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. 

Busy Baby Mama blogs

The sweetest month of memories with reflections of worship, and tears and joy  passes by so quickly, it’s difficult to keep track of what really happens each Ramadan. Sometimes we have those beautiful unforgettable moments that get placed in the deepest part of our memory. We cherish it in our hearts…I remember those tearful moments like  praying Tahajjud prayer  with thousand other worshippers on the 27th of Ramadan at 96th street masjid in New York….or the happiest time when my daughter was born during Fajr on the 4th day of Ramadan. We chuckle at the time when my son was 3 years old running upstairs having a big play fight while we were making our Tarawih prayer downstairs (and we could hear everything!) I tell my children every Ramadan like oral tradition, we would remember some…and forget some.

That’s why I decided to make a family journal every Ramadan where we can be together and write down these wonderful times we share. We make one time during the day to write together, and the rest of the time they can choose to write on their own.  Before I go to bed, I jot down a few comments to leave my kids to encourage them to keep writing. By the end of Ramadan, the journal would be filled with fond memories, hadith, Islamic stories that can stay in our family tradition.

Getting kids to write might be a huge task, but I decided to make ONE  regular composition notebook to fill with our family inspiration the entire month. And that seemed to work just great for me. We have a box of markers, gel pens, color pencils along with pens. We keep inside  few swatches of scrapbook paper, clip art, stickers, and embellishments, and leave it on our coffee table. This gives chance for even Ramadan guests to contribute in our writing marathon. Some older youth might want to make their own.Why not? Every year they can add to it until it is full.

First cover the regular composition notebook with scrap giftwrap, fabric, and collage of pictures. Add modge podge if it’s mostly paper. Add letter foams to say “Ramadan Journal” Write all the family members’ names.

Inside the book, it can be a collage of writing mixed with photos, clip art etc.  You can add hadith and ayahs in english to help youth realize what this Holy Month is about. Every Ramadan, you can look back and see some events that we can laugh and cry about.

Here are the ones I made with my children….and don’t forget to share your photographs of your decorated journals so we can post it on Facebook!  

Sr Alif blogs

 Pre-K-teacher Sister Umayeshah Abdul-Jameel  created some Pre-K Lessons for Ramadan. It’s called “Five Senses of Ramadan”

InshAllah, this lesson plan and children’s e-book will be available on our Jannahsteps “official” website next year….

Here is a sneak peak of the free worksheet downloads and flashcard activities, including the parent connection information packet. 

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 DOWNLOAD PARENT CONNECTION HERE: Parent Connection

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DOWNLOAD 5 SENSES RAMADAN JOURNAL HERE:  5 Senses Ramadan Journal

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DOWNLOAD 5 SENSES RAMADAN FLASHCARDS HERE: 5 senses cards

Busy Baby Mama Blogs

My child loved watching this video from Creative Kids. She loved the idea of the author narrating his own story and illustrating it all. Taking inspiration from this video, she went on to creating her own Ramadan story. It took her a few minutes to get started, but it kept her busy for over two hours putting her thoughts on paper. She then did the next best thing- created her own video; by narrating it and flipping her pages to her story on my laptop camera. It was a great project to do. She wrote about all the things she gets to do in this special month of Ramadan that she doesn’t get to experience any other time.

I personally love the fact that it was all on video because how often do we save our children’s work? The papers get put aside in a safe place only to collect dust and perhaps end up in the trash can a few years later. I even had an idea of using this video as a “Ramadan Mubarak” card to email her grandparents and family members. I am sure they will enjoy seeing her on video and make their Ramadan that much more special. It’s just our way of sharing the joys of Ramadan and parenthood with our loved ones. I hope you get inspiration to do this project with your little ones.  A 3 minute video is really simple to create and email to dear ones. I am hoping she makes one for Eid and we can email it as our way of saying “Eid Mubarak” Insh’Allah!

Sr Alif  blogs

Ramadan and Eid Songs or Nasheeds are always special. Here is one written by Sister Umfaheem Abdul-Jameel. A Jannahsteps original, not one…..but two!

DOWNLOAD HERE: New Moon Ramadan Song

If You See the New Moon!

(Sung to the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it”)

If you see the new moon, it’s Ramadan!

If you see the new moon, it’s Ramadan!

It’s the 9th month of the year

in Islamic Calendar!

If you see the new moon, it’s Ramadan!

This song can be used to teach other Islamic months as well!  Just change the month and the number of the month.

If you see the new moon, it’s  ____________!

If you see the new moon, it’s  ____________!

If you see the new moon, it’s  ____________!

It’s the ___th month of the year

in Islamic Calendar!

If you see the new moon, it’s  ____________!

DOWNLOAD HERE: Eid Day

Eid Day!

(Sung to the tune of B.I.N.G.O)

Today is the day to celebrate

For it’s the day of Eid!

Take a bubble bath!

Put on your best clothes!

Pray at the masjid!

Then have fun all day!  

Artsy Ummi blogs

Could not resist to make a Ramadan Craft to say the Dua for the Ramadan New Moon. Didn’t get a chance to take pictures yet….will post them when I do. But in the meantime….here are the instructions:

DOWNLOAD HERE: Moon Sighting Dua Craft 

1. Print and cut out the download, and paste it on the paper plate.

2. Color the sky dark blue. Color the star a light shade of yellow.

3. Outline glue on the moon.

4. Pour glitter on the glue area. Take the excess off.

5. Tie a ribbon on top, and hang it before Ramadan, so that the whole family can remember to say the Ramadan Moon Dua.

Busy Baby Mama  blogs

My heart went out to a child who was holding a 9 month old baby during the late night tarawih prayer last year. I asked about her mom, and the 10 year old Egyptian American girl responded with a smile and not a trace of detest, “She’s at work, and my dad needs to pray” I thought to myself this could be a wonderful time to bring children together while adults are praying and do craft activities, and have babysitting services so that someone like my little muslim worker can get a little break to enjoy her Ramadan. I always see youth escape after 8 rakahs, running around the mosque enjoying the Ramadan moon care free of their parent’s eagle eye.

It’s Allah’s mercy on some of them, that they grow to love the masjid and Islam even though there are no fancy activities for them!  However much I admire their courageous and carefree spirit, I still wish that there can be a children’s program during Tarawih prayer and give them a fun time filled with games and craft activities to make their Ramadan memorable and special.

This can be started by few concerned mothers (even fathers) who frequent the masjid. They just need one room in which they can bring some art supplies, games, craft materials, papers and even playdough. Mothers who have their “month break” could watch the children (as long as they are not in a musalla area), or some young teenagers as well. If they can afford to, add small playground sets inside. If everyone want to contribute financially to this, they can even hire a baby sitter to watch the kids. Bigger centers that have extra space away from the musalla can hire instructors to give lessons in karate or taekwondo. Don’t forget to have a schedule posted for volunteers and times that they can be available for extra help. I believe it would run pretty successful if there is even 2-3 people involved.

Please let us know if you were able to implement this or are already doing it, I’d love to hear from you about it!

Artsy Ummi blogs

Since our post on advent calendars received a lot of attention from the crafty Muslim moms who ask “Why BUY when you can DIY?” I thought of sharing some awesome handmade calendars. So if you’ve got the time, and you want to practice your art skills, why not make your own?

Here is a list of great Muslim Advent Calendar Crafts that my creative hands want to get messy with!! Bring out the glue, paint, and scrapbook papers. This is so inspirational! I hope to get to blog mine too one day! May Allah bless these creative sisters! (Click on the each image to take you to their respective blog)