Best of A Crafty Arab 2017 {Resource}

December 28, 2017October 20, 2020 acraftyarab Arab Book, Arab Country, Arab Food, Arabic Resource, Craft tutorial, Educational resource, Free Printable, Islamic resource

A Crafty Arab has had an active 2017, teaching children and adults about the Arab world. This post is part of a blog hop to highlight our best posts, check out the other blogs below who are also participating.

In 2017, there were 99 Arab posts written (100 if you count this one) and of those, 67 were DIY craft tutorials, 7 were free printables and 7 were food related.

The rest of the list is made up of 10 posts the included educational resources and the number I’m most proud of: 8 posts that were related to Arab or Muslim children’s books, either as reviews or book lists.

Here are the top 5 posts, with the most amount of traffic. for 2017.

Not surprising, the top post (almost double in traffic compared to the next post) was tied to the United States election. Late last year, Americas elected a white supremacist sympathizer president and one of his despicable first acts was to ask for an immediate ban on all Muslims that enter America from seven countries. I decided to use this opportunity to educate about Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen by compiling them in one post.

The second highest post was also a compilation post full of Arab and/or Islamic activities, this time listing all 30 DIY projects created for each day of Ramadan. It’s excited to see that the 30 day Ramadan Crafts Challenge is now 7 years old and one of the most popular events on the blog. Ramadan activities included an advent calendar, rewards, games, artwork and giving. Check out all 30 Ramadan crafts, downloads and recipes on this post.

The third highest post was a book review and a STEM tutorial about building mosque domes. I was recently sent Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns by Hena Khan to review. As a co-Host of the Multicultural Children’s Book Day, I’m always looking for books to add to our diverse shelf. Be on the lookout in 2018 for another book plus tutorial because I was lucky enough to be sent more than one book. In the meantime, check out our Mosque Golden Domes post.

The fourth highest post was a free printable Eid banner. We love to make banners here on the blog because they are so easy, take very little time to create and instantly makes any room festive. Five years ago, I made an entire Eid party set and last year I asked my online community for color options (having already creating the banner in teal). Salmon was a hit with everyone and now that download is free Happy Eid Salmon printable.

Rounding off the list is a tutorial that teaches about the five pillars of Islam. To be honest, this was a surprise for me. As a paper artist, I do tend to make more paper art with my kids and was sure a paper tutorial would make the list. But instead craft sticks sneaked in as one of the top material of choose for my readers. This super easy and quick craft is a wonderful way to teach the 5 pillars without a lot of supplies or mess and can be found here.

Other highlights of the year include becoming a Plaid Ambassador and being asked to teach, for the sixth year in a row, at a women’s retreat. Holidays celebrated included Persian Nowruz and Arab American Heritage Month. I introduced my readers to Mariam al-Astrulabi, plus 99 Arab American Women who they should know (and most already did).

InshaAllah (An Arabic term used by both Christians and Muslims that means ‘God willing’), my daughters and I look forward to 2018 being another great year. We hope to bring you more educational posts that you can use with your children or students. As an teacher, nothing brings me greater joy then sharing my culture in a positive way. Shurkan (Arabic for thank you) for following along on the journey.

Please make sure you sign up for the A Crafty Arab newsletter to find out when future posts are out. Stop by my Arabic, Perisan and Urdu handmade store to purchase a unique, one of a kind card, or add a fun Arabic educational poster to any child’s life.

Stop by these other Muslimah Bloggers to see which posts made their top 5 list: