I feel lucky to live close to a synagogue, because I like the "special" on Rosh Hashanah. I like to hear the blasts of the Shofar. I like to see the Torah scrolls dressed in white. But I know that not everyone has this privilege. Regardless of whether you "Temple" or not, I believe that there are many, many ways to celebrate the Jewish New Year with joy. Food for the new year If you assume that three core concepts for Rosh Hashanah with young children are “round,” “sweet,” and “new,” come up with menus that emphasize those ideas. Think cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, little round … [Read more...]
How to Have a Fun Rosh Hashanah Dinner
If synagogue services are part of your Rosh Hashanah experience, you will have plenty of visual and auditory drama. The sound of the Shofar blast. The Torah scrolls dressed in white. The pews filled to capacity. New this year! Downloadable Rosh Hashanah Bingo Game - great fun for 2-year-olds to grandparents! You can also make your Rosh Hashanah dinner at home full of spectacle - and fun. Shofar blowing For the past several years, we have been using Bugles as pretend shofars (shofrot). Each year, our daughter gives us all a quick refresher on each type of shofar blast, then calls out for … [Read more...]
The Treasure – #JewishBookFun4Kids – #5
"The Treasure" is itself a treasure - and a brilliant look at gratitude. Uri Shulevitz is a favorite author of mine. Short on copy. Long on meaning. Enhanced with magnificent illustrations. In true Shulevitz fashion, “The Treasure” starts simply, on a blank page, with just these words: “There once was a man and his name was Isaac.” Isaac was a poor man who was often hungry. In a dream, a voice told him to look for a treasure under a bridge in the big city. He walked and walked to get there, only to meet a guard who laughed at him and told him to go home, because he would just as likely … [Read more...]
Harold and the Purple Crayon – #JewishBookFun4Kids #3
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson holds a special place in my heart, because I used to read it to our daughter. And, I have a confession to make. One night, while I was reading it to Sarah for maybe the 10th time, I had an “aha” moment that stopped me. Cold. I realized what an absolutely amazing story this is. Yet, like many of you (I’m guessing), I was double-tasking in my head. While I was reading words and turning pages, I was also making mental lists of lunches to assemble, forms to fill out, laundry to fold. In the process, I had missed the nuance and the wonder. Never … [Read more...]
Miss Rumphius – #JewishBookFun4Kids #1
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney has a magical cadence that, just maybe, inspired our daughter to travel widely and to plant flowers – including lupines. The story begins, “The Lupine Lady lives in a small house overlooking the sea. In between the rocks around her house grow blue and purple and rose-colored flowers.” As a little girl, Alice lived by the sea, where she watched sailing ships. In fact, her grandfather had come to America on one of these ships. He was an artist, making figureheads for the prows of ships and painting pictures. Sometimes, Alice helped him paint in the … [Read more...]