I’m Back!

It’s been a loooong time!  I pray you’re well and your families are safe and healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve been very busy here in our family.  Now that I’m working from home, I’ll be posting some activities you can do with your little ones!

Here’s one that doesn’t take much effort in prepping.  Just print out the “deck of cards”, cut out, and enjoy learning shapes, numbers, and basic movement skills to get some movement in!

Click here to download the activity 

 

Nurturing Your Child

Imagine living your life with young kids in tow with a sense of ease as you limit distractions and say no to too much, too fast, too soon. Today’s busier, faster, supersized society is waging an undeclared war . . . on childhood. Until we learn how to take it back, we’ll keep hurrying our child to go round and round the rat race.

Nurturing our young children is about giving them love, support, and the foundation to blossom. It’s about rediscovering our family, values, and the world around us.  And….it starts at home. This can be overwhelming as we are constantly balancing the diaper changes, feedings, and managing the endless messes through out the day.  Then the added pressure of (over) scheduling classes in order to “enrich” them at age 3. No, it doesn’t have to be that way.  Kim John Payne says so too. If you haven’t read Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne yet, then at least skim his chapters because he does an awesome job explaining how to simplify parenting step by step.

Parents often ask what they should be doing at home with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. I’m sometimes baffled at this question.  But I do understand that good parents want what’s best for their children. I’ll often answer with a question back of “What do YOU do at home?”

Anyhow, I begin to tell parents that what YOU typically do during the day matters. You’re modeling the behavior you expect from your children.  So if you value reading, then model it by picking up a book when they can see you.  If you value helping others, find a way to help others in front of your child.  If you value connecting with Allah (swt) then have them pray alongside you. If you value respect and tolerance, watch your tone with friends and family when you speak. Start with involving your child in the day-to-day activities and figure out a way to have them become part of it. Taking care of family? Get them to sort the laundry with you- even 2 year olds can do that.  Sure it will take twice the time to complete the task, but the point is that you’re nurturing your child holistically while you’re living your life.  Want to connect with your child through the day? Try storytelling and voicing your thoughts aloud with the space for your child to engage with your words.  We have an amazing prophetic model grounded in storytelling.  Find short simple stories about our Prophets and the Holy Household of Prophet Muhammad (swt) at our fingertips to use. Cooking for the family? Get them a pot and spoon and get the 2 year old mix. As they become older, have them follow a recipe and then eventually have them create their own!

So you may be thinking, yeah I do do all that and you may be shouting I want to go further than that. Below are some ideas that you may want to try out. Give one a try and see how it goes.  When you get comfortable, try adding another element.  Don’t overdo yourself or your kids.

• Carve out an hour from your schedule to dedicate time solely for your child.  Forget about everything else in your life for that moment and focus on your child(s).  Pick an activity your child(s) might enjoy a day before and gather all the materials needed to engage in the activity.  Don’t worry about the end product, it’s the process that counts.
• Start your day with a 20 min. “lesson” of a topic your child may be interested in. Either figure out what your child enjoys learning about or if older, just ask what they want to learn.  Then do some quick research and dive into parenting-teaching mode. Make it engaging with drawing diagrams, finding neat video clips on YouTube, browsing through a website, or finding a book that supports your lesson. Make the lesson something your child connects with and ensure that there’s a real take away.  Detailed topics always work well.  Your child likes trucks?  Maybe a lesson on trucks hauling material in a rock quarry would work.  (Bonus: If you can take your child to a rock quarry nearby).
• Be cognizant of the stages of child development so you don’t expect too much or too little from your child.  Remember every child is different, so avoid comparing your children (or a friend’s) to one another.
• Gather a group of friends who may be in the same boat as you and coordinate a playgroup. Keep it casual, and no more than an hour to begin with. Take turns planning a short activity that the kids and parents can engage in that is different from most parents’ ordinary routine.  A hike in the woods, a visit to a local museum, a craft, storytime, etc.
• Start family traditions (or continue old ones) that feel comfortable and fit your parenting style and financial resources. Traditions provide children with an important sense of belonging. They don’t have to be elaborate in order to be fun or memorable. The most important thing you can do to partake in a tradition is enjoy yourselves. whatever feels comfortable and enjoyable for both the parents and children. Traditions are also an opportunity for teaching children about their identity and culture. My husband and I decided that instead of giving toys or materialistic presents to our kids, we’d gift them experiences for their birthday-sometimes it’s a simple day-trip and other times it’s been a week-long vacation.
• For older kids-actively listen. Take note of your body language, repeat the content you’re hearing from your kids (paraphrase so that they can see you are really listening and understanding what you are hearing), BE QUIET and let them talk, acknowledge their feelings (give validation), and really listen to understand them-not just to respond or give unsolicited advice….yeah that’s a lot but that’s what active listening looks like!
• Children want to feel needed; they come with an inherent desire to feel important. To give them responsibility, start with a small chore that they can accomplish on their own. Then build on that list. As they get older, solicit their opinions for family matters (vote on where to go for the next family vacation, figure out a color to paint the house walls, take on research for what car is best for family, etc.)

