This blog is filled with ideas to turn everyday moments into Jewish moments, especially for families with young children.
Colorful and optimistic, rainbows are all kinds of happy combined together for a few perfect moments. It’s not surprising that so many cultures have their own story about rainbows - from pots of gold (Irish)
I remember having the most important conversations with my daughters about animals when they were very young. We would sit together, and I would say to Stefie, “A cow says, hmmm, let me think…quack quack, a sheep says oink oink,” and Stefie would laugh gleefully at the ridiculousness of me getting my animal sounds mixed up!
We’re just getting ready to start the second Hebrew month of the Jewish calendar – the month of Cheshvan (falling in October or November). This month brings us the well-loved story of Noah and his ark full of animals.
One traditional way to celebrate Sukkot is to build and decorate a sukkah! To “build” a sukkah on a small scale, you can make DIY edible sukkahs! Make a lot, and you can invite friends over to have an sukkah decorating party!
Sukkot celebrates the fall harvest. It is the longest and happiest festival of the Jewish year! It began in ancient Israel, when most Jewish people were farmers.
Children of all ages love unicorns! They’re colorful, bright, fun-spirited and full of magic! This first Shabbat of the New Jewish Year (5780) feels a little magical, so we’re celebrating by making this delicious challah.
The Hebrew word for sweet is Ma-tok! Honey comes in many varieties (from flowers, citrus, and even palm trees - if you live in Florida)! It's fun to have a family honey tasting to see which honey tastes sweetest for Rosh Hashanah apple dipping!
What I love most about the Jewish New Year is the opportunity to have a fresh start. Growing up, my mom explained that Rosh Hashanah was a time when you were given a clean slate.
On Rosh Hashanah, apples taste extra sweet because we dip them in honey! A fun way to thank the honeybees for their honey is to learn more about them by visiting at a bee farm!
It's fun to extend the theme of growing and changing for the Jewish New Year by helping your children make their own butterfly wings!
The Hebrew word for butterfly is Par-Par. We thought it would be special for children to take a "butterfly" home from the butterfly garden, so it could watch over them as they grow and change throughout the New Year.
One of my favorite books for the Jewish New Year is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. While this might not have been written as a "Jewish book," the idea of growing and changing (like a caterpillar into a butterfly) is a Jewish theme for Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah gives parents the opportunity to talk to our children about mistakes, and say, "I'm sorry." No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but with each New Year, we can try to do better.
Rosh Hashanah is the perfect time to take your family on a "Birthday of the World" Nature Walk!
A special way to incorporate apples and honey into your Rosh Hashanah celebration is by crafting a fuzzy apple pom-pom necklace.
Cereal necklaces are a wonderful way for small children to practice their fine motor skills and celebrate a holiday!
A favorite holiday tradition is to welcome the New Year with sweetness - by dipping apples into honey! It's so much fun to explore other ways to include apples and honey in our celebration. This year, we decided to have an apple and honey picnic breakfast!
