Ramadan always begins with the crescent of a new moon. Since the Islamic calendar measures the months by moon cycles the date of Ramadan changes every year. This invitation to paint the Ramadan moon is great way to learn about the culture and expose children to some of the traditions.
First read the story Under the Ramadan Moon written by Sylvia Whitman and Illustrated by Sue Williams. This book is a great introduction to Ramadan, where it explores how this a time for reflection and ritual with family and friends. The lyrical story beautiful honors the meaning of the moon.
To set this invitation you will need coffee filters in different sizes. First cut them into crescents. Then provide the child with liquid water colors and pipettes. Let the children paint and explore color mixing and creating.
Exposure to other cultures brings personal meaning and awareness to the classroom or home. While children’s books open children’s eyes to differences, actual experiences such as creating art have the most profound influence on what children think and believe. By helping children understand, respect similarities and differences they understand who they are in context of race, ethnic group, culture, religion, language and familial history. This provides your child with personally meaningful information and also introduce concepts from anthropology, history, religion, geography, etc.
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