Our plan of this week

We met today with Ummu Abdillaahi and the kids. It was so nice to meet! Thank You again for this beautiful golden colored pinwheel! It rotated a lot in a way back home! Z told me that it looks like a star!

I made some new games for this week. At first a really simple counting game. I made it again from the covers of baby bottles. I glued the covers to strong carton and added numbers 1-5. The idea is that the child should but as many pearls to the covers as the number says, 1 to first one, 2 to second one etc. Z loved that game, but I had to supervise that baby I could not take the pearls! In this time I used Finnish numbers, but maybe after we play with Arabic ones.



Then he tried with Lego blocks and made towers. It was nice too and easier for me to supervise since Lego blocks doesn`t jump and roll like pearls! Blocks should be same sizes and the same color would also be helpful.

 

I think that a cupcake casserole with 12 holes would be also useful for this kind of game. The numbers between 1-12 could put to the holes and easy remove after the game.

From the sheets I made for Mini Luko game I made a small book. I used old file folder and kontakt plast to make the sheets stronger. Now Z can play my games easier alone. It`s also easy to add the sheets! I think that I should put kontakt plast also for my normal Mini Luko books!

I made more letters by window colors, but I should make little bigger ones. Z and S like to take them and put to another places. Sometimes they are on the wall, sometimes on the window...

 

On this week I don`t take many new words in Arabic. I think that we learn only "an apple" and "a crocodile" and maybe we learn some basic things about tawhid, like Ummu Abdillaahi proposed. There are two main reasons for that:

at first I think that there has been too many new words and things for Z in a short time and he hasn`t internalize them yet and that`s why I think we have to practise them again and again.

The second reason is that my week seems to be so busy with another tasks.

InshaaAllaah we use this week in usefull way!

 

For this week`s first morning circle I cutted a small crocodile to wait into small basket. There are also an egg of the crocodile. I think that it would be interesting for Z. I also think that we could study a little bit more about crocodiles in this week inshaaAllaah and make a crocodile paper doll inshaaAllaah. And some apples too!

 

 

I`ve also thought that I should give for Z more responsibilities at home. He likes for example to vacuum and help to wash the clothes by maschine. Now I let him to feet the fishes. But of course in my supervision! It`s dangerous for the fishes to get too much food!

 

In these week I also try a new method inshaaAllaah. After morning circle I leave a couple of educational games and toys on our temporary morning circle table in the level where baby I can`t take them and only the games which are not dangerous for baby I, even if they fall on the floor! (NOT for example any pearls!) I use for example the games and toys like:
Mini Luko
Opetellaan kellonajat (Let`s learn the time) (when Z plays alone, he can try to find the same kinds of)
Paper dolls
puzzles
And I try to do more games too inshaaAllaah!
I hope that Z chooses the game or toy, which he likes and make it by himself on the bigger table and after that brings it back on the smaller table. Then he can take the second one etc. It would be nice to have a small book shelf to put all these kinds of toys and games, but now we make some shake-up at home, so we have not a lots of place for something like that. That`s why I try this idea on that way...

I put also some toys for Baby I on the under level of our table. There he can take the save toys for himself. Nowdays he wants to do same kind of things than Z subhaanAllaah! S already noticed that baby I likes to take soft vegetables out from the basket and put them back to the basket. Sometimes I think that S is a naturally teacher maaschaAllaah!

 

InshaaAllaah we all have an educational and fun week!

 

 

 

Travel continues with alif

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Today Z wanted to start on the morning to play Mini Luko.

 

Here is a bigger picture from our yesterday`s play sheets:

 

 

I made for him also a new game. Here he should find pairs, not same kind of.

All correct, maaschaAllaah!

 

 

We also discovered that Algeria starts with Alif too! And since it`s Z`s dad`s home country, we studied more...

 

 

The puzzle was too big one for Z, but we did it together with older kids. Kids also played one game where they tried to find horses and were able to travel to Algeria...

And of course we needed flags... Z colored and cutted... (I find flag sheet from here: http://www.edupics.com/coloring-page-flag-algeria-i6177.html)

... and then we window colored.

I`ve heard, that in Algerian flag green symbolises wealthy and ground and also islam`s paradise, white purity and peace, half moon the road muslims must go to enter the paradise, star with five antlers five pilars of islam and red colour the blood of the martyrs who fighted for freedom.

Our story time continued...

...and we played with our muslim paper dolls. They went to mosque and the dad made the adhan :).

We also studied some colours...

 

And sortied our cards etc. by themes "family", "colors" and "animals".

I used UmmuAbdillaah`s idea to show for the kids the different forms of Alif. We also made a hand for Alif, so that kids could remember that alif gives only his right hand.

 

I also wanted to make some flash cards, but we didn`t have material at home, so I have to leave that idea for a while...

 

I`ve been a little bit confused today. Week ends soon and I think that we need more time to internalize all these new words etc. In same time I would like to continue with Alif and can`t wait to start with Baa. Maybe this is only because this was our first week and I should learn were to focus and what kind of exercises are best for Z.

 

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!