Gimmel is for Glitter!

We started working on the letter Gimmel. So for, our favorite letter. We got the glitter everywhere...in our hair, clothes, table top and of course, some on the letter Gimmel. We first placed some glue on the letter and then added the glitter from  a distance. We gently tapped the back of the paper to make sure that all the glitter stays on the letter. Once dried, we were able to "touch" the letter Gimmel and make the sound. To work on the rest of the letters, read more about "My Aleph Bais Touch!" by following this link.

And the winner to the Tu B'Shevat Giveaway is...

         *****  ELY DINAH  *****

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

torahtoy@gmail.com

I would love to get out the Morah Music CD volume 5 right away! I'm sure your little ones would absolutely love it...

Have a great week!

Purim Play Dough Mats

Little ones enjoy playing with many different games, but play dough can keep them busy for hours. I usually use play dough as a reward system. If I see good behavior, then I can bring down the play dough from the top shelf. Now, that Purim is on its way, I was looking for an interactive activity that the kids can do with play dough and still review many different highlights of the holiday. I came across this website Making Learning Fun and love the "Wishy Washy Play Dough Mats" activity.

Click here to download this Mat

The Purim Play dough Mats are to go along with the Purim Cookie Cutters. You can follow this link directly to the Torah Toy's website where you can find out more details. The Purim Cookie Cutters are great to have at home, not only to make holiday cookies, but also to do different activities with your children. They are colorful, plastic cookie cutters and come in a set of five (Meguillah, Hamentashen, Gragger, Mask and Crown).

Purim Cookie Cutters

To do this activity with your child, you first need to download the mats. Every sheet must be downloaded separately. You can locate the files right beneath each picture. Then, you should laminate the sheets so you can use it over, and over and OVER! I’m telling you… you will be very glad that you've printed them out.

Using the cookie cutters and play dough, help your child complete each scene.

Meguillah

It’s time to read the Meguillah! Have your child make a Meguilah and place it on the Bima for reading.

Click here to download this Mat

Hamentashen

Hmmmm… Someone ate all the Hamenstashen. Can you make some more and place them on the plate?

Click here to download this Mat

Gragger

 The children are at Shul listening to the Meguillah reading. Can you make the graggers?

Click here to download this Mat

Mask

The children are getting ready for Purim. Can you help them dress up? 

Click here to download this Mat

Crown 

 Queen Vashti and Esther are missing their crowns. Can you place the crowns on their head?

Click here to download this Mat

For older children that have already learn the Hebrew letters, they can form each letter with play-dough. It's a great activity to develop fine motor skills as well as to learn Purim sight words.

You can go ahead an relax now... You will not be hearing from the kids for a long time!

Wishing you all

A Happy Purim

Always keep the cookie cutters and mat together in a large zip lock bag. 

Veis is for Velcro

For letter Veis, we placed Velcro on it. It is really easy! Just peel off the back of the velcro and stick it on the letter. Then, have the child touch the letter Veis to make the sound. To work on the rest of the letters, read more about "My Aleph Bais Touch!" by following this link.

Have fun!

Tu B'Shevat Giveaway!!

So many of Torah Toy's friends enjoy very much Morah Music and Movement. You can see for yourself her great selection by just clicking right here! It's not only about Jewish music for kids, but also a great way to keep the kids moving.

My daughter loves the "Shakers" song found in volume 2. Whenever the song comes up, she runs and get the shakers out of the instrument box. Not to mention that my daughter also brings one shaker for me to shake with her! And now, she is really excited with the NEW music CD!

Morah Music Vol. 5

Morah Music just came out with her latest Music and Movement CD "With A Birthday Surprise!" Torah Toy is excited to give one away ---- to one of the many followers of Torah Toy! There is really not much needed to be done to participate!

Just drop a little note right here! Torah Toy loves to hear from you.

Giveaway Rules:

- The Giveaway will be closed on Tu B'Shevat. Since it comes out on Shabbos this year, we'll extend it until Motzaei Shabbos.

-  The winner will be announce on Sunday, January 27th, 2013

- Participants must be from the contiguous United States

- Winner has 30 days to claim the Giveaway

Wishing you lots of luck,

My Aleph Bais Touch!

Click here to download the PDF file!

This is a great way to teach the Aleph-Bais sounds. Many children learn the Aleph-Bais (the typical way) with a Hebrew picture beside it, such as Bais is for Bubbah, Gimmel is for Glidah… and so on. But, I always find that this system does not work for all children.

For instance, when I was working with Tehilla, one of my students, I would point at letter Dalet with a Deles next to it, not only did she not remember the sound, but did not know how to say door in Hebrew. So we started making “My Aleph –Bais Touch” book I was amazed how fast Tehilla started picking up the sounds. Not only that, but she looked forward in learning a new sounds.

