Pesach Theme: Fun Filler Activities to get You [Playfully] Through These Last Days of Preparations!

Ah, these last days before Pesach comes are always hectic! It doesn't matter when you begin to prepare, there is always more to be done and getting through that to-do list can be a delicate dance of timing. This is made even more challenging when there are little ones around to help/hinder! I feel like the food and snack situation before Pesach begins is sometimes more of a challenge than the massive dietary change of eating foods only kosher for Pesach as we creatively try to use up as much of our non-kosher l'Pesach foods and run out of some of our toddler's favorite snacks in the process. Of course there is a lot to do around here and throw in the new baby plus c-section recovery to the mix; we are busy! Making time for one play/learning activity each day has really done a lot to help both me and my toddler feel more grounded in the madness. And I make use of the fact that he loves to help. Taking a hand in preparation helps the holiday to be more meaningful for him and helps him learn about Pesach in the process. We, of course, aim to keep the stress level as low as possible and not impose a feeling of anxiety associated with getting ready for Pesach. We want our children to pick up on the importance of this holiday as well as the importance of preparing for it b'simcha. That said, we could all use a play break every now and then! If you're looking for some simple (and even helpful) play activities to get you through these last days of preparations, here are some of our favorites from this past week:

A great way to teach/learn about what foods we do and do not eat for Pesach is to set up a sorting activity. We used play foods from our kitchen set and sorted through those we can eat over Pesach and those that we eat during the rest of the year. As my son is only 2.5, I did not go deeply into the difference between chametz and kitnios (which we do not eat) or the fact that many non-kosher l'pesach foods now have kosher l'pesach equivalents available in stores! Rather, I set aside some obvious examples for our "not for Pesach" bag--like challah, bread, crackers, cookies...and helped him sort the rest. Notice the photo-bomb of the cute sleeping little brother in the background!

We do not go crazy cleaning toys, but rather did a toy wash of ones that he would still play with over Pesach and were likely to need a good cleaning. Other (more difficult to wash) toys we stored away and swapped in some new ones we've had put away from a very generous Chanukah gift this past year. My toddler LOVES to wash things, so our toy wash station was a big hit with him. It even led to this next activity...

He decided to clean his own kitchen for Pesach!

Waterplay and housekeeping tasks are two of my toddler's favorite activities. He was so thrilled to be allowed to have water in his kitchen set and it was very helpful to have an extra set of hands involved in cleaning. Plus, he got to learn about cleaning/preparing a kitchen for use over Pesach as he played! I've seen other families even include covering the kitchen sets with foil and tape just like in the real kitchen! We may add this activity in later this weekend when we get to turning over our own kitchen for the holiday!

Stickers are like toddler currency here. He was so proud of his hard work and felt very excited to stick on these handmade "cleaned for Pesach" stickers in his kitchen area.

Sure, he can't read yet--but print rich environments are always a bonus even with pre-readers.

Mitzvah Notes are another great way to include written language for pre-readers in your home--plus they are a powerful positive reinforcement tool! He was so proud to get one himself and requested to write one as well for his younger brother!

We took a quick family outing to our local craft store and picked up a few of these foam door-hangers. I prepared each one with the words "This room is clean for Pesach" and he had a great time sticking on foam flower stickers. Then he got to choose one for his bedroom door handle, one for our's and one to remain for our kitchen door.

My toddler is definitely excited for Pesach! When asked what he is most looking forward to, he responded "matzah and maror!" He does know what to expect with the matzah--even had a little sneak preview taste the other day--but I'm not so sure he realizes what he's getting into with maror! I wish all who are celebrating a chag kasher v'sameach--and happy playing before and during!

