Our latest Ramadhan & Eid themed reading corner lasted longer than the usual month as I had let it spill over to the month of Syawal. Although it was longer than usual, I didn't think we did too many activities related to the theme at home. As my daughter is still young (she turned 2 during Ramadhan), I felt what was more important was for me to introduce her to the terms related to Ramadhan and Eid, and expose her to the significant activities that mark the holy month such as fasting, reading the Quran, and going to the masjid, and that is how I have classified my activities for the theme.
Our reading and activity corners were less elaborate this time round due to the nature of the theme. I also did not have much time to prepare. Whether I could observe fasting or not (I am still a breastfeeding mother), I felt that I should devote more time to my worship of Allah s.w.t. So here are our simple corners. Apart from books related to Ramadhan and Eid, I had included Islamic books as well.
Our Ramadhan & Eid reading corner
Books specifically related to Ramadhan & Eid
Our activity corner
Reading the Quran
Ramadhan IS the month of the Holy Quran. It is the month when the Holy Book was sent down by Allah s.w.t. from the seventh Heaven to the first for Angel Jibreel a.s. to impart verses to the Messenger, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., during a span of 23 years. There is no better time than Ramadhan for one to read and learn the Quran. That is not to say that during other months, the Quran should be neglected (reminder to self). In fact, I want the Quran to be a part of my daily life and my daughter's too inshaa Allah.
Reading together at bedtime
Doing her hijaiyah puzzle
Learning hijaiyah letters while doodling
Arranging hijaiyah magnetic foam letters (self-directed)
Using a magnifier to look at the hijaiyah letter on Omar
(Umar is one of her BFFs)
Picking hijaiyah letters with tweezers (self-directed)
Chalk with self-adhesive felt borders and craft punch metallic stars
(She says this is her grandpa reading the Quran)
Oh how I miss going to the masjid for terawih! I had not gone to the masjid the past two Ramadhan. I had given birth on the fourth day of Ramadhan in 2011, and in 2012, I felt that my girl was too young for me to leave at night with a caregiver. On top of that, my husband was away in Germany for a while during Ramadhan last year. This Ramadhan didn't start quite as rosy as well as my husband had to serve his in-camp reservist for the first two weeks.
But after that, things were much better and I managed to squeeze in a few terawih at the masjid, with and without my husband. I still remember how I felt on the first night I was at the masjid this past Ramadhan. I was so happy that I got to be a guest in the House of Allah s.w.t. that I felt like bursting at the seams with joy. I was overcome with nostalgia too as I remembered my younger (read: single) days when I used to spend time alone at the masjid during Ramadhan. I still recall those days with lots of fondness and I try to console myself that I had the opportunity. There's no point regretting it now that I had not spent more time at the masjid when I had the time and opportunity.
But after that, things were much better and I managed to squeeze in a few terawih at the masjid, with and without my husband. I still remember how I felt on the first night I was at the masjid this past Ramadhan. I was so happy that I got to be a guest in the House of Allah s.w.t. that I felt like bursting at the seams with joy. I was overcome with nostalgia too as I remembered my younger (read: single) days when I used to spend time alone at the masjid during Ramadhan. I still recall those days with lots of fondness and I try to console myself that I had the opportunity. There's no point regretting it now that I had not spent more time at the masjid when I had the time and opportunity.
So this act of going to the masjid at night is something I hold close to my heart. When we read books and there were scenes of people going and leaving the masjid at night, I made it a point to stop and talk about it with my daughter. And so the masjid craft we made all had stars to show that it was at night. I called them "Masjid on a starry, starry night". It was during this activity that I found out that the little girl could peel stickers on her own. In fact, she was very good at it! I didn't know it previously as she had always asked me to peel the stickers for her.
Peeling and pasting the stars
Our versions of "Masjid on a starry, starry night"
Chalk with craft punch stars and cut-out moon
Ink stamps with craft punch stars and cut-out masjid from money packet
Alhamdulillah a group of mothers had planned a qiyam at a masjid on the night of the little girl's birthday. I knew it was the perfect opportunity to bring her to the masjid. Although I found out minutes before leaving for the masjid that the time of the month had come, my bags were packed and so we decided to go ahead with it. I did not want to miss the opportunity to spend a night at the masjid on one of the last ten days.
At the masjid, the little girl had so much fun with other children and did not sleep till way, way past her bedtime. Around midnight, I went down with her to the main prayer hall to send some food and to meet my husband. We sat at a table by a vending machine, drinking mango juice and eating murtabak, to celebrate the little girl's birthday. Just the three of us at a quiet corner of a masjid yet there was nothing short of perfection in that little celebration. And that's how I shall remember the night/morning that she turned two.
I had intended to publish this in one post but I have been procrastinating and swarmed with lots of work (both in and out of the house) and Eid visiting. So I shall continue the second half of this post another time.
Note:
The second part of this post can be found here.
Note:
The second part of this post can be found here.
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