How to Pick the Right One (School)

Sending your child off to school for the very first time is no doubt a difficult moment for parents. Picking a school that is the best fit for your child is just as difficult for some. Early childhood education centers-preschools, co-ops, daycares are most likely the first time your child will experience a “schooling” environment apart from your home (that is if you’re not planning to homeschool/unschool). This may also be the first time where your child is left in someone else’s care for more than an hour at a time.

Then comes K-12. For some this is a no-brainer, your child might be headed to the nearest districted elementary, middle, or high. For others, quite a few school tours and hours of digging in research may be necessary until you find the best fit for your child.

Regardless of which group you fall into, remember that your family will ALWAYS have options. Nothing is permanent and there is no one way to “school.” Here are some factors I believe to be important when selecting a school for your child:

• Your child’s needs and interests.  Consider what your child’s needs and interests are. Remember, every child is different.  So a school that may have been a right fit for a sibling, may not be the best fit for this child.  Your child needs to be happy, continually be reaching for his optimal learning level, and needs to be a contributing member of the school at whatever school he/she is in. Also take in consideration your entire family dynamics and needs.  Are school timings important for you? Do you need before/after care? Secular or nonsecular? Does your child need extra academic support?
• Trust your instinct.  God gave you that 6th sense, use it. Always take a tour of the school by yourself and with your child. Unfortunately, some public schools don’t allow tours or are too busy to give prospective families tours.  Keep pushing for it though because this is your chance to see everyone in action. Consider your emotional reaction when you enter the school, visit the classrooms, and speak to the teachers and students.  You don’t have to have a reason if something does or doesn’t feel right, just trust your gut.  Believe it or not, kids are great at picking up vibes, so also observe how comfortable your child feels during the tour and discuss his/her reaction.
• Interview the school.  Some schools interview, but I always encourage parents to interview all the schools on the table.. Spend at least 20 minutes with the Director, Principal, Head Master, or whoever is in charge.  Ask questions about their own philosophy (by this point you should have already familiarized yourself with the school’s philosophy which can most likely be found on the website or marketing materials), experience, vision, etc.  Observe how well the person in charge knows students and their families within the school.  How do the adults and children interact with one another in the school on a daily basis-is there mutual respect and understanding? How welcoming is the school towards parents in general? These are all factors to consider and usually a tour provides enough time for you to ask questions and get that “gut feeling.”
• Talk with other parents.  Parents who already have their children at the school always provide great insight. Ask open-ended questions and see what brought them to this school. If you find former parents that left the school, talk to them as well and consider their reasons for leaving.
• Philosophy match.  Think about what type of education you desire for your child. Then ensure that the potential school’s philosophy matches yours. Think about what learning means to you, how your child learns, what you’d like your child to learn, what inspires your child.  Perhaps art or athletics are big part of your child’s life-does your school integrate art and athletics within the curriculum? If authenticity matters to you-how does your school authentically chart students’ growth and performance over time and minimize standardized testing? Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, Traditional mean much?
• It’s not all in the name. Everything sounds great on paper or on the website so you have to do your due diligence and research the school options thoroughly.  There is no one formula for a great school.  The public school down the road could be just as good as the private school that charges $25,000 a year.  A charter school with a lottery system may be comparable to a public or private.
• Nothing is permanent. If you thought the school you selected in the beginning was the one but it doesn’t end up so, then don’t worry.  You always have options. Though transferring your child from one school to another midyear isn’t ideal, that may be what is needed for your child. You can always go to plan B or plan C at the end of the year and transfer your child then too.