Themes in Depth: Shabbat Theme & My Five Senses Part I

This is one of my son's favorite Shabbos books. He requests it each week and we have also had a great deal of fun acting out the story as a play activity in our home. He loves to help clean and to use his toy shopping cart and brown paper bag to gather pretend food and challahs for the Shabbos meal. He also loves using his toy Shabbos sets to prepare his own Shabbos table, "light candles," and "make kiddush." We are intended to start each week with its end--Shabbos--in mind. It's a beautiful concept that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of preparations and chores--yet our youngest household members are often the ones who remind us of the true gift that observing Shabbos is each and every week.

Shabbos is something we observe every week in our house and something my son genuinely looks forward to. In our family, it means the table gets dressed in its most beautiful white tablecloth to sport our Shabbos candles, homemade challahs, kiddush cup and grape juice, and some delicious Shabbos meals prepared by both my husband and myself (sometimes with our son's help). We also dress in our best and enjoy the coziness of intentional, uninterrupted family time together. That may well be the number one reason my son begins asking for Shabbos at the beginning of the week!
This is also a time when we refrain from certain activities that are disallowed on Shabbos, like turning on electronics, using our phones and computers, writing and drawing, cooking and cleaning, driving and working and more. Growing up in a home that did not observe Shabbos in this way, I often felt that it came with a list of "don'ts" that was altogether too long. As an adult, I've come to appreciate quite a few of the items on that list of "don'ts," but I also want to make sure that keeping Shabbos in this way is something my son continues to feel positively about as he grows older and aware of the "outside world" that continues in our temporary absence from it. We make Shabbos a time for having extra special treats and spending time with neighborhood friends and genuinely making sure to really engage with our son and have fun together. I also see that value in him having a part in creating and preparing for the ways we honor Shabbos each week.

In our little homeschool, we are exploring the theme of Shabbos through the lens of our five senses. We are working together on a book incorporating each of the five senses in connection with Shabbos symbols or activities:

• We see the Shabbos candles burning: my son will be painting his own set of wooden candlesticks to use for play. 
• We hear the Shabbos blessings and songs: although we do not use instruments or play music on Shabbos, we sing a lot of fun and beautiful songs together!
• We feel the sticky challah dough: my son will be lending a hand (or two) in shaping some yummy cinnamon raisin challah rolls to freeze and save for the upcoming holidays. We will also be sanding and painting a wooden challah board and decorating a cloth challah cover.
• We taste the delicious Shabbos meal: my son is always eager to take charge of quality control in the kitchen when we are cooking and baking together for Shabbos and making sure everything is delectably up to par.
• We smell the besomim (spices) at Havdalah: we will be decorating and filling a small plastic box for besomim to use at Havdalah.

Since we do not do art projects or cook on Shabbos itself, I wanted to make sure to include some materials and activities my son could use and play with during Shabbos as well as during the week. While we put away electronic and battery operated toys during Shabbos, we also make sure to take out some Shabbos-friendly ones as well to make the day extra special. Here are a couple of new ones I put together at home that he has really enjoyed:

We do have a store-bought plush Shabbos set that my son loves to play with and pretend about setting the table with. I saw this idea done by another Jewish preschool teacher and decided to make my own set of Shabbos photo blocks at home. I used photos found online to print and laminate and hot glued wooden blocks to the back of each. We will be making similar sets for holidays as well. 

This is another adaptation of a printable activity found on the Jewish Homeschool Blog I've previously posted on. I cut out and laminated the pictures as well as the "Shabbat Table" page and added velcro circles to the back of each picture and the table page for a move-able and reusable activity.

Even in weeks that Shabbos is not a theme we are exploring in depth, we have some added family routines to make the day extra special and to help alleviate some of the potential for stress as we cook, clean and prepare:

• TOYS & PLAYTHINGS: I try to keep our "not-Shabbos friendly" toys and materials on our top shelf, leaving extra space for the few battery-operated toys or puzzles that may also need to be moved out of sight over Shabbos. Right before Shabbos, I drape the scarf over the shelf. The idea is if it's out of sight, it's hopefully out of mind!
  
