December was so much fun! We’ve had a blast in out homeschool using these books and educational products. I am so excited to share them with you.
There are a few more than usual, but I didn’t want to miss anything out!
We are taking a short break for the next few weeks, to give ourselves time to “refuel” and get ready for the term to come.
I am really happy with the way our homeschooling has been going. Alhumdullilah!
With the exception of Maths (I’ll talk about that later), we are loving all of our curriculum. The kids really enjoy “school time” and we are excited to start homeschooling again soon!
Homeschool Favourites | December 2016
To take a closer look at the products, and see inside the books I mention in this blog post,
WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!
Myriad Toys
I am in love with this online store!!!
Myriad sell natural toys and crafts, as well as home decor and more! They stock lots of beautiful wooden toys and toys made from natural materials. If you follow the Waldof method of home education, this would be a great shopfor you.
We do not follow the Waldorf methodology, but I still adore their toys and craft!
We bought lots of things this time round, and I’ve already got my eyes on a few others bits!!!
These sweet wax crayonsare lovely for my toddler’s little hands. She can easily grasp these to colour and draw, and we are also using them to teach her the colour names.
These beautiful pencils are highly pigmented and draw beautifully! They are triangular in shape so they are easy for my child to grasp. The only thing is, they don’t fit into out existing pencil sharpener, so I’ve had to purchase one separately (around £4) from Amazon.
These were a bit of a splurge, but I needed to get two new combs for the kids. These combs are beautifully made from beech wood, and look and work wonderfully.
Beeswax candles
I’ve never had beeswax candles and I was curious. I needed some to fit into some of my mother’s old candle sticks, and thesetapered beeswax candles fitted perfectly!
Write from the Start
This handwriting programme is fantastic! I have never seen anything like it!
Instead of pages and pages of copying out letters, this book contains a huge variety of exercises that improve you child’s fine motor and perceptual skills.
My 4 year-old son loves this book, and will often pull it out and start working on it independently!
The Boys Choice: Independent Reading
This month I decided to ask the boys directly, “What was your favourite thing we did in our homeschool this month?”
I thought they might suggest a field trip we went on, or maybe a craft activity…but they surprised me! They chose their independent readers!
My youngest son (4) is reading through the “Biff, Chip and Kipper” books Level 1 from Oxford University Press.
These are great for children who are just beginning to read. There a short stories filled with sight words and CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) words. He obviously is enjoying them!
My elder son (6) chose his collection of Roald Dahl books.
These books are fun and silly, and he loves them! I must warn you, they do not teach good character traits, and some may consider them bit rude; but they have given my son so much confidence in reading. He now goes off by himself to read for fun!
A Maths Journey
As I mentioned above, we have had some issues with Maths!
Previously, we had been using Saxon Math 3. I really appreciate this programme’s thorough and systematic approach to Maths. However, for my son, the slow pace and the repetition became very frustrating for him. So we decided to make a change!
Instead of using a complete curriculum, I have been piecing together my own Maths curriculum from various resources. These include:
A Maths Journey if a collection of 4 books that uses real-life exampls to teach kids to understand topics such as geometry, statistics and algebra. They use a variety of pictograms, infographics, fun illustration and photographs to explain these core concepts.
Titles in this collection include:
Wonders of the World
Extreme Sports
Deep Sea Adventure
Computer Games
These books are fantastic if you’re looking for something to stretch you child in their Maths ability, or if your child does not enjoy the usual math book format. These books are so different and I love them!
If you are in the U.K. this collection can be purchased at The Book People.
Ali and Sumaya DVDs
At this time of year, Christmas is all over the T.V.! As a family who have chosen not to celebrate Christmas, it can be a very confusing time of the year for the kids. So the T.V. has been andoff, we have been enjoying these two Ali and Sumaya DVDs: Let’s Pray & Let’s Read!
The chidren love the nasheeds and the incredible animations. The children have learnt so much from these DVDs, even my little 2 year-old has started reciting parts of Surah Fatihah after watching these DVD mashAllah!
