Raising Muslim children is getting harder more than ever. There is so much for them to learn academically and with extracurriculars and Quran classes, kids barely get any time to study and learn Islam as a whole and the beauty of the Quran as a guide book.
But what if I tell you that two brilliant women have come together to make the lives of Muslim parents easier? What if I tell you of a program that will fill the gap that you have been feeling exists in our children’s educations?
I’ve had the pleasure to stumble across this one of a kind program last month and was gifted enrollment for my daughter into the program. The SEED (Spark, Educate, Excite, Develop) program, aimed towards kids between 6-12 years, brings us the best of both worlds. They incorporate Islamic studies and verses from the Quran with mindfulness and STEM!!
To be honest this was the first time I came across something like this and I had my doubts. I mean something had to give. But to my pleasant surprise, everything was seamlessly designed and the flow was excellent. It did not feel for a minute that the children were learning so many different subjects!
The course was 4 weeks long and every week had a different topic. We started with the “hearing” module and Manaal learned about the anatomy of the ear. The kids also had to build an ear model using any materials available and it was amazing to see how creative they all got. Manaal made her model out of paper, some made it using play-doh, someone used lego!
We also learned about the unit of sound and how different noises measure up. We had to do little math problems too. We did some activities that centered on mindfulness and gratefulness for the sense of hearing. We read and interpreted verses from the Holy Quran that mentioned our ears and sense of hearing and highlighted it’s importance.
In another module, we learned about the heart. This was our favorite module by the way. We learned how blood is carried around the body, the anatomy of the heart, the context in which the heart is talked about in the Quran, and also about our feelings and how the heart relays these feelings.
Here’s how the program works. At the beginning of the week, we are emailed a workbook for the module being covered along with a mission statement for that module, a fun mission map and instructions, and guidance for parents. You can choose to print the workbooks or edit them on your devices, it is up to you and your child. We preferred to edit them on the “iBooks” app on the iPad because that way we didn’t have to worry about the Quranic verses on pages being disrespected by the worksheets being stored improperly.
The children can work on their worksheets at their own pace. It’s okay if they can’t finish it too. With the help of parents, they can do the mindfulness activities, discuss the verses, build models, and other activities in the workbook.
There is one day of the week and time that the group of children and instructors meet virtually. Those that cannot make it live don’t need to worry because recordings are provided to all students. During the meeting, they discuss what they learned, or what they did not understand, share their creations and answers. The instructor makes sure that all the children participate and share their views, whatever they may be.
In the beginning, I would sit by my daughter because she had very little experience with live virtual classes, but by the 3rd week, I would just put her onto it and treat the time as a break for myself because the instructors are amazing with children of that age group and do a great job at explaining such complicated things with incredible ease and patience.
We had a great time doing the SEED course and would recommend it to all Muslim families with young children. Manaal always looked forward to Thursdays and would ask when her class would begin, which was honestly surprising for me! The program not only teaches them a lot of things, but it also encourages children (and adults honestly) to incorporate the Islamic way of life, and that in my opinion is worth every dollar (Not that the program is expensive anyway)!
The best part of the program is that it is virtual and children worldwide can enroll in it! With summer here, it is a great option to keep the kids learning, and something not only useful but also very enjoyable. Most of you know that Manaal went to a STEM summer camp last summer. This year we are expanding on that knowledge by adding the Quran and Islam to it too!
Their summer camp (beginning 4th of July) is now open for enrollment here: https://inspiringseeds.mailchimpsites.com/, and do not delay this because they have a bunch of very valuable freebies for those who register early. We have already registered yay!
The early bird price is only 30 CAD which is a total steal considering the caliber of the course!
Please feel free to reach out to me, if you have any questions regarding the experience, and to the Program developers, Fatima and Samira, by email theinspiring.seed@gmail.com, if you have any questions about the camp.
More information on the program can be found at https://inspiringseeds.mailchimpsites.com/
Also, let me know if you sign up your child for the summer program. It will be great seeing some familiar faces at camp!!
Mama In Scrubs 
very well written. will definitely check their website. Thank you
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