• CREATING A SENSE OF NOVELTY: To counter that, I also keep certain toys and books less visible during the week and am mindful to make them accessible and ready to use over Shabbos. These may be Shabbos themed toys and books or just a puzzle or some blocks we haven't used in a while. I know some families who keep a Shabbos box of just-for-Shabbos toys to use each week and many families before a long holiday will do a toy swap for added excitement. Remember--it doesn't have to be new to be novel!
• ATTITUDE CHECK: My husband and I try very hard to maintain a positive attitude as we get ready and not express frustration or negative feelings about it. That can be hard to do when you are feeling anxious and running out of time! I think my son is my greatest reminder to prepare for Shabbos b'simcha. He genuinely gets joy out of helping to clean and cook! When the going gets tough, we turn up some fun music to help get in the Shabbos spirit.
• ENLISTING HELP: That said, we encourage his help even when it can simultaneously be a hindrance and take more time. Even very little ones can dust and wash a table, help wash veggies and fruits for salads and assist in setting the table.
• "ME DO IT!" We are in the phase of that phrase right now. As much as we can, we like to say "yes," and make it a positive experience. He can't light his own candles now, but he can decorate and have his own candleholders. He wants his own special kiddush cup, so each Friday morning, I give him a plastic disposable cup from the Dollar Tree or party store and he decorates it with stickers to use at the Shabbos table. He wanted to participate in making kiddush the way he sees his Tatty do it, so I made him his own laminated sheet of the Shabbos blessings complete with pictures to help him identify what each is for.
• MAINTAINING ROUTINES Keeping Shabbos and Jewish holidays is an exercise in balancing our need to maintain certain routines for our toddler and allowing for some stretching of the rules to honor the celebratory nature of the day. We try to keep to bed and naptime routines on Shabbos and holidays. Nothing makes for a greater disaster on a long Shabbos day or holiday than a very overtired and unhappy toddler! That said, in the summer when Shabbos begins very late, that means my son is asleep before it even begins. We make him his own little kiddush and Shabbos party to ensure he doesn't feel he has missed out. We also try to make him his own havdalah on Sunday morning, though admittedly this is one we have forgotten repeatedly. On the other end of that, we do allow a bit of lenience when it comes to the start of bedtime or naptimes on occasions when we have guests or are visiting with friends. We are a bit more lenient with the number of tasty treats offered on Shabbos. 

However you honor and celebrate family traditions, know that these are the memories that are forever being etched into your little ones' hearts. One of the greatest ways to foster great memories is through play and time together. Happy playing!

Think Outside the Box Thursday: (Very) Early Literacy through Alphabet Activities

At two years old, I don't feel strongly that my son must learn his alphabet by rote or be gaining letter recognition and beginning sound awareness. This is something in my teaching that I observed and screened at around age 4-5, but at the end of the day, early literacy development happens in different ways and at different paces for different learners. What I do feel strongly about is exposure to language and literacy in a playful and pleasant way that inspires curiosity and fosters a lifelong love of learning. In the early childhood years, this happens through conversation, through picture books and library visits, through story times at home and at playgroups and most importantly, through play. I do promote exposure to letters early on through play by introducing letters in a variety of ways that can be appreciated visually, audibly, and hands-on. 

Every couple of weeks or so, I introduce my son to a new letter using a "letter sound box" I fill with toys and objects from around the house that begin with that letter sound. I especially love using felt or textured letter stickers on card stock that he can touch/trace with his finger. Tactile appreciation of a letter is a vital early writing skill (albeit quite early!).

I use flashcards playfully with pictures my son will recognize to foster language development, picture recognition and the beginnings of letter sound awareness. Most of my flashcards are homemade or purchased at the Dollar Tree. I use a hole punch and metal ring to organize them.

Here's an example of toys and objects added to our Letter T Sound Box. I always use the same pencil box with a dry erase label that I can re-write letters on as we bring out new ones. I keep it at child level on my son's toy shelf and he can open/close it independently and play with the objects as he pleases. 