I have previously written two reviews about these DVDs if you want to know more about them, click on the links below:
We were struggling to get the boys up and going in the mornings. Getting dressed, brushing teeth etc. was taking forever. This meant we were not starting school until after 10am.
This Islamic Behaviour chart has been a great way to motivate the children to get ready and reinforce a good morning routine. It’s working so well…too well! The kids are up and ready to start school before I’ve even had my first cup of coffee!
It is highly customisable and can be used to motivate kids in lots of different ways; such as encouragement to do their homework, chores or improve behaviour.
The stickers are adorable with phrases like:
“Super star MashAllah”, “I Love Allah” and “Splendid Subhanullah!“
They’re so cute.
These Islamic stickersare great because, not only to they make the child proud of their achievement, but also help to make them proud to be a Muslim! Encouraging a positive self image and Muslim identity is becoming increasingly hard for children growing up in the West, and products like this make it a little easier.
Thissticker chart, along with a wide variety of Islamic sticker products, stamps, sweets and toys, can be purchased from MuslimStickers.com
As I was reading it aloud to the children, the stories it told reminded me of the stories m teacher used to teach us. It is by far the most accurate Seerah book I have come across for children, as well as the most in depth. The illustrations are beautiful, although they are not faceless, and there is a beautiful family tree in the front of the Prophet’s family.
As I read this aloud, it moved the children and evoked feelings in them, like not other children’s Seerah book has.
Since it goes into quite a lot of detail, I anticipate that this book will be enjoyed for many years to come. If you are reading aloud, this book is suitable for children aged 5-11, or 8+ for independent readers.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what we’ve been enjoying in our homeschool this month.
Do you have any new discovers? What have you been loving in your home this month? What is your favourite online store for children’s toys? What is your favourite Seerah book for kids?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Can we be devoted mothers, beloved wives
and have a career of our own?
How do Muslim businesswomen manage to
juggle all their responsibilities?
It was an honour, to be invited to the Muslim Lifestyle Expo
2016 as an on of their Official Bloggers. I had planned to scour the MLE arena,
looking for innovative new toys or books that my readers would be interested
in.
However, in addition to the incredible products I saw there, what moved me
the most, was speaking to the Muslim businesswomen. I was intrigued how they
managed to run a business, take care of their home, the needs of their husband
and children and themselves. I wanted to know, what motivated them when they
started the business and what keeps them going?
I met so many incredibly strong and ambitious Muslim women at the MLE, and
I want to share their story and the advice they gave me here.
To see my vlog of the Muslim Lifestyle Expo, and hear from these women yourselves,WATCH THIS VIDEO:
Advice to Ambitious Mothers: Muslim Lifestyle Expo
The organisers of the MLE announced that more than 60% of
exhibitors were women. Many of these women had children and were running their
business from home.
Here are just a few of the inspiring women I met there:
Nazia Nasreen: Ibraheem Toy House
When I arrived, I knew exactly who I wanted to meet first;
Nazia Nasreen, the Founder and CEO of Ibraheem Toy House!
Ibraheem Toy House is
the U.K.’s first and largest online Islamic Toy Store.
Nazia began her business at home when her children were very
young. Having begun with only 4 products and a Facebook page, she now, only 2
years later, sells more than 200 products from her website, has international clientele,
and was recently featured in the Times, Business Quarterly, and the Guardian.
When I spoke to Nazia about what advice she would give
mothers, who want to start a business she said,
“Go for it! Don’t think that starting your own business
means that you wont be a good mum….You’re actually setting a really good
example for your children because you are showing them that you can get good
things in life by working hard.”
Sabah Nazir, the founder of Islamic Moments, began her business in 2004 selling mainstream greeting
cards; and then later venturing into Islamic products.
Her company, sells a range of
Islamic greeting cards, Eid and Ramadan décor, and stationary. They recently
launched a line of beautiful mugs for Muslim homes, and an Arab-inspired
fragrance collection.
Sabah’s advice to mums who want to start a business from
home was,
“Time-management is the key to everything! Be super, super organised…Believe
in Allah and insha’Allah things will be right.”
