5/09/2020

Free Memory Game for Kids

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This is a free memory game for children available for subscribers. 
It's for children age 3 to teen. 
It helps strengthen memory by stimulating the brain.
How to Use & Play
  • Print and cut out the mats.
  • Print the image mats and cards twice.
  • Cut out one and leave the other whole.
  • Laminate everything.
  • Add velcro on the empty mats and one the cards to stick the cards (optional).
  • Play by putting an image mat on the floor/table and an empty mat next to it.
  • Look at the picture mat for a few seconds to memorize what you see.
  • Next, cover the picture mat and try to replicate what you saw (in order) on the empty mat, using the cards.
Total Set of Cards: 10
If you're a subscriber, you should receive the link and password to the subscriber's corner.
If you're not a subscriber, you can purchase it by clicking here.
Enjoy!

4/14/2020

Free Card Game for Kids and Families

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Playing games is a great way keep children active and excited. It challenged them and pushed them to think critically and be creative.


I was sitting with my family chatting and having fun, and for whatever reason, the thought of playing a game to my mind. I automatically took my laptop and say "I'll make a game!"

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I thought of a one that I used to play when I was a kid but wanted to make it different and a little more fun. Since I couldn't remember the original name, I made one up and called it "Family Card Team Game."



Instead of simple wooden manipulative or rocks, I decided to make colorful cards with images on them.

 Children and adults from the age of five and up can play it. It's also a mind-stimulating game that helps children develop their critical thinking. However, the whole family can plan!

What You Need:

  1. A4 papers
  2. Laminator
  3. Laminating sheets
  4. Scissors 

How to Set the it Up:

  1. Cut out the mat and cards.
  2. Laminate everything for durability.
  3. Stick Velcros behind the cards (optional).


How to Play:
  1. It’s a two-team game (each team can be one or more people).
  2. Choose a team-card.
  3. Decide who will start.
  4. Put the cards in the rectangles (on the mat), one team after the other.
  5. Whoever gets a straight line of the same cards (3) first is the winner!
  6. Start over.
If you play use this card game, please message me to let me know how you found it. If possible, also send me some pictures on instagram at @ihsaanhomeacademy or by email at info (at) ihsaanhomeacademy (dot) com.

Have fun and don't forget to share!



Some of the links may include affiliate links, check out my disclosure for more info.

4/12/2020

Free Ramadan Journal and Planner (Full Bundle)

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Ramadan 1441/2020 is getting closer! This is the perfect time to start preparing and praying to reach it safely and make it be our best Ramadan thus far.


So, I've decided to create a free Ramadan bundle for planning and journaling. I have other free Ramadan printables on my blog, but the updated one has everything I wanted in a Ramadan planner. If I love it, there's a chance you may also love it; at least I hope.


Selected Posts for You:

This Ramadan journal and planner is ideal for any Muslim to create a productive Ramadan, stay focused and eliminate distractions. 

It comes with the following content:
  • Page with quotes from the Qur'an and Sunnah
  • Planner for du'as you want to memorize
  • Ramadan goals checklist
  • Eid goals checklist
  • Daily planner with the following:
    • Du'a upon waking up and sleeping
    • Adhkar
    • Fasting log
    • Prayer log
    • Daily activity checklist
    • Daily goals checklist
    • Daily meal plan
    • Daily quote
    • My Du'as checklist
    • Thoughts/reflection journaling
    • Daily rate
    • More
  • End of Ramadan journal
  • Eid planner
Number of Pages: 71


If you use this bundle, please share your experience after Ramadan by leaving a comment below or sending me an email to info (at) ihsaanhomeacademy (dot) com. 

Have a productive Ramadan and may Allah help us reach it in good health and emaan.
Note: Please, upon sharing my resources, ONLY share the link to the posts. Kindly do NOT share the files directly. Jazak Allahu khayr for the support.


For an undated version, click here.

(Early) Ramadan Mubarak!

4/11/2020

Free Cut and Glue Activities to Keep Children Busy

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As most of us have been quarantining around the world, I'm pretty sure it's been a challenge for many parents to keep their children busy and active. However, with some fun and hands-on activities, you can save your children from boredom and get them excited at home. But today, I'd be sharing only one new secret that has kept my children busy most of the day.



Before proceeding, I'd like to point out that it isn't necessary for children to always be busy. What we consider as boredom can actually be a wonderful opportunity for children to practice being present, aware, relax and even stimulate their imaginations. So allow your children to sometimes figure out ways to entertain themselves.

Now, on to the "secret" activity.
My daughter has been looking forward to going out, since we can't do that just yet, I've been looking for different activities and games for us to do. I was sitting and the idea of cutting came to me. She LOVES cutting and sometimes leaves pieces of papers everywhere. Yea, I don't like that part ...

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So, I thought, "why not make a bundle of shapes and images she would love cutting?" But to take it even further, we could match those images to similar ones by gluing them. It was also an opportunity for the baby to practice cutting as well.


Needless to say, I made the bundle, printed it out and the whole day was full of cutting and gluing for both of my children. The best part was when they ran to me to show their awesome skills. However, not all cut-ups ended up glued; some ended up being used as toys, as I expected.