Truck Tire Tracks across the letter T made for a fun art extension. After it dried, I laminated the finished work and used it as a playdough mat for more tactile/pre-writing exploration.

Letter magnets are something we somehow have a huge collection of. Those can be used with a magnetic easel, cookie sheet, refrigerator or other magnetic surface as well as in sensory bin with dry materials like sand or beans for tactile exploration of letters. Older children can use magnet letters in a variety of ways as they learn to recognize letter names and sounds, site words and their own names.

Playdough "tracing" with laminated letter artwork. I introduce it with minimal tools and frequently my son requests more or adds his own. He went over to the plastic bin of playdough tools this time and added a rolling pin, cookie cutters and a plastic knife...

...and then he went to his toy shelf and grabbed a toy truck to drive through the playdough--I LOVED his ingenuity!

My son likely doesn't know his letters and alphabet at just two years old and I'm not in a rush. He is building a ton of language through play and exposure and what he does have is a love of learning in his own way and at his own pace. Happy playing!

Fun-day Friday: a Peek into our Playroom

Fridays are Fun-days here on the blog--a time to reflect on the week's activities and take a virtual peek into our playroom. I plan theme-related play and activities because planning and curriculum building is something I find enjoyable as a preschool-teacher-mommy. It also helps me to feel less overwhelmed when I am planning and choosing activities if I have a framework to build upon. That said, I do not introduce new themes each week--I go with my son's flow and my own energy levels. Additionally, you can also build activities built specifically on your children's interests or seasonal events and upcoming holidays. If you're searching here for play ideas, all posts include links to relevant labels that you can use to search from.

My son LOVES things that GO! We've been exploring a transportation theme over the past week that we will continue into the week to come. When it comes to theme-related play, I like to specifically take out toys and books we already have related to that theme. Not having all of the books and toys out at the same time helps reduce the sense of clutter in our already small apartment. Additionally, I think toy/book rotation in general helps to maintain a sense of novelty for little ones. I don't ever put all of the toys that are out away and swap; I think that might throw my toddler for a loop! There are certain things we keep out all of the time, like his kitchen set/dramatic play area. With a transportation theme, I might, however, add a couple of hard hats and construction vests to the dress up area. We also take theme-related library trips to check out books, CDs/DVDs and activity sets related to our topic of interest. If my son is particularly interested in a certain toy or material, I will even leave it accessible past the time that we complete a topic exploration and I am always amazed at how he integrates themes together!

"Blue Boat" Painting

Here's a look at some of our play over the past week:

I introduce alphabet letters to my toddler mainly through play and exposure. He is only two and pre-literacy happens in a lot of ways at this age--most importantly through exposure to language, sensory play and every day conversation. I will share more about how I introduce letters in future posts.

My kiddo gets very attached to particular books. Red Truck, Blue Boat, and Yellow Copter all by Kersten Hamilton have been longstanding favorites. Reading, rereading and rereading again can feel daunting, but I know repetition is an important tool for him. Story stretching activities, like our "Red Truck," "Blue Boat" and "Yellow Copter" paintings [the latter is not pictured below]j, are a wonderful way to expand on an interest and beat the monotony of a story you both probably have memorized by now.

"Trace the T" Table Time

BIG DIG Construction Sensory Bin

Sensory play is a great way to take the playroom outdoors 

"Car Wash"

Shaving cream is great for soaping up toy cars and finger-painting on the sidewalk!

Tuesday Table Time: What Is Table Time Anyway?

It's Tuesday morning, but it could be any weekday morning in this house. My husband leaves for work by 5:30AM, and since being home for the summer and no longer needing to set the ol' alarm every night, I've yet to wake up after my toddler--but I'm aware it could happen. It is a known fact that I am a morning person. I just need to have my coffee first. One of my sweet little boy's first words was "coffee," and he's been known to pick up my cup, hand it to me and say "Mommy, more coffee" on occasion when my amazingly perky demeanor hasn't woken up yet. I needed a plan going into this summer as well as the year ahead--something that could occupy my toddler while I activate my pleasant daytime mode or prepare breakfast or just take a few deep breaths to start the day. And so, from a simple child's sized card table and chairs as well as a dose of ingenuity, Table Time was born.

