Ramadan Booklets, writing prompts and acrostic poem template

Asalam Alaykum wa Rahmatulahi Wa Baraku.

Alhamdulilah we are nearing Ramadan. May Allah allow us to reach it and benefit from it. 

Please find below two Ramadan Booklet. The first is aimed at age 7+ and the second for age 10+.

I created these booklets a few years ago with the intention to help my children seek knowledge about Ramadan and to revise the important basics of Islam. I learnt lots while creating them!

The booklets content has been checked by a student of Knowledge Alhamdulilah. 

All benefit in the book is from Allah, any mistakes are from myself. 

The booklet are free to download, print and share. 

The booklets include:

Basic of Ramadan

History of Ramadan 

Moon phases 

Some information on Suhoor and Iftar

Information on Taraweeh

The best 10 nights of the years

Surah al Qadr and Tafsir (in 10+)

Information on the Eid Salah

Sunnah actions on Eid Day

Tawheed and the 3 categories 

Pillars of Islam 

Pillars of Eman

I made a little booklet for pre-school age (2 years +). 

Here are some little writing prompts to get the children writing and thinking about Ramadan:

How to live more simply - minimalism and freeing yourself

  'Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life's excess in favour of focusing on what's important - so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom' 'The Minimalists 

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus 

We live in a society that has got us always wanting more; the latest gadgets, trends, clothes and shoes. All around us is advertising and social media shows us what others have. This in itself can be stressful and children growing up can always feel like they are playing catch up to the latest trends. This in turn has lead us to lived cluttered lives, full of stress. The more we have, the more we want. 

You might think of minimalism as living in an nearly empty house but this is not the case. It is about being mindful of what you have and what you buy. I am sure I could spend just 20 minutes in my house and find many items that are not used or have not been thought about for years! Freeing yourself of excess and being mindful can be liberating in so many ways. 

Now I am not saying go and throw everything away as we don't want to be wasteful. There are many options when sorting through your things. 

Re-purpose items- get creative and find ways to re-purpose unwanted items.

Donate - There are many charities and organisations that take items (clothes and homeware). You unwanted items can be used and needed by others. 

Give it away for free- give your things away. There are many sites that do this and local pages where you can advertise. Giving your items a new home where they will be used!

Sell it - There are many selling sites where you can make money from selling your unwanted items.

Create a group for sharing - create a swap group with friends/ family to swap items no longer needed. I have been thinking of doing this for home educating items (books/resources). Not all books, curricula work for everyone; so by lending/ sharing we can create less waste and stop pointless buying. 

Recycle - Try to find recycling for your items rather than sending them to landfill.

With children and especially home educating, it is easy to accumulate items - toys, books, clothes and gadgets. Often we see posts by others recommending something and jump to get it (I am guilty of this). There then becomes a time when you feel like you are drowning in 'stuff' and have the feeling that your house is getting smaller. 

I defiantly want to live a more de-cluttered life and want to teach my children good habits so they won't be sucked into consumerism and wastage. I want them to be mindful about things they need and have, grateful and aware of sustainability. 

Ideas to create a more simple life:

• Clear out your things - room by room, cupboard by cupboard. Things that you don't use/ need/ have attachment to - get rid of using the methods above.
• Be mindful when buying things - ask yourself some questions before you purchase:

1. Do I really need the item?
2. Can I borrow it off of a friend, relative or from a library?
3. Can I get it second hand?

Small changes can have a big impact on your life and well-being. By teaching your children these values you will be creating happier, more content individuals that are not always chasing something. 

Moon Phases Activity

We see the moon growing from a thin crescent to a half moon, then slowly increasing until we see the beautiful full moon, then it starts to get gradually smaller again and finally disappears. This cycle is called the moon phases and is usually 28-29 days long.

It is beneficial to learn the phases as it can help us understand the lunar month. Muslims follow a lunar calendar. The months start when a new crescent moon is spotted.  

The moon tells us when the blessed month of Ramadan begins when we fast for a month. Muslims around the world wait eagerly for the news it has been spotted.

I have made a basic template to make a moon phases tracker - free downloadable below:

Steps:

1. Colour the moons in white to represent the phases.
2. Draw a small arrow, paint or colour it white and cut it out.
3. Use a split pin to attach the arrow to the page (on the centre white dot)
4. Hang it on the wall to follow the moon phases. 

(I glued the paper to some cardboard before starting to make it more sturdy).

Signs of Spring checklist

It is only the beginning of February, but I have started to spot some early hints of spring.

While in the current pandemic and restrictions, the little signs of spring seem all that more special. A real blessing. 

Use the printable checklist below to see what you can spot over the next few weeks.

We used the checklist on 22/02/21 and managed tick off 5 out the 9 on the list: