Importance of Adhaan for Islamic society

The adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, is an integral part of the Muslim faith. The Adhan serves an announcement of the time of prayer.  Adaan is called out in mosques, Islamic schools, homes, and on the street in Muslim communities five times a day.  It is, at the same time, an announcement of the principles of Islam and the significance underlying them of Tawheed, the Risalah, and so on.

The adhan is also used in connection with the birth of a child, when the father reads the Adhan into the ear of his newborn child.

Adhan (call to prayer) lexically means ‘announcement,’ as states in the Holy Quran:

Ramadan -The Most Blessed Month

This is Shabaan month and next one is 'Ramadan' -the month of fasting. The most blessed month Ramadan is being observed by more than a billion Muslims around the world.

Muslims are supposed to observe fast during this month. Fasting or sawm is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well. The purpose of fasting is to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities.

 Facts about Ramadan

The most blessed month for Muslims:

Did you miswaak your teeth today?

The sentence should be 'Did you brush your teeth today?', but I replaced it with the 'miswaak' a natural tooth brush. This article is about introduction and importance of this 'natural dental health tool'.

Nature has provided us with a wonderful solution to effectively and safely maintain dental health and oral hygiene. This natural toothbrush is called ‘Miswak’, derived from natural resource ‘tree’. Miswak is called natural chewing stick or natural toothbrush because it is composed of a compact group of minute natural fibres that perform exactly the same function as a normal toothbrush except that it is made of natural rather than plastic fibres.

Teaching values to new generation

Few days ago an article caught my attention which was about 'teaching values to our kids'. You will agree with me that our culture, our ethics and values are drastically changed and we are unable to teach these important lessons to our new generation. We are unable to teach our kids 'what ethics or values they need to learn'. This article and useful tips might be helpful to many parents so share your ideas in this connection.

Teaching values to your kids:
How can parents teach values to their kids?
Here are ten ideas to help you:

1. Tell them your life stories and teach through your stories 
   Kids love to hear stories about your childhood. Weave in some moral dilemmas and you've got great opportunities to teach values to them.

Video tutorial sites for teachers

Many educators are still novice to computers or internet and they want to develop their skills to get most from modern technology. This article is for all teachers who love to learn by watching video tutorials. These free tutorials are mostlty created for teachers to help them for skill development.
Good news is that these all sites offer all the tutorials free of charge. Moreover you don't need to register or sign in to watch videos. You are also free to upload your videos at thsee sites.
Most of us know that 'YouTube' is a very effective learning site where you can search and find numerous videos, although there are more sites with video tutorials. I am quoting few of the sites which I usually search or browse for video tutorials.

*** 'Khan Academy' is a non profit organization providing learning opportunities to students,teachers, home-schoolers etc. They have around 3600 videos covering K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer.

*** 'Teacher Tube'
is a place for professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

*** 'School tube' is created by 'National Education Associations' for use in K-12 to empower students and teachers through the use of video. SchoolTube content is student and teacher produced, and is approved through an innovative process.

 And last one is the link to other sites where you can find more tutorials.

* 47 Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom

Among these sites I miss only 'Teachers Tv' which is unfortunately closed, though you can find some of the tutorials at 'Teach Find' site which is a search site to find teaching resources, lesson plans and CPD materials using a simple search tool.

Winter festival celebration

Due to unavoidable situation around the country, school was kept open on Friday. Friday 14 of December was a working day of teachers of School. Early year teachers were asked to plan about 'winter festival' as coming week was the exam week for senior section and early year children enjoy their fun week activities.

Saturday 15, December the very next day was planned to be celebrated as 'winter festival'. Objective was to introduce and enhance knowledge of kids about 'winter clothing, winter play or games, winter food etc.
Teachers were enthusiastic about festival and though it was really hard job to prepare everything one day ahead of the festival, they agreed to do this educational and fun festival next day.

Winter pithas of Bangladesh

Rice cakes of winter pithas are counted as cultural or local food of Bengal. Pitha, in the Bengali, Assamese and Oriya cuisines, is usually a thin-flat cake prepared from a batter made with soaked and ground rice.
Saturday on December 15, 2012, a 'Winter Festival' was celebrated at our School. Pitha or rice cakes are mainly made with 'rice powder' mixing with molasis or other spices.

More about Pitha: Pithas are usually cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan and could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate once made. In West Bengal and Bangladesh, special pithas are made in different processes such as steaming or stuffing, the bhapa and puli pithas being
examples respectively. Special festivals where pithas are generally made include Nabanna in Bengali culture, Bihu in Assam and many festivals in East India.

It was the first time to learn many pitha names. I am including the pitha pictures and their names in this post as our new generation needs to learn about their culture and food habits.

Predictions and prophesies about Dec 21, 2012

People around the world are worried and concerned about predictions and prophesies about coming 21st of December 2012.
This time is given many names such as:
"The Time of Trial on Earth,"
"Judgement Day,"
"The Time of Great Purification,"
"The End of this Creation,"
"The Quickening,"
"The End of Time as We Know It,"
"The Shift of the Ages,"
"The Apocalypse"
and "Armageddon".