And it's not just a morning thing. Table Time refers to any activity that can occupy the attention of a child of any age for a developmentally reasonable length of time (with a toddler, this varies) with minimal adult support and involvement. To be clear, this is not the time I set out the Netflix (although that also has its time and place in our home). When he was a baby who could not yet sit at a table, I frequently set out discovery baskets-- a basket with household items like measuring cups, measuring spoons, metal colanders, spoons and spatulas, or sensory bottles for shaking and exploring, or a variety of fabrics like scarves, washcloths, fuzzy socks and silk fashion scarves for my son to explore. This was one of his first entrances into the world of independent play and tinkering. I might leave the same basket out for a week or so at a time and then swap the materials out. Now that he is two, one aspect that makes Table Time successful is the novelty of it. I do set out a different activity each night before I go to bed that he can use in the morning and throughout the following day as desired. I do not, however, reinvent the wheel on a daily basis. Many of our activities follow a weekly routine and rotation. Every Friday morning, my son comes to a table set up with a plastic cup and stickers he uses to decorate his own kiddush cup for the upcoming Shabbos meals. Usually about once a week lately, the activity involves playdough as that is a current favorite of his. This is an activity he will often revisit multiple times throughout the day. As we explore themes in our "Mommy Camp/Mommy School," or as certain holidays or seasons approach, I aim for the activities to be theme related. Pinterest is a great resource for this and there are many blogs as well as books devoted to sharing ideas for age-based activities, projects and games. Sometimes I will even set out a toy he hasn't played with in awhile or put a couple of toys out that he may not have thought to use together before.  My son does not always choose to use what I set out on the table nor does he always use it in the way I anticipated. I am totally OK with this. It is there if he is interested, he knows what to expect and many times if an activity does not draw his interest on its own, my sitting at the table and beginning to play will draw him in and lead to independent play.

My essential goal with Table Time activities is to encourage independent play (not as in a babysitter in place of me, although independent play can act as an extra set of hands while a parent gets a few things done around the house). Many times I make observational comments (non-judgmental and non-praising) just noticing what my son is doing. Feeling noticed can feed a need for healthy self-esteem in a more sustainable manner than even comments of praise--think recognition versus approval. For example, I might say "I see you're rolling the playdough into a long, thin shape" as opposed to "I love how you're making a wiggly worm" or "great job with the playdough today!" Sometimes I do join in the activity with him (and some activities do require more assistance than others, like peeling smaller stickers off the paper), and other times I do not. I love watching the ideas children can come up with on their own for using materials and activities set out in this manner. In homes where children span in age, a bit more creativity may need to come into play. While unattended markers might be a great material for an older child to use independently, they may be a recipe for a new paint job for a younger one. On the other hand, an older child can support a younger one in using markers, or Table Time activities that are geared toward older children can be reserved for the times when the younger ones are napping and the older ones are bored.

Lastly, when choosing activities for Table Time, you do want something fun and interesting and developmentally challenging enough to capture attention, but you do not want something that will lead to feelings of frustration. When this has happened, I have altered or adapted my materials or even just put an activity away and shifted gears. You can't win 'em all! I try to keep my expectations reasonable as well. What I think my son my LOVE may not interest him at all, and what I think he will pass right over might become his new favorite thing to do. Keeping an open mind and an ounce of humor to go with it goes a long way.

Below is a small sampling of some of our recent Table Time activities. Future Table Time posts will include one or more activities at a time, sometimes theme related. Enjoy & happy playing!

During our dinosaur theme, I FINALLY found a use for that funny faux grass bottle drying rack (which I HAD to have but never used). I thought my son wouldn't get too into this one, but he LOVED it. He had more success with the smaller tongs (purchased in a 4 pack at a Dollar Tree) and still needed to use his "helper" hand to work with the dinosaurs, but loved trying to use the tongs to pick them up and set them up in the "Jurassic Jungle." 

