Today we made teddy bear Hujjaj. It was an activity on our Hajj /Eid table. Chocolate shortbread, white chocolate Ihram! Yum, yum, yum! And yes, there’s a recipe. It’s such a fun activity to do with kids.
Scroll down all the way to the end to see what our teddy bear Hujjaj got up to!
Pre heat oven to 170c. Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. In a bowl of a mixer, throw in all your ingredients except the white chocolate and mix on a medium speed until it forms a dough. Flip onto a floured surface and roll to about 7mm thick. Use a teddy bear (or gingerbread men) cutter to cut out your hujjaj. The dough will be quite soft, slide a flat knife or spatula under the cookie and carefully place onto your cookie sheet. When all your dough is finished and cookies cut, use a toothpick to mark the eyes and nose. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges are crisp (the inside will firm up as it cools). Once cooled, melt white chocolate in the microwave. Fill into ziplock bags and decorate away.
We did the eyes and nose while the cookies were still hot from the oven, I had forgotten to do them prior to baking. Doing it before will give you a cleaner finish. Or you could use white chocolate dots to do the eyes and nose like we did for some instead.
I absolutely couldn’t resist so I made this video! Isn’t it the cutest teddy bear Hajj video you’ve ever seen? (It has to be, right? How many of those are even out there?)
Ok, ok! I know I said I was trying to move away from giving lollies in these things, but come on, the cookie monster is 3!! THREE I tell you, and what doesn’t excite a 3 year old more than lollies? I know it’s not the greatest for their teeth or their tummies, but he barely has any sweet things at all. Have I pleaded my case yet?
Also, this post is late, *hangs head in shame*, what’s a mum to do? There’s still time to make this though, or just save this idea for next year.
I wanted this calendar to be fun for him, and I’m doing that in a few ways. Last year I did this as a poster with lollies and activities in the pockets, this year I’m doing that as part of a Hajj/Eid table (post coming soon) as well as this lolly countdown calendar. It’s pretty simple, all you need is a 12 whole muffin pan, craft or gift wrapping paper, tape and some lollies/candy to fill them with. You don’t have to follow my lead and go with a lolly filled one like I have, you could fill it with whatever you like.
I filled each cup, then covered with gift wrap and taped down the edges. If you’re concerned about insects or anything else, then wrap each one individually. With a marker, I numbered each covered section. I had to skip #10, the day of Eid al Adha, it got squished in between the rows. There’s just no other way to make the calendar work, unless there’s a 13 whole muffin pan out there, plus I’m sure there’ll be plenty of treats on Eid day anyway.
There’s only a few days left before Dhul Hijjah rolls around and I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired to create something for this years activities with the cookie monster. So I took to the internet to get some much needed inspiration and thought why not share my findings with you. Here are my 29+ ideas for Hajj at home WITH kids.
Hajj Crafts and activities: Let’s kick this post off with some Hajj craft and activity ideas.
1. Cardboard and felt Kabah and Hajj layout by OumZaza
3. These Hajj day by day printables from Islamic Bulletin Board are great, just print them off and you have an easy, simple way to explain Hajj to the kids. Check out their site for other great Islamic printables.
5. They also have this lego Hajj Diorama. Definitely something to think about including this year, especially since the cookie monster is into Lego building at the moment (we’re still on the Duplos). I just wonder if he has enough black blocks.
8. If you’re busy, like we all are, why not purchase something. Most of the hard work is done for you in this Hajj kit from Hafsa Creates. It’s been created with the intention of teaching children about Hajj, it comes marked and labelled so all you have to do is assemble.
10. Create an advent calendar, like this Hajj Advent Calendar, from yours truly. It’s a good way to get the really little ones excited about Hajj, even when they don’t understand much (I did this with the cookie monster when he was just over 2.5 years old).
11. We made footprints as an activity in our calendar. Yes, I know it seems a little odd as a Hajj craft, but you can read about why and how it relates in my last post.
12. Get your friends or family together and have a mock Hajj like Confessions of a Muslim Mommaholic. Letting kids experience things for themselves is a great way to get them involved and learning.
14. Little sheep crafts seem to be all the craze at this time of year. This little guy was made at a Kindy Eid craft party. There’s more craft ideas in Life of a MOMpreneur’s post.
