Here’s an easy and FAST “planting” project for Tu B’Shevat for those of us who need quicker gratification—and more Karpas—than parsley seeds can offer.
The tallest my Tu B’Shevat parsley got by Passover was maybe 4″.
Which is fine, and I’d do it again, but now, I will always do CELERY BUTTS.
Celery butts grow celery leaves, fast. And celery leaves make Karpas.
But celery leaves also make something even better: BUTTERFLIES.
#StayatHome maror: maple seeds.
BITTER. Maple seeds make horseradish taste like candy in comparison.
(And yes, maple seeds are a time-honored edible in the Foraging world.)
We couldn’t get our usual maror this year, so I’m using silver maple—because that’s what’s falling on my street right now—but any maple should do. Continue reading
real
We did this Sunday and it was crazy and it was wonderful.
And so much more meaningful than making yet another tchotchke out of paper. Please allow your students to GET REAL. Let kids experience real things before you ask them to re-create real things out of paper and felt and whatnot. Continue reading
quick, cute, and no craft foam!
Sometimes, half an hour is all you have, yet kids need to make something useful for the seder table. So, let’s welcome the 30-minute Matzah Tray to the ranks of the 30-minute Afikomen Bag, the 30-minute Felt Matzah Cover, and the 30-minute Three-Pocket Matzah Holder. Continue reading
Photo from ChaiKids.com
Want to win the best Afikomen present ever? Moses and Pharoah Action Figures. ChaiKids is giving away 3 sets, and you won’t find them anywhere else. Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Toys, Kitsch, Passover
Do not try this at home. Or anywhere.
We burned a bush in Third Grade today. As in, the Burning Bush. My goal was to make the Torah story more personal, memorable. Goal met. My goal was not to make the entire school wonder if the building was on fire, or to make our police office hunt me down, but that happened, too.
swim noodle omer
Count the omer with swim noodles! I needed a BIG omer counter for a classroom (and maybe the school entrance, too), and this is it. I love abacus-style omer counters because it is a pleasure to slide something across something: I feel like I’ve counted, I’ve moved, I’ve gone from here to there. All the more so with swim noodle “cookies” and my beloved PVC pipe. The two materials create just enough friction. Continue reading
Rainbow loom omer bracelet: one rubber band per day
I made this today just to feel what it would be like to count the omer via Rainbow Loom. It felt fiddly, but worthwhile. Mindful. I had to pay attention and I had to make decisions about color coding. Some kids will like this, some kids will flee in the opposite direction. My own child preferred to watch Pokemon rather than experiment with me, but hey, Pokemon. Continue reading
LEGO omer counter: from Passover to Shavuot
LEGO omer counters. I couldn’t find any, so I made some up. LEGO is ideal for an omer counter because it is inherently irresistible and in any decent-sized LEGO bin at home are bound to be 49 somethings with which to mark each day of the count. Continue reading
Posted in Activity, Crafts, Passover
Tagged Lag BaOmer, omer, omer counter, Passover, Shavuot
from Pesach to Shavuot
I have post-seder ennui—worse than the usual Passover prep hangover—and I need a new challenge: an omer counter. I’m looking for a design that is group-friendly, and that doesn’t require us to buy any materials. Ideally, I want BARLEY in it: real barley groats, real barley stalks to remind us of the omer origins. I already have both. But kids aren’t going to be pushing each other out of the way for the chance to open a matchbox to grab . . . a groat. Continue reading
Roast a beitzah (egg) to take home for your seder plate
Why let kids dangle boiled eggs over fire?
To candle-roast an egg is a quick, hands-on connection to what the seder plate egg symbolizes. It’s weird, it’s memorable and it is a kid magnet.
Seder step stations
I nearly called this post “Passover Carnival,” but was afraid you’d get the wrong idea. The wrong idea is a spree with lice races, chocolate matzah painting, origami frogs, and crafts. Continue reading
![Open the [LEGO] door for Elijah](https://biblebeltbalabusta.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lego-open-door-for-elijah-annotated.jpg)
Open the [LEGO] door for Elijah
As part of the Maggid Station at our school’s interactive Seder Steps program, I wanted kids to consider the Passover story and put to scenes in narrative sequence. I didn’t want flat pictures or flannel boards—I wanted 3-D—so I used toys, Continue reading
Fake blood! Fake house! Fake Death! Real lesson.
PassOver house before the 10th plague (still clean)
fishy or fab?
Minimalist, instant, kinda pretty, and absolutely free: the Tuna Can Seder Plate. Continue reading
seder plate, kid-sized
Instant upcycle for the miniscule percentage of folks for whom both statements apply:
small lulav leaf brushes for bedikat and biur chametz
This quick DIY takes longer to explain than to make. It’s a wee brush for the night and morning before Passover: a riff on the traditional repurpose of using Sukkot’s lulav for the pre-Passover Search and Destroy mission. Continue reading
Afikomen bag materials (spelling guide, bag, labels, yarn). The purple one is finished.
Afikoman bag: a seder-centric craft for those of us with 30 minutes or less. It’s practical, decent-looking, durable, and fun for kids to make. Continue reading
Hula Hoop Seder Plate (scrap art)
A seder plate the size of a hula hoop—because it is a hula hoop—makes an unforgettable project and display. Kids can learn or review the symbolic foods and traditional placement thereof; work individually or in small groups; and create a teaching prop that gets noticed even in cavernous synagogue social halls. Continue reading
Swim Noodle Menorah
LEGO Gragger
Altoids tin travel menorah
Spin it, Eat it: The Caramel Dreidel
Edible dreidels, regular and mini
Jonah and the Whale Cracker
DIY Lego Mezuzah
PEZ + Mezuzah = PEZuzah
Menurkey (repurposed figurine)
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DIY LEGO dreidel
LEGO minifig Passover seder table
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