Start with bismillah.

Ask: "How long do you think it took a river to carve a canyon?"

Watch the Be Smart video "How Was the Grand Canyon Formed?". (It has music.)

Now listen to the ayah together in the app, with the translation. Ask: "How long will they stay?"

Each child keeps one wonder question, for example: "How long is 'ages'?" Younger children can draw theirs.

Find it in the mushaf: Surah An-Naba is surah 78. Find ayah 23. The key word ahqaba means long ages, one after another. They will stay there for ages upon ages, a time so long it has no end for those who rejected Allah; Allah alone judges who. Our lives are short, but the Hereafter is very long. That's why our choices now matter so much.

Fact: How old are the oldest rock layers in the Grand Canyon?

Ages 5–8: Layer cake. Make layers of coloured sand or play dough. Which layer was first?

Ages 9–12: Time line. Make a time line of Earth's history on a long strip of paper.

Finish with: "I found that the oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon are about ___ years old."

Talk together:

• Why do short choices now matter for a very long time?
• Which name of Allah does this remind you of?
• What choices would you like to make now?
• How can we remember the Hereafter every day?
• What would you like to ask about this ayah?

Make a small plan: "This week, I will make one choice each day thinking about the Hereafter."

• Make Hereafter-minded choices.
• Show someone your layer cake.
• Look at pictures of the Grand Canyon.
• Next time: the next ayah (78:24) says they will taste nothing cool. Explore it together!

Action: Make one choice each day thinking about the Hereafter.