She was part of a panel of Muslim business women, talking about how they started their businesses, what their motivation was, and how they juggle their many responsibilities.
Zukreat said,
“ If you’re planning to have a business, have
good people around you to give you confidence….If you have a passion for
something, and you feel you’re good at it, just pursue it!”
– Author and Founding Director of Muslim Children’s
Books and Sweet Apple Publishers
I met Zanib Mian on the Ibraheem Toy House stand, where she came to do a book signing and read from her book “Migo and Ali”.
What
struck me most about Zanib, were her manners mashAllah. She is so polite and
humble, despite her many achievements, and is very approachable and easy to talk to.
Sweet Apple Publishers was set up in 2004 to truly represent
the world we live in with diverse characters taking the main roles in their books.
Her second publishing house, Muslim Children’s Books, publishes books with the
aim to inspire a love of Allah in young children’s hearts, through vibrant
illustrations, quirky wording and a sprinkling of humour!
Coming away from the event, I felt almost euphoric! It was
as if my eyes had been opened to so many possibilities!
Perhaps it is possible
for a mother to pursue her dreams and ambitions, and still manage all her other
responsibilities. Perhaps it’s not just those untouchable “superwomen” who can
do it…maybe I could do it…maybe you could too!
I have heard many people speak about business in a negative
light; it is just chasing the dunya (the temporal world), and it is for people who are only
interested in money.
However what motivated the inspiring women I met couldn’t
have been further from that! Their motivation was not amassing money (although that
was a perk!), but rather it was to make a positive impact on the world, and help
people in someway.
Ultimately, these lofty intentions have turned running their businesses
into a form of worship. May Allah accept their efforts and reward their
intentions.
I cannot wait for the next Muslim Lifestyle Show! The atmosphere was amazing, and we all left the event feeling positive and proud to be Muslim! I hope I’ll see you all at the next event 🙂
What do you think about mother’s running a business?
Do you think women can
juggle it all, or is it an unnecessary pressure that modern women put upon
themselves?
Are you a stay-at-home mum who works from home? How to manage
everything?
Or are you choosing to wait until your children are older before you begin?
Lets have a discussion in the comments below! (Keep it
polite please! )
Make sure you don’t miss the next blog post bySubscribing to my mailing list.
I am so excited to share Our Muslim Homeschool Curriculum choices for 2016-2017.
In the U.K. my sons would be in Reception (Kindergarten) and Year 2 (1st Grade), at ages 4 and 6 years old.
We follow an eclectic approach, drawing heavily from the Classical approach and the Charlotte Mason method.
This blog-post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our Disclaimer.
Please WATCH THIS VIDEO to see what books and resources we are using this year in our homeschool. If you want more information, or would like to buy anything for your family, I have given links in this blog post for almost everything that is mentioned!
I hope you enjoy the video and find benefit in it!
This blog-post was written in partnership with Al Maurid Books. Although I was compensated for my time, and given a review copy of the book, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
Teaching the 99 Names of Allah to children can be challenging for any Muslim parent. In our Muslim homeschool, we use a variety of crafts and hands-on activities to help our children remember the 99 names of Allah.
I believe that learning the names of Allah does not need to be rushed. By taking our time, we allow the names of Allah to impact on their hearts, thereby helping to nurture a deeper and stronger connection to the Divine insha’Allah.
Each activity below is designed to help children understand the 99 names of Allah. The names themselves can seem complicated and somewhat abstract to young children. By associating the Divine name with an activity or craft, we show the children a more concrete representation of that name, creating a connection that will help with memorisation, as well as their understanding.
And besides….it’s so much more fun this way!!!
To watch a Youtube Video about all the activities we have been doing,
CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW!
Why should Children Learn the 99 Names of Allah?
Learning the names of Allah (swt) is a great way to help children to understand the nature of Allah and create a love for the divine in their hearts insha’Allah.It has been narrated Abu Huraira that the Prophet (SAW) said,
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 50 Hadith 894
Allah
The first place we began is with the name “Allah.”Using a FREE TEMPLATE of the name, we filled in the letters with sequins and buttons to make a beautiful calligraphy to hang-up on our wall. For more information on this craft CLICK HERE
Alternatively, you could use glitter, tissue paper or even make a collage from old magazines or newspapers.
