Ayyam-i-Ha Archives - All Done Monkey

Host an Around the World Holiday Party for Kids

Dec 172018

December 17, 2018 activities, Ayyam-i-Ha, Chinese New Year, Christmas, Diwali, Geography, Hanukkah, multiculturalism, raising world citizens Comments Off

Take your kids around the world this holiday season by hosting an around the world holiday party! It’s the perfect way for a school club or a homeschool group to celebrate this festive season.

Host an Around the World Holiday Party for Kids

Last year we started a World Explorers Club in our homeschool group. Each month we get together to learn about a different country with the kiddos. Earlier this month the World Explorers Club put on our second annual around the world holiday party. Everyone had a blast!

Each family picks a country to represent and shows how a popular winter holiday is celebrated there.

At our party this year we learned about Christmas in Sweden, Russia, Italy, UK, and the Netherlands; Hanukkah in Israel; Diwali in India; Chinese New Year in China; and Ayyám-i-Há. (The Bahá’í holiday of Ayyám-i-Há was a bit of an exception, since it isn’t based in any one country).

For their chosen country, each family prepares 1) a craft or activity, 2) a traditional treat. So, for example, last year our family did the Philippines, so the kids made a version of a traditional star decoration and sampled some homemade coconut milk cake. For India (Diwali) this year we brought ladoos to share and helped the kids make paper diyas. For Sweden, the kids crafted some adorable Christmas gnomes and decorated cookies, while for Israel (Hanukkah) they played dreidel to win chocolate coins.

Setup

We have done this two different ways, so see which works for your group! Both times, we set up “stations” around the room, generally one country per table, and the kids could spread out and take turns visiting each.

Last year, the food and the craft were at each station, whereas this year we moved all the treats to a food table and saved them until the end. They were only able to get the food after completing a quiz about the countries they had learned about!

Host an Around the World Holiday Party for Kids | Alldonemonkey.com

The holiday quiz! They had to work together to answer the questions before they could have their treats 🙂

Whichever way you do it, make sure to have their first stop by a station where kids decorate treat bags. They’ll need one to collect all the crafts they will be making! This is a great activity for them to do as people are arriving and setting up.

Next year, we definitely have to add a Mexican style piñata!

When Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World

Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve Traditions from Around the World

Throw a Community Ayyam-i-Ha Party Like a Boss

Feb 162018

February 16, 2018 Ayyam-i-Ha 8 Responses »

It’s that time of year again! As Ayyám-i-Há approaches, party planners in communities everywhere scramble to come up with fun, meaningful activities that will appeal to a wide range of ages. Here are our best tips from veteran party planners on how to throw a community Ayyam-i-Ha party to remember! And don’t miss out on our giveaway of a wonderful new coloring book for kids for Ayyám-i-Há!

Be sure to visit our Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide and download your copy of our Ayyám-i-Há fun book!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Throw a Community Ayyam-i-Ha Party Like a Boss

Looking for great ideas for your community Ayyam-i-Ha party? Here are suggestions from experienced party planners from around the world. Be sure to share yours in the comments!

Inviting the Wider Community

Invite those already involved in core activities, like children’s classes.
Send out an invitation (hard copy or digital, even on Facebook) to set the tone about the party so that friends and neighbours who are not Bahá’í learn about it before hand.
Have an open house, so friends don’t feel the need to commit and can just drop by when they’re able. Makes it easier if you have a small house, too!
Make invitations with pictures and a quote with a little explanation about Ayyám-i-Há.
If possible, try handing out invitations in person so you can explain more if anyone has questions.

Gift Exchanges

White elephant exchanges are very popular! “It’s hilarious to watch 50 something adults picking presents and exchanging them.”
Have everyone bring a simple gift then a gift under each person’s chair.
Treat bags for kids
Have every child bring an inexpensive, wrapped present. Then each gets to pick one of the presents out of the basket.
Have all the children bring simple inexpensive presents like pencils, stickers, or erasers then pass out one to each child. Every child leaves with new treasures, plus they get the experience of giving.
Hang up a sheet on a doorway, going only half way up, and decorate with pictures of fish. Make a fishing rod with a small basket on the end of the string to “fish for presents.” Each child then gets to “fish” for a small gift.

