Grace is a mother of two and a Waldorf homeschool teacher who is sharing how her family celebrates Ramadan each year.
As the sun sets on April 12th, Ramadan begins for Muslims across the globe. Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar, which follows the lunar cycle or the moon. It lasts 29 to 30 days, depending on that month’s moon cycle. It is considered one of the holiest months in Islam and is believed to be when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Read on for more about this important holiday, including a fun tutorial from Grace to enjoy with your own children.
During Ramadan, more than a billion Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Throughout the month, we offer extra prayers, take time to dive inward, meditate, give more to charity, and read the Quran. By depriving ourselves of food and liquids, we evoke the essence of hunger and provide a little more to those in need around us.
Whatever your belief, you can embrace the coming of Ramadan and mark the change of the moon cycle. If you wish to teach your children about Ramadan, using stories and books is an excellent way to start. Some of my favorite books are Lailah’s Lunchbook: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi, Ramadan Moon by Na’ima B. Roberts, and Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman. (These are wonderful choices for Muslims and non-Muslims alike).
Today I’m sharing my favorite Ramadan craft to bring excitement about the new moon and emphasize the lunar cycle’s importance in religious traditions. As always, you can merely embrace the passage of the moon, and little ones enjoy seeing the moon each night before bed!
Ramadan Moon Clock
To complete this craft, you will need:
- Yellow & blue watercolor
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Split pin
- Glue
Step One:
Paint two wet-on-wet watercolor paintings, one blue and the other yellow. You can use a yellow beeswax crayon to create stars before painting your blue night sky. For the yellow, we added salt to make it more textured to mimic the moon’s holes.
Step two:
Cut out a large circle on your blue watercolor paper to mimic a clock. Use a small round object to trace and cut out eight small moons.
Step 3:
Draw the eight moon phases on your small moons. Universe Today has a moon phase chart you can reference.
Step 4:
Glue all your moons in the moon phase cycle.
- New moon, waxing crescent, waxing half, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, waning half, and waning crescent.
Cut out a small pointer for your moon.
Step 5:
In the center of your clock, use a hole punch to create a small hole for your split pin. Align your spinner along your circle and insert your split pin.
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