example: We do not get a Christmas tree and decorate our homes with lights during this time. We do not sit on Santa’s lap. We do not exchange presents. Remind them that we have our two Holidays: Eidul-Fitul and Eidul Adha. Have pictures of that as well such as Mosques, Iftar dinners, Eid Prayer. Ask them of their favorite Eid memory and include that in the discussion.

3. Introduce Prophet Isa (AS) or Jesus. Explain what Christians are celebrating on Christmas Day. Tell them about the one thing that we have in common with this Holiday – celebrating the great Prophet of God-Isa (AS). We believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the son of God. Help them understand this important difference. Islam teaches us that God does not give birth or have children. He is too special to have a life like us humans. He created us that way, but it does not mean that he shares the same lifestyle as us. Only Allah is to be given the right to be God as He is our Creator and also the Creator of Isa (AS).

3. You can also  listen to Surah Ikhlas on this CD: Quran for Little Muslims 2 (Noorart). Your kids will be delighted to listen to a captivating Christmas story with an Islamic perspective. Written and recited by Noor Sadeh, an American Muslimah revert from New York.

4. Finally, teach students the core belief of the existence of One God. First introduce the meaning of Surah Ikhlas. Download here: surah ikhlas template . Print this file and fold it from the top to the bottom and right to the left to make a book. Discuss each ayah and what it means in detail so the children comprehend each point clearly. Allow them to color the pictures and understand the concept in each ayah clearly. They can even create a cover for this book and write Surah Ikhlas in arabic and english.

5. Help them understand the importance of the words from Surah Ikhlas and why Allah would want to tell us this again in the Quran. Remember that they are young children, so you want to emphasize basic points. 1.Allah is one. 2. He lives forever.3.He does not have a family. 4.He is nothing like us.

6. Review Surah Ikhlas and its meaning before the break. Have them review the points from each ayah. If they memorize the surah and its meaning in English they get a “gift” after their winter break.

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Here’s a neat Ramadan activity I am doing this month with my toddler…

I printed this Ramadan Calendar template to help my child keep track of the days of Ramadan.  Before each Iftar, we head to our little “Ramadan Wall”. We count how many days of Ramadan have passed, and how many days are left for Eid (while building some excitement in the process!) I found that after nearly a month now, my child’s number skills have improved drastically!

Then my child and I created our very own Good Deeds Jar to encourage some good deeds being done by even the littlest member of the house. My child learned the meaning of good deeds and the importance to do more during this special month. I used 2 jars for this project, one held the strips of paper that contained the good deed tasks to be performed by my child, and the other held little incentives or prizes for my child to look forward to after the good deed was performed, like little party favors, toys, stickers or even some candy.

It’ll take less than an hour to make, and you spend 5 minutes a day just having your child dip her hand in the Good Deeds jar, and complete a simple task such as ” Fast for an hour”, “Give Sadaqa”, “Clean your toys”, and so on! This activity allows your child to understand and realize what kind of good deeds a Muslim is expected to perform and how Allah is “saving” all our rewards to present us with when we meet Him Insh’Allah

After each good deed is completed, my child would track her performance by pasting the colorful squares onto the masjid template, that you can download and print. Ramadan Good Deed Chart- DOWNLOAD HERE. As the masjid starts filling up with colorful squares, your child will start to feel excited over her accomplishments this month!

For my wall: I downloaded Artsy Ummi’s Ramadan borders from here. I bought Artskills letters for about $5.00 from Rite Aid and some foam stickers for 99 cents. My child enjoyed peeling and pasting the stickers on the posters and jars.

Over all, this activity is quite a success as it kept my young toddler loving and remembering Ramadan daily. Every day she dips her hand in the Good Deeds jar, and finds out what her next task is. The best part about it is when she gets to dip her hands in the “Rewards Jar” and gets her sweet treat!

Artsy Ummi blogs

Summer’s over and we’re all heading back to school this month! This year, the excitement of starting school in a fresh, new class may actually be overshadowed by the anxious wait of Eid that is just around the corner. We may hardly get into the right spirit of school until we actually finish with our full blown Eid celebrations!

All over the country, Islamic school teachers are busy decorating their classrooms to fit the theme,  and create a sense of excitement for this special month that is about to end.

Here’s a Ramadan Bulletin Board I created for this very occasion. To print the borders you need about 3-4 pages or more if you’re planning on doing up a bigger bulletin board. DOWNLOAD HERE- Ramadan Border . The instructions for the rest is in the printable itself.

Happy decorating your classroom or homeschool walls!