Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

 

Ramadan brings lots of joys and rewards with itself. It brings families, friends and relatives together at the table to break their fast. It also gives you an opportunity to do lots of fun things together apart from seeking great rewards from Allah. The days in summer are very long. Your Mom and Dad might be tired from work or busy to take you out or play with you in this hot weather. So, we have come up with lots of fun and creative activities you can do to fill your Ramadan days.



The best way to spend your time during Ramadan is to read the Holy Qur’an. If you are good at math, let’s do this calculation. When you read the Qur’an you get a good deed for each letter (not word) that you read.

Normally good deeds are multiplied by 10, but during Ramadan they are  multiplied by 70. So let’s say you read Surah Al-Ikhlas, you just earned 3290 good deeds! So imagine if you read 100 pages or half of the Holy Qur’an, or the entire Holy Qur’an during the month of Ramadan. You will store so many good deeds and thank Allah abundantly for his generosity. Reading the Qur’an does not only add up your good deeds, but it also makes you feel better. Even if you are upset or lonely, when you read about the fruits waiting for good Muslims in Paradise and the flowing rivers and green trees, it will help you cheer up.



Fasting helps us think about the poor people who have a hard time finding enough food. However, young children are not required to fast. If you are under twelve, you can try fasting for half of the day or fast only twice a week. Older kids can fast the whole day, but you might want to sleep until noon so that you do not feel tired and hungry.  The more you fast the greater the reward is from Allah. You can ask your parents for that special Eid gift that you really want!



All kids love messing around in the kitchen! To pass your time you can make desserts for your family during Ramadan. Aya Moustafa is nine years old and she made some tasty sweets that were really easy and fun to do. You can make them when you have guests coming over or just for your own family.



Candy Date Balls



Ingredients



1 pack of date paste (available in stores)

A pack of chocolate sprinkles, colored candy sprinkles, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, and ground pistachios for coating and filling.



Method:



In a small bowl take out all the above coating or filling ingredients. Take a small piece of the date paste and lightly squeeze it in your hand to make a ball. Dip the ball in the topping you want and roll it around until it is all covered. Make as many different ones as you like and arrange them in a plate. You can also fill your balls with nuts and then coat them with your favorite topping. They will look great and taste even better. Try out lots of different variations. You will enjoy making them and you family will love eating them! Aya said, “I enjoyed making these sweets because I like getting my hands sticky and the soft dates are so sweet and yummy! My favorite are the dates with chocolate sprinkles.”



Chocolate Popsicles



Ingredients



1 plastic popsicle tray (available at most stores)

1 bottle of fresh chocolate milk



Method



Pour the chocolate milk into the popsicle trays. Do not over fill, leave a bit of space on top for the liquid to expand in the freezer. Put them in the freezer, wait for three hours, and presto: you have made delicious, refreshing chocolate popsicles. Simple and easy to have after a long hot summer fast!



Jello



Ingredients



Few Jello packages

water (as required)

Few assorted glass bowls



Method



For each package of jello,dissolve the powder in one cup of hot water. Then stir in one cup of cold water and mix. Pour the liquid into different glass bowls and chill in the fridge until it is ready. You can make layers of different colored jello. For example, first make red raspberry jello. And once it has set and is thick, you can slowly pour over it orange jello and return to the fridge to set. That way you have a layer of red jello and a layer of orange jello!



Why wait for birthday parties to eat chocolate chip cookies? Ramadan is a time of celebration for all Muslims. After a hard day of fasting, reading Quran, helping your mom in Iftar preparations, and going to the night time prayers, you all deserve these delicious mouth-watering cookies. This is the best recipe that I have ever tried and I want all you young ones to try it out as well. However, you will need adult supervision and help for this recipe.



Chocolate Chip Cookies



Ingredients:



One and a half cups butter, left out until it becomes soft

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 cups all purpose flour

Half a cup Quaker oats

2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt

2 large packages semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped walnuts



Method



First, in a cake mixer beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon juice, and mix well. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until all the ingredients have been mixed properly. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts. Using an ice-cream scoop (for equal quantity) take one dollop of the mixture and drop it in your baking tray. Keep the cookies slightly apart. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for about 16 minutes for soft and chewy cookies! 

Hope you enjoy making these delicious treats. And, don’t forget to invoke Allah for His mercy and bounties!