Entertainment

Skits about history
Live music & dancing
Talent show
Puppet show that shares the concepts of Ayyám-i-Há (such as hospitality, service, kindness and gift giving).

Activities

Break children into age groups for active games
Have kids make picture frames for their favorite Bahá’í quote
Have different stations where people can make gifts (potting plants, card marking, candle rolling, making lavender sachets) for others.
Face painting
Piñata!

Music

Sing songs from children’s classes together
Performances from the children’s classes
Live music

Food

Sheet cake
Pizza
Picnic in the park
Candy, but set up in a different part of the house. Each family went in as a unit, and the parents decided how much the kids could have. (There were also toothbrushes!) Then they put the candy in the fabric goodie bags.
Ice cream sundae bar
Cupcake/cookie decoration station
Progressive dinner (appetizers at one home, main course at another, dessert at another)

Service Projects

Collect items for a local homeless shelter
Do a food drive for a local food bank
Help a local family in need
Donate supplies to a Bahá’í school
Collect winter jackets
Make no-sew blankets for children in foster care
Host the party at a park then do a park clean up afterwards
Collect books and toys for the local children’s hospital
Assemble lunches for homeless youth
Have a station to make bird feeders (with pine cones and seeds), cat toys and dog treats to take to the SPCA
Make toiletry bags to give to the domestic crisis center or “blessings bags” for the homeless, with items like travel size shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, soap, toothbrush and washcloth
You can find more service project ideas in our Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide or in this list from Brilliant Star.

Ayyam-i-Ha Coloring Book Giveaway!

I’m so excited to be giving away a wonderful new children’s coloring book about Ayyám-i-Há, the Fast, and Naw-Rúz from my dear friend Melissa of Delighted Hearts. COLORING BOOK – Celebrating Ayyam-i-Ha, Observing the Fast, & Celebrating Naw-Ruz Around the World has 84 coloring pages for children. It celebrates the unity in diversity, featuring over 40 languages, and 222 countries, territory, and regions of the world.

To win your copy, simply comment below by telling us how you’re getting ready for Ayyám-i-Há!

Contest runs through midnight PT on Monday, February 19, 2018. Winners chosen through random selection. US Shipping Only.

Find Great Ayyam-i-Ha Gifts in our Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Guide!

Feb 142017

February 14, 2017 Ayyam-i-Ha Comments Off

Looking for some great Ayyam-i-Ha gifts for your loved ones? Find something for everyone (including homemade gifts and crafts) in our newly updated Ayy á m-i-Há Gift Guide, while supporting Bahá’í-inspired and globally minded businesses!

Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide 2017

And don’t miss these Ayyám-i-Há gifts on Etsy, and these cute printable bookmarks and gift tags!

And of course, don’t miss our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book, on sale now!

Printable Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Tags

Feb 222016

February 22, 2016 Ayyam-i-Ha 1 Response »

Here is another free printable for you: Ayyam-i-Ha gift tags! I had so much fun making these! They are business card sized, so you can either punch a hole in them and attach to a gift with ribbon, or you can drop them instead a treat bag. For some I deliberately left off the “To” field, in case – like us – you will be taking treats to your child’s classroom and don’t want to label each individual tag.

Download your free printable Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Tags. Enjoy!

Don’t miss our printable Ayyam-i-Ha bookmarks, which are great in the classroom or as teacher gifts! You can find even more gift ideas, including craft tutorials and service projects, in our Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Guide!

