Assalamu Allaykum!
Here are some of the imaginary animals created by our class, masha'Allah : ) More pictures of other animals will be posted soon . . .
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Imaginary animals galore!
Watch and listen to the story at the following links (with parental supervision, please : ) :
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEewDRN7F8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RLLQ96VpKE&feature=related
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Find the gecko....
Assalamu Allaykum,
Unfortunately, my children are ill so I wasn't at school yesterday, nor will I be in today, but el Hamdullilah they have a wonderful substitute teacher who will continue to offer them work to expand their little minds, insha'Allah!
* * *
As you know, the students have been assigned to create their own imaginary animal. They will present their animal to the class, and share the following information:
a/ Its made-up name
b/ Its type - mammal, reptile, insect, amphibian, fish or bird.
c/ Its habitat
d/ Its life cycle
e/ What it eats and how
f/ How its mother cares for it
g/ Its characteristics: skin, colour, backbone or not, etc.
h/ If it can camouflage
i/ How humans can protect it from becoming extinct
We have discussed these various elements of animal life during class, and so this assignment brings all of their knowledge together in a fun and imaginative way, insha'Allah. Please contact me if you require any further clarifications.
*******Please note that I will provide students with further instructions on presenting to the class on Monday, so the presentations will not begin on that day as previously indicated; however, students will be asked to present later on that week. Further details to follow. *******
In the meantime, for a little inspiration, here are some amazing pictures of geckos in camouflage! Enjoy!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220498/Can-twig-lizard-Play-Spot-Gecko-series-pictures.html
Jazak'Allahu Kheiran,
Tr. Amira
Friday, October 16, 2009
Parenting Advice
Raise Your Kids without Raising your Voice
(Summary of a seminar by Sarah Chana Radcliffe)
Speaker’s website: www.parentingadvice.com
· No doubt, we yell at our kids because we love them and because we care.
· When we express our anger towards our kids, we start to notice short term effects on their behaviour (e.g. bedwetting, nail biting…etc). When anger is expressed more often, there will be a long term effect (e.g. depression, anxiety...etc).
· As we increasingly show anger, our relationship with our kids gets worse over time.
· There’s a certain amount of showing anger where the child still knows that they are loved by you. It is important that our children know that they are loved by us (the parent). The speaker emphasised that it is never too late regardless of what the past may be or how old the child is.
· When we yell at our kids, we are effectively yelling all the way down to our grandchildren; since it would reflect on our children’s behaviour/communication with their offspring. They will say things the way their parents did subconsciously and sometimes against their own will.
· The more your child likes you, the more s/he wants to be like you.
The speaker then talked about five rules to follow when it comes to our communication with our kids.
1. The 80/20 rule
o It should be observed at all times.
o You should have a ‘good feeling’ communication 8 out of 10 times we talk to our kids. With our teenage kids, it goes up to 9 out of 10!!
o examples of ‘good feeling’ communication: Smiling, acceptance, agreement, positive feedback, pleasant conversation, joking, playing, laughter…etc
o examples of ‘bad feeling’ communication: ignoring, negative feedback, arguments, yelling, fighting even if it is with other people like your partner or other sibling or outsiders…if the child is witnessing this…it would count as a negative communication!
o On average, parents/children communication is 94% negative.
o As working mothers ourselves, we only have two times to focus on…morning and after work + weekends/holidays…etc.
o Don’t waste your negative points/remarks…bank them as much as you can…chances are you’ll need to use them sometime J.
o The speaker suggested putting 8 pennies and 2 dimes in one pocket. So the logic is to move one coin to the other pocket with every comment where pennies are for positive remarks and dimes are for the negative ones. This way you can see where you’re at.
2. Emotional Coaching.
o There are five types of emotions (happy, sad, mad, scared, and confused). We expect our children to be happy all the time without accepting the full range of emotions. Which really means that we do not accept them (our kids)?!
o We should treat our kids like we like to be treated. For example, how would we like your partner to react to your ranting after a hard long day at work??? All we need is reassurance really (in other words encouraging the negative self talk). An example would be repeating what your child is saying back to him/her. So that child would say: I think I’m ugly!
- Really, you think you’re ugly??
- No, but I don’t like my hair!
– Oh, so you don’t like your hair…yeah…it must be difficult to not like your hair (all of that with sympathy of course). The speaker expressed how we as parents run away terrified of the negative emotions expressed by our children and that we don’t really want to hear that they are anything else but happy. Yet we need to be able to let our children clear off their emotions by letting it out while we listen with sympathy. So the first step would be accepting the feeling (it’s not a problem to be not happy). So after naming the feeling we stop…PERIOD! And avoid using ‘but’ because the word ‘but’ would invalidate whatever you said before.
