Muslim mumsnetters help! It appears i have volunteered to go into preschool and give a talk on EID

[littleducks]

eek! I thought i would volunteer to send in some dates but it appears the preschool teacher doesnt know to much about Ramadhan and Eid, so i am going in to give a little talk about it

I was thinking of:

printing off some mosques pictures they could colour in (could this be too offensive)

thinking of some kind of craft on moon crescents, maybe make Eid cards???

taking dates to try at snacktime

giving each child a choc coin for 'Eidy'

will obv mention moon sighting, Qu'ran revelation and fasting

Any of the above seem good/rubbish to you
Preschool is fine with food

Am not muslim so hope this is not none of my business but I remember the head when I was at primary had us learn a little song about Ramadhan and Eid. Sorry I can't be more detailed but if you could find something like that to teach them it might be fun. good luck

I work in a preschool, I am Christian but work with 2 Muslim colleagues. We try to mark the festivals of each faith as far as we can, and for Eid last year did very similar to that which you are proposing.

My colleagues also brought their henna in, and did henna tattoos (obv with parental permission) and we made (and ate) puri.

I'd prepare the talky bit, (with pictures if you can get them, of a mosque, new moon etc), and any artefcats you may have - Eid cards maybe? and offer to bring in the dates etc - but before the day suggest to the setting that they get he stuff for making Eid cards etc - I certainly wouldn't expect a parent to provide all the activities.

I certainly don't think colouring mosque pics offensive, and all your ideas are great!

start with what EID is. why we celebrate it. what we do on these (2 eids) occasions. talk about the food and gifts we give to the poor and to loved ones. talk about how we all pray outside for the eid prayer. talk about how we all wear our best clothes. all simplified of course. colouring in mosque pictures is a good'un also eating the dates and the moon crafts!not sure about a chocolate coin tho.hope all goes well for you.

i would find it okay and colouring in mosques is not offensive
like butler the part id be less sure about is the choc coin, isnt that more a christmas thing?

Mosque pictures shouldn't be offensive, I'm sure they colour in christmas tree.

BUT

Remember that some of the preschoolers will not have the concentration span for a lot of the activities you plan.

10 to 1 the choc coin for Eidy goes down like cake at a party!

sounds fine to me littleducks. Given me some ideas for my mums church group. They want me to talk about Islam. I'll get them colouring in pictures abd eating

here everyone gets given Eid money from friends and relatives, obv it wouldnt be apropriate to give out real money so i was thinking choc money instead, maybe not such a good idea then?

Its only Ramadhan and this Eid i have to cover thankfully, so will prob concentrate on the 'crescent moon' and the idea of fasting (another mum suggested explaining charity etc, but i think thats too much topic wise)

Will def be taking in some kind of nice food, i sent in homemade iced biscuits on dds birthday and it went down a storm, so i know the way to their hearts

It sounds good to me LittleDucks. When are you hearing it will be the first day of Eid? So far, the 'chatter' is that it will be Sunday, but obv nothing definate yet

Why on earth would colouring in a mosque be offensive?

I think the whole Iftar thing is really interesting.

I was invited to an Iftar meal a few weeks ago and it was a great experience.

Where my husband is from, the children make decorative mosques out of cardboard boxes, cellophane etc and put little lights inside for eid. Rather like we Christians have Christmas trees I suppose.

Moondog - glad you enjoyed your Iftar experience What do you find interesting about it - am just curious as am Muslim and so wondering if can help with any questions you may have

Well, my dh works in Bangladesh so it was with one of his collegues (although have lived in other Muslim countries and have many Muslim friends/acquaintances).

The sense of anticipation was great, watching peopel scurrying home and people sending out parcels of food for the poor. Waiting for the imam to call out from the mosque, the food on the table all waiting, the significance of it all (dates and so on).

We feasted and then realised it had all only just started as a whole new wave of food cameo ut. (Not that it stopped us.)

On purely selfish materialistic note,I was then given the most beautiful sari.

I dont want to be seen a too pushy iykwim, they are 3 fgs, im not trying to convert them, and i was worried that if they camne out with mosque pictures when people had no idea it was even eid that there might be some faces

anyway have cut out 30 crescent moon out of yellow sugar paper so the can do a collage

am going to explain crescent shape, looks like a banana etc

will explain fasting is no food, no drink, no bad words (think other conditions can wait till older, no smoking for example)

have got dates and jalebi (only thing that was nut free etc) to taste as foreign things (has to be finger food) and chocolates to hand out as they leave like on birthdays and xmas and sports day

am nervous now

def not sunday for us but we dont tend to do same day as saudi but when the moon is the right stage in the locality

Going slightly off topic here...anyone else's DH just a total grump near the end of the fasting day??!! Its like they are the only ones that are tired and hungry!!