Matzah holder (3 pockets) in 30 min.

matzah-look, three pocket holder

Quick post for a quick project.
I only have 25 to 30 minutes with a class, but need to produce something functional and fun for Passover, so I choose carefully.
(The 30 minutes do not include prep time, which can vary.)

Matzah Holder (with three pockets for the three matzot in the Haggadah)

4 pieces of beige cardstock
stapler
brown crayon, unwrapped
mem, tzadee, hey stickers (or a Sharpie)
real matzah, to show and to test the holder (to be sure it fits)

set up

Student does all the work:
1. Put a piece of beige cardstock on a concrete surface outside (or a concrete block wall), and rub with the side of a brown crayon. Make it look like matzah. See how matzah has browned bits, especially around the edges and corners? (And the holes from where it was poked before it was baked, so that the matzah didn’t puff up and look like chametz?)

2. Staple that lovely top piece onto 3 plain pieces of cardstock. Staple around the two short sides and one of the long sides. Keep the other long side free because that’s where you’ll be inserting the matzot at the seder.

3. Decorate. I offered die-cut Hebrew letter stickers to spell “matzah.” You can use stickers, stencils or just hand-letter with a Sharpie. We also added some felt frog stickers from Michael’s, but I forgot to take a photo of the student work.

4. Use at a seder. At the appropriate time in the Haggadah, you’ll need that middle piece to hold up and break in two, whereupon the larger bit will become the AFIKOMEN.

NOTE: the waxy crayon decor prevents some stickers from sticking like crazy. And, waterbased markers won’t write well on wax. A Sharpie does fine.

P.S. Even though the craft is short and sweet, there is still time to chat about how Passover matzah is made and why, why we use 3 pieces of matzah at a seder, what the heck is Afikoman and how to use it, and so on. Demonstrate the breaking of the middle matzah and “practice” hiding / finding / tasting the afikomen!

Other 30 minute seder-centric crafts / activities:
Teaching the Seder Plate (kids prepare and place symbolic foods)
30 min. Felt Matzah Cover
30 min. Seder Plate
30 min. Hula-Hoop Seder Plate
30 min. Afikomen bag