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The bundle includes:

  • Shapes (perfect for learning shapes for toddlers)
  • Numbers (great for learning numbers)
  • Letters (awesome opportunity to learn some letters)
  • Fruit and Vegetables (an opportunity to learn new ones)
  • Animals (learn new animals for toddlers and play animals and the sounds they make)
  • A Mixture of Images (for extra fun)

Let me know how you find it after using it.
Have fun!

This printable is available for free for subscribers. If you're a subscriber, you should see a link to the printable in your inbox.

If you're not yet a subscriber and would like to download this printable, you may do so by filling out the form below.

4/01/2020

10 Steps to use the Animals Unit Studies Journal

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Journaling is an amazing way to learn with children. Because my daughter loves animals, we decided to use animal unit studies journaling to learn detailed information about some animals.

If you haven't seen the  the previous post about the Animal Unit Studies Journal for Kids, check it our here.

We learned about the Chinchilla and had a lot of fun doing so! We first came across the name from an animal book that I purchased last year. We were fascinated and wanted to learn more.



We watched some videos and even thought about potentially getting one as a pet (one day). Hmm, not too sure about that anymore. But they are cute nevertheless.

Here are the steps we took to journal about the Chinchilla:

1. We first got some basic information about mammals because we just started the mammal category.
We used Google.

2. I then asked my daughter what mammal she wanted to learn about first.
We went through a list of mammals (given in the journal) and she chose the Chinchilla, an animal we've been wanting to learn more about for a while.

3. I wrote down the name of the animal on a piece of paper and she copied it in the journal, along with the date.


4. I asked my daughter what she wanted to know about the chinchilla and I wrote down her answers.
Children who can write well can write it all down themselves.

 5. I noted down the resources we planned on using. Since we're now home on a lock-down, we couldn't go to the library or find magazines. However, doing crafts, story telling, and even animal play are some fun activities you can do with your children as well. We plan on doing those next time, in shaa Allah.

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6. We started searching on Google and ventured to various sites. We also used Youtube to watch videos about chinchillas.

7. As we watched the videos, I emphasized on facts mentioned in the videos to make my daughter pay more attention to them. I wrote some of the facts that stood out the most to us. We used various colors to make the book look more fun.


8. After writing facts, then came my daughter's favorite part ... drawing!
I found an example of a sketch on Google and had her look at it and imitate the drawing draw.
Of course, she felt the need to color it pink:)




We usually prefer to draw without eyes, but that doesn't always happen with my little one. She draws what she sees. When she was 2 or 3, she was drawing our family one day ... I told her not to draw the eyes and she replied saying "but we have eyes." That made me laugh a lot. I did explain the reason why I believe we shouldn't and she understood. But hey, kids are kids.

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9. Since we love books and couldn't find a story book about chinchillas, I turned our research into a non-fiction story-like 'book.' Basically, I simply re-read everything while making it fun and engaging.

10. Now comes some of the facts we learned about the chinchilla:


  • Chinchillas are rodents like rats and mice.
  • They are neither nocturnal nor diurnal but rather crepuscular, meaning, they are mostly active at dawn and dust. 
  • Chinchillas are herbivores who eat hay, plants and even chew on twigs.
  • Some chinchillas are domesticated and others are wild.
  • They live in the mountains in South America, specifically in Chile.
  • And manyyyy more fun facts!


So, there you have it! We had lots of fun learning about chinchillas.
Journaling about animals is an amazing opportunity to talk about the creations of Allah. It's a reminder to us and our children that Allah is the Creator and creates many amazing creatures other than us. Learning about fun facts of these amazing creations is an acknowledgement of Allah's wonders.



Let me know if and when you use the Animal Unit Studies Journal. If you do, please share an image of how you and your children used it.

Have fun!

3/27/2020

How to Make Homeschooling Fun Outdoors Through Nature Learning

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Homeschooling doesn't have to only take place in the house. Besides working on crafts and workbooks, there are many other ways to make homeschooling fun. One of those is by learning about nature outdoors.

With the current Corona Virus pandemic lock-down, many parents are in dilemma about what to do with their children's education. Although we're limited on where we can go, there's still a way to enjoy nature.

Before the lack-down, I used to take my children to various activities throughout the week. My daughter especially had lots of fun meeting friends and staying active. Now she misses her friends and looks forward to life getting back to normal. So, I decided to take advantage of these moments and make use of our garden.




We hadn't used our garden for a long time for a reason I won't go in detail about. However, I thought it would be a waste not to make use of it right now. So every morning or afternoon, my husband and I and our children go to the garden to enjoy the fresh air and do various activities.

This is a great family bonding time and it makes our children not feel like they are missing out. Here are some of the things we do.

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Enjoying fresh air
Getting fresh air is important, it make us feel good, and it's an opportunity to talk about nature. We talk about us needing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. We also talk about how plants produce oxygen and everything else that comes with it. I mention everything being the creation of Allah and how Allah provides many things in nature for us to enjoy.