Ayyam-i-Ha Gifts on Etsy

Feb 192016

February 19, 2016 Ayyam-i-Ha, Gift guides 9 Responses »

Looking for a great gift for your loved ones this Ayyám-i-Há? Here is a collection of wonderful Ayyam-i-Ha gifts on Etsy, from — to –. Don’t forget you can find even more Ayyam-i-Ha gifts in my gift guide, including our Ayyam-i-Ha Fun e-book!

Updated for 2019!!

Nightingale Creations has handmade beaded bookmarks, prayer beads, and accessories.

Elika Arts has original acrylic paintings and acrylic cards.

Honey’s Hive has handmade eco-friendly paper quilled jewelry (including nine pointed star earrings) and tutorials.

Sophia Wood Art has art and children’s books, including The Night Before Ayyám-i-Há.

18 Letter Press has Ayyám-i-Há pennants, wrapping paper, and art prints, plus original Bahá’í children’s books, including one on Ayyám-i-Há!

Delighted Hearts Shop has Ayyám-i-Há banners and children’s crafts.

Little Star Prints has greeting cards, children’s class quote cards, and prints.

chARiTy elise designs has pottery, porcelain jewelry, bisque stamps, handmade supplies and more.

atinyseed has Bahá’í themed art and gift items.

Nine Star Studios has banners, gift tags, bags, labels and door signs.

RubySue Stationery has Ayyám-i-Há and other greeting cards.

Created Noble has art, cards, and coaster sets.

Lucky Bug has message boxes, cards, and Ayyám-i-Há gift bags.

Patty’s Garden Studio has original watercolor floral paintings, greeting cards, pillows, and tote bags.

Felterrific has lots of felt crafts, including handmade Ayyám-i-Há countdown calendars.

jbart has greeting cards, art, and home decor.

A Gladsome Heart has cut paper art, including Ayyám-i-Há banners, gift tags, art, and greeting cards.

Aniarchy has a board book with engaging visuals and quotes from Bahá’u’lláh, great for adults or even young children.

The Sprout + Flower has handmade flower and crystals crowns.

9 Star Jewelry has prayer beads and Bahá’í-themed jewelry.

Muluc has Bahá’í prayer book covers.

Sweet Relief Farm has Bahá’í-inspired jewelry, home decor, and gift tags.

Cut Glue Art has prints and children’s class resources.

Eagle Wise King has Bahá’í-inspired art.

Bahá’í Breezes has Bahá’í-inspired art, including prints and greeting cards.

Garment of Glory has Bahá’í-inspired clothing.

Papalóte has decorative designs, including Ayyám-i-Há bunting and greeting cards.

Please note that while we have made great efforts to ensure the quality and integrity of the participating businesses and blogs, inclusion in the Gift Guide in no way constitutes an endorsement and All Done Monkey is not responsible for the content of the websites included in this Guide.

Printable Bookmarks for Ayyam-i-Ha

Feb 092016

February 9, 2016 Ayyam-i-Ha, crafts 4 Responses »

With the approach of the Bahá’í holiday of Ayyam-i-Ha, many of us like to share treats or small gifts with friends or in our children’s classrooms. These printable bookmarks are an easy, fun way to share the spirit of the holiday and teach a little something about what we were are celebrating.

I chose some of my favorite quotes from the Bahá’í writings and included them in the bookmarks, which you can download here: Ayyam-i-Ha Bookmarks.

Ayyam-i-Ha Countdown Flower

Jan 282016

January 28, 2016 Ayyam-i-Ha, crafts 12 Responses »

The Bahá’í holiday of Ayyam-i-Ha is coming soon, and while I loved the countdown chain we’ve done previously, this year I wanted to jazz it up a little and do something a little more crafty and maybe even pretty.

A popular symbol among Bahá’ís is the nine-pointed star, since the number nine symbolizes unity. I wanted to play with this image and see if I could combine it with a flower, since spring is also just around the corner (or at least that’s what I keep telling myself!) So I made a flower countdown calendar that when opened is also a nine-pointed star.

