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Month: February 2024

Home / 2024 / February
2024 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities
Arts, Crafts & Sensory Jewish Holidays

2024 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities

by adminupdated on March 10, 2024February 20, 2024Leave a Comment on 2024 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities

This weekend we were all excited to give the playroom a good clean (maybe less excited about that!) and set up our 2024 Purim Shelfie + Starter Activities! Purim is a favorite of the kiddos and they were so excited to see what activities I set up for this year’s kick off. I kept it …

Tikkun Olam Ocean Clean Up Sensory Bin
Arts, Crafts & Sensory Jewish Values

Tikkun Olam Ocean Clean Up Sensory Bin

by adminupdated on February 12, 2024February 12, 2024Leave a Comment on Tikkun Olam Ocean Clean Up Sensory Bin

We had a school holiday today which meant even more time for some fun tikkun olam inspired sensory play with this Tikkun Olam Ocean Clean Up Sensory Bin! The set up was super easy and the kids really enjoyed looking for the pieces of trash and oil that were polluting the water and transferring them …

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Today it’s raining after school and feels like a Today it’s raining after school and feels like a pretty good day to snuggle up, light some cozy candles, read some sweet books, think about our blessings, and play our Thankful Bingo Challenge ❤️ The Thankful Bingo Challenge is available as a free printable, just click on the link in our bio! #thankful #gratitude #grateful #familytime #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishpreschool #hakarathatov #freeprintables
The friend whose life we celebrated on Saturday, M The friend whose life we celebrated on Saturday, Molly, was wonderfully creative and was always doing crafts and projects. She had already bought supplies to make adorable beaded ribbons for the holidays. Thoughtfully, the friend who organized the celebration of life set up a table for guests to create their own beaded ribbons in honor of Molly. As I sat with all my pain from the past week, these sweet beaded ribbons gave me an idea for my own family. In honor of Molly, and with the hope to recognize the good and not let the bad/sad/scary take over, I invited my kids to make beaded blessing strands. There is a Jewish tradition of saying 100 blessings a day, which is such a beautiful idea for really recognizing the good around you. With this in mind, we made ten strands with ten beads each, totaling 100 beautiful beads. We curled the strands around a candle, easily letting us touch and move individual beads (kind of like an abacus). I really liked the idea of lighting a candle and touching each bead as we thought of a corresponding blessing. We really do have so many blessings, which is so important to remember at all times, but especially when things feel really hard. If you don’t want to make a candle decoration, you can make bracelets, other shapes with the wire, whatever you want! Anything you make will be beautiful, is a great way to practice counting, one to one correspondence, and fine motor skills, and such a lovely way to remember our traditions of recognizing the good and including gratitude and blessings in our lives ❤️ #hakarathatov #blessings #jewish #jewishcrafts #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpride #jewishpreschool #preschoolactivities #activitiesforkids #craftsforkids #gratitude #gratitudepractice
Last week was tough. Tuesday, a paralyzing-with-fe Last week was tough. Tuesday, a paralyzing-with-fear pogrom in Amsterdam, two celebrations of life for women who died too soon, a friend’s mom who was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer which has already spread to her liver. I was shattered. When I could pull myself up and out again, I decided that this week’s focus should be hakarat hatov: recognizing the good around us and being grateful for it. Thankfully, there is so much good around. To help us open our eyes to it, we read The Thank You Walk by Nancy Loewen and made our own heart viewer to help us focus on the good as we took a neighborhood walk ❤️ This was good and helpful for me. But a check-in is also always good: How are you doing? #hakarathatov #gratitude #gratitudeattitude #jewish #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #preschoolactivities #activitiesforkids #naturewalk #pjlibrary @pjlibrary
Oh my goodness, if you are looking for a collectio Oh my goodness, if you are looking for a collection of super awesome Jewish women, you must check out the new book Chutzpah Girls! It’s getting released on November 25th (yep, add it to your Hanukkah list!) but I was so lucky to get a digital copy ahead of time. I set it up on our iPad so we could look through the book together but the kids were so mesmerized by the beautiful illustrations that they loved swiping through and picking out who they wanted to learn about. Since over 100 amazing women are showcased, we didn’t make it through the entire book but I can’t wait to pick up where we left off once we get our hard copy! In order to feel the chutzpah ourselves, the kids decorated chutzpah crowns that look like the sweet crowns found in the book. And yes, I added the book’s definition of chutzpah because isn’t it just perfect? It seriously fills me with so much joy and inspiration! May we all embody the chutzpah of these Jewish women and enjoy some bedazzled crowns and Jewish pride and joy whenever we want a little extra oomph in our lives 😍 Want your own chutzpah crown to decorate? Check out our bio for the link to the free printable. Decorate as you wish! And don’t forget to order your copy of Chutzpah Girls, the links to order can be found in their bio @wearechutzpahgirls . Mazel tov and Kol Hakavod Tami Schlossberg and Julie Silverstein! Not only is this book a joy to read, but so incredibly empowering for people of all ages and genders ❤️ #jewish #jewishjoy #jewishpride #proudjew #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishkidsbooks #jewishcrafts #jewishwomen
