Children

Library Fun and Different Foodies…

Posted on by Papatia

Assalamu aleikum!

children books

My son and I love to go to the library. It’s in walking distance but we drive due to the heat these days…Lazies…We know.

Today, he did the most peculiar thing or not! He picked up a book on food! He is a picky eater, and I was too. But we both love tasty foods. To back up a little, I say peculiar because my upcoming book is a cookbook! I pray it can be of use to him insha’Allah when he grows up, aameen. I also pray Ivorian students find it useful. Please make dua for us so that the book also be sadaqah juwayriyah, allahumma aameen!

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Anyway,  Eat, Leo! Eat! is a fun and smart story where Leo always hides when it’s time to eat. To make him eat, his Nonna started telling him a tale with multiple parts to it. She stops at a cliffhanger and prods the boy to eat. And he does. His hunger of stories led him to be hungry for food. What a smart grandma!

Children are the best business people you will ever meet! You always have to give them something in exchange for a good behavior until they start doing it on their own. At least my son and Leo are!

For the rest of the books we picked together, while all don’t have the best of illustrations, the creativity is on point, and the quality of the books are great.

Thank you for reading,

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

BLUE FOFKYS KITCHEN

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Tips to Raise an Inspired Child

Posted on by Papatia

Assalamu aleikum!

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How have you guys been? We have been busy between homeschooling, all my hats (my different jobs), and a lot of etc. alhamdullilah. I have a small list of things that have worked for us alhamdullilah. Check them out.

1. Making Time for Child Play

During the week, we strive to go outside at least three times. There are weeks where we go to outside playgrounds more than three times. Every week brings its own challenges. So, do what works for you but take them out to play so they can bloom and let out that bouncing energy and joy they possess masha’Allah.

2. Going to Creative Children’s Playgrounds

Crayola experience, Children’s Museums and Lego stores are just a few places that will spark your child’s creativity. Watch out for discounts and free promotions. Then, go enjoy a nice time with your family. You will witness a genius in the making just by them being in such colorful environments and brushing shoulders with other wonderful spirits like them masha’Allah bi’ithnillah. May Allay preserve and protect our children, aameen.

3. Freedom

If they mess up the carpet or write on the walls or floors with crayons or paint. That’s fine. It’s not the end of the world. The mess can be cleaned. Let them express themselves but give them limits or where it’s appropriate to let their imagination flourish every now them. That way, they don’t take too much advantage of your leniency. Besides, all this is part of their development.

4. Teach them with Patience

Check yourself often so that your momentary crankiness doesn’t spill over. They will notice that you’re less nice than the people around you if you don’t have an handle on your mood. Also, tell them new words and believe that will absorb quickly and fast! Masha’Allah, they have a computer (brain) that still has a lot of memory. It’s the only way they will learn from you and talk. There is no magic. The vocabulary you expose them to, is what they grasp and run away with. Remember that if you’re struggling to get your only child to speak.

5. Dua

This is everything. Without constantly supplicating, your mental shield will disintegrate. Once they start misbehaving and that you keep your cool while supplicating and carrying on, you will notice that the screams, the cries, etc. will not penetrate and mess with your vibes. You will be like walking in the rain without getting wet. Trust me on that *wink*.

And when they show you an inspired side of them, make dua for them too so that Allah always increase their knowledge, allahumma aameen.

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading.

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

Confessions of a Domestic F…

Posted on by Papatia

Bismillah.

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Assalamu aleikum waramatulahi wabarakatuhu dear bloggers,

It has been a long time! I pray this finds you well, ameen. November 2015 – November 2017. Subhanallah, it has been two years since I’m making a living from home while trying to homeschool my son. It has been challenging to say the least. Many days I question my choices of wanting to be home with him. Please put your feet in my shoes haha! I’m human, and I can’t escape the doubts or whispers at times.

That said, it has been a humbling and rewarding experience for me. The stress is still present in my life but at least I get to see how my son is blooming into an intelligent human being masha’Allah. I love the priceless moments I can’t explain, and I make a mental snapshot of them for the future insha’Allah.

I also try not to take his moments of mischievousness to heart. Toddlers can be so trying but I always make a silent prayer when he listens, surprises me, or simply asks for my permission.

Many days I think he is not growing fast enough or speaking the way I want him to express himself. And my patience has improved alhamdullilah. A lot of sign language and key words are usually thrown in our daily conversations. Sometimes, they make the exchange frustrating for him and me but many times I’m happy he’s picking up words I say to him daily. I push myself to not give up because when he repeats the words right away or another day randomly, I know I have taught him that.

So even if sometimes I question my homeschooling skills because he is the only one, and he gets limited amount of time outside with other children at the playground, I’m proud and happy to know that 99% of his vocabulary and ways of acting come from me; the mother because I’m always there for him alhamdullilah. The hubby pitches in too alhamdullilah. He plays with the kiddo the way I don’t always play. I can be pretty serious and intense with my son haha!

