Another summer means entertaining a super active 4 year old. If I thought 3 was busy, 4 is a tornado. It's still the first day we are both home so I'm still organizing and packing away school supplies and getting out the summer activities. I've been hitting Pinterest like a crazy lady making tons of plans for this summer.
Ramadan will be coming in a month and I know I'll be wiped out so now is the time to get active with the kids before fasting and high temps hit hard. Today was all about planning my summer day schedule to stay organized. Here's the schedule give or take 30 minutes each way:
9 am Breakfast (We're late sleepers)
10 am Crafty Time
10:30 am School Time
11 am Active Time
12 pm More School Time
12:30 pm Lunch and Story Time
1:30 pm Nap Time
3:30 pm Active Time Again (Park Visit)
That's as far as I've gotten. D has baseball most evenings and there is yard work and gardening, dinner and chores, so the evenings will stay unstructured.
Taking care of my little Amanahs!
This blog is for all Muslim Moms who want to find great resources for activities, lessons, and other ideas for having fun with and educating their little amanah's from Allah (swt)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Ramadan: School Dinner Centerpieces and our Calendar
Assalamu alikum!
Subhanallah, how Ramadan is flying by. The posts have been scarce but the activities have not. Last week I spent 3 days at professional development all with the goal of becoming a better and more in tune educators with the personalities of my students. Then, our school had a fundraising iftar at its new building, so of course, I overextended myself and volunteered to make the centerpieces. Here are the pictures of the decorations. (These didn't last long as children found them very entertaining.)
It's hard to believe that Ramadan is almost halfway over. This is our calendar that we are using this year. Ramie "Ramadan" Fish comes near Maghrib time to help us mark/count where we are in the month. He "sleeps" during the day. (I don't keep him up on the wall all the time.)
A loves the calendar. When it starts to get darker and I start cooking, she begins asking if it is Maghrib and if we can do the calendar. I have a plastic bubble that I put a gift for each kid in and then place somewhere in the house for them to discover. It keeps them excited about the month. D gets a bigger gift for days he fasts or completes Taraweeh with Baba. We are trying to make our house all about positive behavior support. Now if only it worked on getting hubby to wash the dishes.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Subhanallah, how Ramadan is flying by. The posts have been scarce but the activities have not. Last week I spent 3 days at professional development all with the goal of becoming a better and more in tune educators with the personalities of my students. Then, our school had a fundraising iftar at its new building, so of course, I overextended myself and volunteered to make the centerpieces. Here are the pictures of the decorations. (These didn't last long as children found them very entertaining.)
 |
| Basket made for front tables. "Sold" to raise funds. |
 |
| Center setting for each table. The paper and crayons kept the kids busy. |
 |
| The centerpieces. The center of the crayons is a baby food jar. |
A loves the calendar. When it starts to get darker and I start cooking, she begins asking if it is Maghrib and if we can do the calendar. I have a plastic bubble that I put a gift for each kid in and then place somewhere in the house for them to discover. It keeps them excited about the month. D gets a bigger gift for days he fasts or completes Taraweeh with Baba. We are trying to make our house all about positive behavior support. Now if only it worked on getting hubby to wash the dishes.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Ramadan: Decorating - Yarn Chandeliers
Assalamu alikum!
Day five of fasting has left my brain tired. With family coming to eat tonight, I need a craft that I can start the kids on and go clean, cook, and read some Qur'an.
So.....
Ramadan Day 5: Yarn Chandeliers.
Ok, so these are cooler than they sound and are actually quite elegant. You could use a natural color yarn, to create something fabulous for your house decor. However, my kids LOVE bright colors, and it IS Ramadan after all. Our decorations are going on our porch. We decorate our porch to get into the month and it has been a great dawah. Neighbors have asked what it is for, and it begins a friendly conversation into Islam and Ramadan and Eid. Very cool, Alhamdelillah.
The directions are super simple but rather than re-write what someone else has so nicely written and pictured, here is the link the page I will be referencing in my attempt. It looks deliciously messy, and with hot day today they will be done in no time.
Creative Yarn Chandelier
Ramadan Mubarak!
Day five of fasting has left my brain tired. With family coming to eat tonight, I need a craft that I can start the kids on and go clean, cook, and read some Qur'an.
So.....
Ramadan Day 5: Yarn Chandeliers.
Ok, so these are cooler than they sound and are actually quite elegant. You could use a natural color yarn, to create something fabulous for your house decor. However, my kids LOVE bright colors, and it IS Ramadan after all. Our decorations are going on our porch. We decorate our porch to get into the month and it has been a great dawah. Neighbors have asked what it is for, and it begins a friendly conversation into Islam and Ramadan and Eid. Very cool, Alhamdelillah.
The directions are super simple but rather than re-write what someone else has so nicely written and pictured, here is the link the page I will be referencing in my attempt. It looks deliciously messy, and with hot day today they will be done in no time.
Creative Yarn Chandelier
Ramadan Mubarak!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Ramadan: Fastbreaking: Fast Breaking Dua Placemats/Cards
Assalamu alikum!
My husband is teaching D the dua for breaking the fast over the next few days. So for a practical craft we are going to make dua placemats. These would be great for the regular dua before a meal. These are soooo simple or can be more difficult depending on the age level and "artiness" of the kid.
Materials: Contact Paper or Laminator, construction paper, tape, scissors (pinking sheers are fun), printouts of the fast breaking dua in arabic and translation in English (needed in our house).
Placemat Background Ideas:
The duas get glued/taped on after and then the whole thing is covered with contact paper or laminated.