I HATE surprising loud noises, so we had to stop playing Jenga here! But I found a fun use for those perfectly sized wooden blocks. My little one liked this so much, I ended up storing it in the pencil case and leaving it out on his toy shelf for him to revisit throughout our dinosaur themed weeks at Mommy & Me Camp.

Playdough Silly Faces--a great addition to an "All About Me" theme, "Feelings" theme or any rainy day! This one is great for older children as well.

During a gardening theme, this parts of a plant playdough exploration was a big hit, The "seeds" are dried black beans, the "stems" are pipe cleaners and I took apart some artificial flowers from the discount store for flowers and leaves. This happens to be homemade playdough that I scented with lavender oil, but any playdough or clay can be used.

After a long and happy life on our dining room table, these beautiful flowers were on their way out, but not before my toddler got a chance to play and explore with them. He loved using the magnifying glasses and pulling apart the petals. Older children could also use scissors or tweezers. 

Mad Science Mondays: Balloon Race Cars

Happy Monday! Here is the first of my Mad Science Monday posts, which will include family/kid friendly science activities you can enjoy together using mostly household items you already have or can purchase inexpensively. I have had a longstanding passion for exploring science with children, which I initially wrote about here. I've tested out many of my classroom experiments with my own son even from the time he was very tiny. Now as he gets older, he is able to appreciate and explore more of it from a hands on level rather than just as an adorable audience member.

We've just begun a transportation theme at our Mommy & Me Camp (my son is really into trucks and planes and trains these days), so it seemed natural to incorporate a transportation themed science activity to kick off our theme. After some Pinterest perusing and research on the subject, I decided to test out balloon car racing (found here) after exploring a whole slew of great vehicle related science activities (found here).

I decided to take our science time outdoors this morning. It has been really hot here. While outdoor time and fresh air are incredibly important for children and adults alike, this adult is getting a little less excited by the monotony of sweaty playground trips, sticky walks and the usual pool/water activities. I've been brainstorming ways to get more creative about how we spend our outdoor time (which I will continue to expand on in future posts) and one of the simplest and most enjoyable solutions I have found is to take activities we do in our daily routine outdoors--from reading books to eating lunch to art projects (added bonus: easy cleanup, especially if you have a sprinkler or pool nearby!), and today--SCIENCE!

Balloon Race Cars

Here's what we used:

• 2 toy cars already in my sons collection
• a broken toddler crayon as a balloon stopper (the wide ones that claim to be unbreakable but still broke)
• 2 balloons
• masking tape

Here's what we did:

To prep the balloon race cars, I first blew up a balloon, shimmied in the crayon stopper, and wrapped a strip of tape around the inflated balloon onto the toy car. For some added fun and anticipation, I brought some sidewalk chalk outside to draw a race track and let my son add his artistic license as well. We set up the cars at the start of the track, I removed the stopper (one at a time, although older kids could each have their own race car and pull their own stoppers out), said "on your mark, get set, GO!" and off they went! I re-inflated each a couple of times to test out the scenario again, and we looked at the differences between a big balloon versus a smaller one. When we were done, my son had fun just zooming his toy cars on the sidewalk race track for a while. This was a great reminder that bringing "indoor" toys outdoors can add new life to a toy that might be overlooked after a while inside. 

Got balloons left? DO MORE: 

Here is a photo from an activity we did a couple of weeks ago during a dinosaur theme. We made frozen dinosaur eggs using toy plastic dinosaurs stuffed inside a balloon then filled with water and frozen. Once frozen (I put mine in overnight), cut and peel off the balloon. We brought them outside and the frozen eggs alone were a great sensory activity. We added some small hammers (and some mommy supervision and support) to crack the eggs open and later took a swim break at our development pool to see what would happen if we left the dino eggs out in the hot sun.