Get Outside And...Paint & Wash The Fence!

The dust is slowly settling here as a family of 5 now and we've even started up our garden plus some great additions to our outdoor space to get everyone busy playing and learning outside this season. And while I haven't quite gotten back to new activities outside yet, here's a peek back at a great one we did a while back!

When this white fencing was put up in our shared grassy area out back, I was perplexed. It created a semi-private space in our yard and our neighbor's. It didn't completely block off our own yard or even any part of the big field. But more important than the function and aesthetics to me was what we could do with it... And the bell went off in my head over one Shabbos! While other mothers nest toward the end of pregnancy, I head to the hardware store. On this occasion, I picked up some large utility buckets, some squeegees and some big sponges from the automotive department. Meanwhile, at home I grabbed some paint trays and brushes and filled them up with washable tempera paints. I filled the bucket with soapy water (dish detergent is great).

And we all got busy painting the world red...and orange, and yellow, green, blue and purple... Even my more reluctant painter, S, was enthralled with the novelty of this unique vertical surface! But the fun wasn't over after painting alone--next it was time to wash the fence clean again--and this proved to be just as much fun, if not more fun than painting it in the first place.

I was asked if this activity is one that might confuse children and encourage graffiti. To touch on that topic, I did actually discuss this with my boys when we began--that the artwork we did in this space was to be temporary and only done with permission/supervision from myself or my husband. We talked about the fence being shared property that belongs to the apartment complex and only using the space in our yard. I don't feel giving children a space like this to work with is any differently than teaching them to use an easel indoors and not the walls or drawing with sidewalk chalk in designated areas outside, etc. However, you must also know the personalities of the children you're working with and decide accordingly. Alternatively if this feels uncomfortable you could use plexi-glass outdoors for a vertical work space that is also washable.

I will say that I think the fence came out cleaner when we were done than it was when it was put up in the first place! This is definitely an activity we will be repeating and modifying throughout the months to come. Stay tuned and until then...

Happy Playing!

Get Outside And... Paint a Rainbow!

In my own efforts to get outside with my kids as often as possible, I'm kicking off a new recurring series on the blog, Get Outside And... These will be posts that include a simple to set up activity to bring outdoors with you. We get out plenty with no special reason, activity or destination. Sometimes it's fun and exciting to do something special while we're out there. As the weather warms up, the outdoors can be a great (safe) place to take messy play and art. Today's post is a perfect example, but I can't take the credit for the idea. I first saw the idea for Rainbow Rain Painting on Learn As You Play. We adapted the idea to bring outdoors (using a couple of inexpensive folding table-top easels we frequently bring on the go) and adding in spray bottles along with the pipettes and water. This would be a great activity to take to the sprinkler park in the summer or poolside. And, as an added bonus, those watercolor pallets that are all mixed up and dirty will have a fresh new start! If I ever go back to teaching, I'm going to do this with my students at the end of every school year!

You will need:

• easel or vertical surface 
• white paper (watercolor paper works best)
• watercolor pallet (the standard 8 color version is perfect)
• pipettes & a cup/jar of water
• spray bottles filled with water

To set up your Rainbow Rain Painting Stations, clip your paper and watercolor pallet to the easel. The kids simply fill and squeeze water from the pipettes onto each color or spray with water and watch as the colors drip and bleed down the page. We had so much fun with this one--even I spent a good long while spraying at the end!

Happy Spraying, I mean Playing!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

Since S is learning about winter and animals in winter this in school, we had a resurgence of wintry play activities at home this week. And what is winter without a bit of ice? I'm not a fan of walking on it and even less so of driving on it, but indoors or outside, I love using ice for play, sensory exploration, art and science!

Ice has been a popular play material here in many seasons over the years. It is safe for play and exploration with all age groups and as such, we often repeat activities from year to year. I highly recommend this approach--you can always learn more and experience new things through repeated exposure and exploration. We kicked off the week with one of my favorite Table Time activities, watercolor painting on ice! I've done this one repeatedly with students and with both boys over the years and it is ALWAYS fun!

You'll need to freeze some blocks of ice in advance (I recommend plastic containers for this) and then simply add in a pallet of watercolor paints and a brush.

Look at this arctic blast from the past!

You can expand the experience with the addition of water or coarse/kosher salt. It is always incredible to observe colors mixing and moving through layers of ice and how they shift and evolve as it melts. S has never lost his fascination with creating black and brown! I, however, was amazed to see how the paint melted through the ice block this year and when I went to tend to cleaning it up, it was back to clear with a painty puddle left behind in the tray!