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What exactly are you then looking for in a quality preschool program?

Quality programs or schools share common elements that can be easily identifiable when you take a tour.

• Quality teaching. Teachers should be certified in their field.  Good teaching is purposeful. If you ask the teacher about an activity, they should be able to explain what the students are doing and what the learning goal is.  Strong teachers should also be nurturing.
• Choice, voice, and authenticity. Look for authenticity.  Do the activities mean anything to the child? Is the child gaining anything from it besides taking home a “cute-looking” art-piece? Is there a mix of open-ended and direct instruction? The entire schedule should not dictate what students can and cannot do.  Students should be engaged in activities of their choice at least part of the day.  Is learning open-ended? Do the lessons and activities mean anything to the children or will they be just bringing home “cute-looking” art pieces?
• Environment. Look at the environment and see whether it’s first safe for all children and adults. This may be obvious, but ensure that kids have enough space to play and work.  A strong learning environment encourages independence. Children should not have to ask to play or work with learning materials.  The materials should be placed in a way so that children can reach on their own and safely work with them without too much supervision.  There should be a variety of open-ended and hands-on learning materials that are readily available for students to explore. Play is vital to development for young kids, so look for “controlled chaos.”
• Student development.  How and what teachers assess students is important. Teachers should be tracking the child’s development-socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, and spiritually.  This ensures that the child’s whole development is being looked at.  Some places will only track the intellectual development-whether the child knows the letters, numbers, shapes, colors.  Others look at how the child is progressing socially and emotionally-is he or she making friends? Can the child independently execute conflict and resolution when problems arise? Are teachers modeling how to express needs to adults and peers? It’s great that your child may graduate from a program knowing how to read and write and count at age of 4. However, all the other “soft” skills are just as important and mastering those skills is critical now because they may not get to practice and develop them later on.
• Student-staff interactions. Teachers and all other staff should be interacting with students on their level and communicating with respect at all times. Teachers should name and acknowledge the feelings of children when dealing with emotional and social conflicts.  Teachers and students should be interacting verbally all through the day, language development is critical from 0-8 years old. Most of all, each child should feel valued and part of the learning community.

Help your kids get the most out of Lectures, Khutbah, or Majalis

Kids sometimes need guidance in what exactly they should be listening for in lectures (especially the really long ones). An outline of some sort always helps them focus, retain more, and provides them with something to take home from which they can refer to later.

printable-note-taking-guide

All About Surah Feel

Imagine you just read an entire book in Spanish and didn’t understand a single word.  Then you’re made to read that book over and over again, everyday. I imagine that would be quite boring.

The reason why our kids have a tough timing reading and reciting the Qur’an is because they don’t understand the language.  For those of us who are fortunate to be born in households that speak Arabic language, you’ll get a little more out of the Qur’an than those of us who don’t know a single word (yes, the Qur’anic Arabic is different than the spoken Arabic, but still it’s a start).

This is why I try to have my kids understand what they are reading and memorizing from the Holy Qur’an. Sometimes, I’m pointing out the definition of words that are often repeated in the Qur’an (think of high-frequency words and powerful vocabulary words) and other times I read and translate the entire Surah for my kids. Luckily, we have some amazing Islamic children’s books that aide in understanding the Surah with kid-friendly translations and beautiful pictures.

Surah Feel is one of those captivating stories that I love to tell my kids over and over again.

Materials:
Surah Al-Feel Worksheet from Iman’s Home-School
Read Aloud Book:
The Story of the Elephant by Hajera Memon

1. Read aloud the pop-up book. Stop from time to time to ask questions to make sure your child comprehends the story.
2. Together with your child, complete the 10 question quiz at the end of the book and recite the Surah together.
3. There’s also an activity puzzle included at the end of the book that they can color and press-out the elephant story pieces.
4. For older kids, have them complete the worksheet about Surah Al-Feel.

