All Packed to leave Insha Allaah!

Assalaamu Alaikum!

Alhamdulillaah we are all packed and ready to go for Umrah when morning dawns Insha Allaah!

If I did not get internet facilities there then this will be my last post till we come back which will be after Eid Insha Allaah!

I humbly ask all of you sisters to forgive me if I have hurt or wronged any of you knowingly or unknowingly. Please do forgive me Insha Allaah for the sake of Allaah, and please do keep us in your dua that we have a safe trip and that Allaah makes it easy for us and accept our deeds.

We will be missing all of you but will come back bi idhnillaah with wonderful memories to share with Insha Allaah! This is Maimoonah's first Umrah ever and our first one in Ramadhaan Insha Allaah. : )

Have a great Ramadhaan and a wonderful Eid! Love you all for the sake of Allaah! Barakallaah Feekum!

Ramadhaan Activities 18 - 2011 - Cookie Decoration

Today we did not do anything much as we were busy packing. So I gave these cookies from Umm An Nu'man's Ramadhaan Activity Book and asked Maimoonah to paste on her journal and decorate and write what she wants.

This is the end results!

Ramadhaan Activities 17 - 2011 - The Battle of Badr!

It has always been a great Eemaan booster for me from my small days to learn about the Battles of Islaam. Masha Allaah you never get bored reading the great stories of these wonderful role models of Islaam.

Teaching Maimoonah today about the Battle of Badr indeed brought back old memories of my school days doing Islaamic Civilization. So many years have passed and still the stories of these great warriors bring tears and makes you really think what are we going through comparing to what those great sahabahs went through subhanallaah! May Allaah be pleased with all of them. Aameen!

So we read the Story of the Battle of Badr from Raheeq Al Makhthum and masha Allaah our sister Umm Sayang has some great resources here for older children as well. May Allaah bless her for sharing all this.

Maimoonah was equally interested in this story, I read and stoped the detail account and explained to her the main points. This was the first time for her to know about fighting in Islaam. So I took great care in explaining why battles are fought in Islaam for the sake of Allaah and the cruelty of the Mushrik Quraish. She was fascinated about the little boy throwing away the half date saying it is stopping him from paradise and going to fight. She was some what astonished that two little boys killed Abu Jahl. She was so disturbed why were the Quraish so mean. Later during the day she asked me a very innocent question, "Ummi, then why does Muhammad sallaahu alaihiwasallam has "Quraishi at the end of his name"? I understood the meaning of the question she was confused if the Quraish were so bad then why did our Messenger too called so. Then it occurred to me that I should have explained that Quraish is a name of a tribe and since he belonged to that tribe we call him so and most of the sahabah were also Quraish. So I am still learning : ) The point is our children are intelligent and we should present the dheen of Allaah to them accordingly subhanallaah!

So after talking about the battle of badr, we made this journal Entry. She painted the background brown with water colours saying this is the desert, the we pasted a diagram of the battle field and a name board indicating the place of badr.

 Then she used the brush and twisted and made some designs on the other page.

 Then we asked Abi to draw a big sword and after it dried she wrote this!

Ramadhaan Activities 16 - 2011 - Arabic Terms related to Ramadhaan

We learnt a few Arabic Terms related to Ramadhaan. Maimoonah is learning the Iqra  Arabic reading these days and able to recognise letters when joined. So we used sis Umm An Nu'man's Ramadhaan Activity book flash cards and smart ark Ramadhaan Flash cards and made this journal Entry. For the Background inspired by sis Umm Tafari we used coloured chalk and water.

Then we used gel pens and decorated. And this is how the page looks.

Ramadhaan Activities 15 - 2011 - Health Benefits of Fasting!

We spoke about the health benefits of Ramadhaan. We discussed how it helps us to control all what we want. And it teaches us self control. Just explained to her we keep away from food and drink even though we feel so thirsty and hungry for the Sake of Allaah and this makes us easy to control ourselves.

Then we also read that Fasting makes you feel better just like it makes you feel better when you do exercises every day.

Then we learnt that fasting reduces the danger of having Heart Attacks.

We also learnt it helps us control anger and Fasting indeed makes us healthy at the end of the day.

Then we did this Journal Entry. We used the toothe brush technique this time. Splashing effect and the brush effect.

 

Then she wrote this.

Ummi's Circle ●Ramadhan Arts & Craft Challenge●Day 8 - 14

Here are the Pictures for Day 8 - Day 14 for the Ummi's Circle Art and Craft Challenge Insha Allaah

Ramadhaan Activities 14 - 2011 - Fast of a Traveller

Today we discussed about the Fast of a Traveller. I explained to her that travel is hardship and a traveller's dua is answered. And Allaah is so merciful that He has allowed us to break our fast while travelling and make it up on another day.

We did this TJ worksheet.

For the journal entry yet again inspired by Umm Tafari, we made the crayon texture like this.

 

Then Maimoonah pasted the pictures from the worksheet. I asked her what she would like to write. She said she wants to write "Allaah is Merciful" : ) and she remembered when she went on the camel once and when she climbed down the camel rubbed its face on her, and she says the camel kissed her : ). SO she wanted to write that.

Ramadhaan Activities 13 - 2011 - Good Deeds

We discussed about Good Deeds today. We read these Darul Kitab books. Masha Allaah excellent to explain everything in a nutshell for kids.

  

We also spoke about how Allaah multiplies the good deeds done in Ramadhaan and rewards abundantly. 

Maimoonah's Good Deed Tree looks like this upto today: )

Apples hanging for every good deed done from the beginning of Ramadhaan!

Then I had by mistake printed out twice these little good deeds cards from sis Umm An Nu'man's Ramadhaan Activity Book. So we used these sweet little good deed cards to make a journal entry.