Y really got into the experience this year and favored using his pointer finger in the paint instead of a brush. He was so amazed at seeing water develop as the ice melted. "Water! Water!" he gleefully repeated again and again in amazement.


Well, if ever there were a time to prove that great minds think alike, this week would be a stellar example. Early in the week, a friend sent a link to this fun ice skating penguins activity from Messy Little Monster. By that evening, my freezer was stocked with tiny penguins trapped in blue ice cubes and I'm not sure whether the fact that my husband said nothing about this should make me feel self-assured or slightly alarmed.

Either way, the boys loved their ice skating penguins at our Table Time activity the next morning. Y is still completely amazed at how ice melts into water. I am so eager and excited to see his young, scientific mind emerge and develop! To set up your own ice skating penguins, you can fill an ice cube tray about 2/3 of the way with water (add food coloring if you wish) and add a small plastic penguin or other small animals/people to each section. You'll want to top off your tray with more water in sections that are still a bit shallow and leave your little critters upright and sticking out. My friend also suggested the idea to use paint in the ice cube tray as opposed to water and turn it into an art activity! I'd love to try this out in the future and cover the tabletop with foil as our skating rink/canvas.

Well, remember how I mentioned great minds think alike? The very same day we took our penguins ice skating in the morning, S got to excavate some more trapped penguins from within a giant brick of ice at school! His teachers set up this fabulous and creative excavation station using a large brick of ice and penguins, a hammer and some golf tees.

I'm not sure if that's some coarse/kosher salt I see in the background and perhaps in the small cup alongside of S--but experimenting with how different substances and settings affect ice is a great way to sprinkle on some science to your ice play!

In previous years of teaching, I've engaged my students in setting up their own ice experiment and exploration. I froze some animal counters in ice cube trays overnight and in the morning, they decided upon what we would use in and around the classroom to explore melting rates of ice into water with the addition of:

• coarse/kosher salt
• sugar
• sunlight from a window
• water

Ice is such a simple (and cheap) and unique material to explore and create with. Winter is a natural season to inspire ice play but don't forget the wonderful opportunities in warmer seasons to cool off on a hot day! We'll be freezing up some more icy fun here in the weeks to come so stay tuned and, as always...

Happy Playing!

Our Storytelling Tree: A Collaborative Mixed Medium Process Art Project Perfect for Tu B'Shevat!

Storytelling, small worlds and dramatic play are a pretty big deal here, and I especially love involving the family in creating some of our own props. We also had so much fun on our last multi-medium process art experience over the winter break that even though school is back in session for S, I wanted to include more activities like this in our afternoon routines together.

The after nap hours during the week are often a little hectic. Everyone's energy is low. It's the end of the day. This time of year, it gets dark out quite early. We've been away from each other at work and school and everyone is eager to share this limited time together, but the pace can feel a bit rushed for big afternoon activities or outings. Engaging in art together is one way we are able to slow down the pace a bit, tune in to each other and be creative as a family. Even better if what we're doing isn't a project that is intended to be completed in one sitting. When I found this wooden tree sculpture on super sale post holiday season at our craft supply shop, I knew it was the perfect foundation for a collaborative art experience. I didn't exactly know yet what we would do to it, but it was going to make the perfect storytelling tree for our home and perhaps, in drier seasons, even our playgarden!

A few tips before you begin, should you decide to undertake this project or something similar:

