Our Thursday with Ba

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Today Z started his mornig by playing a horse game again with his sister S. I thougth that it would be a nice idea to make new buttons for the game; for example "alif", "ba" etc., or islamic pictures for example mosque, Kaaba etc. and new rules. Because kids like this kinds of games and some games are expensive also in Islamic shops. It also takes a lots of time to make totally new games. Now I didn`t have time for that idea, but maybe one day inshaaAllaah.




For the while kids played I had time to do some cards, because today we started our morning circle with Arabic words. I`ve studied with my kids the days of the weeks, the months etc. in Finnish, but not yet in Arabic. I made some cards for this. Flash cards for weather can find from here and for seasons from here. Thank You Ummu Abdillaahi for good links!

I also re-ordered our temporary morning circle area...

 

 

 

 

I wanted to make a nice calendar also for Arabic, but like I have said many times, sometimes I feel like time flies and I don`t have enough time to do everything I would like to. So, I decided that it`s better to start with a simple calendar than wait when I have time to do a beautiful one. So I made only a really simple house in the same way than I made a house for the paper dolls. I used the cover of old note book and the box of oatmeals and some kontakt plast. Now I can put these new Arabic flash cards on the box behind the house.

I desided that I start with Z in Arabic only with the days of the week, the weather and the seasons - I leave the months now, because I think that even that is quite a lot to learn for him. We put to our calendar home the cards needed on the day.

Then we were ready to start...
In Finnish we studied all the calendar, for example: Today it`s 18. April. It`s Thursday. etc. But in Arabic only "Thursday", "Partly cloudy" and "Spring".

 

I used also some post cards to show for Z what is winter and what is spring. There are a lots of these white flowers in Finland in the spring. In Finnish we call them: "Valkovuokko".

 

 

I added our theme "home" also on the table.

 

 

After our circle Z wanted to study numbers with his Clementoni.

 

And he helped me to do some snack. Bismillah!

 

 

Then we played a fishing game in a new way. I put a blue sheet between two chairs. It`s like a sea. Then I made a hook and line. I used a brush`s arm, rope and small bag. Small bucket would also be usefull. Then I went behind the sheet and Z "fished". He dropped the back behind the sheet and I putted one card or thing inside the back.

 

 

Then he draw "the fish". He got fishes like that:

 

 

We repeated the names in Arabic and then kids sortied them to Alif- and Ba-words.

 

 

Then we played again KIM-play with animals. Z hided from me four animals in the same time, but I remembered all of them :).

 

 

Baby I wants to learn too! He went to take this book (a present from Ummu Abdillaahi, A & M to Z!) by himself ;)!

 

 

Now in the afternoon I decided, that maybe our calendar is easier in that way? I mean that it would be better to put Arabic words near to Finnish and have only one calendar. Cards I still put on the house box to wait, so that kids can easily take them.

 

 

InshaaAllaah we`ll try that way tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our "Alif week"

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

I think that first I should introduce myself. I`m UmmuKarim, Finnish muslim and a mother for four children aged 8months-11years. In these blog I work mostly with my 3 years old son Z. We speak at home Finnish and (Algerian) Arabic. We have not yet done together with Z a lots of work sheets, except colouring pages and some simple ones, so these kind of working is something new for Z. (until these we have learnt more by playing), but he has now started to be interested in letters and numbers, so I think that now it`s good time to start with him! I also hope for him nice time with muslim friends in our play club inshaaAllaah!

I already apologize that I`ve forgot some English since I lived in Germany, but I hope You`ll still can understand me... I think it would be best to write in English, because we use English when speak with UmmuAbdillah.


We started our club on Monday. UmmuAbdillah had plan a really nice first time for us with many activities maaschaAllaah! We started with her selfmade calendar. I use at home this kind of calendar to teach for Z days, months etc. in Finnish.


Now I think I should add Arabic words some how with the help of UmmuAbdillah`s link or use Arabic words next to Finnish. InshaaAllaah I find time to do that soon!

Our Alif week didn`t start so effectively I hoped; I`ve been a little bit sick and quite busy, but alhamdulillaah we have made some exercises... So what we have been done...?

... mostly we`ve been playing with letter alif and words starting with alif.

We made alif with window colours. At first I made lines with black colour. I used Z`s alif work sheet as a model; it was under the plastic film and in that way it was really easy to draw the lines. In these way can draw also more difficult pictures. After that we letted lines to dry and made some another exercises. When dried Z colored it. Again we let it dry. When it`s ready it can take off from plastic film and put on the window or fridge and can also easily remove and use again and again. Z loved that!


Z cutted pictures which first letter is alif and clued them to his book. After we attached also some other words. I tried also find for him some new vocabulary. The second sheet I finded from here: http://amuslimchildisborn.blogspot.fi/2010/10/postcard-for-letter-alif.html .

Z tried to find different kinds of alifs from the sheet UmmuAbdillah gave for him on Monday.

He also colored alif-sheet and made some alifs, but didn`t want to continue for all of them. I didn`t want to press him too much, because I think that learning should be fun - especially for these small ones. Maybe we`ll continue next time inshaaAllaah.

I made cards from our main alif words: "Adam", "asad" and "arnab" - double for all of them. I didn`t find cardboard from home, so I used thick blanket. Now the cards are soft, but maybe not really strong... Z practiced to find same kind of the pictures and we also practiced the words.



Then we played KIM play with the cards: I put three cards on the table. Z closed his eyes and I took one card away. He tryed to remember, which card I took away. He liked also hide the cards. I think it was good to start only with three cards, because these words were also new ones for Z. After we can add more cards inshaaAllaah.

 
I already made for Z these kind of game from Finnish words. I used the covers from baby food bottles. It can be used as a memory game or as KIM play or just trying to find pairs (picture+letter).

Now I try to do same kind of with Arabic words and letters inshaaAllaah and I started with alif.

Allaah`s names I cutted also as a cards and clued small magnets behind them. Then I made a hook and line with magnet. We put cards on small box and Z tried to fish them. It was fun! I read the names for him and he tried to find pairs. It was still a challenge for him.

We made some pitchers from modelling material and painted them.

 
Z practiced to write his name in Arabic with the help of spots.

Arnab seemed to be his favorite of these week, so he made different kinds of rabbits :).



I also made a Miniluko game from the words. I draw one sheet and then copy it - now it`s fast to do new sheets inshaaAllaah. Z. loved that game also. Again he tried to find same kind of pictures, letters or words. I used Miniluko book to check in which places I should put the pictures to get correct answer when ready. I also added numbers to the pictures after tried to play one time without them.



We also made islamic paper dolls.I find them from here: http://amuslimchildisborn.blogspot.fi/2010/06/our-muslim-paper-dolls.html . I made dad and mum bigger than the kids. I also draw a beard for a dad. I wanted to teach with them Arabic words "dad", "mum", "brother" and "sister" - all of them begin with alif. I also wanted to practise sentences like "My mum`s name is...", "My dad`s name is...", "What`s Your mum`s name?" in Arabic. Z helped me to colour some of the clothes - this daddy has now a quite colorful clothes - as You can see :)!

We also read some stories about Allaah and Adam from this Finnish book:

And swatched a story about Adam in Arabic from Youtube. Z liked especially this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIDV0eJG4LQ .

And also cartoons about letters. He liked this with bubbles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uc7Qad6iRE&playnext=1&list=PL0D14C77BF158C3C8&feature=results_main . Maybe because in last time they made bubbles with Abdullaah :)!

Now we should practise these all again and again inshaaAllaah before next week! Z already waits to meet A again!