Inspired by sis Umm Tafari here, we used water colours and sponge and made a texture like this.

After it dried this is how the page looked.

Then Maimoonah coloured the little Good deed cards while reading each of them independently. Then she pasted on to one side of the Journal page and gave prominence to it. This is something she has developed on her own. : )

Then I asked her to what she would like to write today about the good deeds. She is kind of in love with cats and when she learnt that a lady was punished for imprisoning the cat till now she just cannot understand how can some one not give food to the cat and could be so mean. So she insisted she wants to write this: ). 

Ramadhaan Activities 12 - 2011 - Jumuah in Ramadhaan!

Alhamdulillaah we were able to go for Jumuah today to the masjid after some time. So before we went we watched the TJ Jumuah Powerpoint and learnt many things.

Then Maimoonah had a bath got ready and wanted to take one the prayer mat's she made to the masjid. She took it and in fact prayed on it : )

With her prayer mat ready to go for Jumuah

Masha Allaah the Imaam was talking about the explanation of Soorah Faatiha from the book of Shaikh Uthaimeen raheemahullaah. Even though the khutbah was in Arabic masha Allaah I was able to catch mots of it due to the fact that the subject was known Alhamdulillaah. Maimoonah was happy too since she heard the Imaam saying some hadeeth she already knew in Arabic like the hadeeth of the 99 names of Allaah!.

So we prayed Jumuah came back home and did this Journal Entry. Maimoonah loves cutting small pieces of papers, so we decided to make the masjid collage.  She cut the pieces.

Pasted and wrote on the journal.

Ramadhaan Activities 11 - 2011 - Taraaweeh/Qiyaamul Lail

Today we discussed about Taraaweeh/ Qiyaamul Lail. I explained to her that this a special prayer prayed in the month of Ramadhaan in Jama'h. We spoke about the number of rakah prayed and how the messenger of Allaah and the sahaabah used to make it very long and sometimes prayed this prayer the whole night, with long rukoo, and sajdah glorifying Allaah and asking His Mercy and Forgiveness.

Then she coloured this worksheet form TJ.

For the journal entry I asked her to make small prayer rugs and paste and then write whatever she wants about Taraweeh/Qiyaamul Lail. And this is what she did!

I usually prefer to pray Taraaweeh at home as I enjoy praying long rakah at my own pace, Alhamdulillaah

 ( also Shaikh Ubaid Al Jaabiree may Allaah preserve him, said that the best place for the owman to pray Taraweeh is in her house, masha Allaah. I have heard so many sisters feeling so sad because they cannot go to the masjid due to kids and family responsibilities. so cheer up and pray at home and you will be rewarded abundantly  subhanallaah). But just to make maimoonah accustomed with the prayer in Jamah we took her to the masjid for Taraaweeh. She really enjoyed masha Allaah!

Ramadhaan Activities 10 - 2011 - An Umrah in Ramadhaan

Today (actually yesterday, I could not post because the PC was not with me : ) we made this little booklet on An Umrah in Ramadhaan. Alhamdulillaah we are hoping to leave for Umrah  soon Insha Allaah by the grace and mercy of Allaah. Indeed all praise is due to Him for enabling us to do this and for blessing us with this greatest Nimah!

So to make it easier on Maimoonah, I decided to do this booklet with all what she needs to do to complete an Umrah. We spoke about the hadeeth that says an Umrah in Ramadhaan is equal to a hajj with the Messenger of Allaah sallaahu alaihiwassalam. And we discussed that Allaah rewards so much for this act. I also showed her on you tube the places involved while performing Umrah. (The Haram is indeed so crowded, subhanallaah, please do make dua that Allaah makes it easy for us with little Maimoonah around)

So here the pics of the booklet.

 

 

Then for today's journal entry we tried sis Umm Tafari's idea of blow painting. First we took a thick paper, and some water colours, tissues and a straw!

Then randomly poured the water colours on to the sheet of paper.

Then Maimoonah blew the paints with the straw.

The straw we had was a very small one, and poor girl was trying very very hard to blow but the force was not enough for the paints to go all over, so she did this : ) after blowing a little

She stared using the straw to let the water colours go all over. Umm Tafari we deviated a little from your tutorial due to necessity, I hope you would not mind Insha Allaah : )

And after it dried we pasted them onto the journal. I asked Maimoonah to write whatever she wants about Ramadhaan. She told me a lot of things (thanks to the bulletin board : ). But she wanted my help to write all of them. I just told her just write one word, but she insisted she needs my help to write the whole thing. So I helped her with spellings and some words she wanted me to hold her hand and write with her. This is the end result of this masha Allaah. May Allaah reward sis Umm Tafari for guiding us along with her tutorials

Ramadhaan Activities 9 - 2011 - Phases of the Moon

Today we learnt about the Phases of the Moon. Since we did this last year in detail Maimoonah was familar with the different phases. We discussed about the phases and how we start and break our fast according to the sighting of the new moon. We used this Book from Umm Abdul Basir's.

 She read, coloured and for the first time subhanallaah she could draw something on her own.

 

 

She refused to colour all the pages since it was almost the same pictures but preferred to draw : )

Then we found one moon calandar for the month of August and examined the phases. Pasted on the Journal. And tried a small art technique whihc I remember doing in school when I was about 7 or 8 : )

First we pasted a sheet of papaer on the journal. Maimoonah coloured the paper with different colours of crayons, all ove on top of each colour. She loved this very much : )

Then finally coloured Black colour covering all the colours.

Then using a blunt pen I asked her to write anything she like about the Moon. This is what she wrote and this is how it looks. When you write on top of the black crayon it brings out all the colours underneath,(you cannot see the colours on the picture) I remember even drawing a whole scenery when I was 7 or 8 : )

She Wrote "O Moon,  play with me" :)