Tuesday 19 May 2020

My Virtue "Merit Badge" Craft - 30 Day Craft Challenge


My Virtue "Merit Badge" Craft - 30 Day Craft Challenge





Salam everyone, it's been a busy few days and I'm playing "catch up" by posting all our crafts from previous days. This craft was from Day 23. We talked about characteristics that would allow us to be good human beings. We discussed what a "virtue" is and how it makes us happy if we are able to reflect these great attributes. We made some badges to represent a few of the virtues that we brainstormed. The boys happily wore the "Merit Badge" of their choice while demonstrating the appropriate characteristics. I needed some help cleaning up our table after the craft was complete and my younger son happily wore his "Helpful" merit badge to help me complete the task!

Try this out with your little ones and see what kinds of virtues they come up with. My older son came up with the virtue, "Beneficent" and said, "Mama, I've heard that this means you want to help benefit others". We gladly made a "Beneficent" merit badge together. Follow the easy steps below to make a few of your own!

Materials:
  • A few different colours of construction paper 
  • Scissors, I also used a paper trimmer but that's optional
  • Glue stick or liquid school glue
  • Hot glue gun
  • Wooden Clothespins
  • Markers
    What we used for this craft
Check our this YouTube video to see how we did this activity: Here
Steps:
  1. Cut strips of the construction paper on the long side of your paper (about 2cm in width). You will need about 6-8 strips per merit badge
    I used a paper trimmer but you can use scissors too
  2. Now begin gluing the strips, one on top of another. Start with an X shape and keep working your way around. Try to distribute the strips as evenly as possible. 
    Gluing them one on top of the other
  3. Now glue the ends of the strips and stick them on the the centre of your badge, go around in a circle and do this for all the strips 

    Then sticking the ends to the centre
  4. Once you've glued all the ends - flatten the folds with your fingers and it should appear like the image below. 
    This is what Hadi's looked like after he was done gluing them all
  5. Cut two wider rectangles of constriction paper and cut out a triangle shape on the bottom 
    Hadi wanted his to be two different colours
  6. Glue those, one on top of the other, on the back of the badge. 
    He glued them on the back
  7. Cut a circle shape out of paper - we used white paper for this at least 10-15cm in diameter
  8. Allow your child to write their favourite virtue on this circle
  9. Glue the circle on the front of your merit badge.
    "Beneficent" got glued to the front
  10. Now, turn on your hot glue gun and use it to glue the wooden clothespin to the back of the badge
    Mama assisted with using the glue gun
  11. You should be able to clip it onto your child's shirt safely!
    Sticks right to the back
  12. Enjoy practicing all these great virtues! 
    And then on his shirt!

Lots of different virtues to work on

Thanks for joining me once again on this crafting journey! I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm posting my 23rd craft! I really appreciate all your love and support along the way. Leave a comment below to let me know if you're enjoying the crafts. 

Sunday 17 May 2020

Our Homes "Light Up" Craft - 30 Day Craft Challenge


Our Homes "Light Up" Craft - 30 Day Craft Challenge



Salam, today I'll be posting about the craft we did on Day 22. I wanted to discuss the significance of Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Power). For this we read the book, "The Most Powerful Night", by Ndaa Hassan. It started off with the recitation of Surat al Qadr and then a beautiful description about the importance of Laylatul Qadr. Growing up, I also heard from our elders that the homes in which the people are reciting Quran and performing prayers during this night "Light Up" so that the angels can descend upon it. The angels bring peace and blessings upon this home and all its inhabitants. 

The "Lighting Up" of homes inspired our craft for the day. We used construction paper and chalk to draw houses and then we taped them together to get a 3-D effect. Once the house stood up on its own I placed an LED candle inside to allow it to light up. It created a beautiful look and the kids were mesmerized. I hope you are able to make your homes light up by following the simple steps below!

Materials:
  • Construction paper - we used black so that our chalk would appear nicely 
  • Chalk or a Chalk Marker, I found something called a "Chalk Writer" at the dollar store which worked really nicely too
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • LED candle to place inside your home
    Today's material list was super simple
Steps:
  1. Allow your child to get creative and draw four separate houses 
    Conventional Chalk - pretty messy
  2. At first we used conventional chalk but it became very messy and it was spreading all over the paper so we switched over to our "Chalk Writer" and were very pleased with the results 
    Definitely a great Dollar Store find!
  3. After drawing four houses, start to cut them out - we also cut out some of the windows and doors
    Getting our cutting practice 
  4. We then taped all four of the houses together in a row
    He thoroughly enjoys taping
  5. Then prop up the house and tape the final side to allow it to be a 3-D house
  6. Place and LED candle inside and watch the house "Light Up"
    The final product!
  7. Tell a story about Laylatul Qadr, and make it extra special for your child!
    We highly recommend this book for all little readers - very well written!

