Showing posts with label Interactive Notebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interactive Notebook. Show all posts

4/11/2020

Free Cut and Glue Activities to Keep Children Busy

      , , , , ,      2 comments   
﷽

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 ...

Related Posts:

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.

You May Also Like:



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

      , , ,      No comments   
﷽
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.

You May Also Like

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.

You May Also Like

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!

5/06/2019

A Ramadan Journal for Little Muslims - Ihsaan Home Academy

      , , , ,      3 comments   
﷽

I made a Ramadan journal for Muslim children titled 'My Mini Ramadan Journal' last year. I wanted to share it on my blog, but I got carried away with other things until days into Ramadan. Here comes another Ramadan, so I decided to take the opportunity to share it now. I hope it's not too late.

This is a simple, yet informative journal that children between the ages of 3 - 10 will enjoy in shaa Allah. Actually, it could be for children of any age. The little writing part can be done by the parent/educator when the child is too young to write. 

Here is what the journal consists of:

1. Ayah about Ramadan
Before officially beginning using the journal, children are introduced to an ayah (verse) from the Qur'an that mentions the revelation of the Qur'an and more. 

2. Countdown page
The countdown is for children to color-in each day of Ramadan that passes. It helps them keep track of their progress in the journal and of the days of Ramadan. It's also fun to look forward to coloring a box every day.

3. Thirty (30) pages of activities
There are thirty pages of activities, each dedicated to a day in the month of Ramadan. Each page has an empty box at the top, an image of what the activity is about below, a fun fact after that, and two lines for writing. 

The first line is where children (or their parents) would write what they are grateful for. The next line is where they would make a du'a. The purpose of adding this part is to encourage Muslim children to actively think about the blessings in their lives, be grateful, and to practice turning to Allah first for everything they want in life.

4. Thirty (30) Ayat cards
I got this part of the activity from a blog called Parenthood Muslim Style. Click the name to be taken to the blog. You can download this part of the activity there. I use it in my activity a bit differently than the sister uses it. 

Related Posts:

The cards basically have an Ayah on each and an image representing the Ayah. Each day of Ramadan, children search for the verse in the Qur'an. These cards can be used in many ways. It was a perfect fit for my activity and I didn't have to make new cards. May Allah reward the sister with the best of rewards for making these cards!

5. Laylatul Qadr section
After 20 days, there is a section with Ayat and ahadith about Laylatul Qadr. Children get to learn about this blessed night found in the last ten nights of Ramadan.

6. Eid Page
The last part of the activity is a page about the celebration of Eid.
It has Eid Mubarak and a du'a of Eid. Below, there's a space for children to write what they got for Eid as gifts and a place to write the gifts they plan on giving others. 

How to Use this Activity
1. Prepare the activity by printing it and binding it into a book. Next, print out the 30-Ayat cards after downloading it from the blog, then cut them out into cards. Get coloring pencils, a pencil, and glue. 

2. Start the journal by generally talking to your children about Ramadan. You can also read verses from the Qur'an, read ahadith, watch videos, etc.

3. One day at a time, mark the Ramadan day on the countdown page by coloring the corresponding box/number. 

4. Glue the first Ayah card on the page for the activity of the day. It should be glued in the empty box. Search for the Ayah in the Quran (audio or book). Read it or listen to it, then read the meaning (translation, if needed).

5. Talk about the word of the day mentioned on the card. 

6. Read the fun fact of the day and discuss. 

7. Next, children should write about things they are grateful for and ask Allah for something through a du'a. 

8. Once you reach the last ten days of Ramadan, read the information about Laylatul Qadr. Feel free to expand by doing many other things related to the specific topic. 

9. After the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan, go to the Eid page and write the gifts received and the ones to be given.