15. The story of the elephant – Pop up book by Shade 7 Limited
I purchased mine from Read Little Muslims in Australia. I know the story of the elephant doesn’t relate to Hajj but* it’s a great book for children to learn about some of the history of the Kabah.
*Edit: Some additional information from the author, ‘The Story of The Elephant, Surah Al-Feel Pop-up & Play Book has a direct relation to Hajj in the story as it is the answering of Ibrahim (AS’s) dua that keeps the Kaba with us today. The story at the end also refers to Umrah and Hajj to teach children that millions of Muslims go there for pilgrimage every year’
That pop up Kabah in the book is just delightful.
16. Noor Kids go to Hajj
This book discusses some key aspects of Hajj, through an enjoyable comic like story. It includes scientific concepts, terms, questions to ask kids and much more.
17. Going to Mecca by Naima B Roberts I don’t have a copy nor have I read this book myself, but it seems like a great book to give children an insight into the pilgrimage.
18. There’s also this one called The Kabah by Shaida Gutta. It is such a cute book, I’ll have to get my hands on a copy. Contact Read Little Muslims for details on where to find it.
19. You can find a a great explanation on the Muslim Kid’s Digest site, What is Hajj? Or check out their new Hajj page, with great resources, specifically aimed at kids.
Videos:
20. This is a really great video about the 5 Pillars and Hajj. This was played constantly last Ramadan (2013) and my son loved it. It’s also really informative and a great one to share with non muslims.
21. For older kids or even adults this is a great video explanation from National Geographic. Video here.
Hajj/Eid Decorations:
A big part of celebrating and making things special for your kids is the decorations, have a look at some of these.
22. How about making a sheep pinata for an Eid party. Or even just for the kids on Eid day. I’m sure that would bring big smiles to their faces (especially if it’s filled with loads of lollies).
24. I love this look of these decorations created for an Umrah Party from Little Life of Mine.. Black and gold just looks so classy, and I am totally in love with that paper plate Kabah.
25. In keeping with the black and gold theme, here’s more decoration ideas for a Hajj/Eid party from Time to Partay. I just love the Kabah favour boxes. It’s always nice to give a little something to your guests when they leave.
26. Even if you’re not having an Eid party I’m sure you want some ideas for handing out treats to loved ones. Have a look at these ideas from Little Life of Mine.
29. You can make Eid chocolates, candy or anything you can put in a Mold with these, from Eid Molds. My friend Salam Mama and Life of a Mompreneur turned me onto them. I’ll have to remember to purchase some for next year.
Last year during the Hajj and Eid period I made an advent calendar for my son. During this time I tried to teach him about different aspects of Hajj. We discussed the Maqam Ebrahim. This would not be something I would just discuss, but as my son knows the story of Prophet Ebrahim (AS) well, I thought it would be fitting to talk about it and explain that Prophet Ebrahim (AS)’s footprints are inside. On discussing this I learnt that my son didn’t understand what the concept of a footprint was. I decided it would be a good idea for him to make his own, so I let one of the pockets in his advent calendar lead to this activity. Make footprints.
Footprint Art
Piece/s of paper
paint (non toxic, in colour/s of your choice)
sponge or paintbrush
Before starting, wash your child’s feet, grab them a chair or something comfortable to sit on, put some newspaper down in the area you need to work in and keep a wet cloth or wipes handy. Paint a foot with the paint and press firmly onto the page, lift off and repeat with the other. If you have older kids and you’re comfortable with them handling the paint, you could always pour some paint into a plastic plate, let them step in and walk onto the paper. Once finished, give the feet a nice wipe down (they’ll still need a wash, but at least it won’t get everywhere in the meantime). Hang up the paper to dry.
We made 3 copies, the first was a practise piece for us to keep and the second 2 we gifted to each set of grandparents.
We printed a note on the paper (if you decide to do this, please ensure your printer is able to handle the painted on paper and test that it’ll line up well once printed), and laminated each sheet. We then put them in A4 envelopes and let the cookie monster give one to each set of grandparents.
Our note read:
Dear Grandparents
I have been learning about Hajj. So far I have learnt that the clothing worn during hajj is called ‘ihram’ and that it is white. I have also learnt that the walking around of the kabah is called ‘tawaaf’. We have talked about the Maqam Ibrahim and that Prophet Abraham’s footprints are inside it. To help me understand we made footprint art. This set of footprints is for you to keep.
Eid Mubarak!
It was a simple idea but the grandparents loved it!
