Busy life

TODAYS REMINDER

Rewards in Jannah

WHAT WILL WE HAVE IN JANNAH ?

In league with our lesson yesterday on Bab ur Rayyan... Lil Muallimah was aksing me questions about Jannah. I told her some of the things Allah will grant His blessed people in Jannah, like palaces and fruits and rivers of sweet drink. The most amazing thing my kids always find is the fact that hot will not feel hot and cold will not feel cold made them exclaim with the biggest smile and eyes popping out..."So we'll be able to play with snow without mittens and without snow jackets and snow pants!"  Also, not only will the people of Jannah have rivers of water, milk, honey and non intoxicating wine but will even be able to tell their river to go wherever they want. They be able to grab whatever fruit they want to eat from apples o strawberries all growing on the same tree, without having to climb the tree Subhanallah !

I also found these amazing printables on rewards in Jannah  at Tasheel Tadrees . There also have many other creatively made resources there Mashallah!

A few days back Lil Muallimah had 
made a picture of things she would like to have in Dunya (home) and in Jannah :) May she be able to strive hard in Allah's way to get much more than she can imagine Ameen

I also did an activity with my older Mullims. We all made a list of things we would like to have in Dunya and the things we would like to have in Akhirah. The point of the activity was to see which of the things that we wanted in Dunya would lead us to the things we want in Akhirah the eternal abode.

We got the printable for this Ramadan Planner

Along with all this the middle ones continued another of our family tradition which I will post about in another post. 

Number Sense and Numeration 1

Math: Number Sense

(In an attempt to re organize my posts this one is being re posted as a separate post)

We are working on number recognition for numbers 1,2 and 3. 

Number Sense Tub # 1

 Lil Muallimah spreads out the cards and then matches the foam letters with the number shape on the card. She loves getting it right and see how they match. We are still working on the order of the numbers :) 

The beads at the bottom of the card help in counting. 

Hoping to have her correspond with items at the back of the cards soon. Inshallah

Number Sense Tub # 2

This is our FAVOURITE one. Got the idea from another blog. So again Lil Muallimah spreads out the card but this time matches the corresponding "pom pom balls" on to the card. There are only the exact number of balls for each number with it's corresponding colour so she can't get it wrong.......very encouraging! :) As you will notice I have used the small sized pom pom balls for this activity.

You can find the post and the printable here.

PLEASE READ: A dear friend did point one thing out to me about the following activity. It is EXTREMELY important if you are dealing with younger children and/or  ones who are not strong with their colors. 

" If we were to look at it from the Montessori perspective, there is room for improvement. If I were to ask you a simple question as to what would you do if a child matches 3 pompoms with no.3, but he does not match the right colors? if u try to tell the child that the colors need to be matched as well , he may be offended because he might only be interested in numbers and not colors. A montessori activity concentrates only on 1 basic concept or idea. This is called isolation. 

Similarly in teaching quantity and number symbols, the quantity/object should be the same, e.g. all pompoms should be the same color and size, the symbol should be the same color and size. the control of error should be in accordance with the concept. In this case it would be 6 pompoms because matching 1 quantity wrong will leave more or less pompoms in the end."

May Allah reward her for pointing it out.

As pointed out above, this would be a concern for a very young child, who is still learning numeration, colors etc. Any confusion may put them if and it is important that our children don't feel discouraged while learning.

I had intention to remake this activity fur Lil Muallimah but I didn't as she didn't show any signs of  confusion. She knew her colors too well and had a reasonable sense on numeration too.

So I guess in our case the remake will wait for Lil Muallim # 3

because 

learning.

 

 Still have to laminate the cards. I did add my own touch to cards (only not to waste the index card and for future learning! :)) once I cut and pasted the numbers onto the index card I used the remaining portion to spell out the number. I don't refer to it at all now. It;s just there. Later when we are working on sight words I will start pointing onto the number in words too. 

Inertia Experiment # 3

STRIKE THE COIN

Pile 4 coins, and strike from a short distance with another coin. Done right.....the lowest coin can be shot afar. 

Make the kids explain..... they have their own interesting ways of describing it.

Water Transfer

A Simple Kitchen Experiment

While we reached this stage within an hour or so, the complete transfer took a few days along with some evaporation ! 

Pincer Grasp

STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES

After doing quite a few pincer grasp activities with pom poms and clothes pins..............

it was high time to give Lil Muallimah something harder to do. Growing muscles need harder challenges :)

Domino Fun

WOOOOOOWWWW!!!!!!