Al-Khaliq
Al-Khaliq can be translated as “The Creator”.
For this name, I felt the best way to teach the children about how Allah creates, is to witness His creation.
So we went outdoors; to the park, to the woods, and just around our own garden, and spent some time talking together about what Allah had created. We talked about how He created everything from nothing, with no help.
This concept is something that even the youngest of children can understand. Allah made the clouds, Allah made the sun, Allah made the birds etc. I asked the children to collect things from our nature walk. We came home with so many twigs, leaves and flowers!
Once we got home, we made a poster using a FREE Colouring Page of the name Al-Khaliq.
Around the name we stuck all the beautiful things that the chlidren had collected. It looked lovely up on the kitchen wall!
For more details about this craft, you can read my previous blogpost HERE.
Al-Malik
Al-Malik translates as “The King.”
As a visual representation of this name, the children made a crown! Whilst they were making it, we talked about how Allah doesn’t wear a crown, and how Allah does not look like any king that they can imagine. We spoke a little about the role of a king and I asked them,“Who is the King of the Kings? ….. Allah!”
If you would like to make this crown with your children, CLICK HERE.
Ar- Razzaq
Recently, we have been learning the name Ar-Razzaq which translates as “The Provider.”
To help the children understand this name better, we have been using the book “Aishah Learns to Bake” by Latifah Peerbux.
This is the story of a young girl called Aishah who wants to bake. Her mum agrees to teach her how, but she asks her to guess all the ingredients they need. What is wonderful is how her mum uses clues with an Islamic or Prophetic twist!!!
For example, as a clue for dates, her mum says,
“Allah even says we find this fruit up in heaven! It’s the same fruit we eat in Ramadan to break our fast!”
Aishah Learns to Bake by Latifah Peerbux
Aishah continues to guess all the ingredients for her cakes, learning more and more as she does so.
The book ends with her father explaining to her how Allah is Ar-Razzaq, the Provider.
It’s a sweet and heart-warming story that helps children to understand what a blessing it is to have food, as well as the Blessings that different foods contain; and ultimately to be more grateful to Allah for providing us with them.
As the hands-on activity, we made the Honey and Date cupcakes that Aishah and her mum baked. They were delicious! Alhumdulillah!
Al- Wadood
Al-Wadood can be translated as “The Most Loving.”
The idea that Allah loves us, even more than mummy and daddy, is something that even very young children will understand.
This art activity is a great one for small kids too! We drew the outline of a heart onto a piece of paper. The children then scrunched up lots of small piece of tissue paper and glued them all over the heart!
They looked so pretty, and were a wonderful visual reminder that Allah loves them!
Ar-Rahman
Most recently, we have been looking at the name Ar-Rahman, which can be translated as “The Most Compassionate.”I’m still thinking about what hands-on activity we can use to help the children to better understand this concept.
My initial idea was to ask the children to take care of our cats for a week. I hope that this will teach them that just as they are taking care of their cats, Allah is taking care of them, and their family, and all the people in the whole world, and all of creation!
What do you think? If you have a better idea I’d really appreciate it if you would share it with us all in the comments section below!!!
Have you been teaching the 99 Names of Allah to your children? How do YOU approach it?
If you have any useful resources, I’d love to hear about them.
Please let us all know by leaving a comment down below!
For an (almost) daily look into our homeschooling day follow me onInstagramor Facebook.
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This model of the human body has been such a hit with the children!
They love seeing where all the organs and bones go… taking it apart, and putting it back together again.
It’s a fantastic hands-on way of teaching anatomy, and it has really got them excited to learn more about the human body.
It also comes with fact cards, a poster, a manual and a calorie-counting wheel. To be honest, the kids haven’t used any of these extra bits yet. They’re too interested in the model itself!
This book continues to inspire me every time I read from it!
This is a book for homeschool mums, or anyone who is interested in knowing more about the Charlotte Mason method of home-education.