I bought this lovely Kol Hakavod book by Jamie Kif I bought this lovely Kol Hakavod book by Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh @jkiffel ages ago based on the recommendation of @noodlenutskidsbooks but I had yet to do a supplemental craft until I set up this sweet and simple one yesterday afternoon. My daughter read the book to her brothers, then they all made adorable and uplifting Kol Hakavod confetti hearts to remind them to be mensches who do awesome things ❤️ These hearts are so simple to make and can easily be modified for whatever theme you want—cut a strip of packing tape and lay on a table sticky side up. Tape down the sides. Bring out confetti, glitter (I’m sorry, I just hate it and can’t deal haha), anything small and sweet. Invite your kids to sprinkle the material on the sticky tape then cover with another strip. Yes contact paper would work too and would allow you to make larger cut outs. But contact paper is always a little foggy and I love how clear the packing tape turns out. Cut into whatever shape you want, we chose hearts! I wrote Kol Hakavod on the hearts for a little reminder. These would be perfect on a dresser, desk, taped to a window letting the sun shine in. All sweet reminders that kids have the power to do truly lovely things and help out the world. Kol Hakavod—Way to go mensches!! #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishkidsbooks #jewishkidlit #jewishpreschool #simplecrafts #craftsforkids
Today we read and fell in love with The Big Beach Today we read and fell in love with The Big Beach Cleanup by Charlotte Offsay @picturebookrecommendations . Talk about an uplifting and empowering story about tikkun olam and one that highlights the real differences children can make in repairing the world, one of my favorite themes ever ❤️ The book is sweet and so is the supplemental craft we made—straw blowing ocean painting! Super easy to do and the blowing is an amazing OT/speech practice 🙌 Water down some blue and green paint, drop blobs on cardstock or other thicker paper, then let your kiddos use a straw to blow the paint around, creating a beautiful (and trash free!) ocean scene ❤️ #jewish #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #jewishkidsbooks #jewishkidlit #processartforkids #craftsforkids #kidart #preschoolart #preschoolartactivity #tikkunolam
Wow, the last month has been FILLED with Jewish ho Wow, the last month has been FILLED with Jewish holidays and while I was filled with a lot of sadness and grief, I was also filled with so much family time, Jewish learning and a lot of Jewish joy ❤️ The next major Jewish holiday is … drumroll … Hanukkah! Hanukkah doesn’t start until December 25th this year so we now have some time for non-holiday exploration. I’m starting with creating activities based on multiple amazing books I’ve received recently that offer a variety of Jewish learning and value exploration. First up is the adorable “I Like Your Chutzpah” by @suzyultman and our very own matching Chutzpah and Other Yiddish Words Matching Sensory Bin 🙌 We read the book cuddled together (my favorite!). It offers simple definitions for a lot of Yiddish words, some that I had not even heard before! After this intro, I invited my preschooler to search through the sensory bin to find the popsicle sticks with images of kids with different expressions or actions, then match them to the correct Yiddish words, as found on the toilet paper rolls. We used the book for reference and once he determined which Yiddish word the image was of, I told him which colored toilet paper roll had that word since he can’t yet read. Teamwork! This activity was a great way to learn and practice the Yiddish words, but also a really wonderful invitation for recognizing and identifying emotions and actions, such an important ability for kids to practice and understand. The action of searching for and posting the popsicle stick images also practices those fine motor skills and getting one’s hands in a sensory bin always gives that great tactile sensory feedback. Yay! Such a sweet and fun book and activity to learn some Yiddish, practice fine motor and matching skills, and recognize the many different types of emotions all around us!! Side note: It’s a (sort of secret?) goal of mine to learn Yiddish and do my part to make sure this special language doesn’t die. Any Yiddish speakers and/or readers or writers out there???? #jewish #yiddish #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishkidsbooks #jewishkidlit #jewishjoy #jewishpreschool #sensoryplay #sensorybin #learningthroughplay