3. The CLR method (C= comment, L = label, R = reward)
o When our kids are little, they listen to us so attentively à the parent is really like a hypnotist.
o To correct a child, use the opposite word of what the negative behaviour is. So, if the kid is rude, you would not say don’t be rude, but instead say I want you to be polite. So make a list of the things you want your child to be/do and use these words.
o Correction is considered a mild type of negative communication. So even though saying: “I want you to be polite/speak to me politely” is still in the negative communication side; it is considered necessary.
o Comments include appreciation, praise, acknowledgment.
o Put a label to good behaviour. NOTE: it doesn’t matter what type of grammar we utilize when we use negative labels because it is retained in the brain as such. So saying something like: what you do is bad instead of saying you are bad would not cut it.
o Reward the brain instead of punishing. So if the behaviour is new, you can reward it, but thin it out with time. If the behaviour is good but not new, you can stick to the CL.
o Use consequences to discipline while guiding and teaching. Don’t wait until you get upset and then start yelling when things are not going in the right direction.
o Think of giving consequences like a police officer would when ticking you for a speeding ticket. The officer is polite and isn’t angry or yelling. And at the receiving end, we are still polite (because if we are aggressive/yelling/spitting/kicking we could end up in jailà so bigger offence automatically translates to bigger consequences). We also wouldn’t through the ticket away because that could mean paying more $$ and probably ending up in jail in the long run.
o Consider the age group when setting rules around offences and consequences (warnings, tickets, jail time, taking things away….etc)
o Three ways to go to jail: (1) disrespecting authority (2) not paying tickets (3) dangerous/disruptive behaviour. Everything else is worth a ticket. How long in “jail”? Not more than 24hrs.
4. The two times rule.
o If we repeat things more than twice, we start to get upset.
o Step 1: ask your child to do/not do something once the first time.
o Step 2: give a warning and name the consequence the second time.
o Step 3: give the ticket and STICK TO IT!
o NOTE: never punish a child without giving a warning first, no matter how grave the offence is (even if the offence is breaking an expensive chandelier).
o There will be no harm or trauma with consequences. However, anger could cause trauma. For example: no name calling à offender will stand facing the wall and count à no chocolate cake at dinner à implement the consequence and stick to it.
o If the behaviour is not improving, then change the consequence. Think about it this way; if the parking ticket is not high enough or similar to a day parking fee, then we might decide to park and get the ticket anyway.
5. The relationship rule.
o I only give respectful communication and I only accept respectful communication in return. I don’t raise my voice/roll eyes/slam doors to you then you don’t do this to me as well. Trick is: can you say the first part??
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Writer's Festival: Selected topics for parents
In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind,
Assalamu Allaykum!
Just a heads up on a few events related to parenting, literacy and Muslims at the Writer's Festival happening in Ottawa this month.
These lectures tend to be quite intellectual, and I post some of the ones I think may be of particular interest to us as parents and educators (of course, most of us are squeezed for time, but it can be refreshing to make a change in the routine and get a little food for thought, too. )
For the full list of events, and location details (downtown), see http://www.writersfestival.org/events.html
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
| 6:30 PM |
|
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
| NOON |
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 |
| 8:35 PM |
|
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
| 2:00 PM |
|
| 4:00 PM |
|
Monday, October 12, 2009
Children's authors from within our community
Book series both entertains and reflects Muslim kids
First published in Ottawa’s Muslim Link Newspaper, April 2009
The glossy pages, creative artwork, and catchy rhymes in stories like, “Castle Park”, or “Down the Hill we go”, could be mistaken for belonging to a typically mainstream children's book.
First published in Ottawa’s Muslim Link Newspaper, April 2009
The glossy pages, creative artwork, and catchy rhymes in stories like, “Castle Park”, or “Down the Hill we go”, could be mistaken for belonging to a typically mainstream children's book.
But look closer, and notice characters that don't quite fit the Western “norm”. Girls in hijab going to the park with mothers, similarly dressed. Boys that yell “ya Allah!” in sheer happiness, as they sled down steep hills.
The books from Markham-based “Kids will be kids” publisher, launched last year, are far different from the typical Muslim fare we usually read to our children. And while many of Islamic books are indeed improving in style and substance, this made-in-Canada series for children ages 3-7 stands out for a particular reason: it's simply about Muslim kids having fun in their own neighbourhoods.
Nabeel Akbar is the author and publisher. He spoke with the Muslim Link.
Q: What made you decide to start writing these books?