“My Aleph-Bais Touch” consists of the Hebrew letters with a tactile material glued to it. Since Aleph is silent, we left it blank. We then moved to Bais, Tehilla glued colorful buttons all over it. Once dried, she placed her hand over the buttons while whispering “buttons.” After a few seconds, she looked at me and made the Bais sound. Slowly we continued moving on to different sounds.

Why was the “My Aleph-Bais Touch” a success with Tehilla? Well, some children learn through touch. This sensory activity was a wonderful way for her to learn and retain the sounds she has already learned. Also, Tehilla was able to associate the letter to something that was familiar to her or/and English words in her vocabulary.

Every week we’ll be working on a different letter. You can print out the cover and the Aleph Bais letters by following this link. The best way to make “My Aleph- Bais Touch” is to print out the letters on hard paper, hole punch and place them in a loose-leaf. Keep the glue around and maybe some tape to paste the materials on the letters. “My Aleph-Bais Touch” will look fantastic when completed!

Get yourself ready by printing out your letters and gathering the material needed. You are about to take an Aleph- Bais adventure… Touch!

Veis is for Velcro

Follow this link to read more about it!

Gimmel is for Glitter

Follow this link to read more about it!



Daled is for Dollars

Follow this link to read more about it!

Hey is for Honey Nut Cheerios

Follow this link to read more about it!

Get Baking Hamentashen...It's Educational!

Guest bloggers: Liana Schonbach, Menucha Langsam and Esti Hoffman

                                                            

                                  



          Purim is an exciting time of year for adults and children alike.  Families are busy creating costumes, preparing shalach manos, and arranging all the other myriad details that go into making this Yom Tov special.  What a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your children in an enjoyable and educational way.  This blog will discuss the educational advantages of working together with your child in the kitchen.

        Baking and cooking are two activities that utilize and reinforce various life skills such as following directions, sequencing, and using measurements for real-life application.  In order to be successful in the kitchen, your child must be accustomed to breaking down complex directions into small steps, and being sure to follow those steps in a precise order.  In addition, he/she will need to incorporate his/her math skills to measure out the proper amount of each ingredient.

        Baking is also a multi-sensory experience, as it requires auditory, visual, and tactile processing.  Your child must listen to directions, follow the recipe cards, and use his/her hands to create a culinary creation.

       How can a parent maximize the aforementioned skills through baking hamantashen for Purim ?  Below you will find detailed instructions. Enjoy and Purim Sameach!

1.  The first step in setting your child up to succeed in the kitchen is to encourage him/her to write down the recipe they will be following on an index card or a sheet of paper.  Using a large piece of poster paper is lots of fun, and will make the directions even clearer.  Encourage your child to write neatly along the margins, and to number the steps clearly.  This is a good time to explain any vocabulary words that your child is not familiar with.  It’s also prudent to point out any abbreviations that are included in the measurements

(i.e. T = Tbs. = Tablespoon.)  The recipe should be hung up in an easily visible spot, so your child can refer to it as needed.

Click here to print the Hamentashen Recipe

2.  Next, have your child read through the list of ingredients, and collect them.  Then, they should collect any measuring tools needed.  If necessary, show your child how to read and use the tools.

3.  As your child begins to bake,   it’s important to maintain a healthy balance of giving your child the confidence to work through the process independently, while at the same time subtly redirecting as needed.

4.  Print the Hamentashen recipe and a checklist of activities that your child can fill out as he/she bakes.  This is a generic checklist that can be also be used for future adventures in the kitchen!

Don’t forget that one of the biggest benefits to your child is spending quality time with you.  Enjoy!

               

Tu B'Shevat Basket

I love Tu B’Shevat! First of all, because it’s the birthday of the trees! We get to learn so much about flowers, trees and fruits… Not to mention all the projects we make and we even get to eat dry fruit! Second of all, it’s my parents’ engagement anniversary. It’s a date that we cannot miss and never forgotten by anyone of my siblings. Not like mine, which I’m still trying to figure out which day of Pesach Chol Hamoed did it occur.  I guess I’ll figure it out some day.

This year, for Tu B’Shevat, we did this adorable basket. It is easy to make and we use materials that we already have stored in the closet. We first talked about the Shivat HaMinim, where they grow and why are they so special. My daughter was excited to hear that these seven special foods are found in Israel. The Shivat HaMinim consist of the following: wheat, barley, grapes, fig, pomegranate, olive and date. We then moved on making the Tu B’Shevat basket.

All you need:

The Shivat HaMinim Print out

Brown Crayons

2 Paper Plates

Scissors

Stapler 

Click here to download the Shivat HaMinim Worksheet

We first colored two paper plates brown making sure we covered all the surface area. We then cut out the Shivat HaMinim fruit. I helped my daughter with the scissors, showing her how to hold it properly. I turned the plates into a basket, by folding one of the paper plates in half and stapled down the round side. Make sure to leave open the top. I then took the second paper plate and cut the handle out of the ruff surface and stapled it to the top of the basket. We discarded the rest of the paper plate.

We placed all the Shivat HaMinim inside the basket. It looked really cute when we hung it up in the fridge!

All the best,