Muslim Eduplaygroup: The Water Cycle

It was summer and we did something on the sun.
Then it was windy.. so we learnt about the wind...
Now..its autumn and its rainy.. so this time..we discussed about the rain and the water cycle.
What i call making use of the atmosphere in teaching.

In fact, this is one of the method used by our beloved Prophet SAW in teaching his companions RadiyAllahu'anhum. Maulana Muhammad Haneef Abdul Majeed in his book, Ideal Father gave the following incidents in the life of the Prophet SAW:

Once a few prisoners were brought before Rasulullah SAW. Amongst them was a woman as well. When her glance fell onto her infant who was amongst another group of prisoners, she, out of unbridled emotion and uninhibited love dashed towards him, picked him up, showered him with hugs and kisses and started feeding him. Rasulullah SAW asked the sahabah RadiAllahu'anhum: If the lady had the option, do you think she will hurl her child into the fire?" "By Allah!"they replied, "she will never do such a thing." Upon this Rasulullah SAW remarked; "Allah is many times more affectionate towards His servants than this woman is towards her child."
(Sahih Muslim vol.2 pg356)

See how our Prophet SAW when he perceived a touching atmosphere he availed himself of this ideal opportunity to draw the Sahabahs attention towards the love and affection of Allah.

Another good example, also in Sahih Muslim it is reported that Jabir RA narrates: On returning from a village, Rasulullah SAW was passing thru the market place of Madinah. He was surrounded on both sides by a number of people. A dead small-eared kid was lying nearby. Rasulullah SAW grasped one of its ears and asked: "which one of you is prepared to purchase this dead kid for 1 dirham?" The sahabah RA replied; "we won't purchase it at any cost. Of what value is it to us?" Rasulullah SAW then enquired; Do any of you want this?" The sahabah RA reacted by submitting: '"O Rasul of Allah SAW! If it was alive, it was defective due to its stunted ears and now it is lifeless. Obviously there is now no question about us not wanting it." Upon this Rasulullah SAW remarked: "By Allah, just as this is valueless in your eyes, this world is many times more valueless in the eyes of Allah."
(Miskat vol.2 p.439 & Sahih Muslim)

This 'art' of finding the ideal opportunities in educating kids especially, i think, requires wisdom on the parents side and a constantly conscious iman-rich-heart to enable the parents to relate whats happening around them to the unseen spiritual values. May Allah give us all the wisdom, inshaAllah, Ameen!

So back to our topic, inshaAllah for our Muslim eduplaygroup this time, we talked about the rain and the water cycle in many different ways.

We started with my favourite 'settling down' activity; colouring the different benefits or uses of water in our daily life.
For this session, I found a book entitled A drop of Mercy which explains about the water cycle in an islamic way emphasizing the fact that the whole system submit to the commandment of Allah..

Then, the group was divided into 2 groups, the smaller under 5 kids and the bigger kids.

For a bit of a change, this time I got the bigger kids to conduct their very own puppet show. They have to paint in the backdrop for the puppet theater and be the puppeteer.With me as the 'director', i got the kids to do just 1 rehearsal before the show, and Subhanallah, i was amazed at how they picked up so fast and put up a very 'entertaining' show.

PUPPET SHOW: THE RAIN

B= bear, E=Emu, T=Tiger

W1= Water droplet 1

W2=Water droplet 2

B: Oh.. its very hot today!! I am so thirsty!!

E: Yes, you’re right polar bear; it’s been hot for days now. The water in the rivers is drying up too.

If it doesn’t rain soon, we might not have any water left for us to drink and all our trees will start to die too!!

B: Are you serious emu?! Without water and food, how can we survive?!

E: I don’t know polar bear!!

Both emu and bear started crying…

Then tiger came…

T: Assalamu’alaykum emu and polar bear… what’s happening here? Why are both of you crying like this?

B: It hasn’t been raining for a long time now tiger, the rivers are drying, the plants are dying and soon we won’t have enough water and food for us to survive!! We need water and food to stay alive!!

T: Astaghfirullah!! Polar bear, remember, we don’t need water and food to stay alive, we only need Allah, Allah is The Sustainer of all things.  Remember last winter, when you were hibernating,  you could stand for months without food and drinks. Who kept you alive then??

B: Allah!! You are right tiger.. Jazakallah khayr for reminding me. It is not the food that makes me feel full and energetic, it is not the water that quenches my thirst.. it is Allah!

E: Yes, of course! Allah has the power to do everything!  If we put our trust in Him, He, The Most Merciful will surely help us!

T: You’re right emu. Do you know that our Prophet SAW and his companions RA used to pray a special prayer at times like this. It is called salatul istisqa’.

B: Ok then tiger, what are we waiting for?! Allah will surely help us if we follow the way of the Prophet SAW!!

E: Yes!! Let’s do it!

Tiger, bear and emu then prayed together.

T: Ya Allah, please send us rain, ya Allah..

Everyone said Ameen!

In another place; where the trees were green and rivers flowing… a group of water droplets were having fun swimming. The sun was rising up.. and before long,by the will of Allah,  it started to become hot.

W1: Come friends! It’s really hot here now, it’s time to evaporate, inshaallah!!

W2: Alhamdulillah!! Allah is going to use us again to help those in need elsewhere! Let’s go!

The water droplets turn to water vapour and rise up into the sky, where it is cooler.

W1: OOOOOhhh… it’s getting cold now. Come friends! Let’s get together closely and form clouds.

W2: You mean… let’s do condensation?

W1: Yes, you know what I am talking about, we have been doing this for billions or maybe trillions of years.. only Allah knows!

The 2 water droplets in action...

Then the wind started to blow so strongly.

A girl was walking and her hijab was blown by the wind.

She read the dua when strong wind blows.

The clouds then arrived at the place where Tiger and his 2 friends were still busy asking from Allah.

Allah then commanded the rain to fall down upon the three friends.

The three friends then make shukr to Allah for granting their dua.

End with the modified rain, rain go away song..

Allah sends us rain,

brings the earth to life again.

Plants grow, animals graze.

O Allah… to You we praise…

For the smaller kids, we made the rain mobile with our very own rain song.

As a homework, the bigger kids were also given the following sheet to be done at home, to reinforce their understanding on the topic.