Crafty Arab Tutorial

Arabic Chalkboard Vase {Tutorial}

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I sneak in Arabic around our house as often as I can and this chalkboard vase allows me a chance to do it with names of Arabic colors.

I received the chalkboard paint as a Plaid Ambassador and have used it before on multiple projects around our home. We added it to my daughter’s lunchbox so I can leave her messages, we painted it on a lazy suzan so I can write down what we were having and used it as a writing block.

We’ve used it on several other projects as well that are listed on the bottom and it is really great how there is still so much left to do with that little bottle.

Follow along as we used chalkboard paint to help learn our Arabic colors.

Supplies

Make sure your glass vase has been cleaned and is thoroughly dry before you apply the tape. We didn’t measure where to put it, just about a few inches from the bottom.

Tear off the tape to make sure there is overlap, then go over with your fingertips to remove any air bubbles. Especially around the bottom edge.

Use the sponge brush to add the chalkboard paint to the glass vase. We waited a few hours, then added another coat. Then another.

We left the vase alone for a few days, then followed the instructions on the paint bottle on how to condition our surface.

Once we wiped all the chalk off, our vase was ready to use. Here I’ve written the Arabic for white flower: زهرة بيضاء

Reminder: Arabic is read right to left, so زهرة is Arabic for flower and بيضاء is Arabic for white.

I have to admit that it is a bit harder to write on a rounded surface, but with time, I think I can get it down. Now when we change out the white flower for a different one next week, I can practice again on that color.

Stop by these other fun chalkboard tutorials

Ramadan Chalkboard Sting Art {Tutorial}

Eid Sheep Magnet {Tutorial}

Make sure to visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterst to see other tutorials to help teach Arabic.

Khatam Garden Rocks {Tutorial}

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We have a few families coming over this week so I created a kids area for them to paint these metallic khatam garden rocks.

Khatam is the Arabic word for eight point stars.

I had seen a similar craft with letters in an old craft book from years ago but now can’t find the original source. I do remember being mesmerized by the gold paint that was used. At the time, the only options to create such a rock gem would have been use to use gold leaf. Now, crafters have the easy use of craft paint that is in metallic colors, like the paints I recently received as a Plaid Ambassador.

To make the gathering go smoothly, I’ve written out the instructions before hand and will leave all the supplies. It will be exciting to see what develops over a day of crafting.

Supplies

We washed & dried our rock before we got started. After we made sure it was thoroughly dry, my daughter cut out two square pieces of painters tape. She placed both, offsetting one to created an eight point star, on the rock. She then drew out the design in pencil before removing the tape.

My daughter used the paintbrush to add three coats of the metallic paint.

Here is what the final khatam garden rock looks like.

It will be fun to see the different sizes that kids will create. I also plan on leaving out blue & white paints to create Nazar rocks.

Stop by these other fun tutorials on how to craft with nature:

Alhamdulillah Rocks {Tutorial}

Arab World Rocks {Tutorial}

Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest to see more craft tutorials.

Cardboard Home Telescope {Tutorial} Plus {Review}

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This recycled cardboard home telescope began it’s life as two paper towel rolls. We added some reading glasses and paint to make a homemade telescope just like the one Sadiq, the protagonist from Sadiq and the Desert Star, used to help him look for stars.

Sadiq and the Desert Star is a new book by Somali American Siman Nuurali and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. It was published by Capstone and they recently sent me an advanced copy to enjoy.

My daughter read the story, and had lots of questions about Berbera, Somalia, where Sadiq was from. We learned it is a coastal city and was the most important place of trade in the entire Horn of Africa. Sadiq’s grandfather used the desert star to guide his caravan trips through the Sahara Desert.

After we spent some time learning about Berbera, my daughter gathered supplies to start her telescope right away. She wanted to see if she could really see Mars, just like Sadiq and his friends at the observatory.

Supplies

The first step my daughter took in making her own telescope is to cut one of the paper rolls lengthwise.

She took the cut paper roll and placed it inside the other tube.

Next, I helped my daughter pop out the glasses from their frame and she taped one to the end of the cut paper roll. She made sure to place the curved side facing the tube.

Once that end was secure, she did the same to the other end, but this time she made sure the curved side of the glass faced away from the cardboard.

Next we painted the tube with cardboard paint. You can use any paint you want, but we thought it might be fun to use chalkboard paint so that we could use chalk on the tube to write down what we saw.


We had a bit of a problem trying to paint over the tape that attach the glasses. I think when we make more telescopes for our upcoming space club, we will have everyone paint their tubes before taping on the glasses.

Now our telescope was ready. We wanted to take a photo in the daytime to show you what it looks like, but please never, ever use your telescope to look at the sun. This is dangerous and could really hurt your eyesight.

While she did love this book overall, she was confused as to why Sadiq’s mother and sister were wearing the hijab in the kitchen. Her own grandmother and aunt, who wear the hijab everyday, always take it off when they come home.

My daughter did love the facts about Somalia that was included, as well as the new Somali terms she got to practice. For example, in Somali, a grandfather is awoowe, but in Libyan we use jidu. I also loved the glossary in the back for the astronomy terms, plus the sections that encouraged kids to talk about and write down their thoughts about the book.

There are more Sadizq books coming out and my daughter can’t wait to read them:

To check out our other reviews of books, with craft tutorials, visit

Meet Yasmin {Book Review}

Naji and the Mystery of the Dig {Book Review}

Be sure to stop by A Crafty Arab on Pinterest to see hundreds of books lists and tutorials that teach about the Arab world and Muslim culture.