It is a fictitious journal of a homeschooling mother based in the U.S.A. around 100 years ago. She decides to take her children out of school and, with the help of only one of Charlotte Mason’s books, she begin homeschooling her children.
There is a lot of focus on nature study and on “mother culture” in this book.
For more information on “Mother Culture” CLICK HERE.
The chapters are short and perfect for busy mums who don’t have time to read as much as they would like.
This has to be one of the most inspiring books I have ever read, and I can see myself re-reading over and over again!
I enjoyed it so much, I have already purchased two more from the same author:
My eldest son has really enjoyed using this interactive toyto learn how to pray. Although he used to enjoy praying with me, he seems to have entered in new “phase” where he wants to learn independently…and this even includes the Salah (prayer)!
He has benefited immensely from this toy. The illustrations show him what to do, and when you press on them, he hears what he is supposed to say. He loves it!
In addition to the prayer, it also teaches the wudu, the athaan, and many more duaas.
You can buy it in PINK or BLUE and is available to purchase from Ibraheem Toyhouse
This is an endearing story about a little girl called Aishah who wants to bake! Her mother uses this opportunity to teach Aishah about where all the ingredients come from.
It’s a lovely way to show children how blessed they are to have food, and to be grateful for it. It also introduces children to the foods mentioned in the Quran and the name of Allah “ar-Razzaq,” (the Provider).
The illustrations are clever and cute (much like Aishah), and my boys were laughing the whole way through the story!
We enjoyed the story so much, we decided to make the same honey and date cupcakes that Aishah and her mum made. There is a recipe in the back of the book. They turned really good mash’Allah!
Nature Study
Finally, although it’s not a “tangible” thing, I really wanted to share how much we’ve been enjoying our nature walks this month.
The weather has been a little unpredictable, but it hasn’t stopped us! We’ve really been making the most the woodlands and parks around us.
Not only do my children benefit from our time outdoors, but I find that I personally need that time away from the home to unwind and reflect.
If you don’t already, I would highly recommend that you schedule some outdoor time into your homeschool routine. It has brought so much balance and peace to our family. Subhanullah!
GIVEAWAY!
It’s Giveaway time!
This August I am excited to share TWO of my favorites with one of you!!!
I will be giving away: – One copy of Aishah Learns To Bake (RRP: £5.57)- One iPray Salah Pad in Pink (RRP: £17.00) The August 2016 Favourites Giveaway will run until Wednesday 24thAugust 2016 at 12AM GMT.
The giveaway is open Internationally.
All entrants under the age of 18 must have parental permission to enter.
Please aware that if entering overseas, you may be liable to pay customs tax (or the equivalent), so please check beforehand.
You can enter by following the directions in the Rafflecopter widget posted below (click HERE is you would like to know more about Rafflecopter).
I’ll announce the winners on THIS blog post and contact them directly through email.
The winner has 24 hours to respond, otherwise I will have to select another winner.
This blog-post was written in partnership with Mr. D Math.
Although I was compensated for my time, and given free access to the online
material, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
Before I even began
home-schooling my children, I was planning ahead!
How will I teach Algebra, Geometry and higher level Math when it’s been almost 15 years since I was at
school?
How will they get into University, and how do they prepare for
standardized tests like the SATs?
I was worried about all this before my son even
knew the alphabet!
Maybe it’s my Type A personality,
but finding out this information gave me the reassurance and confidence I needed to start homeschooling!
Although we live in the U.K., we
have always used Math curriculum from U.S.A., as the choices of Homeschool Math curriculum
in the U.K. are limited.
We have also considered that the children may choose
to apply to Colleges and Universities in the “States”, as home-education is
more widely accepted there.
So now I was on a mission to find
out, how will my homeschooled children get into University in America?
How will I prepare them for all the SATs, ACTs
or FCATs?
What resources are there available for a homeschooling mum like me
from England?
I was delighted in my quest for
answers, to come across Mr. D Math.
Mr. D Math
Mr. D Math is the creation of an
ex-secondary teacher Dennis DiNoia. He left the school system ten years ago and
has since created an innovative online curriculum of his own, that teaches Math
as a language, with great success, helping hundreds of students improve their SAT, ACT and FCAT scores.
His online curriculum is taught
primarily through recorded videos, with the addition of accompanying homework
to reinforce what has been learnt.
Exploring Mr. D Math
I really liked his energy in the videos and the dynamic way he presents the
material.
He also hand-writes the questions
and answers, rather than using “computer-text.” Handwritten text has been
proven to be more effective in keeping the student’s attention and helping them
to retain what was taught.
Students then have to grade their
own work, which again acts to reinforce the lesson.
The package includes two
exams, online access to Mr D Math teachers (if you have a question), and you can
attend a LIVE online Math class once a week. Here is an example of what the LIVE class would be like:
It’s summer! Although the weather might seem more like October here, our Muslim homeschool is in serious summer holiday mode! School is out for summer!
However, just because our formal schooling is taking a break, it does not mean that the learning stops.
This month, we have been using some fantastic educational toys and picture books during our ‘down-time.’ and I’m so excited to share these with you!
I’m also running another GIVEAWAY this month, so scroll down to the bottom of this blog post to enter 🙂
For an overview of all the products mentioned, please WATCH THIS video:
We have had toy for years but recently rediscovered it at the back of my boys closet! Don’t you love when that happens?!?!
The Design and Drill Activity Centre encourages children to make patterns on the design board using screws. It comes with a spanner, screw-driver and working drill!
My boys absolutely love it! It can be used to teach colour recognition, develop fine motor skills, and encourages creativity…all whilst playing with tools!
It’s such a clever concept!
Our Design and Drill set has lasted us for years; nothing has broken and it shows no signs of all the hours of play it has received! Recommended for children aged 3+.
This Rocket Science Kit by Thames and Kosmos was my son’s favourite birthday present!
It is filled with fun experiments about space and rockets. It comes with an instruction manual that describes the 18 experiments very clearly.
This Science Kit kept my son entertained for hours!
There are some really cool experiments involving a “stomp-on rocket” and using balloons to propel various vehicles around. It’s a must-have for any child who is interested in space!
However, after a few uses, this Science Kithas started to break and come apart. Honestly though, for less than £10, I think it is totally worth it! I am hoping to purchase some of the other Science kits by Thames and Kosmos soon.
The Little Muslimah is the latest addition to our collection of Islamic picture books.
This book is a ‘true story’ and was written as a surprise gift for the author’s daughter.
Umm Sumayyah told me, “It was priceless seeing the look on my daughter’s face as she read this book about a little Muslim girl and then suddenly realised in the middle of the book that the book was about her and featured all her belongings! It took 1 year to secretly make the book as I got her to pose for hundreds of photos for the illustrator without letting her know why. I’m so happy that I can now share the with the rest of the world and InshaAllaah some other families can enjoy it too.”
It is a charming story about a little girl who can’t get to sleep unless her mummy tells her why she loves her so much. It is so sweet and the perfect bedtime read.
You’ll also notice that they have been very careful to show no faces in the illustrations.
If you are looking for a new picture book for your children,
This isCD of Nasheedsis such a great discovery! It teaches children the rules of Tajweed through songs.
The songs are easy to memorise and fun, and they are sure to have your children singing along. Honestly, I find myself singing them long after the kids have gone to sleep!
These songs make the rules of Tajweed easy to remember and I hope they will make my children excited to learn the Quran insha’Allah.
I have written a blog post about this CD. If you like to know more about the Tajweed Nasheed CD then CLICK HERE!
This July I am thrilled to share FOUR of my favorites with one of you!!!
I will be giving away:
– One copy of The Story of the Elephant Pop-up and Play book
(RRP: £19.99) – One copy of Little Muslimah picture book (RRP: £10.99)
– One Large Mini Muslimah Doll (RRP: £20)
– One Tajweed Nasheeds CD (RRP: £14.99)
The July 2016 Favourites Giveaway will run until Friday 22nd July 2016 at 12AM GMT. The giveaway is open Internationally. All entrants under the age of 18 must have parental permission to enter.
