A Splitting Paper Sea

Split the sea in your own home!

Why is this Pesach different than all other Pesachs? I’m sure I don’t even need to begin to tell you. With Coronavirus spreading and most of us holed up at home, for many, almost nothing will look the same. My kids are continuing to learn about Pesach with their teachers via Zoom, and we are making Hagaddot, but I think many of us are looking to expand on their learning at home and really bring the holiday to life. This will be our first time making a Seder and we are trying to make it special. (Paroh hat has been ordered!)

We always decorate a wall in our dining room with seasonal crafts, including school projects and our own additions. We made the Yam Suf this year and plan on putting pictures of our family in the center! We used a variety of colors for the waves, since my supply of blue paper is limited at this point. I translated that wall mural into a fun craft you can do on a smaller scale. I googled “splitting of the sea coloring page” and picked a version that was not too elaborate for our center scene. You can also draw your own, or print out pictures of your own family like we are planning.

I am honored to once again to have this project featured in the Pesach edition of The Jewish Link of New Jersey, in the Kid’s Link section. Pick up a copy if you are local or check it out online.

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

Time:
Active: 15-25 minutes

Age: 3-7

Materials:
2 pieces of white paper
Blue paper of any type, we used construction paper and tissue paper
Markers, crayons or colored pencils
Glue
Scissors
Clear tape (packing tape works well)

Processs:
Cover one sheet of white paper with blue waves. You can cut them out and glue them on or draw them, or a mixture of both! When gluing, I recommend starting with the wave that will be overlapped (likely higher up the page) rather than the one at the bottom so you don’t need to lift and tuck them in.

Allow a few minutes to dry and then cut the paper in half and set aside.

Using the second sheet of paper, create a scene of the Jews walking through the sea. Print a coloring page from google or create your own!

Using a strip of clear tape, attach the two halves of your waves page on top of the scene.

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

A Pomegranate Full of Mitzvot

May your new year be as full of mitzvot as a paper pomegranate!

Long before “simanim” were trendy, when I was growing up we always had a “Rosh Hashanah seder,” complete with apples and honey, pomegranates, dates, black eyed peas, spinach, leeks and of course fish heads. We recited a yehi ratzon before eating each siman, read from the small, cracking black siddur that my grandfather brought for my father from Yerushalayim when he was a young boy. We would run away to hide when the smelly fish head was brought out! When I was in collage, I designed a simanim booklet to supplement the siddur, so everyone could have the words in front of them. So to me, the simanim of Rosh Hashanah are a crucial part of my holiday.

The yehi ratzon we recited on the pomegranate is “she’yirbu zichuyot ka’rimon,” that our merits should increase and be as plentiful as the seeds in a pomegranate. We decided to illustrate this idea by creating a pomegranate full of mitzvot. My eight year old decided to draw pictures illustrating teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah, the three components that can erase a bad decree, which we work especially hard on during these days of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashanah. Of course you can use any mitzvah that appeals to you (or that you find easy to illustrate!) May we all merit a year full of mitzvot!

Looking for more Rosh Hashanah projects?
Pop-up Apple Place Cards for Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah Paper Fortune Cookies

Time:
Active: 15-20 minutes
Drying: No need to wait for the glue to dry before coloring.

Age: 5-9

Materials:
Red paper
White paper
Scissors
Glue
Something round to trace
Markers/crayons/colored pencils

Process:
Cut the shape of a large pomegranate out of the red paper. Trace three circles within the pomegranate. Cut out the circles most of the way, but leave one side attached to create a flap.

Glue a piece of white paper to the back of the pomegranate, being careful not to glue down the flaps. Trim the white paper so it can’t be seen from the front.

Inside each flap, draw a picture of a mitzvah, or print out and glue them on.

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

Peek-a-boo Yerushalayim

Yerushalayim is always in our minds…or underneath our paper!

Coming up to Tisha B’av, I wanted to come up with something the expressed the meaning of the day. Sitting in United States, we want to feel a connection to Israel. By using flaps to “uncover” the Israel beneath, we are symbolizing that beneath our everyday activities, we always have Israel in our hearts and prayers. This idea is a little abstract for small children, but flaps are always fun and I think the gist of the idea can come across.

I did this sample piece while the kids were out at camp and I have to say I got very engrossed in it! I played with different kinds of collage by sifting through the recycling bin. I found a mailer for a car dealership, and I tried cutting out a car to add to the road but while I loved the mixed media effect, it ended up not fitting well with the flap. Don’t confine yourself to plain construction paper, see what else you can add!

Looking for more Tisha B’av projects?
Rebuilding Yerushalayim (in paper)
Yerushalayim Puzzle for Tisha B’av

Time:
Active: 15-30 minutes
Drying: 15 minutes+ if using paint

Age: 3-9

Materials:
Printout of the Kotel (or draw it yourself!)
Construction paper or magazines and newspapers
Glue
Scissors

Process:
Print out or draw a picture of the Kotel. Fold in both sides of the paper to the center until they touch.

On top of the flaps, create a cityscape that reminds you of where you live. You can use construction paper shapes, or images from magazines or newspaper. Add your family in to the picture too!

Unfold the flaps to the reveal the Yerushalayim beneath.

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