In last week's post, we talked about our #1 way of engaging kids in the Seder with the Passover Seder Steps Follow-Along. This week, we promised to share another enhancement we have added to our Seder to keep things lively - and to teach the story of the Exodus. #2 - Exodus Reenactment Aside from using the Passover Seder game at the table, we were looking for a way for everyone to get up from the table. We wanted people to be able to move, physically, from place to place. So we set up a reenactment of the exodus from Egypt. To build Pharoah into the story without being too scary, we … [Read more...]
Easier Passover Seder - Best Parts For You
Only a few weeks until the Passover Seder and you're not sure where or how to start? Download our free e-book “Celebrate Passover: How to Plan a Fun, Simple Seder” and let it guide you. For Newbies If you’ve never hosted a Seder before, start at the beginning, including the Introduction. Here we talk about how to find an alternative if you don’t have some of the “traditional” elements of a Seder table, like a Seder plate or an Afikomen cover. Something in your house will work - no worries. Part I also reviews: 3 Core Concepts of Celebrating Passover with Young Children FAQs – … [Read more...]
Passover FAQs - The Basics & Beyond
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Before each holiday, I like to give myself a little refresher on the basics and find a few new tidbits that I hadn't known before. This year, I found fascinating posts from Rabbi Jason Miller and Rabbi Laura Novak Winer. Thanks to them for helping make our experiences even richer. What do “Seder,” “Passover” and “Haggadah” mean? “Seder” means order. And even though there is a huge amount of variability in how a Seder is conducted, the main elements follow a prescribed order, detailed in the Haggadah, based on 15 basic steps. “Passover” comes from the … [Read more...]
Wrestling with New vs. “Old” Hamentaschen
I’m not talking about the hamentaschen vs. latke debates. There’s no question – choose both! What concerns me is my attitude toward hamentaschen. Can I expand my narrow view? Can I be truly open to new recipes? Since I generally only eat hamentaschen once a year, why would I want to deviate from my favorite (mohn – poppyseed) for myself and hubby or more kid-friendly versions (e.g., jelly-filled, chocolate-filled, Nutella-filled) for our little ones? I admit. I am incredibly drawn to some of the newer options. Like these mint chocolate hamentaschen, drizzled with chocolate … [Read more...]
Two Easy Ideas to Engage Your Kids at the Seder
I lead our family Seder – and I am under “strict” orders to keep it short. One way we do this is by creating mini-Seder plates for everyone. Power of the mini-Seder plate To engage the kids and to make it a great learning-by-doing opportunity, we (adults) get the components together first. Then we invite all the kids in the house to build an individual mini-Seder plate for everyone who will be with us for dinner. We use small paper plates (easy to toss before dinner) which are also simple to cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the fridge – so this doesn't have to be done … [Read more...]