I’m sure many mothers can relate. It’s often hard for us to roll on the carpet and play around when we have tons of things to do around the house and the internet. Having said that, I’m really thankful that the kiddo still makes me the number one person to go to in his life. I know my place, and he knows it. Mommy is his ultimate nurturer. And Daddy is really, really, really fun masha’Allah.

Am I a failure or a fabulosity? You decide. I know my answer now alhamdullilah :).

May Allah help us raise the best of the muminun, ameen. 

Jazakh’Allah khair for reading,

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

Read an interview on homeschooling with Papatia Feauxzar here. And check out some books on Muslim homeschooling here and below:

 

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Also check out free printables at Ilma Education here.

Book review: “Who could I Be?” by Shoohada Khanom — Between Sisters, SVP!

Posted on by Papatia

Originally posted on A Muslimah’s writings: “Who could I be?” by Shoohada Khanom is such a cute and adorable book Ma sha Allah. I totally loved reading it.? It is full of rhyming sentences, has beautiful sound words(onomatopoeia), cute illustrations and an excellent message: Linking all the beautiful animals to the Creator. This is…

via Book review: “Who could I Be?” by Shoohada Khanom — Between Sisters, SVP!

A Gift From Jannah – A Review

Posted on by Papatia

Launch Poster A Gift from Jannah

Author: Hira Khan is the creator and founder of BirthKeeper, providing Doula Services in the Toronto area and Prenatal Education to the global Muslim community since 2009.

Illustrator :  Jenny Reynish lives and works near Colchester in Essex, in the UK. She works as a freelance illustrator, having produced illustrations for various publishers of books and magazines in the UK and USA, as well as card designs.

Publisher :  Prolance

Front Cover

Jannah Front Cover

Thoughts: A Gift From Jannah is a 34 page children’s book  with wonderful illustrations that helps satisfy the curiosity of children about their birth. It uses an easy to follow theist approach to explain the origin of babies without having to recourse to birds and bees talk yet. It’s ingenious and creative. I recommend it to parents who seek an easy answer to give to their younger children who have many questions. We can all agree that it’s really not easy sometimes to explain things to children they might not grasp at a young age.

Please get your copy on the author’s website here.

Rating: 4/5

~I received a free copy for the purpose of this review.~

Jazak’Allah khair for reading,

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

 

A Cat and Mouse Pact – A Review

Posted on by Papatia

A Cat and Mouse Pact

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Author: Nayera Salam

Nayera Salam has a Master’s degree in Education from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and more than thirty years teaching experience. She is now retired and lives in Atlanta with her husband. She has two children and is the proud grandmother of two granddaughters.

Illustrator: Teresa Abboud

Teresa Abboud is a Georgia-based illustrator and a 2D animator.  She graduated from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts. She grew up in Lebanon in an artistic environment, in an atmosphere of integrity and disorder, war and liberty.  Teresa’s art reflects her inner feelings. Her esthetic choices come directly from this atmosphere that marked her childhood.  Teresa wants to tell stories, share feelings, express ideas, and transmit emotions through her art. www.teressala.blogspot.com

Publisher : Prolance

Summary: When Matt, the orange tabby cat, sees Millie, the little gray mouse, he can’t decide between being mean or nice. After all, he must catch any mouse who sneaks inside the neat red brick house of old Mrs. Krouse. Millie pleads for a slice of cheese. Matt listens and thinks. They make a cat and mouse pact, build a friendship and become pals.

From beginning to end, children and adults will be intrigued by the book’s message, the enchanting creatures, and the vivid imagery. Book’s message: Resolve issues peacefully! With attached coloring sheet!

Our Thoughts: As parents who prefer to resolve issues the diplomatic way, this children’s book is the perfect example we can use to teach that value to our child. Though our ABsaurus can’t read yet, he was enchanted by the drawings. But that doesn’t mean, he doesn’t try to read. He opens books on his own and throws random letters of the alphabet at the writings he sees, alhamdullilah.

I had the PDF of A Cat and Mouse Pact opened on my laptop about 20 feet away from his high chair and this child has eagle vision masha’Allah. He kept cooing and pointing at the screen of my computer. He had seen the bright golden cat from his chair and he wanted to get down and get closer alhamdullilah.

I got him closer so he could admire the illustrations as I read in my head. I tried to read for him but he was reading the screen in ‘Martian’ too. So one person had to give in; me. *Laughs*. We also found the story cute and rhyming with a powerful message.

Sneak peek page:

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You can buy your copy here with other children’s books by the same author.

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Our Rating : 5/5

~I received a free copy for the purpose of this review.~

Thank you for reading,

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

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Sadeeqi 3 – A Review

Posted on by Papatia

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Authors:  The 3rd year female students of Darul Khair – Madrassah Aisha Siddiqah

Description: Darul Khair- Madrassah Aishah Siddiqah is a South African Islamic school whose third year students decided to write fun Islamic activity books to raise money to get books for their library.