Thank you, once again, for visiting my blog. Please feel free to leave me a comment here or on Instagram. Don't forget to follow me @WishfulWaufa. See you tomorrow for our next craft!

Friday 15 May 2020

My Balancing Scale "Al-Mizaan" - 30 Day Craft Challenge

My Balancing Scale "Al-Mizaan" - 30 Day Craft Challenge



Salam! We have now reached Day 21 of our Craft Challenge. Today I wanted to bring up the concept of the "Mizaan" or balancing scale. I found this to be a tough topic for my children to grasp without a visual. Before we did the craft, I spoke to them about the fact that the balancing scale, ميزان, has been mentioned in the Quran with regards to Judgement Day. Allah would like to see us with our scales tipped towards the side of "Good Deeds". We should always strive to attain as many good deeds as we can so that on the Day of Judgement we do not displease our Lord. I got a few nods, but, it wasn't until we constructed this Balancing Scale together that we had our "Aha" moments. 

I have always wanted to make a scale with my children but I always backed away thinking it would be too difficult and would require too much precision for it to be fun. However, I was completely wrong! This craft is so easy and very forgiving in terms of precision. The idea is just to give the kids a hands on opportunity with the scale to really understand how balancing works. Take a look below and you'll see!

Materials:
  • Several pieces of cardboard - I took apart a box. Largest piece was for the base, two small squares for each platform, and two long pieces for the top of the scale
  • One empty paper towel roll
  • Two brass paper fasteners
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • String (4 pieces about 60-80cm long each)
  • Ruler
  • Single hole punch (or scissors)
  • Two beads to help balance the scale (seen in images below)
  • Optional: Xacto knife could be helpful but sharp scissors will do just fine as well
    Pretty much all you'll need! Forgot to add a pencil and two beads here
    Check our this YouTube video to see how we made the scale: Here

    Steps:
  1. On your base piece of cardboard, right at the centre, use the paper towel roll to trace a circle with your pencil.
  2. Use your Xacto knife or a pair of scissors to cut out this circle
    Here's the circle
  3. Fit your paper towel roll right into that circle
    The roll should fit nice and snug in there
  4. Tape it very well all around
    About 4 or five pieces of tape 
  5. We even put a couple pieces of tape on the bottom 
    Two pieces of tape at the bottom
  6. Use your single hole punch (or scissors) to make a hole right at the centre of each of the long pieces of cardboard for the top of the scale
    Try to measure the centre as best as possible
  7. Then make two holes adjacent to each other on the top of the paper towel roll
    There should be two holes one that visible here and one right behind it
  8. Use your paper fasteners to secure these long pieces of cardboard to the paper towel roll
    They should fasten nicely with enough space to move freely
  9. Make four holes on each corner of your platforms
    The single hole punch came in handy for this craft!
  10. Then make holes on the edges of the top of the scale
    Pictured here are the holes we made at the ends of the long pieces
  11. Get two pieces of string for each platform 
  12. Insert them from the bottom into the holes in the platforms, forming an "X" at the bottom
    This is the X shape at the bottom of each platform
  13. Now pull them up and make sure the length of the string is equal on all sides
  14. String through a bead so that all the string goes through the bead first
  15. Then insert two strings on one side of the top of the scale and two on the other side
  16. Tie them together with a knot
  17. Do the same thing on the other platform
  18. The scale is complete!
  19. Allow your children to place different items in the bases and see which one weighs more
    They measured rocks, toys and fruits!
  20. Make sure to talk to them about always striving to have their good deeds outweigh the bad deeds!
Thanks again for taking a look at this and all the other crafts as part of the Craft Challenge! I appreciate all my visitors. Feel free to leave feedback below in the comments about how I can make this blog better. See you tomorrow!

My "Forgiveness" Snow Globe - 30 Day Craft Challenge


My "Forgiveness" Snow Globe - 30 Day Craft Challenge



Salam and welcome to Day 20 of our Craft Challenge. Today our focus was on the concept of forgiveness. I talked to my children about the fact that we all make mistakes and wrong decisions, but the most important part is that we realize it and ask for forgiveness from Allah. These special nights of Laylatul Qadr are known for seeking and receiving forgiveness. Part of our nightly rituals is saying, "Astaghfilrullah"- meaning I seek forgiveness from Allah. 

Once we seek forgiveness, we are told it is as if the rain has washed them away. This is where the snow globe concept came in. When they shake the snow globe, it begins "raining" and washes away our sins. Now every time they go to play with this craft, they are reminded to say, Astaghfirullah, أَسْتَغْفِرُ ٱللّٰهَ

See how your children can make a "Forgiveness" Snow Globe below!