• Choose a work space that will accommodate all of your family members comfortably. Our dining room table is the best option for us in terms of having enough space, being a good height for me and the boys alike (Y uses a high chair, S can sit or stand). 
• Cover your work space; this will get messy! I finally dedicated an old bedsheet to this purpose after throwing away the last of our super cheap shower curtains last month. It was on its way to the donation pile, but now its making its final stop in a new venue.
• Cover your artists if you wish. I have an apron I wear for messy art. S is willing to don an old t-shirt of mine over his clothes and Y loves his "sah-mock," a vinyl long sleeved child's smock. When our paints are washable, I give the option to cover up or just take precaution and push up sleeves.
• I try to have all of our materials gathered together and readily accessible at our work space. Sometimes when my plans are a bit more spur of the moment and spontaneous (as you will see), that means I take the risk of darting upstairs in the middle of a painting project knowing I could come down to a colorful surprise... 
• Include wet wash cloths in that list of materials! These will be handy for hands that are averse to being sticky or painty mid-project.
• Let loose and let go. This is a big one for me. Especially with a collaborative art project, know that everyone is going to have their own vision and ideas. It helps to slow down. To breathe deeply and take your time. To put on some soothing background music if you wish. Make sure you have a space of time and location that can accommodate this. It is as much about the experience as it is about the end results. 
• Clean up can be daunting, but I like to tackle it right away when we're done for the day. It's easiest to wash trays, bottles and brushes before everything has dried and caked on. What I've found to be true is that having spent a chunk of quality and intentional time with the boys beforehand, they are more willing to busy themselves for ten minutes without being (too) underfoot while I wash up dishes and hang up smocks. They can also help carry in materials or even wash them given some rags and soapy water in their sensory table or at the sink. I generally opt to do this part myself for the purpose of saving time and sanity at that point. If transitioning from messy art together to the clean up process and routines that follow is challenging, I highly recommend having a transitional activity set up for afterward--even if that's an ice pop or favorite TV show. Yes, you read that right.

On Day 1 I set out recycled sushi trays of acrylic paints in green, teal, white, black and brown. Some laminated paint sample cards helped us to visualize shades and hues of our colors. I also got out our textured roller sponge brushes. These are a favorite brush for both my boys--even S, who is not such a painting fan in and of itself loves to paint with these. I think I found them at Five and Below several years ago and we really can't get enough of them here!

I have to say that even after that first day, the tree looked so incredibly lovely with the colors blended as they were and the unique textures and designs left by the roller brushes that it almost seemed a shame to change it at all. But on Day 2, I had squeeze bottles filled with green, white and black washable tempera paints and empty ice cube trays plus a selection of thin paint brushes ready to go. With our shades and hues of green laminated paint sample cards out and ready for viewing, the boys (especially S) got busy squeezing and mixing colors. S made sections of white and green, black and green, and even black, white and green. Squeezing and mixing the colors definitely took precedent over anything else for him and he was not as interested in painting with them using our brushes. Y, on the other hand, loved dotting and dabbing and doodling with the paintbrushes and was eager to use up S's abundant supply.

Seeing how much joy both boys had in squeezing the paint right from the bottle made me think that it might be fun to squeeze it right on the tree. Our tempera paints are rather thin, though, so to thicken it a bit, I added a generous squirt of glue to each bottle (and an equally generous squirt of green paint to the black and white bottles) before letting them loose at the tree!

Unsurprisingly this resulted in some painty puddles! And then, in my typical If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fashion, I had a spark of inspiration. Combs would be a super fun way to spread and scrape the paint around. I'd like to say that I have a set of inexpensive plastic combs just for such occasions. Yes, I'd like to say that, but I can't--because I actually just have an inexpensive set of 3 combs total. For all of us. Myself included. So please don't judge the shades and hues of green you may or may not see in our hairdos over the weeks to come--I think I washed all the paint out. Y actually was so amused to see his comb at the table that he immediately grabbed it up, painty bristles and all and proceeded to comb his own hair! Oh dear...

Yes, this is truly the joy and excitement of art together here. Having little to no plan but infinite amounts of spontaneous ideas and inspiration. I took one last squeeze to the tree before setting it to dry and washing out our bottles, brushes, trays and, um, combs.





S was eagerly recalling the day we used glue to paint and pour on small loose parts on our Frozen Mixed Medium Paintings when I first introduced this project, so I promised him our final step would include copious amounts of glue, glitter, baubles and bits. Day 3, our final day of painting brought us a tray of beads, glass gems, wooden letter tiles and rhinestones along with a couple of jars of clear gel glue mixed with two shades of green glitter and some wooden craft sticks for stirring, scooping, drizzling and scraping. Once our tree was bedazzled and be-dried, I took it out front to apply a coat of spray acrylic finish for added protection against the elements and we were done! But for this storytelling tree, that is not a means to an end, but rather its beginning. It shall be part and parcel to many a day of action and imagination here. And until then...

ta da!

Happy Playing!

Art Together: "Frozen" Mixed Medium Paintings on Canvas

If given the opportunity, Y would probably paint all day long. Give him a brush, a stick, a sponge or just his own two hands and he's one happy dude as long as there's paint involved. He'll probably ask for a "samock" [smock] to go with it... Y goes through phases of liking to paint and being less drawn to that medium. I like to include process art opportunities at home working with plenty of mediums. I also know the value in open ended exploration of high quality art materials, so I do include supplies like real canvas, quality acrylic and watercolor paints, "real" brushes, oil pastels, chalks, clay and more. When I saw how teacher Sally Haughey of Fairy Dust Teaching used a collaborative art activity with her preschool class to capture her students' interest in the motion picture "Frozen," I was inspired! Over the course of several days, she introduced a large canvas and a variety of painting mediums and loose parts for her students to work together and create a truly chilling masterpiece.