Please aware that if entering overseas, you may be liable to pay customs tax (or the equivalent), so please check beforehand.
You can enter by following the directions in the Rafflecopter widget posted below (click HERE is you would like to know more about Rafflecopter).
I’ll announce the winners on THIS blog post and contact them directly through email. The winner has 24 hours to respond, otherwise I will have to select another winner.
Teaching our children to recite the Quran correctly is so
important as Muslim parents. Tajweed Rules, the rules of Quranic recitation, should
be done in young children, so that mistakes do not need to be corrected in
later years.
However, we all know that trying to teach Tajweed to young children
can be challenging. Young children do not want to sit in formal lessons for too
long. The rules can seem complicated and the terminology over-whelming.
So how
can we teach young Muslim children the rules of Quranic recitation? Through
Nursery Rhymes or Nasheeds!!!
How to Teach Tajweed Rules
We all recognise how quickly our children retain the songs
they hear. Whether it’s from school, or from the TV, songs have a way of
sticking in the memory of children. Even now, I can remember the words to songs
I sang as a child.
Tahera Akther, the founder ofOlive Tree Study Support, has
created a collection of rhyming songs to help teach your children the rules of
tajweed.
They are so much fun! Honestly, your kids are going to love
them!
The tracks are named Mysterious Makharij, Stretchy Madd
Tabeei, Best friend meem & noon (my personal favourite!), Jumpy Qalqalah and
Friendly Meem Saakina!
Despite having no music, only drums with child vocals, the
songs are ridiculously catchy! They are so easy to repeat and easy for children
to memorise. In fact, they’re a little difficult to get out of your head!
I love the idea of using rhyme to help young kids remember
their Tajweed rules. They introduce your children to some of the basic rules of
Tajweed and, insha’Allah, spark a passion for the study of Quran in later
years.
We’ve been listening to these songs whenever there’s a quiet
moment in our homeschool day; whilst the kids are colouring or playing, or
whilst they’re having a snack.
It’s a great way for parents to teach their
children the rules of Quranic recitation, without them realising its happening!
They can listen and learn whilst….
Cooking,
Playing,
And eating lunch!
After listening to these songs, I would recommend them to children aged 4- 9.
To get the most from the CD, they should have had
some exposure to the rules of tajweed previously, so they can understand some
of the terminology used.
They were perfect for my 4 and 6 year-old boys, and my
little baby girl seemed to enjoy dancing around to them too! …We all did!
This collection of Tajweed Nursery Rhyme songs is available to buy as a CD or MP3 download. If you’d like to listen to the songs, you can hear
a sampleof the nasheeds on their website. Click HEREto listen!
It is such an honour to share these Tajweed nursery rhymes with you. I genuinely love them! They’re fun, upbeat and so catchy! I often find myself singing them when the kids are asleep!
The Fun way to Learn Tajweed Rules
These great quality children’s songs are a fantastic way to
introduce Tajweed to, and inculcate a love of the Quran in, young Muslim
children.
I would recommend this CD to all madrasas, as well as any parent
eager to encourage their children to recite correctly from an early age.
Why do we, as Muslim parents, even need an online Islamic
toy store?
This blog post will explain why online Islamic Toy stores
are so important, and why your children need them too!
Why should I shop at an online Islamic Toy Store?
Run by
Muslims
These shops are owned and primarily run by
Muslims.
As such, they better understand what the
Muslim consumer wants and what our Muslim children need.
As Muslims, these businesses care about
your children and about the future of our Ummah. In fact, many of these
companies were started because they felt the needs of the Muslims was not being
met by larger corporations.
As they share the same moral standards as
you, you can be confident that your money is going to support a halal business,
and none of the money will be used to support anything haraam. We hope there will be more Barakah insha’Allah.
Learning
about Islam through play
It is widely accepted that young children
learn best through play. It is through play that they learn their own
abilities, and develop confidence and self-worth; and because it’s fun, they will play for
long periods of time, helping them to develop the ability to concentrate.
