A Shabbath Hagadol handmade pillow.

The Shabbat which precedes Passover is called Shabbat haGadol, the Great Sabbath, for many and varied reasons, as we shall explain below.
There are also many special customs associated with this Shabbat. It was in Egypt that Israel celebrated the very first Shabbat Ha-Gadol on the tenth of Nissan, five days before their redemption. On that day, the Children of Israel were given their first commandment which applied only to that Shabbat, but not to future generations: On the tenth day of this month [Nissan]... each man should take a lamb for the household, a lamb for each home.
This mitzvah of preparing a lamb for the Passover offering four days before it was to be brought, applied only to that first Passover in Egypt, and the Torah does not tell us that we must continue to do so before every future Passover. Nevertheless, the people continued to do this to make sure that their lambs had no blemishes which would preclude their being sacrificed.

The cute little lamb pillow

This tender pillow is made with very soft and warm tissue and wool felt. The size is around 40cm x 35cm. Every pillow is made personally with carefullness is unique. Don't hesitate to ask me any information!

Shemirath Shabbath - A Guide to the Practical Observance of Shabbath

 

 

Purim fun house

The fun house of Purim decorations

1. mini paper mishloach manot
2. Purim paper theatre with characters
3. cardboard King's horse and glitter cup for royal seudah
4. masks
5. Haman's ten sons bowling game
6. handmade felt decorated meghillat 

Childen DIY gragger

A gragger, sometimes pronounced grogger, is a special Purim noise maker which is comprised of a handle and a revolving part that makes noise as it is revolved. Normally, making noise in the synagogue is forbidden during services, but on Purim even the adults join the children to make noise during certain parts in the reading of the Megilah. Each time the mention of the evil enemy of the Jews, Haman, is mentioned during the reading of the Megilah, the custom is to make noise and the gragger is the traditional Purim noise maker.

Gragger Wood Flip Drum

Purim arts and craft materials and projects for kids. Our gragger craft project is easy for children to decorate and paint.

Jewish Holidays: Books for Kids (Holidays & Celebrations)

Cardboard Ahasuerus horse

Sleep eluded the king that night, so he asked his servants to read for him from the Royal Chronicles. They complied with the king's orders. They read from the Chronicles how Mordechai saved the king's life when two of his chamberlains hatched a plot to kill him.
"Was he rewarded for this fine act?" Ahasuerus asked. "No he was not," the servants responded.
At that moment Haman entered the king's courtyard. His purpose? To ask the king's permission to hang Mordechai! Before Haman could utter a word, Ahasuerus addressed him: "My Haman, in your estimation, what shall be done to a person whom the king wishes to honor?"
Haman, who was certain that the king wished to honor him, responded: "Bring royal garment and a royal horse. And let one of the king's nobles dress the man and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'So is done for the man whom the king wishes to honor!'"
"Great idea," Ahasuerus responded. "Now go get the garments and the horse and do so for Mordechai the Jew!"
Haman had no choice but to comply. On the next day he went and honored Mordechai as the king had ordered, and then immediately rushed to join the king and Esther for...

Cardboard horse for Mordechai

SUPPLY LIST:
Cardboard (an old box or two)
Dala horse template (I blew this up 125%) 
Scissors or an Exacto knife
Cutting mat (if you are using the Exacto knife)
Washi tape - blue, pink, gold.
Download the template and cut out the horses. Using an exact knife and cutting mat makes it so much easier if you are doing many. But if are doing just a few you could get away with using a good pair of scissors. Decorate it with washi tape.

The Purim Superhero

DIY clothespin Menorah

With Hanukkah I thought a menorah made from clothespins would be a really neat idea. So, I  grabbed a handful of clothespins I had left  and set out to make one.

What you need to make a clothespin Hanukkah Menorah craft for kids:
Scrap cardboard (I used approximately 9 inches)
Hannukah gift wrapping paper
Wooden clothespins
Red felt
Scissors
Modge podge
Glue gun

The Kids Hannukah mini Kit

Jewish holidays in a box.
Play more. Learn more. Have more Hanukkah fun. Then, when Hanukkah is over, tuck everything back into the box and you’re ready for next year.
Complete Hanukkah handmade mini Set! Menorah -Candles - Dreidels - Game rules - Hanukkah wood Star of David.

Sand art

The Navajo Natives still paint with sand.They make fine designs, they do it by hand.
As well as an art piece, the sand is a way, to keep all the old evil spirits at bay.
Using sand from the beach and some paint and some spoons, you can make sand art as bright as the moon. 

You'll need: empty jars or plastic yogurt containers. Powdered tempera paints in a variety of colors. Sand (from the beach or playground)
Paper, pencils, glue and popsicle sticks. Plastic spoons and a plastic or styrofoam tray
raw out a picture on your paper and remember to keep it simple...

Tu B'Av little heart

Tu B’Av, the 15th Day of Av, is both an ancient and modern holiday. Originally a post-biblical day of joy, it served as a matchmaking day for unmarried women in the second Temple period (before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.). Tu B’Av was almost unnoticed in the Jewish calendar for many centuries but it has been rejuvenated in recent decades, especially in the modern state of Israel. In its modern incarnation it is gradually becoming a Hebrew-Jewish Day of Love.
There is no way to know exactly how early Tu B’Av began. The first mention of this date is in the Mishnah (compiled and edited in the end of the second century), where Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is quoted saying, “There were no better (i.e. happier) days for the people of Israel than the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, since on these days the daughters of Israel/Jerusalem go out dressed in white and dance in the vineyards. What were they saying: Young man, consider whom you choose (to be your wife)?”(Ta’anit, Chapter 4).

