Allah is Al-Khaliq: Collage

In Kindergarten, we began discussing Allah and his attributes. I knew it would be difficult for them to understand what an "attribute" is, so we went around in a circle and I identified an attribute of each student (e.g., "One of Noor's attributes is that she is very friendly."). I then asked the students to use context clues to figure out what they think the word attribute means. They were easily able to determine that an attribute is a word that describes someone's traits.

We talked about how Allah (swt) has many attributes, and one is that he is Al-Khaliq: The Creator. Again, we went around in a circle, and each student stated his/her favorite color, as well as something Allah created that is that color (e.g., "My favorite color is purple. Allah created grapes, which are purple.").

Then, we sang a nasheed together called "Allah the Creator." This is available here on YouTube and you can find the lyrics here. They loved this nasheed since it's very catchy and were singing it the entire class period.

Finally, we created a collage. I gave them pages from National Geographic magazine. Any nature, animal, or food magazines work for this project. They cut out pictures of things Allah created (e.g., trees, spiders, birds, mountains, etc.). They then spread glue all over a piece of cardstock and stuck on the pictures to make a collage. I printed out captions that say "Allah is Al-Khaliq, the Creator. He made everything!". You can download the template for the captions here.

We put these up on our bulletin board, and I printed out these great Allah Created... bulletin borders from Islamic Bulletin Boards.

Tasbih of Hadhrat Zahra (sa) Magnets

Salam Alaykum!

As Shias, we are very blessed to have 14 perfect role models who have provided us with many secrets to success. One of the greatest gifts of the Ahlul Bayt is the Tasbih of Hadhrat Zahra (sa). There are numerous ahadith that tell us about the importance and rewards that come with reciting this tasbih, especially after the wajib salaahs.

The 1st graders were talking about Hadhrat Zahra (sa) and how to recite her special tasbih. I gave each student a tasbih, and together, we recited the entire tasbih. They enjoyed it so much that they wanted to recite the tasbih another time!

To help us remember what to recite in the tasbih, we made magnets. On cardstock, I printed out a hadith from Imam Sadiq (a) about the value of this tasbih. The students wrote what we are supposed to say and decorated their magnets.

Then, we put the cards through a laminating machine. They really enjoyed watching this step and seeing it come out on the other side. They then stuck a magnet on the back and took these home to stick on their refrigerators as a reminder to themselves and their families about how to recite the tasbih!

Materials:

• Magnet Template (Available Here)
• Cardstock
• 8.5x11" Laminating Pouches
• Laminating Machine
• Markers

Usul-e-Deen/Furu-e-Deen Bingo

Salam Alaykum,

One of the most important parts of the religion is the tree of our faith. Just like a tree needs strong roots to grow, we also need to make sure our foundation is strong to help us grow as Muslims.

The 3rd graders were having a hard time remembering the names/meanings of the Usul-e-Deen and Furu-e-Deen, so we decided to play Bingo.

I found this great website where you can generate your own Bingo cards. I made Bingo cards that were 4 words by 3 words (since there are only 15 branches, 4x4 wouldn't work). I printed these out on cardstock and gave one to each student. I then gave each students some candies. M&Ms and Skittles work great for this kind of game.

The rules are the same as Bingo, with a slight difference. Instead of calling out the root/branch, I would say the definition. For example, if I pulled out the word "Salah," I would say, "This is the branch that means praying 5 times a day." Or, if I pulled out "Tawheed," I would say, "This is the root that means believing in one God." If they had the corresponding word on their card, they would cover it with a candy. Once they got 3 in a row, they had to shout out "Allahu Akbar!"

This game is great because it's a fun way to help them remember the meanings of the roots and branches. The 3rd graders loved this fun (and delicious) review game!

40 Days of Kulayni

On the 1st of Dhul Qa'dah, Prophet Musa (as) took his spiritual journey to Mt. Sinai. Originally, his journey was only supposed to be 30 days, but it ended up being a total of 40 days. When he came back down, he was spiritually fortified and brought with him the Taurat to guide his people.

According to our urafah, these 40 days are known as the "40 Days of Kulayni." They hold high spiritual significance, and it is greatly recommended to engage in a 40 day aamal during these days.

We explained this story to our students (in grades 3-7), and encourage each child to pick an aamal to help them build their "spiritual muscles." We reiterated that their aamaal of choice didn't have to be long or complicated and that sometimes it's actually better to pick something simple but to do it repeatedly.

The children were really excited to engage in these 40 days of spirituality and chattered amongst each other about which action they should pick.

Some students were ambitious and decided to recite Dua Tawassul or Surah Waqea for 40 days. Meanwhile, other students picked something as simple as Surah Fateha, tasbih of Hadhrat Zahra (sa), or 5 salawats. We encouraged them to set a realistic goal that would help them get closer to Allah (swt).