Materials:
  • A glass or plastic jar 
  • Water
  • Glycerin or Baby Oil
  • Rocks and Marbles
  • Glitter
  • Beads
  • Packing Tape
  • Hot Glue Gun 
Steps:
  1. Collect all the items you want to glue to the base of your snow globe - choose waterproof items 
  2. Plug in the glue gun - be careful when this is around young children
  3. Start gluing your rocks and marbles to the lid of the jar - use extra glue to make sure the items are very secure. Let this dry for at least 2-3 hours. We waited overnight just to be sure. 
  4. Now add the glitter and beads to the jar

  5. Fill the jar with water - leave a bit of space since the items stuck on the lid will take up some space as well 
  6. Add a couple squeezes of the baby oil/glycerin - this will allow the glitter and beads to float slowly
  7. Screw the lid onto the jar
  8. If you want added sealant, use your glue gun to glue all around the closed lid.
  9. We used packing tape to tape all around the lid to make sure there is no leaking 
  10. Now allow your children to shake and enjoy the snow globe! 
Many thanks for staying with the challenge all the way to day 20! I hope you are enjoying the crafts so far. Please leave your feedback in the comments below.

Wednesday 13 May 2020

My Salawat Pillow - 30 Day Craft Challenge

My Salawat Pillow - 30 Day Craft Challenge




Salam all, by the grace of Allah we have made it to Day 19 of the Craft Challenge. I am so blown away by all of your support! Thank you for continuing to follow the challenge and sharing your feedback and inspirational ideas. Today I talked to my kids about the importance of loving Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and those in his household (the Ahlul Bayt). We talked about the many verses in the Quran which emphasize loving and following the Ahlul Bayt. Specifically we went over verse number 56 in Surat al Ahzab (chapter 33), which states, "Surely Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet; O you who believe! call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation". After reviewing this verse of the Quran, we began preparing for our craft.

In today's craft we made our very own squishable, huggable, "Salawat Pillow". The idea is, every time they see it, or hug it, they should send one salawat (salutations and blessings upon the Prophet and his family). In Arabic, it appears as, ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ. 

Again, this craft is a super simple and child friendly activity - no needles involved and no sewing involved! I hope you are able to do this with your children and please let me know how it goes!

Materials:

  • Two square pieces of felt - we used 30cmx30cm 
  • Pencil
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Permanent markers or Fabric Markers for Decoration
  • Pillow Stuffing 
    Here's what we used to make the Salawat Pillow
Steps:
  1. Fold one of your felt pieces in half and trace a "half-heart" shape with your pencil- try to make it as large as the fabric will allow 
  2. Make a smaller half-heart inside this one - the distance between the two hearts should be at least 5 cm. The larger the distance the easier it is for smaller children to tie knots
    We free-handed the heart drawings
  3. Cut out the larger heart and then use that as a template to cut the heart shape on your other felt piece
    We used the first heart shape to cut the second one
  4. Now you should have two identical heart shapes and a smaller heart shape drawn inside with pencil
    This is what they looked like
  5. Start cutting straight lines approximately 2-3cm apart, stopping where you've drawn your inner circle - some people measure exactly, but we did this free-hand
  6. Do this for both hearts
    We used our fabric scissors to cute these straight lines, we did one heart at a time
  7. Flip your hearts over to the side where the pencil is not visible. Use your pencil to right the word "SALAWAT" on the felt and allow your child to trace these letters with the fabric markers or permanent markers
    Tracing fun!
  8. We did this on both pieces of the fabric - wait a few minutes to make sure this marker dries 
    We were lucky to have bright and vibrant colours
  9. Match the two heart fabrics, one on top of the other - the writing should face outward
  10. Now, start tying knots - one string from one fabric and one string from the other fabric
    Lots of practice with tying knots!
  11. Make sure they are double knots. Do this all the way around and leave about 10cm of space of an opening
    This is the space we used to stuff the pillow
  12. Stuff the pillow stuffing inside the pillow and spread around to make sure its equally stuffed through out the heart shape 
    Stuffing away!
  13. When your satisfied with the appearance of the pillow, tie the remaining knots and close up the pillow 
    We knotted it all the way around!
  14. Allow your child to hug and squeeze the pillow (and recite salawat each time)! 
    So squeezable!
I hope this craft was inspirational for you and your child! May the last 10 nights of Ramadan bring you peace and blessings. And finally, May Allah send peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad and his Family. See you all tomorrow!


The Best Day Ever - Greeting Card