Category Archives: Activity

Etrog Besamim for Havdalah

Posted on 10/01/2013 | 9 comments
Etrog3

10 year-old etrog pomander and a fresh one, awaiting puncture

Sukkot’s over.  Did you buy an etrog?  Or did your school or synagogue buy one?  If so, don’t pitch it on the compost pile.  You and your kid can repurpose it into a nifty spice pomander for Havdalah.  It’s a nice way to extend Sukkot (and the  harvest’s bounty) to a Jewish service/ceremony that happens every single week.  The spices of Havdalah—called besamim—are supposed to be natural materials that smell lovely enough to console us for the loss of Shabbat and to kickstart a good week ahead.  A clove-studded etrog can Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Crafts, Havdalah, Nature, Shabbat, Sukkot

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Menorah-saurus for Mr. Bill

Posted on 09/24/2013 | 4 comments
menorahsaurus1

Menorasaur, Menorahsaur, Menorah-saur, Menorah-saurus? Where is the Library of Congress standardized spelling?

I made this little menorah for a friend.

WHY: “Menorah-saurus” was the punchline during a post-prandial chat at Carnegie Deli last month.  Someone—his wits dulled by a surfeit of latkes—remarked that this was the first time “in thousands of years” that Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincided.  And then my husband snarked an even more egregious anachronism, “Yeah, in the age of the dinosaurs, they used to light a menorah-saurus.”

My latke friend’s gaffe was funny because he happens to be one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, but even so, it wasn’t enough to compel me to unpack the power drill and actually make a menorah-saurus.  What was enough was the fact that he and his wife recently lost their real menorah—along with the rest of the house—in a Colorado wildfire.  Latke Man needed a menorah-saurus pronto, well in time for this year’s untimely Hanukkah.

Speaking of fire, it may not be terribly wise to add lit candles to a plastic toy, so Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Hanukkah

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Passover to Shavuot diorama (thumbprint people)

Posted on 05/10/2013 | 2 comments
the Sea of Reeds withThumbprint people

the Sea of Reeds withThumbprint people

Just in time for Shavuot, here’s another Mt. Sinai project. It’s really a three-holiday diorama, but your kid can make just the Shavuot portion in about half an hour, once you’ve raced around the house collecting supplies. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Lag B'Omer, Passover, Shavuot

Nature work: a Mitzvah Birdbath

Posted on 05/06/2013 | 5 comments

Mitzvah Project—The Tza’ar ba’aley Chayim Birdbath—a quick or slow nature project for home or school.

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So subtle, I had to add an arrow

Until yesterday, my synagogue didn’t have a bird bath or any other water source for animals.  I haven’t seen one in the 20 years I’ve been a member. Our courtyard is a perfect place for informal birdwatching: surrounded by classroom windows on two sides, and the Internet Cafe and school entrance on the third. I’m a Volunteer Tennessee Naturalist. I think about this sort of thing alot.  It would have been so easy to buy and install a birdbath by myself in less than an hour, and bingo: water for wildlife.  Or, I could make it a Mitzvah Project in a slow way, a participatory way, a way that makes for several active lesson plans, and that can foster a student’s sense of investment, stewardship, community and empowerment. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Nature

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Lag BaOmer activity: the Omer Walk

Posted on 04/28/2013 | 7 comments

Lag B’Omer! Here’s a quick glimpse at what we did…

I wanted my K – 3 classes to “embody” the connection between Passover and Shavuot via the Counting of the Omer, to use their bodies to travel from Passover—where the Israelites became a Free Nation, to Shavuot—where the Israelites became a Holy Nation.

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view from the Sea of Reeds toward Lag b’Omer and Shavuot

First, we crossed the Sea of Reeds and became a Free Nation.  On the floor were 49 steps toward Mt. Sinai on the opposite side of the room.  See Mt. Sinai up there, far away? Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Edible Craft, Lag B'Omer, Passover, Shavuot

Mini Seder Plate (polymer clay) for doll tables and human earlobes

Posted on 03/20/2013 | 9 comments
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setting the Seder Plate

Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Passover

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Index Card Origami Frogs that hop: Passover placecards, game, plague

Posted on 03/15/2013 | 7 comments
I can't throw them away

several years of old placecards

Have an index card?  You have a frog.  And a placecard, an afikomen clue, a keep-hands-busy-activity, a plague, and a jumping frog game. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Passover

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LEGO Seder Plates, life-size

Posted on 03/14/2013 | 6 comments
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LEGO Seder Plate

The LEGO minifigs are jealous.  This time, we’ve made a seder plate sized for the big people. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Passover

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DIY Passover Bedikat Chametz kit (whether or not you keep kosher)

Posted on 03/13/2013 | 1 comment

DIY kit for the search for leaven

Bedikat Chametz, or Search for Leaven is a quick, hands-on, kid-friendly and extremely memorable activity right before Passover starts. Basically, we hide bits of bread/leaven/chametz, let the kids find them at nightfall, and then destroy the bits the next day (the morning before the first seder).  In short: hide + seek + darkness + flames = awesome. Continue reading →

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Passover PEZuzah (PEZ + Mezuzah)

Posted on 03/12/2013 | 2 comments

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Just in time for the plague of frogs, another PEZuzah.  My husband came home bearing a Kermit the Frog PEZ dispenser, and it begged to be converted into a holiday mezuzah case.  Pull Kermit’s keppie to reveal a cavity perfectly sized for a real scroll.  This little trick makes it far more convenient to inspect the klaf twice every seven years, as per tradition.  A PEZ mezuzah is not per tradition, but it works. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Kitsch, Mezuzah, Passover

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Giveaway: Passover Seder Matching Game

Posted on 03/07/2013 | 17 comments

mgpas front of box
A giveaway.   Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Jewish parenting, Passover

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Purim Playmobil straight from the box

Posted on 02/22/2013 | Comments Off on Purim Playmobil straight from the box
All Playmobil except the clay hamantaschen....