It’s almost that time of year! Countdown calendar tutorial on the blog tomorrow! #mkbkids #kbn #momsoninstagram #ayyamiha #bahai

A photo posted by Leanna Alldonemonkey (@alldonemonkey) on Jan 27, 2016 at 2:28pm PST

As any Bahá’í will tell you, a nine-pointed star is not the easiest symbol to have. Most of us can’t just casually draw a star with nine evenly spaced point or fold a piece of paper into a simple nine-pointed origami star. And neither, I’ve discovered, is it very easy to cut a circle into nine equal slices.

And nineteen is also a challenging number in many respects. The Bahá’í month is 19 days long, so a countdown calendar should have 19 parts. But how do you draw a flower with 19 petals??

So now, thanks to the magic of computers, I’ve done the legwork for you, and you can simply print and assemble your nine-pointed star flower countdown calendar! For those not celebrating Ayyam-i-Ha, it is still a beautiful, fun craft!

Ayyam-i-Ha Countdown Flower

Step 1

Download the Ayyam-i-Ha Countdown Flower template (you can also download the Ayyam-i-Ha Countdown Template PDF) and print on the paper of your choosing. I did the first two pages on colored paper and the last on white, so the photo shows up well.

Step 2

Cut out the circles on the first two pages, cutting about a 1/2 inch outside of the drawn line. Cut the lines into the circle as well.

Step 3

Cut out a circle large enough to cover the photo on the 3rd page and tape it over like a little door or window.

Step 4
Glue the circles on top of the third page. The small wheel should go on first and then the larger wheel on top of that. Make sure they are all centered on top of each other.

I lined up the lines of each of the circles, though it would also be a nice effect to put them off center, so the petals alternate colors when opened.

Step 5

Write a number on each petal (with “19” on the final window to the photo of the globe) and then decorate however you like! On the first day of the month before Ayyam-i-Ha, begin folding back one petal a day, starting with “1” and going all the way to “19” on the final day.

How are you getting ready for Ayyam-i-Ha? If you do this craft, I’d love for you to share the photo on my Facebook page! And be sure to scroll down to enter our annual Ayyam-i-Ha giveaway!

Once again we pair up with Creative World of Varya to bring you an exciting Worldwide Ayyam-i-Ha Giveaway!

We are so pleased to be able to offer you 3 fabulous prize packages – each including a copy of our book!

Simply enter below for a chance to win! And you can stay tuned for our updates on our Children’s Book Facebook page!

For more Ayyám-i-Há fun, be sure to check out the Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book we wrote together, as well as my Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide!

(Prizes are available worldwide, unless specified otherwise!)

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book

Elika Mahony’s Digital Albums: Glimmerings and Infinite Bounty

US$40 Gift Certificate from Happy Heart Kid (US residents only)

Ayyam-i-Ha Garland from Delightful Design, LLC

Art Print from Sophia Wood

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book

Elika Mahony’s Digital Album: Birds of Love

US$15 Gift Certificate from Honey’s Quilling/Honey’s Hive: may be used for Zibbet shop

1 Kindle book from Sophia Wood

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book

Elika Mahony’s Digital Album: Fire and Gold

Baha’i Themed Wrapping Paper from 18 Letter Press

Enter our giveaway to win one of these fabulous prize packages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ayyam-i-Ha Giveaway 2015

Feb 182015

February 18, 2015 Ayyam-i-Ha 12 Responses »

It’s that time of year again, and I am thrilled to partner with Creative World of Varya bring you this wonderful Ayyam-i-Ha giveaway! We are so pleased to be able to offer you 3 fabulous prize packages – each including a copy of our book!

Simply enter below for a chance to win! And you can stay tuned for an extra surprise later this week on our Children’s Book Facebook page!

For more Ayyám-i-Há fun, be sure to check out the Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book we wrote together, as well as my Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide!