A: I have a lot of younger cousins that I read to, as well as my niece and nephew, and while reading Islamic children’s stories, I felt that they were missing an element of fun and adventure. Unlike mainstream books, many of the Islamic books weren’t exactly kid friendly, and it seemed that they were just trying too hard to drive home a lesson or moral. Eventually, I thought to myself, “Man, I can write a fun story for Muslim kids” – and at the time I was looking for something to busy myself with aside from my job – so I started writing. Since the majority of Islamic books never went outside things like Salaat, Ramadhan, Eid, Haj and so on, I figured I would just stick to the kind of fun activities or games kids play. I just wanted the character’s names, dress, and way of speaking to be enough to show them as Muslims.
Q: How did your own experiences growing up in Canada shape these books?
A: Growing up in Canada definitely had a huge part shaping these books in two ways. We don’t always realize the abundance of children’s books available to us here So many of these mainstream books are full of imagination, adventure and wonder. The stories are very creative and original, as is the artwork. I wasn’t a big reader as a child, but I did read a fair share. Stuff from Robert Munsch and similar authors were always a lot of fun to read. Those types of books played a part in shaping my own writing, and then of course there was my own childhood. I grew up in the suburbs, and there were quite a few kids in my neighbourhood that were the same age range. And all of the kids were of different races or colour, which is something I wanted to try and show in my stories, because I think it’s a great reflection of not just Canadian kids but Muslim kids. We were outside all the time. Winter was snowball fights and tobogganing, summer was spent playing neighbourhood games, sports, swimming and water fights. So when I sat down to write, I was able to draw upon these experiences as well as the books I had read and what I had like about them.
Two of my books, Down The Hill We Go, and Summer Splash (not yet published) are directly from my childhood. There was a community center where we would ride our bikes to in the summer to go swimming, and it also had an enormous hill which in the winter was full of kids sledding. There were a few times in the winter when we just walked it there cause we couldn’t get a ride. It was about 2km away, walking in the snow, dragging our sleds behind us!
Q: What was the first book you wrote? What was it like to see it published?
A: The first book I wrote was Down The Hill We Go, but the first book to be published was To Catch A Bug. When I first sat down to write, I remembered how we would build ramps out of the snow and jump our sleds over them and built the story around that. It took me four days to write it, I then showed it to my wife who really liked it, then to the rest of my family. Everyone thought it was good, and that really encouraged me to write more. I thought about doing a series of books and within a month I had completed Neighbourhood Safari (not yet published), Castle Park and Summer Splash. I thought “Daze of Fun” was a good title for the series. Next I wanted to write a few shorter stories, but something with a twist or joke at the end. After some time I had Midnight Snack, To Catch A Bug and Colours of My Imagination. The idea for To Catch A Bug came from a charity picnic we attended. My niece and nephew were picking up caterpillars from a tree, when they saw how terrified my wife and sister were, they started to chase them around with the caterpillars! I wanted to first publish one of the shorter stories and as I felt equally about those three, I let my artist decide which one she wanted to do first. I remember when the completed hardcover copy came in the mail. Alhamdulillah, it was a great feeling. I was very happy with the way it came out. Another thing which I felt good about was that I had accomplished something which could potentially be a lasting contribution to the community- something people could enjoy and perhaps even benefit from.
Q: How challenging has it been to get this series started? What challenges remain?
A: I wouldn’t say it’s been hard, but it definitely has been challenging. I waited almost a year to hear back from publishers – due to some of the content, I was only sending it to Islamic book publishers – so there weren’t that many. All of them declined, some said they didn’t even read the manuscripts because they were too busy. The books were written in rhyming verse, and one publisher replied back that they weren’t looking to publish poetry, but if I have a children’s story, then they will look at it. It was pretty frustrating because I felt they were unable to understand the idea behind them. I decided that I would just self publish them which wasn’t difficult. One of the publishers, Kube Publishing (formerly known as Islamic Foundation of UK) agreed to be the distributor, but I had to pay for all the book printing costs, which can be quite expensive – not to mention the artist fees. I then came up with the name Kids Will Be Kids for my publishing company and thought about putting together a website once the first few books were ready. Finding an artist wasn’t too difficult as my sister had a friend in art college and I also had a friend who is a really talented illustrator.
Q: What do you think about the state of literature for Muslim children and teenagers here in the West? What's needed and why?
A: I think Muslim children’s English literature is growing and starting to evolve from more than just books whose only focus are teaching Islamic principles and practices. Since I have started I have been contacted by several writers who also want to write similar books for Muslim children, and also for teens. There are only a handful of short novels available for Muslim teens, and we definitely need more. It’s very important for children and youths to have Muslim characters and heroes that they can identify with. Fiction is also something that can really help develop a creative and imaginative mind. Inshallah, I really do hope that more writers step up, take some risks and start writing good teen novels for Muslims. Having said that, Islamic Book publishers are really the ones that need to take the risks and do more to encourage writers to step forward.