Alhumdolillah as much my kids enjoy watching these videos they do comment on WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!! We are simply happy with our basic domino experiments but the videos are fun to watch.

There is some music in the background in the first video but the sounds of the dominoes is louder

Hajj Inspiration

MAN WALKED TO HAJJ

Walking to the Hajj pilgrimage is not something new. Many have done it for years. But the story of this Bosnian Brother has really touched many hearts

Hajj Activities for Kids 3

HAJJ 
WITH 
UMAMAH LEARNING ACADEMY

Finally some of our humble efforts and Hajj related posts

DIY Hajj Map and many printable

KABAH our Qibla

CIRCLES AROUND THE KABAH

Learning About Hajj

If you have some that you did too, please share the link in the comments and I will post it on the blog. Inshallah

Best Parenting Advice

WORDS OF WISDOM

Parenting advice worth reading and following....

Summary:

1.)   Dua, Dua, Dua

2.)   Suhba (companionship) will make you or break you.

3.)   The Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) was a living, breathing reality in our lives.

4.)   Having fun wasn’t “haraam” in our home, but we kept the home environment as pure as possible.

5.)   Our parents didn’t just “talk the talk”, they “walked the walk”.

6.)   I wasn’t afraid to be the Bad Guy, but I never behaved badly.

7.)   I always kept them close by.

8.)   We didn’t spoil our kids nor did we praise them too much.

9.)    Talk to your kids…with love.

10.)  They had a pious father who engaged them.

Read the whole article at Muslim Matters

 

How to be a Math genius

ARE YOU A MATH GENIUS ?

Click to look inside

I found this really cool book at the library the other day. I just left it in the kids room without saying anything about it. AFTER a couple of days, I was very pleased to find Lil Muallim # 1 going through it. Of course I was even more pleased when after going through it for quite a while with deep thought...... "This is a VERY interesting book !" (I am so glad I didn't ask him to read it cause if I had he might not have made that discovery, nor had been as keen about it. Funny creatures these kids are... :)

Alhumdolillah! ... So this is a sure thumbs up in our home these days. So much so that I am really thinking if buying it for our personal library.

If your library has this book, I HIGHLY recommend you to get it to expose your older ones to the wonders of Math, mathematical thought and everything else math.... :):)

I am looking forward to using what I learn from this in our Math on the Level lessons. After all that's what it is all about.... Thinking out of the box and seeing the Math in everything ... yaayyy!!!

Ofcourse while looking this up on Amazon I also found this....

click on the image to look inside

Does anyone have any experienc with this? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Ramadan Prep Part 3

Look deep inside 

your Heart

Ramadan is the BEST time to change ourselves for the better. It is a time to reflect.

Are we what we show ourselves to be ? Are we true to ourselves ? In our hearts of heart we know our own faults. What it is a sin or can turn into one if we do not keep it in check. Do we try to get rid of them ? How do we brush them off ? How do we bring improvement in our selves ? How do we rectify it ? \

Step 1 : Quit the excuses ! Realize it and ACCEPT that it is a mistake (big or small) and it need to be rectified

Step 2 : Quarantine it....isolate it...single it out, so it stands out as a sore so you can consciously avoid it. Sins are not something to be spoken of lightly.

Step 3 : Hold yourself accountable. Find a mukhlis (one who is sincere to you-no better choice than your own parents) who can help you out and keep you in check

Step 4 : Rectify it with Allah.....Make Dua.....Surah Araf Ayah 23

Step 5 : Switch it around. Replace the habit.

Lesson: How to apologize to Allah 

Ramadan Prep Part 2

Getting ready for Ramadan 

from our 

Heart and Soul

Broadening the understanding and vision to take it a step further. There is always room for improvement. Let's challenge ourselves !

Lesson 3: Purification of the Soul

Ramadan Prep Part 1

RAMADAN PREP

We all need reminders. So here are some reminders I want to share with my kids today. In all honesty they are extremely important reminders first and foremost for myself. May Allah help us to achieve the best out of this Ramadan. Ameen

I hope to share my kids thoughts and notes after watching each of these talks Beidhnilah

Lesson One: Why FAST ? 

Lesson 2: Ramadan-The Month of Quran

OVERVIEW:

The Ayahs 183 and 185 of Surah Baqarah discussed in these talks are not new, we read about them, hear about them every Ramadan. What I love about the miracle of Allah's words is that the lessons that can be derived from each ayah seem to be endless Subhanallah ! 

In short there are 2 extremely important points that I derived from these short videos.......

