creative jewish mom

Giant Cardboard Seahorse Craft For Rosh HaShanah

You might be wondering what sea horses have to do with Rosh HaShana, and yes I might too! But lets face it, every Jewish holiday is packed with so much meaning and symbolism that using the same symbols and visual cues does seem a bit repetitive to someone like me! So while the actual seahorse may be stretching it, certainly the sea and fish make great Rosh HaShana symbols, so if some sea horses happen to be hanging out to enjoy the show, why not? Sea horses are such wonderful creatures, and at the least remind us to appreciate the amazing natural world in which we live, and appreciation and gratefulness are wonderful mindsets for the holiday, so there you have it! How about getting one of the kids to dance in as a seahorse during the meal or creating a little skit about tashlich? Either way, adding some seahorses to your holiday will certainly be memorable, I can guarantee that! And of course you should make some giant cardboard waves as well, right? Suddenly I'm visualizing seahorses with apples and pomegranates on their heads, namely one pomegranate like a crown, could be great!

Watercolor Cut-Out Sea Animals Craft For Rosh HaShana!

Did you know that the fish is actually a aymbol for Rosh HaShana? (We want to be like the head of the fish, not the tail!) With that in mind, and the fact that we say the prayer of tashlich preferably next to a body of water with fish, why not make some sea life themed crafts this year? Keep everyone on their toes since they'll be expecting apples and pomegranates! (Though I'd make some of those too!) Here is what I wrote when I shared this as a Passover craft:

Need a perfect craft idea to keep the kids, in a range of ages, busy right about now? This is it my friends, make sea creature cut outs to use as Passover decorations, and the more the better! I'll be using these for table decor on Shevii Shel Pesach, the 7th night of Passover when we celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea, but they are certainly also appropriate all holiday long. Ah yes, and if you are looking for ocean themed birthday party decor, or sea themed birthday party decor, well this is perfect as well! These cute sea animal cut outs are perfect for garlands, mobiles, cake toppers, napkin rings, gift tags, and for a fun Passover centerpiece, that I'll be sharing shortly. Okay, ready to get started, time is of the essence!

Giant Recycled Cardboard Waves Craft For Rosh HaShana

Yes of course, all things apples and pomegranates and honey make wonderful Rosh HaShana crafts and holiday decor, but this year with Rosh HaShana coming in less than a month I thought I'd start with something that brings attention to the wonderful Rosh HaShana tradition of saying Tashlich, which ideally happens next to a natural body of water, and therefore I bring you recycled cardboard waves! I love the idea of getting parents or teens to cut out lots of waves, and then letting kid paint and decorate them. They can be a fun toy for the holiday and you can then set them aside to use for Passover and the splitting of the Red Sea! Check out my metallic waves centerpiece craft for more inspiration, and think about making waves (in a good way of course) for the new year! Ah yes, and what is Tashlich, you may ask? Keep on reading........

DIY Giant Cardboard Shark Craft For Kids

Summer is the perfect time to delve into large scale crafts that kids can use to decorate a space, use as backdrops for a summer skit, or for creative play. While this is not my idea nor my photos, the photos are by Ron Lach, I just love this idea and all the creativity that it can foster. It is true, younger kids will need help drawing and cutting out the shark shape, and you might want to make templates in a few sizes and varieties for kids to trace, but other than that there is so much one can do with this idea. How about a shark covered in collage, or pom poms or even flowers? Use shark shapes to create art of any kind, and then assemble them swimming across a wall, a wonderful idea for a summer art camp or class project. OR maybe take this idea and create a school of fish? The main thing is, get kids to delve into the wonderful world of creativity instead of screen time, and wow, you've really done something meaningful and significant for them. Got it? Lets make some sharks!

Note To Self For Next Passover!

Above: Part of note to self, the idea of going on a 3 night vacation in the Golan with the family, for shabbat HaGadol, after finishing most of the Passover prep was a fabulous idea! We enjoyed the gorgeous Spring weather, blooming flowers, down time, and it made the Passover vacation seem really really long!

Phew, we did it! While it is still Yom Tov in the USA, we in Israel actually finished our Passover holiday last night. The Passover kitchen was all packed up quite quickly last night, and then I made a batch of failed mufleta, while my daughtet got the gold medal in that department. The traditional Morocan flat bread made just as soon as possible, and served with butter and honey and if you are truly a balabusta, with jam made before Passover for the event! We haven't gotten there yet, but now with my daughter's help in the kitchen, we did have everything washed and packed away by 10:30pm, and in the meantime husband and one of the boys went out to buy some flour! Convenience stores usually closed at that hour are open knowing Moroccans need to buy flour, and since there are 1 million Jewish Moroccans in Israel, well that is quite a few stores!

In the past I made a list to myself for things I need for next Passover right on this blog, as it is best place to keep something important and I thought my list my help you as well. Truth be told, now that I have figured out how to store all of my pots/dishes/kitchen stuff in one deep cabinet over the fridge, together with a piece of the cabinet next to it, the only boxes that we need to take down from the attic are the gas burners, the hot water urn, and the toaster oven that doesn't work. Keep on reading.........

Recycling Pyramid Crafts For Passover

With Passover starting in just one week, the pressure is on, at least for those of us responsible for cleaning our homes (and at the very least our kitchens) from top to bottom, albeit with help from the husband and teens, phew! I don't think I'll have much time for crafting other than some origami fish to celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea, so I've put these fun pyramids in the living room, and they look great! The plastic pyramid filled with white pom poms was filled with candy and we received it as a Purim gift one year, best gift ever! The painted pyramid is a fun craft to make in any size with cereal boxes, so maybe give that some thought? Make a bunch of blanks and keep the kids busy decorating them? I might do that if I had little ones around, or if I was going away for Passover, but no, instead my house gets the deep cleaning that it so greatly needs! Okay, for those who would like to get crafting, keep on reading!

Toilet Paper Tube Cactus Craft

When I started to attempt at cleaning out my studio a month or so ago, I came across a little box full of toilet paper tubes that I'd painted green, in order to make toilet paper tube cacti of course, just had not gotten around to it, for at least a year plus, sigh. The good news is that I did get around to it at last, and the results are just as cute as can be, and I wish I had time to make a whole dessert full! It is true that there are no Saguaro cacti in the Egyptian dessert, at least not native ones, but any symbol for dessert still makes it a great craft for Passover! So set aside a bunch of toilet paper tubes, and paper towel tubes, and let the family have fun painting them green, inside and out. And if you need a little project to do in the car or on a trip or for a little break with all that cleaning, learn to fold tiny paper stars, here. Okay, lets make some cacti.......

Ten Plagues Craft For The Passover Seder

A reader just asked me about this craft, and I revisited it, and i see that it has actually been five years since I've shared it and almost 12 or 13 years since I actually made it. Wow, it must be time to make it again! Okay, maybe next year, in the mean time, there are plenty of days before Passover to get crafting, or keep the family busy with crafts, and this one is a keeper. Here is what I wrote in 2018:

I made these ten plagues placards for my kids for our seder eight whole years ago, and since they are still looking good (in the photos that is) I thought I'd pull them out of the archives to share them with you, as truly this a craft that will make memories for the kids (and fun loving adults) at your Passover seder table! Truthfully, while I love these ten plagues placards, they are on the large size and so I did a smaller version of this craft with some of the neighborhood boys, using skewers instead of dowels, and you can take a look at that craft here. Regardless of what size works for your family, do take the time to make some of these ten plagues placards, you won't regret it, promise!

In the photo above, from left to right I have depicted the first four plagues: Blood, Frogs, Lice, and Wild Animals. Keep on reading to see most of the other plagues.......

Cardboard Passover Pyramid Craft

 

Hoping to make a bunch of cardboard and recycled cardboard pyramids this year, but for now, reposting this from the archives to give you a head start!

With Passover arriving this coming Saturday night, now is the time to fit in some last minute crafting in anticipation of this wonderful holiday, and possibly keep the kids busy with a crafting station so you can finish, or continue all the holiday preparations! The essence of the holiday is to tell the story of the Jews deliverance from Egypt to the children, so getting kids involved with decorations and hand made items to celebrate and absorb this game changing history of the Jewish people is really really important!

I have been wanting to make cardboard pyramids for a few years, and while I didn't quite realize my dreams this year, I did at least make one artful cereal box pyramid, which by the way depicts the plague of hail, which was both fire and ice, so hail can certainly be pink! I love the results (though it was questionable at first) and I wish I had time to make more. Next year I'll have to make them in January! Nothing says Egypt and slavery like the pyramids, so be sure to include them in your holiday decor. A line of pyramids running down the table would be stunning! Okay, time is of the essence, lets learn how to make some of these, pronto!

Watercolor Cut-Out Poppies Centerpiece For Passover!

I have pulled this one out of the archives, because there is no time like the present to get crafting for Passover, and this one is a keeper! And since the red native anemones are now in bloom in our meadows, this is timely! I know I've referred to them as poppies, as that is what most people know, and we do have red poppies as well, just in another month or so after the anemones finish their show!  One of the things I love about this craft is that you can simply disassemble the centerpiece when the holiday is over, and store the flowers, flat, for future use, they are always great to have on hand in a pinch! Enjoy!

I originally shared this for shavuos, but covered the shelves in my kitchen with paintings of these guys, so it feels like Passover to me, nonetheless, here is what I wrote then:
I am totally in love with the watercolor poppies in a pot centerpiece, well one-sided centerpiece really, and I have already made two more! This idea, is something that you can play around with depending on your own needs, and there are so many ways to go! I actually made a small one using a small round plastic peanut butter tub, which would make an adorable teacher appreciation gift or a token of appreciaion for a neighbor, for example. Then again, making larger pots of poppies really doesn't take that much more time, so go for it, as this burst of festive and artful color is a joyful addition anywhere or anytime! The Jewish holiday of Shavuos is on Thursday night, so we'll be enjoying all the watercolor poppies as we celebrate the giving of the Torah, and then they will likely be used as centerpieces for any number of occassions. I'll admit, I can't wait to try this idea out with other flowers, but with the holiday approaching, together with houseguests, that will just have to wait. Okay, lets make some of these pots of blooming flowers, shall we?