We made trackers with 40 squares (Download template here). Each morning, we would ask each student if he/she did their aamaal for the day and put a sticker on that day if they did. We also featured a large version of this tracker (download here, 8.5x14") and a list of potential aamaals outside (download here) our classrooms for teachers to join in on this feat.

This is a great way to instill the tradition of a'amal in children and introduce them to the importance of spiritual development in a simple way. It was also something we did as a group, which further increased the barakah of our actions.

Wudhu

Salam Alaykum!

The 2014-2015 school year has begun, and we've been busy with Islamic Studies! Everyday, the students recite jama'at salah, but we noticed that many of them do not actually know how to pray or do wudhu, which is fine, since many of them are not yet baligh. However, practice makes perfect, and the best way to learn is through repetition, so we thought it was important to dedicate the first complete week of school to relearning wudhu and salah, with appropriate adjustments for each grade level.

This is one of those topics where you need to incorporate creative methods to really ingrain the procedure and order in the children's head. So, for the 3rd graders, who have a lot of energy, we decided to channel their energy into a fun activity that would help them remember the order of the steps of wudhu.

First, we wrote out each step of wudhu on a stick note (10 steps in total).

We then handed each student a sticky note. They had to arrange themselves in the correct order without speaking to each other while we timed them. It was interesting during this part to see how some students' leadership abilities shined through and they took it upon themselves to direct each classmate where to go.

Once they were satisfied with their order (it took them 1 minute and 43 seconds), each student went in order and explained his step.

They were a bit off the first time, so we had them do it again. This time, they were correct, but it took them more time, so we had them do it one last time in hopes of beating their record. This time, they got them all correct in 40 seconds.

The children had a lot of fun with this activity, and it really made them think about and internalize the different steps of wudhu and what order they should be in.

100th Day of School

Salam alaykum!

Well, the school year is more than halfway through. In fact, tomorrow is the 100th day of school! I have a full day of fun planned for my kinders, with activities related to math and language arts. I was just thinking about how I could tweak these activities to fit in the context of an Islamic school. Here is what I've come up with, and please share your ideas as well!

1. Starting the day off by reciting 100 salawats, preferably using a giant set of prayer beads!

2. I'm having my students make "trail mix," by picking 10 pieces of 10 different items (such as fruit loops, raisins, goldfish, etc.). Once they pick their items, they should sort them on a piece of paper, and then we will chorally count by 1s, 5s, and 10s (hitting those Math standards!). Of course the kids can eat them at the end. To adapt this for the Islamic context, one could use beads of different types, have students pick 10 groups of 10 (or perhaps 5 groups of 20 or a different combination depending on the grade), sort and count them as a class and then make a tasbeeh (prayer beads) out of them. They could also make some sort of pattern out of them on the tasbeeh, which is also math-related! I'm sure they would love using this tasbeeh even more if it's made from their own hands.

3. For writing, I am having my students use different art materials to make a picture of what they might look like at 100 years old (insha'Allah!). They will also write a list of things they hope to do before reaching 100 years. This could be adapted by creating a collective list of 100 good deeds we want to do before we die. The students can still make a picture of what they might look like if they reach 100, and then write down good deeds they want to do (either on one big poster as a class, or dividing the 100 up amongst the students).

4. Listing as a class 100 reasons why we love our school/friends/teachers/anything else!

5. Doing an art project with the names of Allah (swt). This could possibly be related to an Arabic lesson, if your school teaches Arabic. Or perhaps it could be a mini research project. For example, each name could be written on a square, the students would have to look up the meaning of the name (at home? at school?) and then share it with their classmates. All the pieces could be joined together to make a quilt.

6. And finally, to end with a bang, the students could  do 100 rakats of prayer before going home! Just kidding =)

Hopes and Dreams

Unfortunately, I am no longer teaching at an Islamic School (for now). Teaching at a public school has been a whole new experience for me, and has really made me miss Islamic school at times. One personality that our school has been focusing on this month is Martin Luther King, Jr. This has given me the opportunity to have a discussion with my students about our hopes and dreams: both for ourselves, and also our community. This is also a great way to integrate Social Studies with Islamic Studies in an Islamic school. One project I did with my first graders a couple years ago was talking to students about our communal hopes and dreams. My students had a lot of great ideas, and I had them use some of these to write an acrostic poem (an activity which, as you can tell, I love dearly).

One thing to keep in mind when working with little ones and poetry is that they need a lot of guidance. One way to help them come up with words for each letter is to do a bubble map as a class for each letter. This way, they can all contribute ideas, and also have some fallback options in case they are having trouble coming up with words.

Here are some examples from my old class (1st grade):

Let me know how this project goes for you!