How do we keep it interesting?  How can the seder itself not only be a ritual of the senses but also an annual pilgrimage of discovery?

For the last two years, creator of My Haggadah: Made it Myself and DIY expert, Francine Hermelin Levite and I have been designing Passover preparation experiences for families with young children. Last year we explored the relevance of our exodus narrative. We considered all forms of going from stuck (Mitzrayim, hebrew for “Egypt” means “narrow place”)  to unstuck - freedom!

This year we have put together a model seder, crafted for curious minds. Highlighting this holiday’s magic number FOUR, we’ll set four tables of curiosity.  

Table 1 – Explore feelings: make salted water, taste fresh horseradish root, visit stories like Double Dip Feelings and  Where the Wild Things Are

Table 2 – Explore brawn: mash dates to make charoset, build with date paste and matza

Table 3 – Explore chametz vs matzah: what is necessary, what is extra?

Table 4 – Explore freedom, self-love, tikkun olam: what to do with today’s freedoms?

As we build our symbolic seder plate, we will make our way from beginning to end of the seder experience, complete with live music,  creative play and of course the classic four questions.  Each step along the way, another opportunity to ask a new question.

Francine shares some of the ideas behind My Haggadah and Made It Myself Books.

“I began my project of crafting seder over a decade ago as a new parent, wanting to connect my food-allergic son to a seemingly food-centric ritual. Jewish customs thrive on food to create gateways to memory and collective story-telling. Through our work together, Shira and I have designed so many ways to actively spark questions at the table–not just because the Haggadah says to, but inspired by it. Through creating table props and multi sensory activities, we facilitate families’ abilities to unlock the essence of Passover’s themes with a night that is truly different.

In the spirit of Seder, the ultimate at-home DIY ritual, and this the Shmita year, you can now download your own copy of My Haggadah: Made it Myself. Everything is included to print just the pages you need, print the entire book double-sided and even print the actual stickers.”

PREPARING THE SEDER

The preparation itself is a wonderful way to get in touch. So while you choose the fruits, wash and divide them up, be sure to pay close attention to the feel, smell, sight, and taste of each one.

Each place setting should include a plate, fork or toothpicks for tasting, 2 wine cups, napkin, and a small flower pot or paper cup for planting. This is a great time to decorate your table with fresh flowers.

THE SEDER PLATES

Every seder will lead to a unique discussion about the symbolic explanations for these fruits. Go to town with it, there are infinite ways to look at it.

Choose five from each of the different lists:

1st Plate. Fruits with an inedible shell. The shell conceals what is inside and also protects it. These fruits remind us of our own personalities, often hardened on the outside. It also reminds us of our connection and reliance on a world enveloped by materialism.
Tangerine Grapefruit Kiwi
Walnut Pomegranate Pistachio
Coconut Peanut Almond Orange

2nd Plate. Fruits with an inedible pit or seed. Deep inside us is where we find our truest self, this is about getting in touch with and honoring the still small voice inside us.
Peach Avocado Olive
Apricot Plum Date Cherry
Mango

3rd Plate. Fruits which are edible inside and out. Is it possible to be at one with ourselves and with the world around us at the same time? Celebrate a way of living with no barriers, no holding back, and fully living an awesome life.
Grape Fig Apple Strawberry Raisin Cranberry Pear Carob

Invite your students to design their own seder plates! Delicious instillation art!

4th Plate. Instead of fruit, the 4th plate contains different seed packets for planting. We take action to make the world a better place. Think about how seeds hold the potential for new life, rebirth, hope, and change.
Herbs (Parsley is a fun choice in preparation for Passover a few months away)
Vegetables, Flowers and Be sure to have a pitcher of water nearby so that you can water your seeds after planting.

THE 4 QUESTIONS

Here are my four favorite questions that draw the connection between people and nature. Look how much we can learn about ourselves through an exploration of fruit!  Feel free to make up your own questions.

First I like to ask:  How many colors do you see around the table?  Take a long look and really count.
Then I like to ask: Can you tell what makes each of the three fruit plates special and distinct?

1.  Let’s look at the plate filled with oranges, bananas, nuts… What makes this plate special? These are fruits with a hard shell which we cannot eat and a soft inside which we can eat.  What does this hard outer shell do for the fruit? What does it mean to be hard on the outside and soft on the inside? Do you know anyone who fits this description? Do you fit this description? Do you have a hard outer shell?  Are there particular times when you have a hard outer shell or thick skin?

2.  Let’s look at the plate filled with stone fruits, dates, olives… What makes this plate special? These are fruits with a soft and delicious outside and a very, very hard pit on the inside. What does that pit do for the fruit? Might we have a pit, or something like it, inside us? What could that be? How is it both a source of life and an impenetrable inner pit? What does it mean to be soft on the outside and hard on the inside? Do you know anyone who fits this description? Do you fit this description? Are there particular times when this is the case?

3.  Let’s look at the plate filled with figs, berries, grapes…What makes this plate special? These fruits are edible both on the outside and the inside.  What does it mean to be accessible on the outside and the inside at the same time? Do you know anyone who fits this description? Do you fit this description? Maybe we are like each of these plates of fruit at different times.  Does one plate represent you more than another?
Did you know you had so much in common with fruit?