This title ‘brings you yet another exciting, stimulating Islamic activity book. It will keep your child occupied while immersing them in wonderful activities. It is a fun Islamic alternative to other less than savoury sources of entertainment, like television etc. and an interesting source of both secular and Islamic Knowledge. It appeals to children with activities like spot the differences, crosswords, mazes and colour-ins…’

Price: R 20.00 or $1.50

Age: 8 years old +

Review: Sadeeqi 3 is a 40 page activity book with a plethora of activities for Muslim children. For instance, it includes insightful stories, coloring pages, some enigma cases to solve, lickety letters to unscramble, word searches, mazes with an Islamic concept, number pattern exercises, connect the dots activities, tongue twisters, recipes for food and to make playdough, Arabic sudoku, etc, etc.

Below is a sneak peek page: 

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I really liked this activity book except for the swooping assumptions toward the Jews and the effect of watching television.

True, the Jews did Muslims wrong but not all of them did and I think we should teach our children that part. Because many people make swooping accusations toward the ummah when only some bad apples created a huge mess for all of us to apologize for.

To continue, Television is a great fitna for our children but at the same time, there is a way to get a handle on it.

Nonetheless, Sadeeqi 3 is a great companion for children to have. Darul Khair also sells Sadeeqi 1 and 2 for very affordable prices at R10 each or $0.80 each.

You can get your copies by contacting them at:
Tel: 036 635 3136 | Cell: 073 750 0030
Email: darulkhair@webmail.co.za

Our Rating : 4/5

Jazak’Allah khair for reading,

 

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

Deeni Tales – A Review

Posted on by Papatia

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Deeni Tales is a 30 page children’s book composed of several short stories by Kadeeja Nourin Ibrahim. It’s the author debut book. These tales are aimed at Muslim children who love stories and can already read.

Pros: These eight stories will keep children’s minds stimulated while teaching them things about Islam.

Cons: It needs more judicious editing. In my opinion, it also reinforces certain stereotypes about certain races and portrays the objectification cliché of the virtues of wearing hijab a little bit.

Having said that, children will learn tenets of Islam in these concise short stories. I wish the author growth in her writing career and much success with Deeni Tales. Ameen.

Rating: 3/5

You can follow the author here on Facebook or on YouTube.

Jazakh’Allah khair for reading,

A Ducktrinor Mom

~I received a free copy for the purpose of this review~

The One – A Children’s Book Review

Posted on by Papatia

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Author:  Manaal Jafrey-Razaque

Illustrator : Tanya Emelyanova

Publisher : Prolance

What will it accomplish? Pious Muslim children who will exhibit taqwa insha’Allah

Summary: The One is a fun-to-read, rhyming storybook about Allah that touches upon fundamentals of His creation, proving Allah’s existence, and introducing some of His attributes for children to grasp from an early age in order to instill awe and love for Him, even though He cannot be seen.

Our Thoughts: The One is a 32 page children’s book in The Fundamental Series of Author Manaal Jafrey-Razaque. It’s definitely about fundamental education to inculcate to our Muslim children the presence of Allah even if they don’t see Him. The book strives to show children that the signs of the Creator are all around us and that is enough to take heed and believe in His ubiquitous presence.

The One will for sure help us raise young believers by teaching them 18 out of the 99 names of Allah. That said the book is not preachy at all. The drawings of everything Allah created are cute and inviting throughout the book. My son cooed with delight at the illustrations. It was precious masha’Allah.

Allah’s Attributes are used in English so they can appeal to non-Muslims who believe in The One as well. It’s at the end of The One that we get a summary of the 18 Attributes of Allah used through this rhyming read. And that’s a good way to start teaching children about Islam without overwhelming them. I recommend it to all Muslim parents.

There are also sprinkles of beautiful Quranic verses and one hadith on the rewards of learning all 99 names in The One.

Now, here is a sneak peek page of this wonderful children’s book:

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A few things on the Writer and Designer:

  • The Author Manaal.J.R is a Muslim-American born and raised in Southern California. She attended the University of Southern California for her Bachelor’s Degree.
  • The Illustrator Tanya.E is Russian and has a studio in Saint-Petersburg. Follow them on Facebook.

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Finally, buy your copy here! I received a free copy 🙂 #alhamdullilah

Our Rating : 5/5

Thank you for reading,

~A Ducktrinor Mom~

Going to Hajj: A Book of Transport

Posted on by Papatia

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Author: Jameela Ho
Ilustrator: InikamiEDU
Format: Kindle eBook
Age: 1-4 years old
Available on Amazon here
Summary: Learn the different types of transportation with Fatimah and Hamzah as they find ways to go to the Ka’bah.
Our thoughts: Going to Hajj: A Book of Transport is a fun children’s book that satisfies children’s curiosity about means of transport, especially the ones that can be used to go to Hajj. By teaching them about transportation vehicles, we also get the chance to teach them about a major pillar of faith in Islam. It’s a must have. You can get more tips about teaching Hajj to children here on the author’s website with free coloring printables and activities.
~I received a free copy for my honest opinion~
Rating: 5/5
Thank you for reading,
A Ducktrinor Mom
P.S. Also in the series these below:
beginning to learn series