Scents- Fun Science for Preschoolers

So, I mentioned this book (More Mudpies to Magnets) in an earlier post.  I found this experiment in it, and my kids had an absolute blast with it. And we've only just finished part one.

Grab a bunch of food items from your kitchen, some wax paper, cups/containers, water, hammer, and cutting board.  For food items, we grabbed: celery, lemon, onion, basil, parsley, red pepper and a hyacinthus flower bud.  We sat on the floor and each child chose a food item, placed it in the piece of wax paper, and pounded it with the hammer. We then proceeded to scoop the item into a cup/container and to pour just enough water over it to cover it.  And that's it!  Tomorrow we'll do part two (something about guessing the food item from just the scent without the item in it).  But my kids both had a blast pounding, smelling, scooping... 
Alhamdulillah, it's a blessing to find a good, wholesome, interesting activity to do with them from items I have in my kitchen!  Wish I had my camera...

Science for 4 Year Olds: Magnets

This experiment actually works for kids of all ages, but it was great with my four year old.  I put together a whole bunch of super-random items that could/couldn't be magnetic.  The list included scissors, nails, parts from a screwdriver, screws, coins (from america and around the world!), paper clips, pine cone, plastic cap, metal baby spoon with covered plastic end, etc.

And then I gave her a medium sized magnet and let her hypothesize what she thought would be attracted to the magnet and what she thought wouldn't be.  She had a blast discovering unexpected things.  Like that the sparkly marble wasn't magnetic.  Her hypothesis was that anything sparkly/lustrous was iron/steel.  I thought that was interesting.

And then there were a few things that took even me by surprise.  Like the fact that a nickel is not attracted to a magnet, but an Jordanian coin is.  Interesting, wonder why?  And the fact that the magnet will stick to the plastic cap if a paper clip is under it.  Neat!  And the plastic coated baby spoon that stuck to the magnet from both ends!

A fun extension to this experiment is to tie a string to a paper clip, and let your child hold the string/clip over a magnet and watch it twirl and dance, feel the magnetic force...

Sadness, Depression and Musa (as)

I was sitting at home yesterday, the third day into our Snowmageddon 2010, the third day of not really talking to anyone but my two little ones.  (My hubby is away on a business trip).  And I tend to get a bit sad, depressed when I'm alone like that, but alhamdulllah I've been holding up fairly well this storm.  Last night, I was trying to memorize some lines from Surat al Qasas, and read over the story of Prophet Moses (as) when he was in the utmost point of sadness, loneliness and depression that a person could be in.  He'd just heard news that the tyrant of Egypt had issued an 'arrest/assassination' warrant against him, he'd just left his country, his place of familiarity, he'd just left everything behind, and he felt bad, guilty, depressed over the man he had accidently killed.
He was in his utmost point of need, of being alone.  At that time, he reached out to Allah SWT, to his Lord, Savior, and Creator and said, "O Allah, save me from the wrong doing people."  And "O Allah, I am truly needy  of what you have brought down for me of good."

The call out to Allah, in the middle of our darkness.  Reaching out with our hands and our needs to Him, and He answering our call instantaneously.  What better story to illustrate it for us than the story of Musa alayhisaalam, in his darkest hour of need, calling our to His Lord and Creator, and never holding back from striving for ihsan, for good in his actions.  Right in the middle of this depression, of this intense sadness, he got up, and went forth in action.  He saw the two young women in need of help with their sheep, and he came to their help, then turned back to his Lord for His help. 

Alhamdulillahi rabil 3alameen.

So Why is Baba Still At Work

Hubby is on a long-ish business trip, and we're stuck at home in the snow, alhamdulillah.  So yesterday, Shifaa asked me if our neighbors were at work (at 10 am in the blizzard).  I said matter of factly, of course not, everyone is home now. It's time to go to bed.
A few seconds of silence passed and then my three year old asked, 'So why is baba still at work?'

Aaaah.  my baby understands everything subhanaAllah and i really have to be careful of what i tell her and not dismiss her as a little kid.

Science for Kids

So, I noticed in my search engine that most of the hits I get to my blog is from an old post I had on an impromptu science experiment I designed for my then three year old.  I'll refer you to a couple of great books my sister in law referred me to:
Mudpies to Magnets by Elizabeth Sherwood and some others
and
More Mudpies to Magnets by the same authors.

and then for great activities:
Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready (activities for kids ages 0-5 years). 

Enjoy the wonders of seeing the world through the eyes of a child!

Kid's Eye View

There are so many blessings to being around a child.  It's as if Allah SWT not only wants to keep the human race going, but also to keep our wonder and interest in the world alive. 

I grew up hating the snow.  To me, it feels cold and slippery and I'm forced to stay locked in for days on end.  But subhanaAllah, this year has been different for me. I am now a mother of a four year old who is so eager to go out and enjoy the white snow and ice.  She forced me out this morning, into the DC area's 'Snowmageddon' of 2010; and I'm so happy she did.  I felt so refreshed out there.  It was so peaceful, and while I cleaned my car, I felt a rejuvenating spirit run through me.  It felt good, refreshing, serene.  No cars on the road, I could let my daughters play in the parking lot in peace.  I did my thing, and tried to uncover the mounds of white snow from my big, black car, and they did their thing in peace, sliding, packing, digging.  My chest feels full of fresh air, and now I'm home in warm, dry weather, ahamdulillah.  Wishing the hubby were here, is the only thing, but I suspect he's glad to be out of it.

tabtabi 3leeha

i had a moment about ten days ago, in the middle of the night where i imagined i heard one of my kids throwing up. sure enough, my older daughter came to my room and told me, "Mama, Shifaa bit-kuh.  Mahtagaki ti tabtabi 3la dahraha."  "Mama, Shifaa is coughing. She needs you to pat her on her back."
That erased my annoyance, and i got up to check on baby, who had indeed thrown up in the middle of the night, and laid her head in it.  I cleaned, and bathed, and laundered, and felt bad for baby who was still trying to wonder what that water that came up was.

Alhamdulillah, five days later, she's back to normal. Took much longer than I expected, but alhamdulillah for the blessing of health!