Shavuot Theme Round-up

S is especially proud to see his artwork
displayed as we count down the last
days before Shavuot begins!

It's a big holiday week ahead with Memorial Day tomorrow and Shavuot beginning Tuesday night. We will be enjoying some quality family time together before beginning our summer "Story Stretchers Mommy & Me Camp." But before we power down and fire up the grill, here's a little Shavuot theme round-up with some of our favorite activities.


Before you imagine I somehow have a clone who spends a lot of time playing while I am baking and cooking in the kitchen, you should know that many of my activities in preparation for holidays and Shabbat are ones that help me prepare for holidays and Shabbat!



Like baking challah...

From the time he was old enough to sit in a high chair with a blob of dough, S has loved helping to bake challah. Now he also enjoys climbing his step stool in the kitchen and pouring ingredients into our mixer. He likes to shape his own and, um, hinder help me to shape the rest! He loves to sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds and raw sugar. I used to stress myself out trying to fit in all the cooking/baking while he was asleep so we could play when he was awake. Now I see how special he feels to be a part of the preparations for holidays and special occasions--and with two at home on varied nap schedules, it's a lot less stressful to see cooking and cleaning and setting the table together for Shabbat or a holiday as part of our time together--not something that needs to be done so we can have time together!

Y has continued to LOVE the Tiny Seed Sensory bottle S made for him. The sound of the beans and the colorful flowers always make him smile and coo, and S feels especially proud that he made a toy for his brother.

This invitation to create a flower collage was a real winner. Although it's a repeat activity from a year ago, it occupied S's attention for quite some time and process art is always a great way to encourage independent play (so you can be setting the table or folding Mount Laundry in the background). He put a lot of effort and concentration into arranging parts of the flower to resemble a stem and petals. Another benefit to doing repeat activities and projects is our opportunity as parents and/or teachers to see how children have grown and progressed!

Playdough is always a winner of an activity here. I could offer it every day and it still would not get old! S really liked this year's invitation to create and decorate a playdough Har Sinai. Especially the rocks!

Sweet dairy treats like ice cream are a big part of the holiday of Shavuot. We made our own "ice cream" puffy paint for some colorfully delicious looking artwork!

 To make your own Ice Cream Puffy Paint you will need:

• shaving cream
• white school glue
• food coloring
• sprinkles (optional)
• construction paper for background (color of your choice) and ice cream cone (brown)
• scissors, glue stick, markers for details, plastic cup and craft stick for mixing/spreading, baby wipes for hands

1. Cut/prepare your ice cream cone and glue it to the background paper. I cut and drew the details on the cone first, but S used the glue stick to glue it on to the background paper of his choice.
2. Mix your paint! Combine equal parts shaving cream and school glue--you can't really go wrong here from my experience. S loved mixing it with the craft stick and adding food coloring in his choice of color (he picked a light blue). Note that even mixed into paint recipes, sometimes certain shades of food coloring or liquid watercolor can stain hands.
3. Paint and play! If your little artist is sensory averse to sticky textures (like mine is) he/she may prefer to use the mixing stick to apply the paint. S loved drizzling the paint over the paper and spreading it. He loves a lot of messy play, but dislikes sticky textures. I provide wipes or a wet washcloth alongside messy play activities in case children wish to wipe or wash their hands intermittently. Allowing for children to wipe/wash during a project (instead of the ol' wait till you're all done method we're all used to) often is the difference between a child trying and even enjoying a sensory experience versus avoiding them altogether.
4. Sprinkles! So you may want to have some separate sprinkles for nibbling if you have a sprinkle lover like I do! And this is definitely an optional material. You could also use glitter or sequins if you prefer not to use food for art/sensory play (are sprinkles technically food??). S loved using the spice bottle to sprinkle on these colorful little balls of sugar. As noted in the photo above, he also enjoyed a small bit in his hand to eat afterward.
5. Allow time to dry. Particularly in hotter/humid weather, this paint does take time to dry completely. It will be smooth and hard to the touch (an awesome sensory experience in and of itself) once it's dry and can be hung to admire.

 Hearing and learning about the aseret hadibrot (Ten Commandments) is a big part of Shavuot for children. There are so many great craft projects that can be done about this and creative ways to teach about it. If you have not already, check out this great free printable Shavuot activity pack from A Jewish Homeschool Blog. I've used this fellow mommy and blogger's free printable activity packs in a variety of ways. They can be printed and used as is or laminated/slipped into a plastic sheet protector for repeated use with dry erase markers. I've cut and laminated picture and vocabulary cards, puzzles and games for holidays. This time, I used her wonderfully designed page on the aseret hadibrot to incorporate into a craft I designed using a simple black and white image of a Torah I printed off. I presented S with a mini scroll I made by cutting/combining the Ten Commandments from the free printable pack. I affixed each side of the scroll with a paperclip and taped the center. S loved unrolling both sides as we read the aseret hadibrot together. I particularly liked the language that was used in this printable to teach the Ten Commandments to young children. I asked S if he could think of something he has ten of and gave a few clues before he found his 10 fingers! Since we all have a hand in receiving and keeping the Torah, S got to stick both of his hands into washable ink and decorate his Torah. You could encourage your little ones to create distinct hand-prints or allow for creative license. I did a bit of both! After he was done, S and I taped his little aseret hadibrot scroll to the center and hung his finished work. This craft is fun because of its interactive nature. Hung at child level, your little one can return to it to unroll the Ten Commandments and "read" the Torah. You can even remove the paperclips for easier access.

Well, that's a round-up of our Shavuot Theme for this year. Memorial Day weekend also means the opening of pools and sprinkler parks around here and in many other locations. If you're headed outside for some water-play fun, I encourage you to check out these old posts for some ideas for water-play with babies, toddlers and older children! Have a great long weekend, a fabulous week ahead and, as always...

Happy Playing