First riding of the year!

Assalamu alaykum, today I took the boys for a good bike ride in the park.
The weather was exceptionally good for it to be February! Mash'Allah. It was really a nice warm day. The park was full.
The kids had their first bike ride of the Year!
We saw squirrels searching for nuts, climbing up the trees and playing on the field.
Fresh daffodils were everywhere.
My boys also noticed that few trees started to have flowers.

Give thanks to Allah

Assalamu alaykum,
how many times have you heard your kids complaining about the e.g. the food - ' i don't like what you cook today!' or about their toys - 'My toys are boring, can we buy new ones?!'
My kids are no different than other children. I always remind them that it is Allah who gives and it is Allah who takes.
They tought it was Tesco's until the age of about 3/4 years. Well it's NOT!!!!
We were watching Islam Channel and saw the children in Palestine, Gaza strip, suffering. Those poor kids were wondering around empty streets, hiding in the dark with no food and no light. My kids asked why.
Insh'Allah the question came on the right time as I was about to start a new 'sermon' about the importance of thanking Allah for what we have.
"Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, And be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me." [Qur'an 2:152]
The problem we all face now days, including our kids, is that we have way too much and keep on thinking in our heads 'If only...' Astafirullah! ' If I had a new car I could...If I had a new toy...If I had more money...'
It is narrated by al-Mughira that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to stand in the salaah or performs salaah until both his feet or legs swelled. He was asked why (he offered such an unbearable salaah) he said, "Should I not be a thankful slave?" [Bukhari]
As the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, advised us, the best way to stay thankful to Allah is to count His Favors in our lives everyday. For Allah says,
"And He gives you all that you ask for. But if you count the favors of Allah, never will you be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude." [Qur'an 14:34]
This statement of Allah is so true, yet we put so little value on it, and do not take heed.
Thankfulness makes us closer to Allah, better servants, humble our hearts and purify us from the shaytans whispers.
So our Islamic Lesson today was about the importance of understating that It is Allah who gives and it is Allah who takes.

Alif, Baa, Taa nasheed

Teach kids how to cook!

Assalamu alaykum

CHORES- WE ALL HAVE TO DO THEM!

Chores for kids. There is nothing wrong with everyone, kids included, helping out around the house. After all, everyone lives there! There is no reason why the responsibilites that go with a home need to fall on one or two people, even if you have small children. There are many things that kids can do, and not only does it help you somewhat, but it teaches them responsibility, and gives them a sense of pride also. Start small and simple. Kids can help with easy tasks, like setting the table. Have the plates, cutlery (leave the sharp knives out of the picture until you know they are old enough to handle these), napkins, and cups set out for them to take to the dinner table. Salt and pepper shakers, as well as any condiments like ketchup, mustard, and salad dressings can be retreived from the refrigerator with a little direction. They can also carry their plates after all meals to the counter top.

Most importantly they will learn hygiene, how to keep clean why cleanliness is so important, what are the bactery and germs, how to count and use the scale in the kitchen, science etc

So today my boys helped making a salad.

Here's the recipe for our italian salad, my favourite!

Insalata Caprese is one of the simplest and most delicious of salads.

3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices 1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices 20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Coarse salt and pepper
Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recycle Crayons

Assalamu alaykum,
we had so many broken crayons around and kept on putting them aside. I thought maybe one day we could recycle them in same way.
Here it's how we recycle ours.

Gather up all of your broken crayons.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
Fill the muffin tin with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.
Allow the tin to cool; then pop out the crayons, and they're ready for use.
Tips:
If you don't have a muffin tin to use to crayon making, you can line your regular muffin tin with foil cups. Or use some nice cup cakes or different shaped metal rings.
Recycled crayons make a great no-cost gift and kids love them!

Waldorf Homeschooling Curriculum

Assalamu alaykum,
I am so fascinated about the Waldorf method of teaching.
I am just looking into it now.
What fascinating me about Waldorf Method?
Waldorf schooling method look at the whole child 'heart,head and hands'.
The aim is to create a genuine love of learning in the child by freely using arts and activities! It looks to me like if the base of Waldorf teaching is 'unschooling'., No school, no grades, no exams, no copmpetitions between children, just pure love for learning.
[Consistent with his philosophy called Anthroposophy, Steiner designed a curriculum responsive to the developmental phases in childhood and nurturing of children's imagination. He thought that schools should cater to the needs of children rather than the demands of the government or economic forces, so he developed schools that encourage creativity and free-thinking.]http://www.steiner-australia.org/other/Wald_faq.html

I am also looking into Oak Meadow and the possibility to register my older one.
I think my boys would benefit from the method of teaching as it allowed them to explore in a tactile way.
Insh'Allah.
Here are some links:
http://www.oakmeadow.com/school.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Education
http://www.steinerwaldorf.org.uk/curriculum.htm

Anyone out there using Waldorf?

S is for Siwak

Assalamu alaykum,

S came back home from madrassa asking about the miswak or siwak. He said from now on he wants to brush his teeth only with the toothbrush tree! So here I read some onfo about the toothbrush tree to him.

Siwak Dentibrush
The root from the Salavadora Persica tree has long been used and recognized as the best natural tooth brush as early as 7000 years ago by the the Babylonians and ancient Egyptians. It reinforces the teeth and gums, whitens the teeth and freshens the breath and it's all natural! The Salavadora root is known to prevent tooth decay, assist in eliminating toothaches and prevent further increase of decay which has already set in, boost the immune system, eliminate bad odors and improve the sense of taste, sharpen the memory, help cure or relieve headaches, and assist in digestion. This root naturally contains many ingredients that create an antimicrobacterial effect and are active against cariogenic bacteria frequently found in the human oral cavity. The chemical analysis of Salvadora persica has shown it contains trimethylamine, salvadorine, chlorides, fluoride in large amounts, silica, sulphur, vitamin C, and small quantities of tannins, saponins, flavenoids, and sterols.

Islamic etiquette: hypocrisy

“Most hateful it is with Allâh that you say that which you do not do” [al-Saff 61:3]

“Enjoin you Al-Birr (piety and righteousness and each and every act of obedience to Allaah) on the people and you forget (to practise it) yourselves, while you recite the Scripture! Have you then no sense?” [al-Baqarah 2:44]

Assalamu alaykum,
I really hate hypocrisy and I do try all best to teach my kids to stay well away from it. Insh'Allah they will.
Just a good reminder for us all. It's not good to go around saying things that we don't do ourselves.
Sometimes kids can get into the habit of telling off their peers and then ending up doing it themselves.
I always say to my kids to look at themselves and make sure that words and actions are the same.
May Allah protect us from hypocrisy.Amin