I love the idea of stretching out an art experience over more than one day. I think that so many times when it comes to creative work and art with children, we push a "deadline" and "production" mentality. This does not honor the time it may take to fully experience and explore materials and it does not value the child's process in that. For some children, this may become apparent when they have difficulty transitioning from a project. For others, it may manifest as a lack of interest in beginning or staying with an art activity. Different children feel differently about art and require different amounts of time. Additionally, they may be more drawn to certain mediums than others--especially if sensory preferences come into play. One thing I do believe universally is that children engage more with the experience of exploring art when we join in. So while I opted to provide separate canvases for each artist involved rather than to collaborate on one, I did make this an "Art Together" activity here--one where we would all sit (myself included) and work on the project each day. Both boys (and I!) came to look forward to adding the next step each day and watching the paintings transform. The experience was incredible and the finished results were museum worthy! Here's a peek at our process:

Day 1: We used acrylic paints in a variety of cool colors and some textured sponge roller brushes on canvas. Each of us had a recycled sushi tray with paints lined up side by side. We mixed, rolled, dipped and rolled again. S, usually a minimalist, filled his canvas from corner to corner with colorful layers of paint. Y, usually a page filler, restricted his work to the center of the canvas, leaving the borders white.

 Day 2: This time, I set out six sectioned pallets with purple and blue tempera paint and black and white on either side. I provided Q-tip brushes, and the boys were encouraged to mix colors, shades and hues as they desired. S loved using the Q-tip to make squiggles and dots. Y started off with the Q-tip, but transitioned to his fingers. S, who often does not like to finger paint, did want to try it that day, and used his finger as well to make dots, then covering them up with more lines and squiggles. I tried both methods, making Q-tip dots on one corner and finger squiggles coming down from the opposite corner.

While S is often averse to getting "hands on" in paint, he was
inspired by Y. Having wet washcloths at the ready can help
a sensory sensitive artist feel more comfortable to explore.

Day 3: If there's anything I love just about as much as process art, it's loose parts. And the two of those combined are a match made in heaven! The only thing that could possibly make that an even more desirable combo for my little guys is the addition of glue. Yes, glue! Today, our "paint" was concocted of glue and food coloring. A sectioned tray was set up with a variety of small glass gems, silver hex nuts, and beads--all in wintry shades. Each artist was given a cup filled 2/3 full with clear gel glue and a wooden craft stick for mixing. Each artist also got to choose a color to add and small loose parts to mix in. I love using recycled plastic fruit cups for this as they are translucent for easy viewing and the perfect size for "portion control." We mixed our "ingredients" in the cups and poured, drizzled, scraped, spread and sprinkled the concoctions over our canvases.

I really loved watching how they mixed, poured and got hands in and hands on with this step. We worked slowly and intentionally. We didn't worry about being sticky or getting messy (smocks and a disposable tablecloths help with this). Nobody worried or fought about not having "enough" materials because the cups really helped designate a space for what we needed. I am actually quite happy I captured a few moments on film during which S remarked that the glue concoction reminded him of jelly. I quickly turned off the camera just as Y thought S meant it actually was jelly and then wiped a lovely shade of purple sticky goo from his bottom lip!

Day 4: Oh, is it ever wistful when good things come to an end, but at least the "end" of this art experience will leave us with a lasting souvenir. On the final day of our painting, we each mixed a small recycled cup of white school glue with glitter in blue, white and silver.There were wooden craft sticks and wide paintbrushes for everyone to use. S was the first to mix his "paint" and then Y. S asked if he could pour his paint again and I said he could. Y opted to use his craft stick to spread and scrape it on. I tried pouring, drizzling and then brushing thinner layers over flat spaces and edges. And what's the only thing in the world that's better than glitter? Why, more glitter, of course! S asked for more glue and glitter and then asked if he could also sprinkle glitter over the top of his painting. I love being able to say yes and on this day, "Yes" was brought to you by a disposable tablecloth we've used again and again for almost a year. I knew that I could roll it up and toss it when we finished and before I knew it, we were all three eagerly shaking glitter over our canvases.