Surah Al-Feel Worksheet from Iman’s Home-School

Welcome Ramadan!

We live in a multicultural society comprised of students who have diverse learning styles, cultures, and experiences.  In the early years, students are still discovering the world around them and trying to conceptualize where they fit into this large world.  From the beginning, all children approach life eagerly, setting out to discover their social environment through family and school.

Little  research has been done to recognize and understand families with diverse background and ethnicity as they become acculturated to the American public school system.  Schools do not yet recognize the dissonance between the school’s perception of a welcoming environment and that of an immigrant family’s  perception of a positive, welcoming environment. So, it’s important to help schools create a welcoming environment for all children.

Often our children learn about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays, but their own Islamic based holidays and traditions do not get recognized.  Appreciating and recognizing students’ culture, experiences, and learning instills confidence, tolerance, respect, and acceptance.  I’ve created a resource for parents and educators to help them navigate the challenges of sharing a little about Ramadan and Eid in classrooms.

As Ramadan approaches, parents can use this as a guide to begin thinking about how they intend to communicate with the teacher and principal and gather ideas of how they can share important holidays in Islam.  Educators can use this packet as a guide to incorporating some of the ideas into their lesson plans across the curriculum.

A Ramadan and Eid Resource for Parents and Educators

Must-Read Ramadan Books for Children

Books are special in our home. So is Ramadan. Of course we fast and do what is expected of us by Allah (swt), but we also make it very special for our kids by decorating our home, prepping activities that will engage our children throughout the month, and reading lots of books before, during, and after.  It takes a little time and effort, but it’s worth it! Kids get into the Ramadan spirit very quickly!

Lots of wonderful, quality children’s books related to Ramadan and Eid are sweeping the book market now alhamdulilla’Allah. Thanks to all the wonderful children’s authors and illustrators who understand the value of pictures books!

The books I have starred make great read alouds for at home or in classrooms.  Most of the books below have been cherished in my house and some are brand new that I plan to add to my collection. Books below are geared for ages 3-12 years old.

1. *Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Hena Khan

2. *It’s Ramadan, Curious George by H.A. Rey

3. *Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi

4. My First Ramadan by Karen Katz

5. *Ilyas & Duck and the Fantastic Festival  of Eid-al-Fitr by Oman S. Khawaja

6. Raihanna’s First Time Fasting by Qamar Hassan

7. Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman

8. *Ramadan Moon by Na’ima B. Robert and Shirin Adl

9. *Rashad’s Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr by Lisa Bullard

10. Owl & Cat Ramadan is… by Emma Apple

11. Night of the Moon by Hena Khan

12. A Party in Ramadan by Asma Mobin-Uddin

13. The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi

14. Moon Watchers by Raza Jalali

15. The Best Eid Ever by Asma Mobin-Uddin

16. Zaki’s Ramadan Fast by Ann P. El-Moslimany

 

Understanding our Feelings and Emotions

Each of the 99 names of Allah is a dua in itself, subhan’Allah! Each has a specific benefit of recitation.  It was important for me to find a way to make this relevant, not just for ourselves, but also the kids.

I thought it would be perfect to tie Asma ul Husna with a lesson on feelings. Toddlers go through a whirlwind of emotions and feelings, all in a day.  I wanted to keep the lesson simple enough for the toddlers/preschoolers to grasp, but informative enough for the moms so that they got something out of it too. I pulled an idea from Pinterest of creating an Asma ul Husna Feelings Wheel and then simplified it to accommodate toddlers/preschoolers.

We read a story aloud about feelings, then we talked about how we were feeling today. We practiced making all sorts of faces: angry, silly, scared, jealous, sad, happy, excited, etc. Then we completed a matching worksheet activity to ensure we had a grasp of the feelings.

We then discussed how we can turn our angry, jealous, sad, scared faces into happy faces by remembering Allah and how He has the power to help us feel better. This is when we transitioned to Asma ul Husna.