1: Use paints and sponges to sponge on shapes. (small kids)
2. Weave paper strips through slits in another paper.
3. Create a fake plate in the center with silverware on the sides. On the plate, split into thirds for 1/3 water, 1/3 air, 1/3 food. Kids can add their favorite foods in the food section or use computer clipart.
4. Decoupage: Take some sales fliers for various supermarkets and have the kids cut out their favorites, then decoupage all the pictures onto the placemat. (My favorite)
5. Fancy Idea: Print dua onto T-shirt transfer paper, and make a fabric placemat, ironing on the dua (I might leave off the arabic for this one)
Pictures to come! P.S. I have added pictures of our creations on the previous posts. Enjoy!
Ramadan Mubarak
My husband is teaching D the dua for breaking the fast over the next few days. So for a practical craft we are going to make dua placemats. These would be great for the regular dua before a meal. These are soooo simple or can be more difficult depending on the age level and "artiness" of the kid.
Materials: Contact Paper or Laminator, construction paper, tape, scissors (pinking sheers are fun), printouts of the fast breaking dua in arabic and translation in English (needed in our house).
Placemat Background Ideas:
The duas get glued/taped on after and then the whole thing is covered with contact paper or laminated.
1: Use paints and sponges to sponge on shapes. (small kids)
2. Weave paper strips through slits in another paper.
3. Create a fake plate in the center with silverware on the sides. On the plate, split into thirds for 1/3 water, 1/3 air, 1/3 food. Kids can add their favorite foods in the food section or use computer clipart.
4. Decoupage: Take some sales fliers for various supermarkets and have the kids cut out their favorites, then decoupage all the pictures onto the placemat. (My favorite)
5. Fancy Idea: Print dua onto T-shirt transfer paper, and make a fabric placemat, ironing on the dua (I might leave off the arabic for this one)
Pictures to come! P.S. I have added pictures of our creations on the previous posts. Enjoy!
Ramadan Mubarak
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Ramadan: Lights At Night - Bottle "Lanterns"
Assalamu alikum,
Day two took a crafting sideline to pick up some furniture and our two chirpy new family members. The children were so excited by the birds that entertainment was not required.
So.......
Ramadan Day 3:
Lesson - The lights at night: Tying into our moon crafts and study, today we are learning that the moon is a reflected light from the sun. D will continue to study moon phases while A is learning what types of lights we might see at night. Here's the list I've pre-thought:
Moon, Stars, Fireflies, Streetlights, Porch Lights, Car Headlights, Signs,
Flashlights, Lanterns, Solar Lights.
Craft - Lanterns: We had so many extra tissue squares from the moons that I decided to make some decoupage "lanterns".
Materials: Tissue squares, paintbrush, watered down glue (1:1 glue and water), glass soda bottle, glowsticks
I "painted" half the bottle with the glue and the kids stuck pieces of tissue on top. After each small section, I repainted over the tissue to lay down the corners and cover all the paper. After the whole bottle is covered, A decided to add glitter (She's a girl, who can blame her). Tonight we will put a couple glowsticks in the bottle and we will have a little "lantern" for our backyard.
Pictures Below:
Day two took a crafting sideline to pick up some furniture and our two chirpy new family members. The children were so excited by the birds that entertainment was not required.
So.......
Ramadan Day 3:
Lesson - The lights at night: Tying into our moon crafts and study, today we are learning that the moon is a reflected light from the sun. D will continue to study moon phases while A is learning what types of lights we might see at night. Here's the list I've pre-thought:
Moon, Stars, Fireflies, Streetlights, Porch Lights, Car Headlights, Signs,
Flashlights, Lanterns, Solar Lights.
Craft - Lanterns: We had so many extra tissue squares from the moons that I decided to make some decoupage "lanterns".
Materials: Tissue squares, paintbrush, watered down glue (1:1 glue and water), glass soda bottle, glowsticks
I "painted" half the bottle with the glue and the kids stuck pieces of tissue on top. After each small section, I repainted over the tissue to lay down the corners and cover all the paper. After the whole bottle is covered, A decided to add glitter (She's a girl, who can blame her). Tonight we will put a couple glowsticks in the bottle and we will have a little "lantern" for our backyard.
Pictures Below:
Ramadan Mubarak!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Ramadan: Sighting the Crescent - Crescent Suncatchers
Ramadan Mubarak!
This year I have two children ages 10 and 3. I am returning to my school for another year as a middle school teacher. I have a wonderful husband. Allah has blessed me with the time this year to sit down and create a special Ramadan experience for my family.
Backstory: I was not raised Muslim. I found Islam over 6 years ago, alhamdelillah. I wanted for my children to grow up with a nostalgia for family holiday traditions that were as special and unique as those I remember. I want them to feel deeply that their holidays and traditions are something worthy of holding dear and passing down to their children.
So.....
This year I'm planning a craft each day of Ramadan for my munchkins with a coordinating Islamic and academic lesson. Somedays during this month, I will be setting up my classroom and getting ready for school so they will be smaller (daddy-friendly) activities.
Day 1 Theme: The Sighting of the Moon: Ramadan Begins
Craft for kids:
"Stained Glass" Crescents and Stars for the windows all around the house.
"Stained Glass" Crescents and Stars for the windows all around the house.
Islamic Lesson: 5 ayat and hadith about Ramadan and the sighting of the moon. Will print for Ramadan Wall.
Academic Lesson: D ...will learn about moon phases by starting a lunar chart. (something he should have learned in 4th but didn't). A will practice shapes, adding crescent to the ones she knows.
Calendar: Day 2 for Calendar will be done at Maghrib as we break fast.
* Day 1 of calendar was done the night before to reinforce that the date of Ramadan changes at sunset the night before. A got hairbands, D got a Yo-Yo.
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