A felt heart completely handmade by my daughter with her first homemade sewing kit as a gift for the family at Tu B'Av

Pesach cootie catcher

Using the blank cootie catcher template and adapting it to teach children about Pesach.

download the template HERE

 

Prepare your paper. To make a cootie catcher, you must use a piece of paper that is in the shape of a square. If you have a rectangular piece of paper, you can fold it into a square and cut off the excess. To do this, fold one corner of the paper diagonally across until the edges line up. There should be a long rectangular piece of unfolded paper left on the bottom, which should be removed by cutting or tearing.

Fold your paper lengthwise. With your paper now in the shape of a square, fold it in half so that the edges line up and you’re left with a rectangular shape. Crease the edge so that the fold is defined and secure. Then, unfold the paper back into the shape of a square.

Fold your paper widthwise. When your paper has been unfolded back into its original square shape, fold it in half again but this time in the opposite direction of the previous fold. Crease the fold to keep it in place, and then unfold the square again. The square should have a large ‘X’ going through the center of it now.

Gragger and Meghillat case

Purim is just around the corner, and my children wanted a gragger and meghillat case project to do all by themselves... and they did it!!

While the one my kids did is a simple revisited noisemaker let's spend Jìjust few words about the "dragger".
A ratchet, also called a noisemaker (or, when used in Judaism, a gragger or grogger (etymologically from Yiddish: גראַגער‎) or ra'ashan (Hebrew: רעשן‎)), is an orchestral musical instrument played by percussionists. Operating on the principle of the ratchet device, a gearwheel and a stiff board is mounted on a handle, which rotates freely.
The player holds the handle and swings the whole mechanism around. The momentum makes the board click against the gearwheel, producing a clicking and rattling noise. A popular design consists of a thick wooden cog wheel attached to a handle and two wooden flanges that alternately hit the teeth of the cog when the handle turns. Alternatively, smaller ratchets are sometimes held still or mounted and the handle turned rapidly by the player. The mounted ratchets allow for greater control of the duration and timing of the sound. This allows the ratchet to be used like a snare drum, placing sustained rolls in precise durations of time. Dynamics are controlled by the rate at which the ratchet is rotated.

Hosting Kef Date-Fun Hebrew Learning for Kids

Welcome to KEF DATE!! (Episode 1)

Hosting Gili and Romy's fun adventures at Kef Park. There's a mistery to solve on Kef Park! There are four boxes, one riddle and lots of fun and learning to do!
Join Romy and Gili and have a Kif Kuf Kef time with Chagei Tishrei- holidays.
Kef Date- the only animation series that teaches Hebrew, Jewish values and Israeli culture.
To watch more episodes like their FB page- www.facebook.com/YeladudesTheater
And don't forget to Suscribe!

 See Kef Date at Israeli Video Network

Hanukkah...homemade menorah 3

Homemade menorah made with used Hanukkah decorations. We had these hanging lights decorations at home that did not work anymore so I decided to used them to create a new menorah for children on a wood basis.

Hanukkah...homemade menorah 1

Toy dinosaur menorah for children. Homemade, quick , easy to do and the children... will love it!

Shabbath Shalom

Time to rest and have joy.
Stop, park, leave your car  and enjoy a family Shabbath meal...
Let's play!

Homemade geoboard

The Geoboard is a tool for exploring a variety of mathematical topics introduced in the elementary and middle grades. Learners stretch bands around pegs to form line segments and polygons 
Geoboards offer opportunities for hands-on exploration of geometric concepts, including shapes, symmetry, congruency, area, perimeter, coordinates and spatial relationships.

An homemade geoboard is quite simple ti do. Take a wooden cutting board and some nails. Paint your cutting board and plant the nails following the geometric pattern that you have drawn first on the chopping board. Put rubber bands ...and play
Try a virtual geoboard here

Revisited alarm clock - Ikea Hack

I don’t know about you, but I adore visiting Ikea.  

Some of my favourite things to look at are Ikea Hacks, which are simple ways to modify products from Ikea’s extensive range to more suit your style and taste. Since time to go back to school for children is near, I had a go at modifying one of Ikea’s cheapest products: the alarm clock for kid's room.

The Ticka clock  is a plain white alarm clock, despite its practicality it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing clock in the world, but it's the perfect candidate for some crafty improvements.

I decided to use an old book pages, I've cut some images such as flowers and birds then glued on the clock as it was a decoupage. I used Mod Podge inside the clock and on the top of it.  I am a hardcore Mod Podge fan. I have used it since I first heard of it and I have always been happy with the results I get from it, The original "Matte" finish Mod Podge, great for all types of projects and most surfaces and the alarm clock is ready

Outdoor stones art 2

 

Outdoor creations give space to every kind of creature...including dinosaurs! Here we have the reproduction of a Spinosaurus made by a 7 years old. 

Children menorah

Clothespins menorah

Menorah of clothespins made by my little girls