9 – 12 years
Assalaamu alaikum parents!
Watching this show made me remember my days of being a girl scout. Apart from the ugly blue uniforms, it was a memorable experience. We learnt a lot of useful things, like how to tie knots, make stuff and basically survive in the bush. Pretty useful when you live in South Africa. These days, kids can’t even climb trees. Some of the best memories I have from growing up in Durban is climbing the trees in the veld to cut mangoes and litchis. These days kids wouldn’t be caught dead in the bush. Some kids don’t even know where fruit comes from before they land on supermarket shelves.
“Be prepared,” was the motto we lived by. A very important thing to know. In these uncertain days, filled with war, violence and corruption, anything can happen at any time. Are your kids prepared? This always worries me. I don’t want my child to grow up being useless. I don’t want him to grow up to be one of those guys who can’t pick up his own socks, make his breakfast or figure out where the cups are in the kitchen. As a Muslim, I am not afraid to die, but when I do, I want to rest in peace knowing that my child is able to take care of himself and not find it impossible to live without someone to do everything for him.
Many of our city kids these days are pampered and spoiled. They would not last a day in the wilderness. If they were stranded in the bush, without food, water or shelter, many of them would be crying instead of figuring out how to make do. Problem solving skills are one of the most important things you can teach your children. This is something that is often learnt through hardship. Sometimes your children have to go through difficulty to come out shining on the other side. If we remove all the obstacles in their paths, they will never learn to be useful members of society and take care of themselves or those around them. They will be pampered, spoiled, useless individuals.
Activ8
This is a great show that takes a group of teen boys out of their lush city lives and tests them in the outdoors. They are put into teams and faced with challenges that they have to overcome. The most important thing they have to learn about though, is teamwork. If they can’t work together as a team to solve a challenge, they often end up losing. This is something our kids need to learn about- teamwork and collaboration with others.
Characters
There are two teams, the purple and black. Each episode features a new coach that the two teams get to meet and learn about different activities from. They then have to challenge one another and discuss their experience of the challenge. Get to meet each of these team members as they journey through the challenges.
Features
Sometimes you need to be a part of the team which builds unity among brothers. The teams meet new challenges in each episode that test their problem solving and collaboration skills. It’s tough, both mentally and physically. Making fire in a hailstorm, learning archery, kayaking, basketball, and horse riding are some of the interesting things they get to do that they probably have never done before, all within the space of a week! It was good to see the results of those who could figure out how to be a part of the team and those who couldn’t.
Every episode offers us some insight into their mindset and experiences as they face these challenges together and reflect on the day.
Recommendations
- As Muslims, we need to learn that the only way to succeed is to stay together and support each other against the odds, which is something that the show prides itself on teaching these young boys.
- After your kids watch this, help keep them inspired and motivated by getting them involved in some exciting outdoor activities.
- As parents, we need to expose our children to more practical life skills that they will surely be able to make use of. Our beloved prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Any action without the remembrance of Allah is either a diversion or heedlessness excepting four acts: Walking from target to target (during archery practice), training a horse, playing with one’s family, and learning on how to swim.” (Tabarani).
- He was a very active man and emphasised that a strong body is more capable of performing the obligations of life and religion than a weak one.
- Make your kids active. Help them to get involved in sport and the outdoor life.
- Help them appreciate the beauty of Allah’s creation in nature. Go for hikes or walks together as a family or find other fun things to do in your area.
- Health body, healthy mind, healthy Muslim!
If you want to inspire your kids to get more involved in the outdoors, catch Activ8. Remember that our blog readers qualify for a 50% discount if you haven’t joined yet or try our 7-day free trial !