1st Prize Package

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book
Digital album Glimmerings from Elika Mahony
Meditation Garland for the Fast/ Countdown for Naw Rúz from Delightful Design, LLC
$20 gift certificate for Honey’s Quilling/Honey’s Hive: may be used for EITHER Etsy shop OR Zibbet shop
1 set of Love All the World cards, plus 12 stickers & 24 tattoos from Tender Sapling US shipping only (In the event this prize is won by someone outside the US, this portion of the prize will be added to a lower prize package until a US winner is selected).

2nd Prize Package

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book
Digital album Birds of Love from Elika Mahony
Digital copies of a prayer and quotation Ayyám-i-Há set to music from Enable Me to Grow
1 Kindle book of Marie’s Atlas from Sophia Wood

3rd Prize Package

Our Ayyám-i-Há Fun Book
Digital album Fire and Gold from Elika Mahony
1 Kindle book of The Night Before Ayyám-i-Há from Sophia Wood

Enter our giveaway to win one of these fabulous prize packages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Creating a Festive Home {Delightful Design}

Feb 132015

February 13, 2015 Ayyam-i-Ha 3 Responses »

Disclosure: I received complimentary products from Delightful Design LLC; however, all opinions are my own.

One of the delights of having children is getting to celebrate holidays with them. It is enchanting to see the world through their eyes as they experience the magic of special days, and it is so fun to be a part of making that magic happen.

However, as a member of a minority religion (the Bahá’í Faith), that loving duty to create a festive home for our holidays weighs on me a bit more heavily. My children are aware that though we honor the holidays of other religions, we don’t celebrate them in the same way. To a child, of course, the most critical (and troublesome) aspects of this are that we have no Christmas tree in December, no Santa coming down the chimney to deliver gifts.

Instead, we try to ramp up the excitement for our holidays, such as Ridván and Náw Rúz in the spring, and, at the end of February, every Bahá’í child’s favorite: our gift-giving time, Ayyám-i-Há. Ayyám-i-Há is especially fun for children. We have parties, do acts of service, play games, make crafts, and give gifts – truly a joyous time.

Still, when you’re the only family on your street celebrating (or the only kid in your class), for a child it can sometimes feel like the celebration is a bit thin.

So we do our best to make up the difference by making it as festive a time as possible. I have already strung up our countdown chain, and every morning during Ayyám-i-Há I’ll fill their little star stockings with treats, in addition to wrapping a few larger presents to open in the evening.

But what really signals that we are in a holiday season is hanging up decorations.

If you are thinking that all this sounds like a lot of work – you’re right! And if you’re wondering where a mother of two small children – who also blogs and home schools – finds time to do this, I’d tell you the truth, which is that most of the time I don’t. My dear sister gave us wonderful handmade flower chains that I hang every year, but otherwise I don’t do anything else in the way of decorating.

Until this year.

Last month Melissa of Delightful Design LLC (see their listing in the Ayyám-i-Há Gift Guide!) was kind enough to send me complimentary decorations from her amazing Etsy shop. They are so beautiful and fun! And – importantly for me – so EASY to put together!

Delightful Design carries everything from garlands to posters to interactive calendars for kids (in English and Spanish!) – all specially designed for Bahá’í holidays. As someone who grew up without any such items available for sale, I am amazed and grateful to have such creative, enterprising people out there!

And did I mention how EASY the decorations are to do? Each product comes with a set of easy to follow instructions, which consist of only a few simple steps. For example, with the banner (pictured here), all I had to do was print, cut, and string it up with some ribbon!

So be sure to check out this wonderful company! But be warned – you will have trouble choosing from all their super cool products, each made in numerous beautiful variations. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

How do you make your home festive for special holidays?

Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Guide: Updated!

Jan 282015

January 28, 2015 Ayyam-i-Ha, Book Reviews, household, Kid Fun Comments Off

I am proud to announce that my Ayyam-i-Ha Gift Guide has now been updated! Stop by to discover wonderful businesses with unique products, plus family service project ideas and tutorials for homemade crafts!

And don’t miss our Ayyám-i-Há fun book, on sale now!