4.  The fourth plate is in our hands.  Why is it so important for us to plant seeds?  How can we people partner with the natural cycles of creation?  What other kinds of seeds do you plant every day? What are your Tu B’Shvat New Year’s resolutions?  If you cannot plant seeds at this Seder, consider doing an art project that uses hand or finger prints to illustrate this connection.

Other great questions to ask:

What are the many gifts we receive from trees every day?
Why do we have a New Year holiday just to honor trees?
What are your Tu B’Shvat New Year resolutions?
Why is the Torah called Eitz Chayim, Tree of Life?

THE 4 CUPS OF JUICE

The different colors of white and red grape juice represent the changing seasons:

1st Cup. This one is just the white grape juice. It represents winter, when nature is asleep. The earth can be snow-covered, taking a rest from blooming and blossoming.
2nd Cup. This one is white juice with a little red mixed in. It represents the spring approaching and the colors of the season changing as the snow melts and flowers begin to show themselves.
3rd Cup. This is mostly red with a little white mixed in. It reminds us of summertime, and flowers in full bloom.
4th Cup. This one is all red. It represents the rich and dark fall autumn colors Leaves are changing, crops are growing, and the trees are filled with blossoms.

THE SEDER!

Now you’ve got all of the tools, just add some friends and family who enjoy each other’s company and who like to eat and talk.

Make a blessing over the 1^st cup of juice: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam borei p’ri hagafen (Thank you to the Source of Life for creating the fruit of the vine).  Follow this up with a short discussion of the meaning behind the color of the juice and the season it represents.

Pass around the 1^st plate of fruit. Make sure everyone takes a good look, feel and smell of the fruit before making a blessing over the fruit: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam borei p’ri ha-etz (Thank you to the Rule of the Universe that creates the fruit of the tree).  Enjoy the rest of the plate of fruit along with a rich discussion of the 1^st question.

Follow this with round two and so on all the way through the fourth of everything. Instead of eating fruit for the fourth seder plate, take this opportunity to plant seeds. Why plant? Discuss.

What questions do you ask at your Tu B’Shvat Seder?

Little People Can Make a Big Difference!!
(click on the picture or link above to open this PDF)

The earth gives us many gifts, fresh air, spectacular colors, yummy tastes, and natural wonders, and it’s important that we appreciate these gifts by growing up green. There are lots of ways to grow up green.  Simply understanding where things come from makes us a little bit greener. Did you know the water that comes out of your kitchen sink probably comes from a river or lake?  Even the iPods we listen to are made from metals found deep in the earth.  Did you know that electricity comes from many places, from the coal found in mountains, from the strong sun above and even from the wind that blows through the trees? Did you flip a light switch today? Well, if you did, you received the gift of electricity from our planet. It’s up to each one of us to take care of the earth so that we can keep enjoying her gifts!

Here are ten ways a green kid can become a little bit greener: 

1. Big kids save little animals. If you save the little animals, even the littlest ants, bees and caterpillars, you can save an entire eco-system.
2. Start a collection of colors, sounds, smells and textures.  You’ll find them in the sky, in the park, on the beach, in photographs of butterflies, volcanoes, stars and in your backyard.
3. Plant an edible garden. You can plant a vegetable garden inside or outside; eating the vegetables is good for you and the garden is good for the air and the dirt.
4. Invent a magical machine to clean the air.  (Thank you!)
5. Meet your neighbors.  Your neighbors are not only down the street but all over the world!  Each one of us can play an important part in taking care of our planet.
6. Smile at flowers and say Hi!  “Hi Rose, Hi Lilly, Hi Violet, Hydrangea!”  They love to be noticed.
7. Say thank you.  We receive nature’s gifts from every corner of the earth.  What’s the best way to say thank you?
8. Decorate your recycling bins.  Make pictures and lists that explain exactly what can be recycled so that everyone knows were to put things.
9. Share.  When you get new toys, books and clothes, where do the old ones go?  Hopefully not into the ground with the rest of our trash.  You can share these things with other kids!
10.  Love your nature because nature loves you. 

The Chanukah menorah has eight branches of light plus one additional branch, called the Shamash שמש.  The Shamash candle sits apart from the others and has one very important job.

It’s job is to light the other candles.  It is the helper candle or the starter.  Without it, we would have no light in the dark winter season of Chanukah.

What can you do to #BeTheShamash ?

A few years ago, over 10,000 people participated in my #BeTheShamash campaign, pouring light into cracks and crevices up and down this world. (what’s a Shamash?) This year, let’s continue the journey together. We are collecting *sparks*: art projects, stories, images, quotes, teachings, your kind of magic to bring light into the world.

Email Shira@ShirLaLa.com with the subject line #BeTheShamash to add to the collection.  I will post them on Blog Sameach and also share them throughout Chanukah!

Once upon a time at the very, very beginning, when the seasons changed for the very, very first time,  everything in creation paid very close attention.