It's also an opportunity to practice staying quiet, observing and breathing in and out. Practicing silence is a great way to reflect on life and staying present. It's never too early to start doing it.

Exercising
No more excuses not to exercise!
We take advantage of the garden to move a little more, run around, kick a ball, and just have fun while enjoying the sun.
It's an opportunity to talk about staying healthy and remembering that our body has rights upon us.


Listing
The garden is an amazing place to hear all kinds of sounds.
We stop and listen to try to identify what's making sound. This helps children develop their listening skills and learn new things.




Observing and finding new creatures
This one is our favorite!
We look around us, pay attention and try to spot different creatures. This helps children develop their observation skills and makes them appreciate and notice their surroundings.

Sometimes, when we find interesting or beautiful creatures, we take a picture to add it to a collection of our nature findings.

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Doing these outdoor activities is a perfect opportunity to use the Animals Unit Studies Journal that I recently published. After finding animals, we write it down in our journal and do more research to find out more. What to research is all laid out in the journal. After finding facts, we draw or write about what we've learned. Here's a sample.


We also love reading books about nature. One that we enjoyed reading is titled Get Outdoors: A Mindfulness Guide to Noticing Nature. This book is amazing and comes with fun activities such as making compose, creating a garden and more. We borrowed it from our local library. If you don't find one at your local library or aren't able to go out right now, you can also find it on Amazon at a reasonable price.

 Free play
You don't always have to think of something to do in your garden. Let your children use their imaginations to find things, jump around and just do what they want to do. It's also okay to let them be bored for a while, if that happens.
My daughter loves playing in the dirt, dinging, finding flowers, collecting rocks and doing animal role-play. Getting dirty in the garden builds the immune system and allows children to simply have fun without thinking about not making a mess like in the house.

After everything, we go back inside and take a warm shower:)



Wrapping up
Playing outdoors is fun, keeps children active and it's healthy! It's a great moment to bond with your family and for children to be creative.

How do you use your garden (if you have one)?
How do you study nature with your children?






Some of the links may include affiliate links, check out my disclosure for more info.

8/26/2019

Kindergarten Part 2 | Our Homeschooling Update

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Homeschooling has been a journey for us, especially for me as the educator. I see it differently than I did at the beginning. As an ex teacher, I think I came into it with confidence while trying to replicate exactly what I learned in the education system. Things are slowly changing.

I don't write much anymore and have taken a step back at making curricula or printables because I want to give myself time to see what works for my daughter and what to improve on. I would be documenting our journey whenever I see fit and will share resources at times, in shaa Allah.

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Yes, you read the title right, we're starting Kindergarten Part 2.
That may come as a shock for some because we did kindergarten the previous year. As I said before, this is a journey for us. It would come with exploring, trials and learning. My daughter is 'supposed' to start 1st Grade (Grade 1) this year, but I believe she's too young. I don't want to rush her. And even if I were to call it '1st Grade,' it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. As an educator, you decide what Kindergarten or 1st Grade is to you.

My definition of Kindergarten Part 2 is a year to relax, explore and focus on what my daughter loves. She's obsessed with animals! She always says, "Animals are beautiful creations of Allah." That's right, so we will make that our theme focus this year in shaa Allah. It's basically unit studies, except, we will have a gigantic unit study subject with multiple subcategories.

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We homeschool year-round and try to 'officially' start the year after Eid al Adh-ha. So we started back not long ago. We're both excited to embark on this new journey.

And just because our focus of the year is on animals doesn't mean we would completely ignore everything else. I'd be using our kindergarten curriculum once in a while to re-enforce what she's learned so far and make sure she doesn't completely forget everything. We may also incorporate some of the previous lessons in our unit studies. We'll see how that goes.

Animals are mentioned in various parts of the Qur'an, so we will sometimes use examples from the Qur'an. It's also a good excuse to learn/hear one more Ayah. :)

Hands-on activities, trips and nature walks could also work very well with this unit study. I'll research on that and see what we could incorporate in our homeschooling this year.

Besides just learning about animals (which will be packed by the way), we will work on her reading and writing skills. It may or may not have anything to do with animals. My daughter has been showing an overwhelming desire to read and write, so we will work on that too. She can write letters and even short words, I just didn't think it was necessary to focus on that before. These days, there are children reading and writing even at the age of 2, but I think we're rushing our children to do things they would eventually learn at a more developed age anyway. If it works for your child, go for it, just don't feel pressured to follow the trend. Homeschooling is really what you make it to be and what works for your family.

Let's wrap it up now. I just wanted to share this new update with those who have been following our journey so far. I also didn't want to keep you hanging, wondering what's happening. This is also to help anyone (new or old) reading this to gain new inspirations or ideas.

I'd probably be sharing what we do along the way this year to give you a more realistic view of how it could work. Is this something you would like to get more info about?
Orrrr, would you want me to make an animal unit studies journal!?
I could probably do that at the end of our journey while still sharing bits and pieces along the way.
Let me know!

__________________________
Umm Sumayyah is a mother of two and a former teacher who turned into a home educator after becoming a mother. She is also an editor and a researcher who loves collecting and sharing information on social matters, education, career, and entrepreneurship.
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