1. Allah has ordained for us to fast in the month of Ramadan so we will HOPEFULLY attain Taqwa in other words hopefully develop the urge to protect yourself. Meaning it is something to be acquired by conscious effort and not an automatic state that one falls in by fasting during Ramadan
2. This one is even more deeper in meaning and calls us to truly ponder on what Allah wants us to.....realize that it is the month of Quran, Not only the month it was revealed and completed in but also a clear sign for us to use Ramadan to derive our own strength and improvement of self. Gain knowledge from it  not only for ourselves but to share it with others. What a wonderful way to get the Ummah right back on track. Hence one cannot help but feel gratitude towards Allah for blessing us with Ramadan, for the knowledge of Quran that we can benefit from, to improve our dunya and akhirah

Preparing for Ramadan

RAMADAN IS COMING !

image source TJ Companion Blog

It's that of the year again. After a long absence I really felt the need to get back to blogging. It was in Ramadan only that I started this blog and planning for this Ramadan I felt I wanted to get back here and share once again.

Hopefully I will try and be more regular.

So what's the plan ? This year I really want try and start preparing for Ramadan waaaayyyyy ahead of time. I know it;s only a month away now. But that is still better than starting to think to plan the  night before Ramadan!!! I have been there before and I don't want to be there again.

Here are some of the strategies I want to use for my planning this year.

1. Make a list if what I want to achieve this Ramadan for myself, for each of the kids and collectively as a family
2. Go through our personal library and make a list of books I would like to read for myself and with my kids before and during Ramadan
3. Go through my own previous Ramadan plans and see what I would like to take from there, change or improvise
4. Sift through several Muslim mom blogs and get inspirations, ideas, printables etc etc etc that I can use Inshallah   
5. Watch or hear a Ramadan prep or related lecture with my kids
6. Review the 99 names of Allah as suggested in this blog. As we already had done quite a few earlier we hope to finish all in this month by reviewing 3 - 5 names everyday Inshallah
7. Organize my ramadan crafts and activities with supplies ahead of time
8. Prepare all printables and quizzes ahead of time
9. Last but not the least get the home organized and pre make and freeze some Ramadan food. 

INSHALLAH!

OH ALLAH PLEASE ALLOW US TO SEE AND SPEND THIS RAMADAN WITH COMPLETE SINCERITY AMEEN

DIY Push Pins

EUREKA MOMENT

Where do you find large push pins ? As much as I wanted  to introduce the push pin activity to my kids I delayed it till I found one. Which I didn't ....Sigh ! 

Finally, I was just struck with the simplest DIY. Love those moments. Well I got right down to it, it was difficult to take pictures while doing it but you will see it is very simple really :) I just got our wooden craft beads from the $ store, push pins and a glue gun.

At a closer look you can see it's not the neatest job, but my glue gun isn't the greatest (doesn't warm up enough) so I have to use more glue to ensure a long lasting joint :)

For the activity I also glues together 2 square cork boards I got from the $ store......... To see the actual activity go here.

A Comment, A Qoute, A Reminder

Meaningful Gratitude

Gratitude is a way of life...something to be followed EVERYDAY every minute of our life....

The path of true and meaningful gratitude leads to more blessings. For, Allah says,

“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily My Punishment is indeed severe.”

(Ibraaheem 14:7)

My each gratitude post is going to start with this supplication.....

All praises for Allah for directing me to the right path, May He continue to guide me and my family.........I am thankful each day for my whole family with all our strong points and shortcomings and May our bond grow stronger in His way. I am blessed to be homeschooling my children and learning so much through them and with them.......

ALHUMDOLILLAH

I am grateful for all comment on my Appreciating the little things post

A known fact and an excellent reminder....something that we parents forget at least once a day

 Anonymous said...

"Children learn more from what you are than what you teach."

~W.E.B. Dubois,1897

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)

My Parents taught me so much

ALHUMDOLILLAH FOR MY PARENTS

I am grateful for all what my parents taught me....

I cannot pass a day without being thankful to something I learnt because of my parents in some or the other way. I've always had a habit of trying to think what I can learn from any given situation. I may not always remember what I learned... but that's another story. My parents childhood wasn't the greatest, my parents were divorced, but I am thankful to what I have become through all the great and difficult experiences in life. 

From all the good and tough times, I owe A LOT to what I learnt and who I have become my parents. Everything from the simple things to mannerisms and from skills to general knowledge, sharing experiences and discussion, understanding the highs and lows of life and how face the challenges life throws at you......and just so much more. Their diversity broadened my scale of seeing and understanding the world and people around me. Thank you Allah for my parents.

