The Pesach Postbox

Get in the Pesach mood by sending and receiving mail from Mitzrayim!

Last year, I attended a Zoom session given by a local doctor who is known for his amazing and engaging seder. He gave so many tips and ideas and it was such a great way to get ready for our first Seder at home. I created a fake newspaper modeled after our local Jewish paper with articles about the breaking news from Mitzrayim. I hung one up on the wall overnight so they kids found it when they woke up and there were 4 issues in total.

This year, we are trying something new. The kids created and decorated a “Pesach Post” mailbox. While they were at school, I slipped in a “postcard” to them from Miriam in Mitzrayim, asking them to become pen pals. The kids loved it and wrote a letter back! I have a few more letters planned in the days leading up to Pesach. Things like this really set the stage and get everyone excited for the Seder! I hope ideas like this can inspire you to enhance your own Seder experience.

Looking for more Pesach projects?
A Splitting Paper Sea
Kriyat Yam Suf Diorama
Paper Seder Table
Seder Placecards
Chametz Hunt with Peek-a-boo Doors
Pesach Puppets

A Splitting Paper Sea

Time:
Active: 15-20 minutes

Age: 5-10

Materials:
Small cardboard box
Blue paper of any type, we used construction paper and tissue paper
Markers, crayons or colored pencils
Scissors
Tape

Processs:
Cut a slot on the side of your box. This is where you will send the mail! Next, think about how the mail will be retrieved. Our box was really large so we ended up cutting off the bottom and we just pick up the box itself to find our mail. You can use a shoebox with a lid and remove the lid to pick up your mail.

Cover the box in blue paper to make it look like a real mail box. Let the kids decorate the box however they want. We created a rounded top by cutting two half circles of cardboard and then taping construction paper between them. Remind them to check the mail to see if any letters have arrived!

For the letters, write your own personalized ones or download my letters from Miriam below. If you want to design your own letters, the font I used is called Ink Free and you can download it free here.

PDF of designed letters from MiriamDownload

Word document of the letter text so you can design your own lettersDownload

Did you do this project? Share your pictures on our facebook page!

Hamantashen Bags for Mishloach Manot

Give a friend some Hamantashen…in a Hamantash!

It’s hard to believe Purim is here again. We managed to squeeze in a pretty normal Purim last year, literally the day before everything shut down. We are still planning to celebrate this year, but our mishloach manot won’t contain any homemade items and Purim masks won’t be the only ones we are wearing. I hope these bags can help your children feel the spirit of Purim! We had a blast making them and I love how they came out. My 3 year old decorated this one while her big sisters were busy and when they saw it, they asked to make their own too!

We used glitter glue and beads to create the “filling” of our hamantashen, but you can use whatever you have. Crumpled tissue paper, pompoms, sequins, dot paint, or even just marker can all work just as well. My daughter did a minimal amount of coloring on each side, but you can decorate as much or as little as you want.

Looking for more Purim projects?
3-D Paper Hamantashen
Paper Clown Plates for Mishloach Manot

Time:
Active: 20 minutes
Drying: 15 minutes+ if using paint or glue

Age: 2-9

Materials:
2-3 sheets of cardstock, posterboard or oaktag
2-6 pieces of yarn or ribbon
Clear packing tape or duct tape
Something to use a filling – beads, crumpled tissue paper, pompoms, etc
Glue
Markers or crayons

Process:
Cut out two matching triangle shapes from cardstock. Then cut out 2 matching rectangles, each the length of the triangles. Punch two holes near the top of each triangle to thread the handle through.

Decorate the triangles to look like hamantashen. First use markers or crayons to decorate and then glue on your filling in the center.

Create your handles by tying ribbons through the holes on each triangle. You can make your handle more substantial by braiding a few strands together.

Assemble your bag. Affix a strip of clear packing tape to the backside of the length of both left and right sides of one triangle, sticky side up. Press a rectangle onto each piece of tape. Add another strip of tape to the backside of one rectangle and affix the second triangle.

Once your pieces are all connected, put one last strip of tape down the length of the triangle with a exposed side. Fold it around to meet the exposed side of the rectangle.

Fill with treats and share with a friend!

Did you do this project? Share your pictures on our facebook page!

Foil Embossed Tree for Tu B’Shvat

Grow a tree in your home with foil and markers!

I found the idea for this project method when searching the web. We used a print out of the shape of a tree that I modified from a google search. Using the Shivat HaMinim for this project would be very cool as well, if you have patience to glue all the string! We didn’t bother mounting our page to cardboard as the original idea suggested. We also used some cotton twine rather than yarn and hot glue so we didn’t have to wait for the glue to dry. I tried to find a path that would allow for a minimum amount of string cutting, which was around the full perimeter and then a few smaller pieces for the branches. We fed the string directly off the roll, rather than guess at how long of piece we would need.

Looking for more Tu B’Shavt projects?
Toilet Paper Roll Trees for Tu B’Shvat
Mixed Media Trees for Tu B’Shvat
Lift-the-Flap Fruit Bowl for Tu B’Shvat

Foil Embossed Tree for Tu B’Shvat

Time:
Active: 15-20 minutes
Drying: 15 minutes+ if using regular glue

Age: 6-10

Materials:
Tree template (download here)
Glue gun or regular glue
Yarn or twine
Heavy duty aluminum foil
Sharpies

Process:
I am handing this one off to the blog where I found the project originally. Find the directions here and my modifications above.

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Geometric Dreidel Art

Have some fun with dreidel shapes!

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I was playing around with ideas for a new Chanukah project and cut out a bunch of different sized dreidels. I was trying different arrangements on the page when I realized that there were so many different ways to combine the shapes and create unique patterns and designs. I gave the shapes to my kids who started moving pieces around and coming up with designs of their own.

A menorah made of dreidels! This one didn’t quite fit on our paper!

The fun in this project is more in the play than the final product! We used 4 large, 4 medium and 4 small dreidels and I suggest using at least this amount. More will only increase the possibilities! Use different colors or make each size it’s own color. Try using tinfoil instead of paper for a shiny effect! Placing them on a dark background will give a dramatic effect as well. Cutting the shapes out of Chanukah wrapping paper can be fun idea too. Start playing – see what you can come up with!

Looking for more Chanukah projects?
Mixed Media Menorah
Edible Menorah
Pipe Cleaners and Straws Menorah
Menorah and Dreidel Snowflakes
“Light” a Paper Menorah
Nature Menorahs
“Spinning” Paper Dreidel
Decorate a Dreidel…with a Dreidel!

Time:
Active: 15-20 minutes
Age: 3-10

Materials:
Construction paper, tinfoil or wrapping paper
Scissors
Glue

Process:
Sketch or trace images of dreidels on your chosen paper. Ours were 4″, 3″ and 2″. Use a variety of sizes. Have fun trying out different patterns before gluing down your favorite!

Did you do this project? Share your pictures on our facebook page!