14 Masoomeen timeline

Inspired by the Montessori timeline of the story of the Earth, I have devised a 14 Masoomeen timeline. Using the colour coding concept from the Aimmahs matching cards, I joined A4 coloured felt pieces together and made picture cards with significant events/ artefacts and books related to each masoom. This activity will keep children engaged for long periods as well as enable them to remember significant events and facts about the Masoomeens

 

 

Birth of our Holy 3rd Imam

To celebrate the birth of our Holy 3rd Imam Hussein (a.s) how about telling children the story of the angel Fitrus' visit at his birth and the miracle of his wings, with a simple story bag which includes: a cradle with our holy Imam, Prophet Muhammed, Angel Jibrael and Angel Fitrus with detachable wings using Velcro.

Aimmah matching cards

I seem to hibernate term times LOL but Alhamdulillah, by the Grace of Allah, I have created a matching game for children to learn our Aimmahs in sequence. This game consists of 48 colour coded cards with numerals, names of the Holy Imams, an icon designated to recall them as well as their title. Please contact me sabirasuteria@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing this game.

 

 

Actions of wudhu + salaat routine

When introducing children to the actions of wudhu and salaat, breaking them down into stages will help children of each action. Placing them in a routine will aid them to remember the actions in order. As a visual cue, the routine can be placed on a musallah as preparation for salaat.

Prophet Musa story bag

The story of Prophet Musa can be narrated in different stages. From his birth all the way to the parting of the seas.

 

 

 

Adhan/ Iqama sequencing cards

To practise Adhan and Iqama in sequence, I made simple cards that can be layed out in order. Both the Arabic and English translation are written on this card as well as the number of times each verse should be recited. This would be a good way for children to also identify and remember the differences between them.

Eid bags

To develop the concepts of Eid e Ghadeer and Eid e Mubahila, the events can be narrated through a simple story bags.
To accompany these events, listening to relevant Qasidas will further bring the events alive for children.
Eid e Ghadeer - My Mawla forever/ Ali, Ali Mawla (Voice of Passion)
Eid e Mubahila - Victory at Mubahila (Voice of Passion)

Interactive Islamic calendar

Children love to use and update calendars. I created an Islamic calendar by adding Arabic equivalent to the days of the week and numbers, added Islamic months, and clock faces for children to draw hands for salaat timings. You would need a salaat timing chart as a reference.

Prophet Yunus story bag

Contents of the bag: Prophet Yunus, people, boat, whale, tree and dark cloud.
A good idea to introduce the dua that Prophet Yunus recited when in trouble.

Manners of Imambargah

A simple visual routine for children to remember their etiquettes when visiting an Imambargah.

Birth of Imam Ali (a.s)

To mark the birth of this awesome personality, I made a simple story bag. The contents included the Holy personalities - Bibi Fatema Binte Asad, Imam Ali (smaller version as he was a baby) and the Holy Prophet. The Holy Kabaa was made using a square box with one edge trimmed to represent 'Rukn Yamani' the split in the Holy Kabaa. The box was covered in black felt with added features and on the edges of Rukn Yamani, I added Velcro to the felt piece which could be pulled out to create a gap.  

Rhyming basket

Another interactive activity young children will love using, is rhyming baskets. Here, children can have props whilst singing Islamic rhymes. An Islamic rhyme to reinforce the Panjetans remains in my head from when my son started Madressa! The rhyme is in tune of Bah, bah black sheep. Another basket I made was a rhyme from QFatima Islamic rhymes for Muslims - When you start something say Bismillah. Whilst using Dahwul Arz story board, 'all things bright and beautiful' rhyme would work perfectly!

 

Prophet Nuh story bag

The story of Prophet Nuh's ark is a popular narration. A story bag with props to tell this story is easily gathered. The animals used are small models, the ark was created using felt, ensuring it had a 'pocket' for the animals and people to go in and additional features such as scene and characters were added.

Washroom etiquettes

For children who are getting toilet trained, a visual routine to remember washroom etiquettes is ideal. You could review and practise this prior to their training and could be something you could hang up in the bathroom as a reminder. Instead of using a felt timeline, laminated card would work as it would be waterproof.

Ulul Azam Prophets

A pairing activity with 3D objects can be used to reinforce the Ulul Azam Prophets and the revelation of the Holy books. The Holy prophet was created with corresponding coloured felt and the rest of the prophets were laminated pictures, all attached to lolly sticks. The Holy books were also small laminated pictures, attached to a felt scroll.

Hadeeth e Kisa

The recitation of Hadeeth e Kisa is the most commonly heard amongst our gatherings. How wonderful would it be if children could picture this beautiful event? Using the story board and felt props, the event of the cloak can be illustrated with ease. The Ahlulbayt  and Angel Jibrael were created with colour coded felt pieces on lolly sticks and the cloak was designed like a tepee, using felt triangles attached to wooden sticks.
Whilst carrying out the event, you could play the beautiful recitation of the 'Holy Household' by Voice of passion, to engage yet another sense!

Manners of leaving/ entering home

As a visual cue, the board used for this routine is a house made of felt. On one side, the manners of leaving home can be placed and on the other side, manners of entering.

