I am inclining towards calling my program with the children ’Brainiac Connections’.
After all, the brain is Allah’s best creation. The Universe is big, but the brain is big enough to encompass the universe! The brain, coupled with a conscience, is what defines humans, who thus become Allah’s noblest creation.
Why ‘connections’? Well, in this program we are trying to connect to:-
Our design
Our Designer
Our Book
Our surroundings – family, society, environment and universe.

The children are at the stage where they still haven’t lost touch with their primal nature and that fire that we are programmed with must be kept alive.
I have a little journal in which a truly original thought is written down by the kid who comes up with it. I am very picky about this. Very picky indeed. Only the very best, that everyone gets impressed with is allowed in. Absolutely no compromise here. And the kids love it. I have announced that this is the special gift that they are giving me.
A few quotes from this journal will illustrate my point.
9:128. “ The Prophet was kind and worryed” The story behind this connection is that one girl said that if your brother is careless and does not bother to do his homework, you should do it for him, so he won’t get into trouble. The others shouted him down because that way he won’t use his brain and that is not right. But it is really a Sunnah to worry about other people getting into trouble.
8:63. “Allah has put love in the hearts of the believers because they help togeather to mange the earth.” The idea is that humans are Allah’s Khalifas.
“I will not lie and if I forgot my homework or anything. Iwill tell the truth and take the punishment because it was my falt not my parents.” Individual responsibility?
They all sound very painfully pious and self-righteous, judging by these outpourings, but the one hour we have together, is very chaotic. There is a lot of giggling and some bathroom humor and any amount of bouncing around on the sofa etc. Just kids enjoying themselves and the best kind of fun is getting great ideas.

I have had this great opportunity just plonked into my lap recently.
Some 9-10 year-old kids from the neighborhood come in for some ‘serious’ discussion, once a week. We started with one large group, but it became unwieldy so we have spilt into two smaller groups and it is working out just great.
Tentatively, I have called it -
Feeling-good Time

Preconceptions:
Ø Children are humans.
Ø Humans are created in the best form (Surah Teen)
Ø They just have less experience then adults.
Ø They are very sensitive to insincerity and condescension.
Ø The system of religious education that has been prevalent for the last so many centuries has proved to be a failure.
Ø So we need to think outside the ‘establishment’ box. What it translates to is, we need to upend our list of priorities. Deal with the neglected ones first and the others which, so far have been paramount, should automatically drop into place.

Do’s:
Ø Establish a close relationship with Allah by focusing on how Nice He is to us. Gratitude and appreciation of every little thing that we experience goes a long way in building Trust and giving encouragement.
Ø Go straight to the Book for references. Let the child find the reference from the index and read the translation.
Ø One provocative question can get the thinking going. Then let the discussion takes it’s own course. It can go far a-field, but it will develop the skill for seeing connections. If you notice, the Quran follows the same pattern – jumping from topic to topic. I haven’t paid much attention to this so far, but I will now, Insha Allah.
Ø Start with Allah. Surah al-Fatihah mentions Rabb al Aalameen. We are still stuck on that, and by the look of things we can go on for a long time. Try to end every discussion with seeing how Allah takes care of us, and things in general. Get a view of the Grand Design and how it is geared to Tender Loving Care from Allah.
Ø Next we went on to the creation of Adam – Allah’s Khalifah. Just ram the concept down their throats straight off. Self-worth, individual empowerment, individual responsibility and individual accountability (otherwise known as the first pillar of Islam) will all fall into place.
Ø Check out some references about Believers and how they are defined.
Ø Avoid instruction as far as possible.
Ø Let the children provide the answers. You may give a hint or two to lead the discussion to where you want it to go.
Ø Get properly impressed, but only with a truly worthy or original idea. Share in the glow of deep satisfaction and happiness that comes from original thought.
Ø Keep the talk within the experience level of the children.

Don’ts:
Ø Do not talk down to the children; you will kill the free flow of ideas.
Ø Do not offer explanations. They must always come from the kids. They will never fail to surprise you.
Ø Don’t be in a hurry to finish with one topic so that you can go on to the next. This is a life-long journey.
If one child provides a gem of an idea, or sees a connection, or something resonates within him, it is his forever.

It has been several weeks now and the kids are still eager to come.