Wait! Don't Trow Away Those Macaroon Tins! (Part I)

I must admit we've been eating plenty of Matzah and Macaroons the past few days. When I was younger, we had chocolate and just plain macaroons and you either like them or like them because there wasn't much else that we could eat during Pesach. Well, not anymore! My daughters have the options to chose between Rocky Road Macaroons, Chocolate Chip Macaroons, Coconut Macaroons, Almond Macaroons, Banana Split Macaroons, Mint Macaroons..... Yes, quite a lot! Not I'm left with all these empty tins that are taken over the house! We decided to get working to put them in good use and create educational activities Now, go ahead and get your macaroon tin (I'm sure is somewhere) and get working! Here is Part I of "Wait! Don't Trow Away Those Macaroon Tins!"

Mr. Tzedakah Box

I finally have a Tzedakah Box that is adorable and perfect for a toddler. We want to make sure our kids understand the concept of giving Tzedakah, but don't necessarily have to be in contact with actual money. We removed the macaroon labels from the tin and made a little face using googly eyes, a pompom for a nose and mouth out of foam sheets. We then made two arms and hair out of foam sheets.

Instead of real money, we are using apple juice bottle caps that I grabbed from the bottle caps container I have. Here is my confession. I'm a bottle cap collector. I collect all kinds of caps and keep them in a separate container. We always try to incorporate them in some activity or other. You can hop over to DIY Aleph Bet Manipulatives to get another idea how to use bottle caps. Using a permanent marker, I wrote numbers: one, five, ten and twenty-five.

On the top, I cut out a hole the exact size of the caps. My Little Ones love feeding Mr. Tzedakah Box every morning and they like to sing the Tzedakah song too!

Wishing all of you a great week!

Hey is for...Honey Nut Cheerios!

We started working on the letter Hey. We covered the entire letter with glue and then glued on the Honey Nut Cheerios one-by-one. Well, we started with more, but we lost some of them along the way… It was very tempting to eat some Honey Nut Cheerios while we did our work! We left it to dry on the side and then added another coat of thick layer of glue.

We placed our hand over the bumpy surface and were able to make the sound of letter HEY!! 

To work on the rest of the letters, read more about "My Aleph Bais Touch!" by following this link

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. 

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!

               

Menorah Choco-Lollys

              Every year, I make these adorable Menorah Choco-Lollys to give out (besides the fact that I’m a “chocoholic”). They are really easy to make and I've gotten so much positive feedback from them. One year, I made these for the rest of my co-teachers in school. Since I taught a special-Ed class in a regular school, all the teachers and school secretaries were very sensitive towards us and made sure to include us for their classroom activities or give a hand in whatever they could. To show great appreciation, I made dozens of Menorah Choco-Lollys to hand out. During recess, my students walk around the hallways holding the basket of chocolates and handed them out to the teachers and secretaries.

             So many teachers came over the following recess to thank us for the chocolates. They felt it was a special touch since the Menorah Choco-Lollys were specially made for them. They already had gotten tons of the typical chocolate coins in all sizes, silver and Gold, Parve and Dairy.

Now it’s your turn to make them. Just gather all the materials needed and get started!

Chocolate Chips

Menorah Chocolate Molds

Lollypop Stick

Chocolate Wrapping paper

Small clear plastic bags

Ribbon

Labels

Torah Toy carries the Chanukah Chocolate Mold that comes not only with the Menorah's, but can make chocolate Dreidels, Menorahs, Candles, the Star of David, Chocolate Coins, and a "Happy Chanukah" All out of chocolate in one mold!!

Roll up your sleeves, and lets get to work!

              Place water in a pot to boil. Then, place a smaller pot over it with the chocolate chips. Once the water boils, the chocolate will start to melt. Use a spoon to fill up the chocolate molds and place the lollypop sticks. Place the chocolate sheet in the freezer and wait a few minutes. After removing the chocolates from the freezer, take the chocolate wrapping paper and wrap the chocolates tightly. Place a bag over it and tight the ribbon around it.  Stick a label in the back with your own message… And, Walllaaaa! They are ready to eat! Just make sure I’m not around.

Happy Chanukah to All!

Dreidel Sorting

During Chanukah season, we got the dreidels all over the house…. Under the couch, on the counter, on the stairs, in the porch… and some where they should be -the toy closet. I promised my daughter if she would help me “find” (clean-up) all the dreidels we would do an activity together. I gave her the little basket and asked her to place them there. Well, sure enough, she gathered all the dreidels within minutes. Now, it was my turn to come up with the activity.

Way back, we received from one of our shabbos  guest a clear candy dish with several compartments. It’s been sitting on top of my fridge quite a while and figured I’d put it now in good use. I placed it on the floor 

near the dreidels and showed her how to sort the draidels.

For this activity you will need:

Dreidels

A dish with several comportments

If you can’t get access to a dish with several compartments, you can always use several cups. Assign a color for each cup and have your child place the dreidels there.This activity is wonderful because it refines so many skills such as categorization, color recognition and fine motor skills. 

Have a Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah Stick-on-Candles

This Chanukah Stick-on-Candles is tons of fun and little materials are required. I always find children love stickers and enjoy sticking them on anything (yes, even on my kitchen wall)! This activity is educational.  Students can learn the correct way to light the menorah - “lighting” the new candle first every night. The Chanukah Stick-on-Candles activity also reinforces fine motor skills.

For this Activity you will need:

The Chanukah Stick-on-Candles worksheet

Large Labels

Follow this link to download the Chanukah Stick-on-Candles worksheet

Once you printed out the worksheet, make sure you laminated it. This way, you can use the same worksheet over and over again… As many times as you need it! Then, take the large labels and cut several strips. I recommend using the silver labels - it looks nicer and it’s easier to see the candles with the white background contrast. However, if you already have white labels at home, that would work just fine.

Set aside the “Candles” silver strips next to the worksheet. Model with the first candle positioning it on the Menorah and let the child do the rest. Children love to stick on the candles and removing them. Don’t worry if they are not placing the candles in the correct place. It’s just matter of practice… till they get it right!

Have a great Chanukah!