Now living far away in a distant land I miss and appreciate so many things that they did for me and I could do with them. I miss their company and enjoying a laugh with them. I miss serving them as I should in their old age. ............

Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.  And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." (Quran 17, 23-24)

  

May Allah unite us all in Jannah forever Ameen

An excellent and humbling article on the Status of parents in Islam

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)

Appreciating the little things

THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE COUNT MORE THAN WE ACCOUNT THEM FOR

ALHUMDOLILLAH

Yes the little things in life that we couldn't do without, yet don't always remember to be grateful for..... 

I am grateful for my lil helpers who may not always make their bed in the morning, clean up after themselves all the time or keep their closet clean as I would like them to.....BUT they do.......

• take out the trash
•  pick the dust with dust pans that I sweep into the corners 
• bring us (baba and I) whatever we ask for  during the day...water, phone, laptop, charger, diaper, etc etc etc
• let me sleep in if I am sick and feed the younger sibling and bring food for me too Mashallah
• sort and put away their own laundry
• empty the dishwasher
• pick up this, that and more 

Yes I am grateful for  my lil helpers who help out in so many ways doing so many things during the day which are a big help in the craziness of everyday....

ALHUMDOLILLAH

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)

Are you grateful each day?

GRATITUDE

Where did gratitude go ? 

Did we forget ?

Or 
Did we forget to highlight the important and little things in life ?

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)

Gratitude is a way of life...something to be followed EVERYDAY every minute of lour life....NOT JUST ON SELECT DAYS.

When I think of gratitude, as much as I am able to feel it for so many major things in life,  our deen (faith), family, home etc etc etc  I hear so many sounds from throughout the day where I feel,we don't show the gratitude for the little things in life. I mean with all the problems we feel we have honestly speaking what is it compared to the ordeals our dear Prophets ?.... Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismael, (Ishmael), Ayyub (Job), Yaqub (Jacob), Yunus (Jonah), Yusuf (Joseph),  Musa (Moses), Eesa (Jesus) and Muhammad Peace and blessinsg be upon all of them.  

It makes me question my irritability, impatience and anger:( As much as I need, and am thankful for the little things in life.......I have to feel them, smile and vocalize my gratitude spreading it contagiously. My mood effects the mood of the whole house. which means I have  the bigger responsibility.......Sigh !

So in the stressful time I am feeling I am going through...health issues, packing and planning for a long travel, homeschooling highschool to preschool, and all other regularities and irregularities of life........

It`s all about setting our minds to it and would like to teach it to my kids while RE learning myself.

INSHALLAH!  

We all know that gratitude is not something we should have here and there.....it's a mind set that one needs to have ALL THE TIME! EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY. 

BUT.... we forget. 

"And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord (Allah Alone), turning to Him in repentance. But when He bestows a favor upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before, and he sets up rivals to Allah, in order to mislead others from his path. Say: Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!"

(Qur'an:, 39:8)

This excerpt from a lengthy article here really highlights the benefit and the danger of forgetfulness

Man was created forgetful so that he can forget the sufferings and troubles he may encounter in his life, otherwise life would be intolerable. But if one forgets his commitment to Allah, to worship Him in the best manner, it is then a disaster. Allah ordained that he should be worshiped by people and jinns, without any partner to Him. Allah also took the covenant of the people of the scripture to teach one another such a duty toward Allah. Man forgets suffering by the Mercy of Allah, but one should not forget the responsibility to worship Allah and thank Him for every good event or grace. One should not forget resorting to Allah in disasters as one should thank resorting to Allah at disasters as one should thank Allah for any grace. Though, it is man's nature to forget, intended forgetfulness is not a quality of the pious people.

Food for thought isn't it.......With the HECTIC schedule in the coming days committing to post everyday is a bigger challenge than I  think I realize myself, but would like to do it as

"Outshining yourself in harder times is true submission to God's will, along with practicing being a good person every day"  

'Good' here ofcourse means a list of positive adjectives........

thankful, grateful, happy, helpful, caring, gentle, thoughtful, careful, sincere, mindful, loving, .............................

So I will try and post our big and small gratitude-s here and there, as a reminder to myself first and foremost, with all the plight and trouble people face in the world I feel we have no excuse to complain.......yet we do!

And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)

The path of true and meaningful gratitude leads to more blessings. For, Allah says,

“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily My Punishment is indeed severe.”

(Ibraaheem 14:7)