PARSHAT LECH LECHA 2

FOOTPRINTS AND STAR GLOBE


Parshat Lech Lecha "take two".

Encountering the parshiot for a second time, I wasn't sure if I would just do the same projects again with the girls (which they would be perfectly fine with) or if I would "challenge" myself to go bigger and better. I still don't really know but I was motivated to come up with some new ideas for Parshat Lech Lecha.

Parshat Lech Lecha is particularly significant for us this year since it is our first living as a family in Israel. We have done "Lech Lecha!" We have left our homeland and entered the desert (literally). So, I wanted to focus on this aspect of the Parsha - on the journey. My first thought was to do something with footprints. I googled "footprints in sand craft" but all of the projects involved Plaster of Paris which intimidated me, especially since I have no idea what it is called in Hebrew! So, I decided to do something more basic and make painted footprints, something that is apparently done as an activity at baby showers (lefi google)!

The girls were thrilled to do anything with paint since I am typically fearful of this art supply! They especially loved being able to paint their hands and get good and messy...








Although we enjoyed the footprints, I still think that STARS are a great theme from this week's parsha for kids. So, I wanted to come up with a new star project (even though my kids would be perfectly happy just gluing glitter all over the place). In flipping through this craft book that my mother-in-law gave me, I saw an idea for how to make a glitter globe. I LOVE glitter globes! Many glitter globes are really snow globes (made using smashed egg shell pieces, who knew?) so I decided that we would make a star globe instead. I went ahead and tried to make an example before the kids came home. The instructions called for "distilled water." I wasn't sure what that was but Andy said that we had lots of it from our dryer. Perfect. It also suggested adding a drop of glycerin. Again, I wasn't sure what that was but I was sure that we didn't have it so like in cooking, I just left it out. Then, I just added a bunch of big glitter pieces. The real problem was sealing the jar closed. I tried to hot glue gun it but it still leaks.





When Maya came home from school, she desperately wanted to make one too so Andy cleaned out a "schug" jar and we got to work.

LECH LECHA

SPARKLING STARS AND STAR COOKIES

I began this process with Parshat Lech Lecha. I decided to start with the famous verse from Genesis 15:5: "And He brought him (Abraham) outside, and said, Look now toward the skies (shamayim), and count the stars (kochavim), if you are able to count them; and he said to him, So shall your seed be." My girls already love the preschool song "Twinkle twinkle kochavim, way up in the shamayim" so they already knew two of the Hebrew words from this verse! I thought that it would be sufficient to introduce them to the character of Avraham and the idea that Hashem promised that he would be the father of a large and important family.

STEP #1: I started by taping down coloring pages about Parshat Lecha Lecha from aish.com. While they were coloring, I told them the basic plot and the name of the parsha.



STEP #2: When they were done (bored of) coloring, I put out paper stars that I had cut out of colored construction paper. They were excited to pick which stars they wanted to decorate. They were especially excited to use glitter! I watered down some glue and had them use paint brushes to apply the glue before shaking on the glitter.









STEP 3: I printed out the Hebrew words of the pasuk (verse) from Genesis 15:5. I had not intended it, but they wanted to decorate these pages as well.





STEP 4: My kids love to decorate the house for any occasion - for birthdays, homecomings, etc. So, I had them hang their projects up so that they would be Shabbos/Parsha decorations. They loved showing them off to everyone who came over.





STEP 5: We made star cookies with sprinkles. Since it was very late in the afternoon, I took the easiest route possible and used Pillsbury refrigerated dough! Of course, they loved making, decorating, and eating these! The best is that they called them "Kochavim Cookies" all weekend.