10 Ways Busy Parents Can Share Judaism With Their Kids

By Rabbi Erin Polansky for ReformJudaism.org

We all lead busy lives, running here and there and everywhere. It can be difficult to find time for ourselves, let alone to nurture a spiritual or religious life. But there are many ways to feel Jewish and to impart Jewish feelings, customs, and knowledge to our children without investing much more time into our already-busy schedules.

Play Jewish music in the car

Driving from school to soccer, baseball, dance, art class, Hebrew school… for many parents, time spent in the car seems never-ending. What if that time could also be Jewish time? Instead of “Mom, are we almost there?” your family could be rocking out to Rick Recht’s “Free to Be the Jew in Me,” or Julie Silver’s “Halleluyah.”

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

5 Hebrew Baby Names Inspired by Music

Joanna Valente, Editorial Assistant, Kveller
Choosing what to name your new bundle of joy is a difficult decision that is definitely not to be made quickly. When it comes to choosing a name, you may be basing the name largely on meaning, which is why we rounded up five of our favorite names that are inspired by music–because who doesn’t like music?

Here’s our list below:

1. Yaron. Yaron is a boy’s name in Hebrew meaning “to sing.” Definitely a good song for your budding musician.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

Why You Should Bless Your Kids…Even When They Don’t Want It

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal    for Kveller

Every Friday night of my childhood, my sisters and I would line up in front of my father as he placed his hands on our heads and recited the priestly blessing. This is a tradition that continues to this day, even as my sisters and I are adults with children of our own. In my mind, my sisters and I were fairly well behaved during our blessing. I remember some pushing and shoving around whose turn it was to be in the middle (without a hand directly on your head) but otherwise, I remember us standing still to receive our blessing—although my parents might dispute that.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

Get with the Giving

A New Shaboom!

The Plonys are feeling selfish. The kids fight over their toys, and Papa and Mama can’t seem to take the community charity drive seriously - Papa wants to donate his leftover beans and tuna! ”SHABOOM!” The Sparks magically help the Plonys donate everything they own, from the shirts on their back to all the furniture in the house. Ay yi yi! In the process, the Plonys learn about generosity: giving doesn’t just make us feel good; it’s tzedakah and it’s our important job.

Dish Soap Silly Putty

by Debbie Chapman, One Little Project

This is quite possibly the EASIEST silly putty recipe ever! And you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, which is a huge bonus! After we made shaving cream play dough last week, we were curious what other liquids you can mix with corn starch to get a fun dough-like consistency. So after a little Pinterest searching, I found out that you can make dish soap silly putty, and we were all set for another fun experiment.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

Learning Gratitude - Hakarat Hatov

From bimbam

When magical “sparks” Gabi and Rafael discover the Plony family doing something silly, they slide down the rainbow to help out. Watch what happens when they try to use magic (Shaboom!) to make things right in this exciting new Jewish kids show complete with silly songs, new Hebrew words and great ideas for the family.

15 Delicious Passover Recipes For Tots

by Rebecca Gruber for Popsugar
 
Passover may be all about doing without, but convincing little ones to forgo their favorite standby meals won't fly in most households. After Friday's first seder, removing leavened bread from a tot's diet doesn't have to be a recipe for disaster. We've rounded up some kid-friendly recipes that remove the holiday's forbidden ingredients but will still bring kids to the table at mealtime.

Continue reading.

For more Passover news, check out our    page.

Check out our Passover Holiday Spotlight Kit