I'm pretty impressed with the finished results (even though in the photo collage above, the glue is still drying). But even more than my joy in seeing these on display in our home is the joy I got in creating them together. I really look forward to concocting and creating some more family masterpieces together in the future. I also especially love this article with 5 Paint Invitations to Embrace the Explore Stage for more ideas on how to encourage and introduce painting to young artists at home or in the classroom. This was such a fun addition to our Winter Break Playcamp and we will be back next week to share some more fabulous story stretchers with you. Until then...

Happy playing!

8 Great Chanukah Activities: Painting with Dreidels and Chanukah Candles

By the 8th Day of Chanukah, we're wondering if that latke smell is ever going to fade away. We're almost tired of chocolate gelt and donuts. We are all probably a little tired of late nights and fully scheduled days. It's been so much fun (and we're just a little wistful to be at the end), but it's time to start packing it all away for next year. Before you do, try your hand at painting in some unlikely ways with some unlikely paint brushes! And if you were overeager to restore your home to its pre-Chanukah state and already did pack it up and away, save this post in the vault for next year. These two activities are sure to please!

A teacher-turned-play-at-home-mom I know inspired this first activity when I saw her post pictures of her children and their friends painting with Chanukah candles. What a brilliant idea! I knew I wanted to try it out with the boys and they both loved it. Dabbing, dotting, doodling lines with the wick end and the bottom of the candle all made unique and colorful designs. I simply set out a collection of Chanukah candle brushes and a paint try with washable tempera paints and let them have at it and explore. This is process art at its best!

Another tried and true favorite of mine has always been dreidel spin art. In this blast from the past, a younger version of S is perfecting his pincer grasp and working toward spinning a dreidel for the first time. Now he's a pro at spinning dreidels on and off the paper, but even tiny little hands can enjoy printing with the flat sides of the dreidel dipped in colorful paints. I highly recommend washable paint in this activity and either a plastic or disposable tray or even a shoe box for working in. There may be splatters! The results are so colorful and fun. You can hang and display them as is, cut them down for use in a collage or upcycle them into greeting cards and gift wrap for the season. I like to offer at least a couple of colors that go well together, but you can go hog wild if you wish!




It's been a great holiday and I hope you enjoyed some (or all) of our 8 Great Chanukah Activities this year. We'll be back soon with some Winter themed fun and in the weeks to come an exciting transformation to our dramatic play area as well.

Until then...

Happy Last Day of Chanukah & Happy Playing!

Sunny Day, Painting the Clouds Away!

The Sprout Scouts love all kinds of weather, but sunny days with fluffy white clouds are one of the best parts of summer! And definitely the perfect weather for taking it outside for an afternoon of sky gazing and cloud painting.  We love these printable cloud viewers from E is for Explore! We started off by printing out a family set, cutting out the center and laminating them. I duct taped a wooden craft stick to the back as a handle. We brought along some pallets of paints with blue and white tempura paint for the boys to mix and use. Some brushes and water for rinsing brushes were at the ready, too. Lastly, we brought some flat framed mirrors. You can also use unframed craft mirrors, just opt for something a bit thicker and utilize support and supervision with little ones as mirrors are fragile.

Painting on mirrors gives the artist a unique view to work with. Using mirrors for painting indoors provides a unique and washable surface. Outdoors, it can provide an inspiring reflection of nature, especially the sky! Imagine how this might look in a wooded area full of trees, or set on the ground in a wildflower garden... For children (who are naturally lower to the ground), things above their height can be not only out of sight, but also out of mind! This technique brings the distant world above them within their reach as they explore painting and mixing colors on this smooth and shiny surface.


When you are done, simply wash, dry and reuse! Artists who wish to have a more permanent work of art might benefit from a piece of paper to replicate their work on or even make a print on.

And there you have it...no one here will be guilty of commanding you to get your head out of the clouds! We're not even chasing the clouds away! We're just enjoying the sunny and slower pace of summer and, as always, happily playing!

Pesach, Pesach! Play All About It: Frog Prints & Some Little Tips to Keep You Hopping into the Holiday

We're in the final countdown to Pesach here! I'd love to tell you that our house is spic and span and ready to go, but people live in it. And some of those people are children. And one of them decided all on his own to ditch the diapers and give the potty a go this past Shabbos (woohoo!!!) so Pesach prep is a work in process. And speaking of process, here's a great Pesach themed process art activity that is just the right way to have a hopping good time (maybe before you finish cleaning for the holiday).