Q: How should the Muslim community support these sorts of initiatives?
A: The Muslim community needs to support these initiatives by investing in them for their children. I say invest and not buy or purchase because books really are an investment in your child’s future. Unfortunately, many parents don’t make that connection. Children’s books are viewed as another toy for the toy box. I’ve had a few booths at various Islamic events in North America where several children will beg their parent to get a book for them, but the parent will scold the child about wasting money. Once, after I had held a book reading session, a little girl brought her father to our booth and told him how much she loved one of the stories I had read and if he could get it for her. He just laughed and said “why do you want to buy it when you already know what happens?” A good book is something a child will read several times over. This first love of reading will help them develop a passion for all books, fiction and non-fiction. I don’t think I need to mention how important reading is for a person! So getting back to the question of support, the Muslim community needs to invest in these type of initiatives, and those with younger children should go a step further by spending time frequently reading to their children.
Q: Future plans?
A: Well, Alhamdulillah, I have several stories completed, and I’m just dying to get them published and out there, but I have to first wait until the books I’ve released show some more progress. So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and is giving us a good idea of what people liked and disliked and how we can improve on future books. So keep watching for us!
Jazakallah khair for giving me this chance to talk about what we’re doing, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you.
* * *
To find out more, visit kidswillbekids.org, or stay tuned for more information from your Grade 2A teacher : ) !
Friday, October 9, 2009
Postcards from the Butterfly Show!
In a university, far, far away . . .
Strange, beautiful insects could be found flittering from leaf to leaf, and fruit to fruit,
Strange, beautiful insects could be found flittering from leaf to leaf, and fruit to fruit,
If you looked hard enough, you'd see those who didn't even want to be seen, teaching the children all about the art of camouflage!
Though they couldn't camouflage themselves against the lovely brown hair of one of our students!! (Now, that is what I call a butterfly clip!)
Thanks to all those who made the field trip possible : ) Now, let's have some rest and a snack . . . you get the orange slice; I'll get the bagels!
Encore?
Wondrous to ponder the creativity of our Creator!
Though they couldn't camouflage themselves against the lovely brown hair of one of our students!! (Now, that is what I call a butterfly clip!)
These remarkable creatures climb out of strange looking pods - our bright ones know the scientific name, as well as the common one - chrysalis or cocoon.
Thanks to all those who made the field trip possible : ) Now, let's have some rest and a snack . . . you get the orange slice; I'll get the bagels!
Encore?
Wondrous to ponder the creativity of our Creator!Homework notes / Butterfly show
Assalamu Allaykum!
Quick note about homework: Students do not need to fill in the lower portion of page 59 of their Math sheet, nor any of page 60, on the other side. We will take those up in class, insha'Allah.
By the way, generally, a Grade 2 child should aim to do about 20 mins of homework a night. It should always be a positive experience, with parental involvement and encouragement! If they cannot complete homework, they may continue with it the following day.
* * *
Field Trip
Overall, the kids had a fun time at the Butterfly Show at Carleton University, October 8. I'll be posting photographs of the experience shortly.
In the meantime, jazak'Allahu Kheiran for letting your child participate - I pray it was a learning experience that they will remember for years to come. Thanks to the parent volunteers who helped out. Your patience and smiles made the morning worthwhile for everyone!
Tr. Amira
Quick note about homework: Students do not need to fill in the lower portion of page 59 of their Math sheet, nor any of page 60, on the other side. We will take those up in class, insha'Allah.
By the way, generally, a Grade 2 child should aim to do about 20 mins of homework a night. It should always be a positive experience, with parental involvement and encouragement! If they cannot complete homework, they may continue with it the following day.
* * *
Field Trip
Overall, the kids had a fun time at the Butterfly Show at Carleton University, October 8. I'll be posting photographs of the experience shortly.
In the meantime, jazak'Allahu Kheiran for letting your child participate - I pray it was a learning experience that they will remember for years to come. Thanks to the parent volunteers who helped out. Your patience and smiles made the morning worthwhile for everyone!
Tr. Amira
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Meet the Teacher Night - Thank you for coming
In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind,
Thanks to all those parents who were able to attend 'Meet the teacher night'. It was great to see all of you and I am glad that you were able to make it.
For those parents who were not there, please feel free to contact me at any time to receive an update on the class work.
Many thanks.
Tr. Amira
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