Filling our home with Islamic toys will encourage
our children to develop confidence in their religious identity. Instead of
Barbie, fill your daughter’s toy box with Muslimah dolls. This will help her
view modesty and piety as normal, and encourage her to wear her hijab with
pride!
Furthermore,
Islamic toys can teach everything from Quran,Salah, Tajweed, to Prophetic etiquettes and Arabic;
and all this is done by playing as they naturally would.
A very important aspect of play is its ability to
bond; to bond mother to her child, or to build a bond between siblings. What
better way to develop these relationships, than through Islamically orientated
play.
Everything
Under One Roof
Before Ibraheem Toy House, shopping for gifts for Muslim children was so hard, especially if you wanted toys specifically for
Muslim kids.
Thankfully, Ibraheem Toy House has brought all the best products under one roof. I no longer have to scour through 10 different websites, search
Ebay and pay for extortionate international shipping! Instead, everything I
need for my children is available from one shop. It’s like the Muslim’s version
of Toys R’Us!
Ibraheem Toy House, was founded with the aim to serve our
children by providing toys and resources that will encourage a love of Islam.
They say,
“Our mission
is to instil the love of faith in young Muslims.
We are passionate about educating children about
the teachings of Islam and help parents connect children to their faith.
We believe children should be proud of their
religious belief and religious learning should be FUN and interactive.”
Today, Ibraheem Toy Housestocks over 200 different products from 25 suppliers around
the world including dolls, books, games, DVDs, prayer mats and more.
Nazia
Nasreen founded Ibraheem Toy House from her kitchen table whilst her two
children were still very young. She is an inspiration to all Muslim women who
dream of starting their own business, and is a testimony to the power of
determination, hard work and self-belief.
Since
starting her online toy store only two years ago, Nazia has received Awards and
international recognition for the worthwhile service she is providing to the
Muslim Ummah, as the first online Islamic toy store in the U.K.
So if you
are a Muslim woman thinking about starting your own business, I would urge to
look for inspiration from Nazia, and take the first step to making your dream a
reality.
Ibraheem ToyHouse is constantly on the lookout for new toys and products to serve the
Muslim community.
What would you like to see more of in the toy store? Are
there any particular products you are looking for?
Please let us know us know in the
comments and maybe Nazia can find them for you!
We’d love to hear what toys your
children would enjoy. Please leave us a comment down below.
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As homeschoolers, we are always on the look out for new products to enhance our children’s learning experience.
I thought it would be fun to share some of our homeschool discoveries; things that we’ve enjoyed using this month in our homeschool.
Please note: You do NOT need to buy any of these products to be a good mum, or give your child a good education!!! The chances are you’re already doing a great job with our without these products! However, if you are looking for something new and want to see what we’ve been using, please read on!
April’s Homeschool Favourites
Watch This Video for an overview of all these products:
This game has provided hours of entertainment for our family. It is a classic logic game, where the aim is to get the red car out of the traffic jam by moving the sliding blocks/cars out of the way.
There are different levels of difficulty, and it come with a handy draw-string bay to keep the pieces together.
What I loved most about this game is that even though it’s fun, it felt like it was making my son think! I mean REALLY think!
It’s a great way to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills, and exercise little (and not so little) minds.
This play dough setcontains cutters for all the Arabic letters, various shapes, as well as a rolling pin, various molds and tools.
Everything inside is good quality, it’s easy to use and the play dough even smells like bubble gum!
We have used this set in our homeschool to teach our children Arabic. If you are interested in seeing what activities we did with this play dough set, CLICK HERE
This colourful book by Usborne is filled with instructions on how to draw 366 different things; animals, vehicles, buildings, food…Plenty to keep your children interested.
It give simple step-by-step directions that make it easy for children to follow along and work independently.
There is plenty of space to draw in the book itself, and the pages tear out easily. It is very child friendly and lots of fun! I would recommend it for children over 5 years-old.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what products we’ve been using in our homeschool this month. I’d love to hear what some of your favourite products are.
Please let me know in the comments below.
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