Today we got our flags ready for Simchat Torah! Si Today we got our flags ready for Simchat Torah! Simple set up (my fav) with my sweet Torah heart cuts out (yep I finally learned how to use the cricut slice technique 🙌) to remind us of our love and joy in the Torah. If today and this holiday and the idea of rejoicing feels hard this year, I hear you. The grief sits so heavily, the pages and pages of names of those whose yahrzeit it is is just so incredibly hard to understand and believe because it’s so much and so sad. The idea of joy seems really hard to grasp right now. I found the words Rachel Goldberg-Polin shared in a recent @bring.hersh.home post very moving and powerful. I don’t have any words even close to articulate or meaningful, just that I feel the immense pain and also want my children to feel Jewish pride and joy. But gosh it’s a deep dig for the joy right now ❤️ #simchattorah #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #jewishpride
Today we made our last craft in our sweet sukkah, Today we made our last craft in our sweet sukkah, a super simple rainstick to usher in Shemini Atzeret and prayers of rain 🌧️ We got new paint sticks so of course had to use them to decorate our toilet paper rolls filled with toothpicks and grains. Stickers, jewels and so many other materials would also work well for decorations. Kids got to practice fine motor skills and, of course, their shaking skills, enjoying both the creation of the craft and its use 🙌 In addition to the Tefilat Geshem, a prayer for rain, I also printed out the communal Yizkor service by Ematai, which was linked in the @azm4israel resources. One name is too many but to see page after page after page of names … it’s so sickening and just so horrible. May all their names be for a blessing, may their families be comforted in these horrible times of grief, and may we all find the strength, pride, and joy to dance again ❤️ #sukkot #sheminiatzeret #jewish #jewishfamily #jewishlove #jewishpride #bringthemhomenow #jewishkids #sukkah #yizkor #rainstick #craftsforkids #jewishpreschool
Do you have any mixed-color clay blobs hanging out Do you have any mixed-color clay blobs hanging out in your house? Make them into beads and create a mobile—perfect for your sukkah and for decorations for any time of the year ❤️ Clay is harder for kids to manipulate than Playdough so it’s a very good material to work with. It strengthens their hand muscles and as they learn to roll balls and snakes, they learn how to move their hands to manipulate the clay into these shapes. Super cool! We loved making the beads in our sukkah then stringing them the following day to create this colorful, kid-made mobile ❤️ #sukkah #sukkot #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #activitiesforkids #kidcrafts #craftsforkids #polymerclay
Sukkot is just like a cozy hug and I love it ❤️ Today we snuggled and read our favorite Sukkot books in the sukkah and the preschooler enjoyed an easy peasy Sukkot sensory bin. Learning, joy and sukkah hugs ❤️ #sukkot #sukkah #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishkidsbooks #jewishpreschool #sensoryplay #sensorybin #sensoryplayideas #pjlibrary @pjlibrary @kar_benpublishing
I’ve been thinking about living our values latel I’ve been thinking about living our values lately. And Sukkot is such a perfect opportunity for that. Connection to nature, reflection upon our and our world’s fragility, remembering ancestors and wished-for guests, quality time with family and friends. Today I added a little tikkun olam and worked on my Postcards to Voters. All of it taking place while sheltered by something beautiful and meaningful. Amen to that and to continuing to embrace these values every day ❤️ #vote #getoutthevote #postcardstovoters #sukkot #jewishfamily
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach ❤️ May the can Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach ❤️ May the canopy of peace, love and many blessings surround you this Shabbat and Sukkot ❤️ So very thankful for the beautiful and thoughtful Sukkot Shabbat guide from @onetableshabbat and the lovely Shabbat Sukkot picture from @jewishtogether ❤️ #shabbat #shabbatshalom #sukkot #jewishfamily #jewishkids #familytime
Looking for a simple, fun and always-a-winner afte Looking for a simple, fun and always-a-winner after school Sukkot activity? You probably don’t have to guess too hard— building an edible sukkah is one of my kids’ favorite Sukkot activities and it’s actually a pretty neat (and totally delicious!) way to discuss Sukkot and the rules around the sukkah (very simply, 3 walls, roof made from natural materials, and decorations!) ❤️ Even better: combine this treat with some simple Sukkot learning with our brand new Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret + Simchat Torah Activities Packet for Early Learners!! Over 100 pages with a lot of different activities that help your child learn and explore these holidays while practicing other developmentally appropriate skills. My kids are huge fans and I hope yours will be too! You can purchase the Activities Packet on our website and on Teachers Pay Teachers, links in bio ❤️ Not a fan of dumping a week’s worth of sugar into your kids in one Sukkot treat? We’ve made healthy versions too—think crackers, carrots, celery and hummus, cherry tomatoes for decorations. Also delicious!! #sukkot #jewish #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #earlylearning #earlylearners #activitiesforkids #preschoolactivities #sukkah #kidfun #teacherspayteachers #tpt
Chag Sukkot Sameach! We decided to make our sukkah Chag Sukkot Sameach! We decided to make our sukkah larger this year so it will be easier to entertain inside the sukkah. And now it looks like the sukkah swallowed our new deck 😂 But how lovely it is to have such a large, wonderful sukkah, filled with kid-made decorations, beautiful lights, yummy food and FAMILY, in which to celebrate Sukkot ❤️ If you don’t have the time, space or means to create a sukkah outside, try making one inside—sheets and couch cushions for a sukkah fort, lego sukkah building as a family, there are so many options to spend time dwelling together as a family ❤️ May your Sukkot be filled with many blessings and love ❤️ #sukkot #jewish #jewishtradition #jewishholidays #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpride #jewishpreschool #sukkah #familytime