Eid pairing cards

Another simple yet effective way to remember the different Eids celebrated in our calendar. For the older ones, the Islamic dates are also included.

Dahwul Arz

The story of the Earth/ Dahwul Arz can be beautifully illustrated using the story board and felt props. The entire story can come alive by introducing the props step by step to complete the full scene. Children will visualise Almighty Allah's (s.w.t) amazing creation of our beautiful Earth.
A huge THANK YOU to a wonderful person, Farah Ibrahim, who took all the fantastic photos for me :)

Sleeping/ waking up routine

A visual timeline or routine can also be used to reinforce the manners of sleeping and waking. This can be in a form of a board or even as a visual fan that can be under children's pillows as a quick reference.

 

Salaat timings pairing cards

Pairing cards are an important tool in the Montessori world. This concept is very simple to create but an effective way for children to make connections. To teach children about salaat timings, I found some pictures that signify the different times of the day, mounted them on coloured card and added names of the salaat as well as the rakaats. A key feature of Montessori materials is that they are self correcting. In this case, the control of error is simply the colour coded cards. To make this more challenging, you could stick them all in the same coloured card.

Amul Feel story bag

Story bags are an exiting way to bring stories alive. These are fun and enjoyable as well as visually attractive and tactile. This idea fits in very well with the Montessori ethos as it requires children's active participation.
The contents of a Story bag is easy to assemble, many a times with items found in children's toy boxes. Adding a storyboard will help set the scene, which can easily be produced using a cork board and felt. I made a general board with a simple sky/ land scene, to which other felt pieces can be added to liven up the outlook.
A very simple yet pictorial story from the Quran is Amul Feel. To create this story bag, the Holy Kabaa was created using Lego bricks, models were used for the animals involved, pebbles and soldiers were added and the characters (Hazrat Abu Talib + Abraha) were laminated and stuck on lolly sticks. Using these props, children can act out the story over and over again. By actually 'doing' the action, children will learn better than just listening to the story.

 

 

Please find below the link for the pictures for table manners. https://docs.google.com/document/d/16pMiA5s8JGNLbRr--5sxqe-fuY2zAvFxQoyf_wU7bJQ/pub

Visual timetables

Visual aids are an important tool when teaching children new concepts. When introducing actions, using visual routines or timetables helps to break down steps of a task or a routine. This is beneficial for children who are visual learners as they are 'seeing' things rather than listening. When looking at the pictures, opportunities are provided to children to take in the information at their own pace. A hallmark of the Montessori ethos is the hands on experience which is 'learning by doing.' Therefore, visual routines should be used as part of an interactive approach.
I created a routine to reinforce table manners. I gathered pictures of actions required which turned into laminated cards. A tablemat was used as the board to place the actions on, which also served as a 'visual cue' to reinforce this concept. The laminated cards as well as the mat were attached with Velcro, enabling the sticking of the routine. Furthermore, an additional board was used to reinforce the 'don'ts' of eating habits.

Aba Abdillah (a.s) - my inspiration to begin this journey

Salamun Alaikum dear readers,

For the past few years, I have been on a quest to device Islamic teaching materials using the Montessori ethos and concepts. The pursuit began in the Summer of 2013, when after talking to my colleague about wanting to do something 'meaningful' for the community, I started jotting down ideas for activities that could be produced. My book of ideas began to fill up but due to time restrictions, no 'action' was yet taken...

In December 2013, we were blessed to visit Aba Abdillah (a.s) and after this enlightening spiritual journey, I made a niyyat to InshaAllah take my vision forward before the next Muharram. This thought of mine stayed in my head all year but again, as I was juggling work, studies, family at the same time, the opportunity to take this step was not arising. However, in September 2014, I completed my studies and now, had time to spare! But the month of Muharram was approaching fast... I decided that during the half term, I would dedicate time to start producing some of the ideas from my book. With Aba Abdillah (a.s) as my inspiration and the wise words of Sheikh Khalil Jaffer on his amazing lectures of the origin and the return, my journey finally began...

Using my experience and knowledge on Montessori materials and ideas, I made a number of activities to teach various concepts about Islam. Alhamdulillah, they were turning out great and before the day of Ashura, I completed a few materials! I approached another Montessori teacher in our community to show her the materials, who thought they were fabulous. I was then in search for a platform where these materials could be 'test driven...'

When your intention is pure, it is amazing what falls on your way... I met the coordinator of the younger classes in our Madressa at a course and told her about my project. She was soooo delighted and explained that she was just after such materials! She requested for me to visit the Madressa to share the ideas with her team. Alhamdulillah, the response from them was very positive and encouraging. I was given ideas and requests on what they required according to their syllabus. Now, I had a real 'drive' to make things happen! Ideas and thoughts continued to 'pop up' in my head and from then on, I continued making a range of materials. By the start of the new academic year, various activities were produced. These materials were presented to the teachers, with guidelines on their usage and once again, the feedback was promising Alhamdulillah! These materials have given teachers ideas on making their lessons more interactive and visual for children. My 'test drive' on the children prove to be successful Alhamdulillah!

It has now become my venture to share these ideas with all those in search for ideas to teach Islam in a fun, interactive and meaningful way...  So watch this space!