Mulitsensory Activity for the Letter Meem

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Multisensory learning (learning that involves using as many of the five senses possible) is thought to help children make deeply rooted connections to the material they are being taught. In turn, this is believed to aide children in the rapid recall of the information and thus make the experience lasting. If these multisensory activities are happy experiences then the child will love learning insha'Allah and of course...waallahu alim. This is an example of a multisensory activity for the letter meem that compliments our lesson on the Prophet Musa (alayhi salam).

After a very brief lesson on the letter meem, it's sound, look, etc. toddlers are given a large construction paper letter meem, construction paper miniature masaajid and tape (toddlers love tape! The sensory part is that it is sticky). They are invited to tape the masaajid around the letter meem (or on it). As they tape the first few masaajid to the letter meem, I say the letter meem (its sound) and the word masjid - placing a bit of stress on the meem sound. I give a small piece of tape each time the child decides where they want to put their masjid. Afterward, we hang a masjid next to the letter meem as a reminder that masjid has the beginning sound of meem.

This is a very simple activity that requires few materials but provides toddlers with a joyful experience insha'Allah.

What type of multisensory activity would you do with the letter meem?

Preschool/Kindergarten Lesson Plan for Nabi Musa

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Dear sisters, jazakillahu khayran for your patience with me as I took a bit of time uploading this lesson plan. But alhamdulillah, here it is (I remembered to include some geography but let me know if you had something different in mind *smile*). Here is the lesson plan for Nabi Musa - alayhi salam-:

Click here to download the lesson plan insha'Allah.

And here are pictures and explanations for some of the activities alhamdulillah:

Explanation/Instructions for activities insha'Allah (I think only two things need explaining but I'm reading the lesson plan quickly so tell me if I miss something *smile*:

1). The activity Musa watered sheep: You need a small square of construction paper for each child, 2-3 cotton balls, and markers or crayons and non-toxic glue (you may wish to put the small dot of glue on the paper for the child and allow them to place the cotton ball in the glue). After teaching about sheep, invite the child to make a scene of a sheep (sample pictured above). Please be sure to remind children that we do not draw facial features on animals or humans in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salam).

2). The Harf Meem word reader (pictured above): Print this file, cut out the masjid and the cards. With an Xacto Knife, make two slits on each side of the masjid that is solid blue and has the meem on the right hand side. Be sure to measure before you cut the slits to make sure your cards have enough room and the entire word can be seen once the cards are inserted into the reader insha'Allah. Invite the child to insert the cards one at a time and read the word (the pictures should stay visible to aide in comprehension insha'Allah).

3). The Story of Musa supplimentary reader is not intended to stand alone. Is meant to aide children in re-telling the story in the proper sequence insha'Allah. It has ayaat from the Quran - please destroy it by buring the book when done insha'Allah...jazakum Allahu khayr.

4). The links that are in the lesson plan can not be accessed through the PDF file (and some are not free). Here they are:
- For the Story of Musa and Al-Khidr Puzzles click here
- For the Names of Allah colouring sheets from Easel & Ink click here
- For Ordinal Numbers worksheets click here
- For Learning Roots click here
- For Game: Going Right, Going Left, click here

Here are the files to download insha'Allah:
Harf Meem Word Reader
Egypt Geography Activity
Sheep Puzzle
Story of Musa Supplementary Reader (this file is large, so it is in ZIP format)
Egypt Same and Different Math Worksheet

and....as usual, I forgot to make a transliteration chart for the Arabic words....subhana'Allah. Insha'Allah, tonight or tomorrow I will upload that.

Storytime: Have You Seen Birds?

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Today we read, Have You Seen Birds? by Joanne Oppenheim

This book caught my attention at the library because of the illustrations. I recognized Barbara Reid's work and this caused me to check the book out. The story exposes children to the wonderful array of different types of birds that Allah has Created and through rhyme and verse, it teaches children some of the unique behaviours of each bird.

I was told, perhaps last week, that Ibn Taymiyyah - rahimullah - said that we should not imitate the sounds that animals make. I have not yet located this information but to be safe, I have discontinued reading/making the sounds of animals that are in stories. Alhamdulillah, this book only has that appear once or twice and it's easy to simply read past it and not make the sound (in this case it was the sound the owl makes).

Overall, this is a fun book with delightful illustrations and children might enjoy the bouncy verses that teach them about yet another of Allah's stunning Creations. You can find this book on Amazon for a penny! So...I think I'll order a copy insha'Allah and then just cover over the two spots where the owl sound is shown. This way there is no chance of a child accidentally reading the sound insha'Allah.

New site of Sheikh Al-Albani's works in English

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Just sharing good things insha'Allah. This is a new site that is dedicated to providing the English translation of Sheikh Al-Albani's - rahimullah - works.

http://asaheeha.wordpress.com/

And: the Lesson Plan for Nabi Musa - alayhi salam - is pretty much done but I've been a bit busy but I haven't forgotten it alhamdulillah.

Storytime: Ramadan

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Today we read,

Ramadan by David F. Marx

This book teaches children what Ramadan is and what Muslims do during this blessed month using very simple sentences and photographs from around the Muslim world. I was pleased by the accuracy of the information as it focuses not on cultural practices but religious ones alhamdulillah. 

The only thing I was not happy with was the cover of the book. The word "Rookie" in Rookie Reader is a pumpkin with facial features cut out. This is from Halloween yes? I blurred that out.  

The text level of this book is for children ages 4-8 (pre-k thru grade 1) and also makes a nice read aloud for younger children masha'Allah.

Lesson Plan for the Story of Musa coming soon insha'Allah!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Insha'Allah, I hope to post the lesson plan (with activities) for the story of Musa - alayhi salam - some time this week. Check back insha'Allah!