Next Stop: Israel!

Group Activities:

Seven Is a Special Number

Seven days in the week, seven species of the land of Israel, and seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot. Watch the video with children and encourage them to learn to count to seven in Hebrew. You can make individual cards for each number from one to seven, decorate them with the appropriate number of Shavuot-related items, and use these cards to play counting or grouping games during the period between Passover and Shavuot. You can also make sock puppets for each number from one through seven and use them to help children learn to count in Hebrew.

Count the Days to Shavuot

Counting the days between Passover and Shavuot helps children make the connection between the exodus from Egypt and the next chapter in the adventures of the Jewish people. This seven-week period is called the Omer, which means “sheaf” in Hebrew. Make an Omer counting board and use clay or other art materials to create 49 counters in seven groups. Both the board and each group of counters can be decorated with different motifs that relate to Shavuot and the Torah. Each day, add one counter to the board and see how many days are left until Shavuot. As you add the counters, count from echad (one) to shevah (seven) in Hebrew!

Seven Species Blintzes

On Shavuot, it is customary to eat dairy foods, and blintzes are always a favorite. You can read A Mountain of Blintzes by Barbara Diamond Goldin and make blintzes with the kids. Create toppings from the seven species (or add to the filling) for a really special Shavuot treat. The wheat is already in the blintzes! You can try raisins (grapes), chopped dates and figs, some pomegranate concentrate as a topping, or chopped olives for savory blintzes.

The Story of Receiving the Torah

Group Activities:

Your Version of the Story

The video shows a condensed version of the giving of the Torah. You can read the original story and compare it to the video. Children can write their own scripts for a video based on the biblical story. They can act out their stories, draw them, or film them. You can also read The Littlest Mountain by Barb Rosenstock for another take on the tale.

The Most Important Rules

At Mount Sinai, the Jewish people received the Ten Commandments which were intended to help them live together as a nation. You can read No Rules for Michael by Sylvia A. Rouss and discuss why rules are important and why the kids think the Jewish people needed rules after they left Egypt. Many of the rules in the Torah focus on the importance of friendship, empathy, and honoring and respecting individual differences. Make your own Ten Commandments as a group or ask each family to think of the ten rules that are most important to them. Compare the different sets of rules to see which are common to everyone.

Decorate for Shavuot

A Jewish legend teaches that at the moment the Torah was given, Mount Sinai bloomed with flowers. This legend is the reason that on Shavuot, greenery and flowers are used to decorate the home and the synagogue. Make or collect flowers and branches and decorate your space in honor of Shavuot.

Harvesting in the Classroom

Group Activities:

The Staff of Life

Wheat is often called the "staff of life" and almost every culture has its own special kind of bread. Your group can learn about different kinds of bread and the people who eat them. As part of a Shavuot study, you can find recipes, bake different kinds of bread, and eat them at your Shavuot celebration. Some different breads include: challah, pita, chapati, and tortillas.

The Little Red Hen

Share the classic children's story The Little Red Hen. Compare the process in the story with what you saw in the video. The story teaches lessons about community and sharing, both important Jewish values. Together, think about and discuss what might have happened if the little red hen had chosen to share her bread even though none of her neighbors helped her. Individually or as a group, write and illustrate an alternate ending to the story.

First Fruits

Shavuot is also called chag habikurim — the festival of the first fruits. The first fruit of the wheat harvest in Israel was brought to the Temple on Shavuot. During the months following the holiday and all the way until Sukkot, the first fruits of the other Seven Species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates) were brought when they ripened. The Bikkurim (first fruits) were placed in baskets and brought to Jerusalem in a festive parade with music and dancing. You can re-enact the pilgrimage complete with costumes and music.

Late-Night Learning

Group Activities:

Stay Up Late and Learn

One of the customs of Shavuot is to stay up all night to learn. Kids love special events in the evening and you can plan a special evening Shavuot celebration with your group. In keeping with the tradition of eating dairy foods on the holiday, ask each family to prepare a dairy dish. Choose stories from the Torah or Jewish legends to be studied by families in small groups. Provide simple questions or tasks related to the stories. After everyone has had time to study, gather and let each group share the story they learned.

Torah Sing-Along

Everyone on Rechov Sumsum tries to stay awake by singing and dancing to the song “Torah, Torah.” The words are simple: “Torah, Torah, and Torah (2x), Torah tzivah lanu Moshe” which means: Torah, the Torah given to us by Moses. You can learn this song as well as other songs about the Torah. Make a Torah songbook and include the words to each song you learn. Children can illustrate each page. Record the children singing the songs and share the recording and songbook with everyone in your community. Use both during Shavuot, when Simchat Torah comes around, or every week as part of your Shabbat celebration.