You know I love me a good handprint craft! Introdu You know I love me a good handprint craft! Introducing some sweet handprint leaves or trees, we couldn’t quite decide, but laminate and add them to a stick to create a lovely Sukkot decoration or do just because for a fun fall craft! Can’t wait to hang these happy little handprints in our sukkah (fingers crossed the sukkah actually gets finished tomorrow because all that made it up today was the frame 🤦‍♀️) ❤️ #sukkot #fallcrafts #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #preschoolactivities #craftsforkids
Oh my friends, it brought me so much joy to set up Oh my friends, it brought me so much joy to set up our Sukkot 2024 Shelfie + Starter Activities! It’s been a tough week for my family and we have some big-to-us decisions we need to make but you know what helps us remember the truly important parts of Jewish life?: fun and meaningful hands-on Jewish activities that bring my kids joy and I can see the Jewish pride light up their faces! Let’s fill 2024/5785 with so so so much joy like this! Full details for all these activities, and a bunch of free printables, available on our website, link in bio! Chag Sukkot Sameach (almost!)!! Sukkot starts THIS Wednesday night! And now to put up our sukkah … wish us luck, we are enlarging it this year! #sukkot #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #jewishjoy #jewishpride #beingjewish #raisingjewishkids #preschoolactivities #freeprintable #handsonlearning #learningthroughplay #jewish
This week I have been craving meditative creative This week I have been craving meditative creative activities with my children, where we can calmly work together as we talk and create. Today we made this 3D shofar art and I absolutely love it. I wanted to make some kind of decoration that will remind us of the shofar and inspire us to feel that call and to wake up. We brought out a simple shofar book and talked about the different kinds of shofrot (years ago we did a shofar exploratory activity where the kids looked closely at our shofar with a magnifying glass, described the shofar and drew their own. Loved this activity, you can find it in our highlights!). Then I invited them to create their own out of foil. They scrunched and bent and sweet shofrot art was made. I glued the shofrot to our wooden canvas with a hot glue gun. Then the kids rolled out air dry clay, which we used to cover the foil. The final touch: jewels! This activity let my children practice wonderful fine motor skills and receive sensory feedback. It allowed us to review and talk about the shofar, what it looks like and its purpose. And it resulted in a beautiful and special kid-made piece of art that I look forward to propping near our kitchen table for break fast and for the High Holidays in the years to come ❤️ G’mar Chatimah Tova ❤️ May you be sealed in the Book of Life and may 5785 bring sweetness, joy, peace and so much love to all ❤️ #highholidays #highholydays #jewish #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #jewishpride #shofar
We haven’t yet tried to take our younger two to We haven’t yet tried to take our younger two to Yom Kippur afternoon services so they have not yet heard the story of Jonah and the Whale as it’s traditionally read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur in our synagogue sanctuary. Each year we’ve explored the story at home so that they have an understanding of this tradition and a familiarity with the story. This year I pulled out our Book of Jonah 3 Part Cards, some of our favorite Jonah books, this sweet Jonah coloring page made by the fabulous @jewishtogether , and this amazing blue fluffy slime with a whale and peg doll invitation as a multi-activity set up to continue our exploration of the story, and of course to have some mega (sensory 🙌) meaningful fun ❤️ Many thanks to @lovelyindeed for the awesome fluffy slime recipe—it’s made with glue, borax, shaving cream and blue food coloring. Definitely give it a try! #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #jewishholidays #yomkippur #biblestories #bookofjonah #preschoolactivities #sensoryplay #sensoryplayideas #sensoryplaytime #sensoryplaytolearn
Over the next couple days we are diving deeper int Over the next couple days we are diving deeper into exploring and reviewing Yom Kippur in preparation for the holiday starting Friday evening. Today I gathered a few white items and set them up on a tray, inviting my kiddos to create all-white multi-media collages as we discussed the symbolism of white and Yom Kippur. It was a very calming, creative, and even meditative craft that worked really well with our discussion, especially after the continued emotional depths from yesterday (and the last 366 days!). I’m continuing to feel very raw today, after a day spent yesterday where I found myself crying on and off throughout the day and feeling just very … broken. Sending healing love to everyone hurting right now, continued prayers for the return of the hostages, and encouragement for deep thinking and reflection as we continue in the Days of Awe and prepare for Yom Kippur ❤️ #yomkippur #jewishholidays #jewishfamily #jewishkids #jewishchildren #jewishpreschool #preschoolactivities #preschoolart
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