I think it can be so easy this time of year to make it so hard. As we prepare for a holiday that commemorates our redemption from slavery, we become enslaved to the very tasks that are necessary (and some that are not) to prepare for this holy experience. And in that, sometimes, we lose sight of the joy and the beauty that is our freedom--an exodus that not only our ancestors experienced, but that we experience again and again. This holiday is such a special one for our children. They are invited to our Seder tables and encouraged to ask questions. They are held up not only as leaders of our families on these nights, but as leaders of the Jewish nation. It can be hard to shift our task-driven focus to include the very little hands that will lead us, with G-d's help, to Jerusalem!

And so I find myself taking a breath and regaining that ever important mindset to approach this holiday b'simcha--with joy--and to include my tiny helpers in that preparation as well. Sometimes that means we all need a break to splash in some ooey gooey green paint!

Remember the incredible shades and hues of green paint S concocted in this process art activity? Everything goes to good use here, and I set out a variety of green paints for both boys to use in a tray with a paintbrush (should they choose to use it), some plastic frogs and a few other items for inspiration and creation. Each brother had a piece of light blue card stock and we used aleph bet stickers to spell out "tzfardeah," the plague of frogs in Hebrew. At that point, I let S have at it and gave Y a little help to navigate his painty frog to the paper (and not his mouth). S favored making his frogs hop along the paper and Y liked to drag them across and then use his own "flippers" instead of the frogs'! Both boys had a great time with this activity and it was a hands flippers-on way to jump right into the Pesach story.



With so much to be done and so little time, these final days approaching the holiday can be a little tricky. Every family has their own style and routine that works for them this time of year and here are a few little tips that work for us:

Utilize Your Helpers: S in particular is quite excited and eager to help Mommy and Tatty with anything and everything that needs to be done. These are opportunities to naturally involve kids in household tasks rather than trying to come up with ways to "entertain them" while you try to plow through on your own. Both boys got into cleaning our upstairs to get it ready for Pesach! Rags, squirt bottles, our "toy" cleaning supplies and real ones all got put to use as we worked together.
S was especially excited to hang up a door hanger he made at school and a few we made last year at home that designated the spaces we had cleaned as ready for Pesach!

This was from last year--check out that tiny
newborn Y in the background!

Make It a Shared Task AND a Learning Opportunity: With two little guys on the move here, shared playing areas and toys become a breeding ground for hidden chametz. Some toys do get put away and rotated out until after the holiday. It can be helpful to include children in choosing toys to rotate in and in our house we often raid the stash of yet to be opened Chanukah or birthday gifts in the closet... Nothing like something new to spark the excitement of the upcoming holiday.
Both boys love playing in the the kitchen set, though, and this is a great way to bring some learning into the mix as you prepare. We sort out the toy "chametz" and set up a soapy water sensory bin for a Toy Wash station to prepare any toys that will stay in the area for playing over Pesach.






Bring Them to the Table: Once the holiday finally starts, there is a brief sigh of relief until it's time for the Seder. This time of year, Sederim start late and it can be hard on the children (and the adults) to manage energy levels well past bedtime. In our house, it has worked best in these scenarios to include the children as much as possible at the actual seder and then to have a special "kinderlach seder" (kids' seder) on the second day that is geared toward the shorter set of folks in our house. We go at our own pace, make it playful and fun and really invite those thought provoking questions and observations. On most other nights, we don't allow books and toys at the table, but on this night, you might just see some 10 Makos Finger Puppets, sensory bottles, haggadahs made at home and at school and a variety of child-crafted Pesach props.

I printed off a couple of sets of these adorable finger puppets. One I printed onto card stock and prepared as directed and the other I laminated and applied velcro dots so they could be used with a pair of gloves. Many families enjoy using a version of Bingo or a printable game board to keep track of the parts of the seder as they occur. This year I hope to also set out a small world scene of the Jewish people walking through the Nile in the middle of our table to spark some creative play and discussion during our kids' seder. If you're looking for some more inspiration, check out my previous Pesach posts from years past...

My final tip (to myself) is to breathe and slow down. If a task is urgent, I tend to it--maybe even pop in a fun video for the kids (I still love Bubbie's Boarding House!). If a task is not urgent, it can wait. (Maybe I need a break to watch Bubbie's Boarding House, too!)  I wish all who are celebrating a Chag Kasher v'Sameach and through Pesach and all year round....

Happy Playing!