I put up pictures of the various feelings we came across in our read aloud and ones students mentioned in our discussions. Then I put names of Asma ul Husna on the board that can be recited to ask Allah to help us feel better. The kids and their moms created the Asma ul Husna Feeling Wheel to take home.

Discussion Points:

• What are you feeling today? Why?
• How do our feelings change?
• How do you make yourself feel better?

“Say (O Muhammad): Call upon Allah or call upon the Merciful, whichever you call upon, He has the best of names…” Holy Qur’an (17:110)

Feeling	Name	Meaning
Happy	Alhdamdulillah (not a name of Allah)	Praise God
Sad	Ya Allahu Ya Shakur	The Rewarder of Thankfulness
Angry	Ya Subur	Patient One
Sick	Ya Shafi	The Healer
Scared	Ya Hafeedh Ya Qawiy	The Preserver The Strong
Frustrated	Ya Baari’	The Maker of Perfect Harmony
Jealous	Ya Ghaffar	The Forgiver
Hurt	Ya Wadud	The Loving

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Asma ul Husna Feelings Wheel
Materials:
Paper Plates
Brad fasteners
Crayons/markers
Colored Paper
Asma ul Husna Guide
Asma ul Husna Feelings Wheel

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Read Aloud Books:
The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods that Make my Day by Jamie Lee Curtis

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Printable Worksheet
Feelings Words (Free download from Teachers Pay Teachers)

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Sing Along:
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap)

If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet (stomp stomp)
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet (stomp stomp)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet. (stomp stomp)

If you’re happy and you know it, shout “Hurray!” (hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, shout “Hurray!” (hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, shout “Hurray!” (hoo-ray!)

If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three. (clap-clap, stomp stomp, stomp, hoo-ray!)

Learning from the ground-up!

At times we’re so use to teaching kids the content and skills, but what’s the use if there’s no desire to use them?

For instance, schools focus largely on reading. A larger and larger percentage of students haven’t had enough positive experiences with literature in school to foster a desire to spend any time with books on their own.  Many wouldn’t describe themselves as readers at all! We’ve failed to convince them that not only are they readers but also to ignite a passion of reading.

Same goes for igniting a passion for learning about Islam. I always say that if we’re able to engage the Littlest Muslims and ignite their passion to learning about Islam and always striving to get closer to Allah (swt), then they’re off to a great start insha’Allah.  Their foundation needs to start from the ground-up!

The very first verse of the Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) reads:

Recite: In the name of thy Lord who created man from a clot. Recite: And thy Lord is the Most Generous Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.” (Quran, 96:1-5)

One of the playgroup sessions was dedicate to just this.  Teaching kids that anything important begins from the ground up and it’s important to build a sold foundation…people grow from babies to adults, trees grow from the ground up, buildings are made from the ground-up, and so does our Iman!

We set-up stations around the room that revolved around “building” from the ground up. Kids explored the art of building sound and stable structures and the importance of a firm foundation. Gotta start from the bottom and work your way up to the top to be the best Muslim!

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Building our Iman from the ground-up!
Materials:
Printed Worksheet
Colored paper cut into squares (use a variation of colors for students to practice patterns and counting)

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Gumdrop STEM Structure
Materials:
Toothpicks
Gumdrops (1 box for each child)
Paper plates

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Stack the Cup Challenge
Materials:
Large plastic cups

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Lego Challenge
Materials:
Legos
Imagination

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Songs
Muslim Mommy and Me Song Sheet

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Read Aloud Books
Allah is Al Khaliq (The Creator) by Saba Ghazi Ameen
Allah is Ar-Rahman (The Compassionate) by Saba Ghazi Ameen

Weather in the Qur’an

When I plan a playgroup lesson, I always try to anchor it with an ayat from the Holy Qur’an, a hadith, or a story.  We typically do lot of arts & crafts, so I decided to change things up this time and do science experiments.

It’s April now and it’s been raining a lot! And we all know April showers bring May flowers… but do the kids know that? And, what do they think about the rain, clouds, and of the changing seasons?

So I decided to find out.  And boy was I surprised, first they did know a lot and secondly, they thoroughly enjoyed the morning full of science experiments! “This is the best day ever!” a young boy shouted.