It was just round this time of year when Bear noticed that the Sun’s strong beam went down earlier than usual.  ”It’s a little colder today,” said Bear to Elephant.

“Yes it is,” agreed Elephant, “We should sit a little closer to each other today so that we stay warm!”

And that night Elephant sat a little closer to Bear.  They shared a hot cocoa and there was something special about its chocolatey goodness.

The next eve Elephant remarked, “Look how Sun is going down earlier and earlier!” Then, Tree pointed out that “the nights are get darker and darker” and Waterfall jumped in to say, “and longer and longer.”

“I know! Let’s light a candle tonight!” said Tiger excitedly.   Monkey agreed and she ran to get their favorite colorful candle which they lit together.

That night they sat together in warmth and a little candle light. They shared another hot cocoa and mmmm, if it wasn’t just a little more delicious when they shared it together.

The next night, Sun went down even earlier and it soon became even darker. “Let’s light two candles tonight!” suggested Chicken, and that night they huddled close with the light of two candles. And of course, hot cocoa. With extra marshmallows which were extra delicious.

The next night arrived even earlier and so they lit a third candle.  And every night following, they added one more candle to brighten up the very long and dark wintery nights.  On the eighth night, the darkest yet, they gathered for hugs and hot cocoa, marshmallows and maybe even a touch of whipped cream.  By the nightlight of their candles, they told their favorite stories. They sang their favorite songs. They played night time hide and seek until it was finally time for bed.  And they slept easily and dreamt golden dreams all through the longest night of the year.

The very next evening, Mountain couldn’t help but notice that the sun lingered just a bit before the nighttime Stars began their twinkle dance. “Perhaps tonight, we need only seven candles,” suggested Mountain. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea” agreed Cricket.  And that night they lit only seven.  The next evening, the sun dazzled in the sky for even longer and they lit only 6 candles.  As the season changed and the days grew longer once again Elephant, Tiger, Monkey, Rabbit, Chicken, Cricket and all of their friends lit fewer and fewer candles.

And to this day, every winter when the days grow short and the nights long, we shine our Night Light to illuminate the darkness.

-based on a winter solstice folk story
Adaptation by Shira Kline (c) ShirLaLa 2013

image from “NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day”

Teacher Preparation:
Vocabulary words:
“Or” light
“Choshech” dark
“Ner” Candle
“Nerot” Candles
“Ner Tamid” eternal flame/light
“Shamash” – helper

In the story of Chanukah, the Macabbees dedicate the Temple by lighting the Ner Tamid, a light that stays lit always.  That means it’s still lit today.  That is a pretty special kind of light.  What does this kind of light look like?

What if the song, “This Little Light of Mine” is about the Ner Tamid in each one of  us?  Hold your Ner Tamid over the place in your body where you feel it.

Our hands can make the shape of the Chanukiyah (special menorah used on Chanukah with 9 candle holders).  How  do we  use our hands to send light out into the world?
*vocab game: Wiggle one finger  like a candle flame and say “Ner.”  Wiggle two fingers and say “Shabbat Nerot.”  Wiggle eight fingers, overlapping the thumbs together like this picture and say “Chanukah Nerot.”  Wave all ten fingers with palms facing up and “Birthday Nerot.”  Wave your hand like a giant flame in front of your heart and say “Ner Tamid.”

What if on Chanukah we think about darkness.  Where is there darkness in the world?  Students made these Chanukiyot, dedicating each night’s candle to a different kind of darkness they feel in the world or a place where they want to send their light.  My favorite part of this is that the student takes on the role of Shamash.  

What if on Chanukah, we honor the light in the world. What does the world’s light look like? What does our light look like when we send it out into the world?

What does your personal, internal Ner Tamid  or source of light look like?

Rosh Hashana is almost here once again! Do you remember where you were, or more importantly, who you were at this time last year?

It’s our first week back to school and I have been doing Rosh Hashana 5775 Interviews with my young students (kindergarten through 7^th graders) to look back on the past year and reflect on what’s coming. I’ve found that the children’s answers have not only been fun but heartfelt and truly informative.
Introspection is all about consciousness raising. For us grown ups and even for our little ones. In fact, they inspired me to ask myself these same questions and see where they took me.  I was surprised by the power of these seven simple questions, profound for both children and adults alike.

See the seven points below that we spoke about. With the children, I introduced each point as though we were in a formal interview to up the fun.

What to do with your answers? Name them. Feel them. Think about them. Be with them. Let yourself and the universe do what you need to do to work through the needs, wants, and lacks. Make space to celebrate the lights, smiles, and the growth.

(For extra emphasis on Hebrew I use as many Hebrew words as possible, always including any words I know the students have learned. Vocabulary list can be found at the bottom.)

What questions are You asking yourself at this time of year?
Shana Tova u’M’tukah, Have a sweet and good year!

Hebrew vocab list:
Rosh – head
Shana – year
B’ivrit – in Hebrew
Sof – end
Tova – good
M’tukah – sweet

*This could turn into a Rosh Hashana birthday wish list for the world and a lovely birthday card art project.