Playmobil says “Schultute,” I say Mishloach Manot

Yes, I go to great lengths to make tiny, Jewy accessories for my Playmobil and LEGO folk.  But you don’t have to make a single thing in order to make toys Jewish. Sometimes, all it takes is a name change.

Look at this little Playmobil set ripe for conversion: #4686 Child’s First Day at School.  See the parcels? Playmobil is German, and the set represents the German tradition of Schultute (school bags): big cones of goodies and school supplies for the first day of school.  When I saw the box at a local toy store, I didn’t think Schultute, I thought Mishloach Manot.  I saw two kids exchanging Mishloach Manot bags on Purim.  For $3.29, I got a Jewish holiday scene and a mitzvah tableau, even though Playmobil doesn’t “do” Jewish.* Continue reading →

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Posted in Jewish Toys, Purim

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Hamantaschen PlayDo Practice: Can You Make a Triangle from a Circle?

Posted on 02/14/2013 | 3 comments

playdo hamantasch

It’s hard to make a triangle from a circle.  It’s hard for little kids and for lots of older ones, too.  And, even if a kid manages it one year, it’s a long time from one Purim to the next.

To transform a flat circle into a filled triangle requires skill and patience, and the last thing I want is for my bakers to have a perfectionist freak-out. So, I like to program a bit of Hamantaschen-folding Practice at Purim classes and parties, even with kids who think they are too old for PlayDo. No one is too old for PlayDo, not ever. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Purim

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Tu B’Shevat almond “Sow and Tell,” home or school

Posted on 02/04/2013 | Comments Off on Tu B’Shevat almond “Sow and Tell,” home or school
faith in a seed

faith in a seed

For Tu B’Shevat with my First Grade class, I wanted something hands-on, but not paper-based. Something thematic that links the Land of Israel with our own community,  something the kids could make or do to gain a concrete reference point to a Jewish Spring holiday in the midst of a Nashville Winter.  We’d already done nearly instant-gratification Tu B’Shevat gardening (eggshell garden), and I didn’t think they’d mind a project that required patience and uncertainty. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

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Tu B’Shevat garden-in-an-eggshell

Posted on 01/18/2013 | 1 comment
a

quick, easy and visible plant life-cycle activity

Here’s a supplementary indoor gardening project for Tu B’Shevat.  I swear by the Eat a Fruit, Plant the Seed project, and my version of the traditional Plant Tu B’Shevat Parsley for Passover project, of course.  Both are hands-on and at the heart of the holiday.  But, if you can program additional growy activities with your favorite kids, try this one, too.  The nearly instant gratification is a contrast to the slow and iffy germination rates of parsley and fruit seeds.

What: Kids grow a nearly-instant, indoor, mini “garden” in an eggshell.
Why: to connect with Tu B’Shevat; to demonstrate the everyday miracle of seed germination; to grow food for us, for wildlife and for the earth. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Crafts, Edible Craft, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

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Tu B’Shevat stuff: indoor gardening, edible bowls, sugar overload and birdfeeders

Posted on 01/17/2013 | 3 comments

Here’s a quick list of links to my earlier posts for Tu B’Shevat.  New ones coming soon…

pear seedlings from our snack

pear seedlings from our snack

Eat a Fruit, Plant the Seeds:  So easy.  Cut open a fruit with your kid. Eat it, plant the seed.  Of course, I mention a few Jewish-y choices of trees, but the important take-away is that THIS is where trees come from. Can’t get more thematic.

How (and Why) to Let Kids Plant Tu B’Shevat Parsley.  Detailed how-tos here. I’ve a method that works without compromising hands-on learning or enthusiasm.
Find out why the go-to Tu B’Shevat planting activity is not about planting trees. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Crafts, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

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A new SPIN on Edible Dreidels: Caramel Dreidel

Posted on 12/12/2012 | 9 comments
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caramel dreidel

I give you an edible dreidel that actually spins.  It shares the chief values of the marshmallow dreidel and my mini-marshmallow dreidels—values which lie in the building, the writing upon (with food-safe markers) and the eating.  To these attractions, the caramel dreidel adds the bonus of spin. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Edible Craft, Hanukkah

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Hanukkah Parent classroom visits

Posted on 12/07/2012 | 5 comments
Super cheap, in-your-face oil menorah

tin oil menorah with glass or plastic cups

Here’s a link to my buffet of options for Hanukkah Parent School Visits: what to bring, what to read, what might happen.  Please add your experiences below or on that page. We can learn from each other.

And here’s what I’ve chosen from the buffet for my own classroom visit this time:

After last year’s fizzle of a oil menorah demo (where none of the homemade wicks worked), Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Hanukkah, Jewish kids in nonJewish school

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Hanukkah Carnival Stations

Posted on 12/06/2012 | 7 comments
Sufganiyah on a String

Sufganiyah on a String (the doughnuts aren’t here yet)

We set up for the big ol’ Chanukah Carnival today (my synagogue’s spelling, not mine), and I’m posting the pics below so you can see a few of the stations. Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Edible Craft, Hanukkah

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Glow in the Dark Dreidel and Glow Arena

Posted on 12/02/2012 | 3 comments
Instant DIY Glow Dreidel Arena

Instant DIY Glow Dreidel Arena

Of course a glow-in-the-dark Dreidel Arena needs a glow-in-the-dark dreidel.  Why didn’t I think of it before?  My friend Kathryn (at Joyful Jewish) put me up to it after she read about my arena idea last week.  And that’s when the stealth crafting began… Continue reading →

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Posted in Activity, Hanukkah, Jewish Toys

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