10. Enjoy EID!

Goals
  • To learn about Ramadan
  • To practice searching for verses in the Qur'an
  • To listen to the Qur'an and build a bond
  • To learn new Arabic vocabularies from the Qur'an
  • To learn fun facts and be informed
  • To practice gratitude
  • To practice remembering Allah and asking Him for everything
  • To look forward to doing something productive every day of the month of Ramadan
  • To make learning easy, straight forward, and FUN

I truly hope this mini journal will benefit everyone who downloads and uses it. Please, share this post with others so they too could benefit in shaa Allah. May Allah forgive us all for our sins, guide us, help us catch Laylatul Qadr, and make Ramadan successful for us. 

Ramadan Mubarak!

__________________________ 
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.

8/28/2018

My First Islamic Learning Binder - A Free Interactive Printable

      , , , , , ,      6 comments   

﷽

What makes homeschooling fun is that you can try different ways of learning to see what works for your child. Not every child is the same, so the way of effectively receiving knowledge can also differ. Using simple interactive binders/notebooks can be a very fun and positive learning experience for some children. I've put together an Islamic interactive binder for my daughter and wanted to share it with you all.

I must confess, I first wanted to only share it with the subscribers of this blog, but later decided to make it public. The reason for is because of how my children have been overjoyed about this binder. I thought, maybe other children may love it just as much. So, here we go!
*This post may contain some Amazon affiliate links of items I recommend or use, please read my Disclosure for more information.  


Let's start with the content of this binder.
It comes with nine (9) different activities and a certificate of achievement at the end.

Activities
  1. I know Surah Al Faatihah
  2. Who do we worship?
  3. Allah is ... (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6?)
  4. How does Allah look?
  5. What did Allah create?
  6. The 5 pillars of Islam
  7. The 5 prayers of the day
  8. The 6 pillars od Emaan
  9. Character: Allah loves when we ...
Extra
  • Table of content
  • This binder is for ...
  • Certificate of Achievement
Total number of pages of the printable: 24

This project (as my daughter likes to call her activities and folders) is interactive and can be used independently by any child (3-8, less or more). It comes cut-outs to use as manipulatives and/or pieces of matching games.


What you'd need:
  1. A printer (obviously if you'd be printing)
  2. A4 papers
  3. A laminator (if you don't have one and aren't planning on getting one, you can use clear tape! I used to do that before getting a laminator. Shhhhh) 
  4. Laminating pouches
  5. A binder
  6. A hole puncher
  7. Scissors
  8. Self-Adhesive velcros (if you can get clear ones, great)
  9. Clear tape (optional)
Posts you may also like: 

How to assemble it:
  • Print the cover page and the certificate of achievement on 'borderless' to extend the colors to the end of the paper (A4).
  • Print the rest of the pages (A4).
  • Cut out the manipulatives/matching pieces (or cover them with clear tape before cutting if you're not using a laminator).
  • Laminate all pages
  • Hole punch all pages and put them in a binder. If you can get a binder that stands, that would be even better. 
  • Put the pieces of velcros like the example in the picture below (you'll know by looking at the pages).
  • Put the opposite end of the velcros at the back of the manipulatives/matching pieces as shown above.
  • Tape the cover of the activity on the binder cover (optional).
And that's it! You're all done! Now play with your children and explain what should be done as you go. You wouldn't need to explain it much and before you know it, they'd be using it on their own. I believe the velcro part makes it even more fun for children.


Trust me, this may take you a little bit of time and effort to put together, but it will be worth it because it won't take much effort from your childen to use but still learn!  It doesn't hurt to try and see how they respond.



If you use this learning binder, I would really appreciate it if you would let me know how it went. Getting feedback would allow me to make even better printables for you all, in shaa Allah.
May Allah make it beneficial.

You you aren't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? Subscribe to get exclusive printables sent directly to you inbox every month, in shaa Allah.





_______________________________
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.

7/01/2017

FREE Counting Object Pack

      , ,      No comments   
  ﷽
If you're teaching your child how to count, this printable may be a very activity for him/her.
It's basically a mini interactive notebook which involves cutting and gluing.
The student would need to count the object, color it, identify the number that corresponds with it, and cut & glue the number in the correct box.


This is good for:
- Fine motor skills
- Number recognition
- Number count

To download the pack (4 pages), CLICK HERE
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)