Some discussion points:

• The weather is changing where we live and we’re seeing a lot more rain now (it’s April).
• Where does rain come from? How? And Why? Discuss the role of rain in our lives and how Allah makes it happen.
• Read the ayat below, paraphrase it.  Ask kids to retell how clouds are formed and rain falls.

Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it…. (Holy Quran, 24:43)

Clouds-Ever notice that no two clouds are the same shape and size?  We went over to the window to observe the sky. Unfortunately, that day we had a sunny sky with no clouds. So we used our imagination to picture clouds.  What are clouds? Where do they come from? And why are they there?  We proceeded to find out with lots of different experiments, stories,  and songs in between!

Rain Cloud Experiment (pictured above)
Materials:
Clear plastic cup
Blue food coloring
Shaving Cream
Water

1. Fill a cup with water leaving 1 inch from the top empty.
2. Add a layer of shaving cream.  Not too thick, otherwise you’ll have to wait too much for the magic to happen.
3. Wait for the magic to happen.
4. Note: The first time around, we waited….waited….and waited. Nothing happened.  So then we experimented and poked holes in the shaving cream down to the water right where the blue dye was and voila! Magic started happening.  I think we had layed on too much shaving cream and we learned it the hard way.

Ask the kids: What’s happening? What do you notice?

 

Puffy Paint Cloud

Materials:
Shaving cream
White Elmer’s Glue
Small sponges, cotton balls, or q-tips to paint with
Big bowl
Small paper plates or cups
Blue construction paper
White paper with the printed statement

1. In a bowl, mix ¾ cup shaving cream with ¼ cup of white glue. Adjust the recipe depending on the number of children.
2. Scoop out the paint mixture in a small paper plate or cup for each child.
3. Let children use sponges, cotton balls, or q-tips to make cloud pictures on blue construction paper.
4. Glue the printed statement below the cloud picture.
5. Then have them complete the statement below on the bottom of the paper:
   I looked up in the sky.  I thought I saw a _________________ but it was just a cloud in the sky.
6. Set aside to let the paint dry puffy.

Cloud Dough

Materials:
Flour
Baby Oil
Large tray or container

1. Mix together 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil in a large tray.
2.  Let kids play with the soft, silky, smooth mixture.

 

Read Aloud Books:
A Drop of Mercy: The Water Cycle by Shahbatun Abu Bakar & Nordin East
It looks like Spilt Milk by Charles Green Shaw
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judy Barrett and Roonald Barrett

What’s the Weather Song
What’s the weather? What’s the weather? What’s the weather like today?
Altogether, altogether. What’s the weather like today?
Is it sunny? Is it rainy? Is it cloudy out today?
Is it snow? Is it windy? What’s the weather like today?

Rain, rain go away Song
Rain, rain, [Move your fingers down like falling rain.]
go away. [Push your hands out, as if you were pushing the rain away.]
Come again another day. [Make a “come here” motion with your hands.]
DADDY wants to play. [Hold up your hand showing all five fingers and point to your thumb.]
Rain, rain, go away. [Move your fingers down and then push away the rain.]

Rain, rain,
go away.
Come again another day.
MOMMY wants to play. [Hold up your hand showing all five fingers and point to your index finger.]
Rain, rain, go away.

Rain, rain,
go away.
Come again another day.
BROTHER wants to play. [Hold up your hand showing all five fingers and point to your middle finger.]
Rain, rain, go away.

Rain, rain,
go away.
Come again another day.
SISTER wants to play. [Hold up your hand showing all five fingers and point to your ring finger.]
Rain, rain, go away.

Rain, rain,
go away.
Come again another day.
KIDS wants to play. [Hold up your hand showing all five fingers and point to your pinky finger.]
Rain, rain, go away.

Rain, rain,
go away.
Come again another day.
ALL THE FAMILY wants to play. [Hold up your hand and wiggle all five fingers.]
Rain, rain, go away.

Oh Mr. Sun Song
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you. To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on me.

Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you. To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun. Sun. Mr. golden sun. Please shine down on, please shine down on,
Please shine down on me!