AT-HOME ACTIVITIES
All of these are grab-and-go ... just copy/paste what you would like to send home in your own newsletters, emails or place on websites. Some of these are suitable for real-time encounters, others are better completed offline and then shared when the group is together on Zoom.
You may also find some adaptable ideas in the JEC curriculum, "Israel - Be a Blessing." Designed for 2nd/3rd graders, it can be used with older grades, as well - just add some challenges and activities. Free download from http://www.jeccmarketplace.com/be-a-blessing/
Also, check out the resources on the
You may also find some adaptable ideas in the JEC curriculum, "Israel - Be a Blessing." Designed for 2nd/3rd graders, it can be used with older grades, as well - just add some challenges and activities. Free download from http://www.jeccmarketplace.com/be-a-blessing/
Also, check out the resources on the
- JEC Kesher Newsletter (this is for families with young children): https://www.jecc.org/apps/pages/KesherYomHaatzmaut
- PJ Library webpage: https://pjlibrary.org/yomhaatzmaut
- Lookstein Center for Jewish Education: https://www.lookstein.org/holiday-resources/yom-haatzmaut-resources/
FOR MUSIC LOVERS
Hatikvah - sung around the world
This video was created in honor of Israel's 70th birthday, but is just as timely today: https://youtu.be/AFHgpryavSA. Before you share the video, ask your children to name as many countries as they can where Jews live. As it plays, they could count the number of countries represented in the video, even looking them up on a world map, if interested. Check here for a chart of the numbers of Jews in different countries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population_by_country. More to the point, though, children should consider with you the expansiveness of the global Jewish community and everyone's connections to Israel.
Rock out!
Put on Israeli music and sing or dance! Turn some cooking pots upside down and bang away to the beat!
Koolulam: an Israeli music sensation
Thousands of music-loving Israelis from across the country and representing Israel's diverse cultures come together, learn a song in less than an hour and then perform. Here is an example of "One Day," sung in three languages - https://youtu.be/XqvKDCP5-xE
Like it? Do an internet search for Kululam to see the other performances (this one, for instance, has a lot of children singing: https://youtu.be/0fBM6a3Gzh0).
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO VISIT ISRAEL
Tour "live" - Ask an Israeli friend or relative to get online with your group, perhaps touring their home or going outside to show you around (following Israel's travel-guidelines, of course). Also, there are Israeli tour guides who are open to offering a virtual live tour for groups from outside of Israel - check this Facebook group to learn more https://facebook.com/groups/510443016533538.
Take a virtual tour of Israel. Where would you like to go? Check out any of the virtual tours here:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/israel-virtual-tours
Make a list! Check out this article with 32 things to do with kids in Israel: https://www.israel21c.org/top-32-summer-activities-for-kids-in-israel-2/ Click on ALL the links, then make a list of what YOU want to do!
FOR “MOVERS”
Israeli folk dance
Supplies: an in-home space big enough to dance in, a laptop or tablet, URL to the dance you wish to enjoy
Three Sticks - an Israeli children's game
Israel Scavenger Hunt
FOR ASPIRING CHEFS
Cook-off or Bake-off
Scents of Israel
Hatikvah - sung around the world
This video was created in honor of Israel's 70th birthday, but is just as timely today: https://youtu.be/AFHgpryavSA. Before you share the video, ask your children to name as many countries as they can where Jews live. As it plays, they could count the number of countries represented in the video, even looking them up on a world map, if interested. Check here for a chart of the numbers of Jews in different countries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population_by_country. More to the point, though, children should consider with you the expansiveness of the global Jewish community and everyone's connections to Israel.
Rock out!
Put on Israeli music and sing or dance! Turn some cooking pots upside down and bang away to the beat!
- Here's a great video called, "The Hope" - https://youtu.be/HsE1cAKM4Yc
- Jewish Rock Radio offers this playlist: https://www.jewishrockradio.com/bestinisraelirock/ Consider making a personal playlist of the music you like best.
Koolulam: an Israeli music sensation
Thousands of music-loving Israelis from across the country and representing Israel's diverse cultures come together, learn a song in less than an hour and then perform. Here is an example of "One Day," sung in three languages - https://youtu.be/XqvKDCP5-xE
Like it? Do an internet search for Kululam to see the other performances (this one, for instance, has a lot of children singing: https://youtu.be/0fBM6a3Gzh0).
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO VISIT ISRAEL
Tour "live" - Ask an Israeli friend or relative to get online with your group, perhaps touring their home or going outside to show you around (following Israel's travel-guidelines, of course). Also, there are Israeli tour guides who are open to offering a virtual live tour for groups from outside of Israel - check this Facebook group to learn more https://facebook.com/groups/510443016533538.
Take a virtual tour of Israel. Where would you like to go? Check out any of the virtual tours here:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/israel-virtual-tours
Make a list! Check out this article with 32 things to do with kids in Israel: https://www.israel21c.org/top-32-summer-activities-for-kids-in-israel-2/ Click on ALL the links, then make a list of what YOU want to do!
FOR “MOVERS”
Israeli folk dance
Supplies: an in-home space big enough to dance in, a laptop or tablet, URL to the dance you wish to enjoy
- Find the "IFD Israeli Folk Dancing for Beginners" playlist on YouTube and choose a dance you would like to learn. Or, find this easy-enough dance: Niggun Atik (https://youtu.be/pct_yxXwHfY) or Mayim, Mayim (https://youtu.be/YYEk0qalvsU).
- Watch the first part of the video to see the steps explained. Feel fee to pause the video to try out the steps.
- Play the second part of the video and dance with the others on the screen.
Three Sticks - an Israeli children's game
- Instructions are here - https://youtu.be/_DMqH4G5X98
Israel Scavenger Hunt
- Offer a page of items for children to find at home. Some examples:
- Israel grows great fruits and vegetables - find a cucumber, tomato, orange, or another vegetable or fruit grown in Israel.
- Hebrew is the official language of Israel - can you find any Hebrew letters or words in your house?
- Israelis speak Hebrew! With the help of an adult, download Google Translate to a smartphone and have it translate for you, "I want a to sit in a chair!"
- Find and print a recipe for a dessert from israel ("bonus points" if it is one you might like to bake/cook!).
- Who knows a song in Hebrew? Practice and then sing it for us.
- Learn the first part of an Israeli dance (here is one you could try: Niggun Atik (https://youtu.be/pct_yxXwHfY)
- Draw an Israeli flag (both sides!)
- These can be given to students to find all at once (either in advance or at the beginning of the online session) OR one at a time, with a time limit for finding each.
FOR ASPIRING CHEFS
Cook-off or Bake-off
- Choose a recipe with ingredients in most people's pantries or easy-enough to find at the store. Consider pita, Israeli salad, shakshuka, etc.
- In advance, provide parents with a list of ingredients and utensils to have ready and available.
- Encourage families to follow the directions as you demonstrate OR to just watch you cooking while online. Their own cooking/baking can be photographed and shared.
Scents of Israel
- There are herbs and spices that permeate Israel's streets and its cooking. This packet includes instructions for creating scented playdough balls using five of them AND recipes for cooking and baking. What will you try?
scents_of_israel.pdf |
FOR ARTISTS
Sidewalk chalk art
Supplies: Sidewalk chalk
OR
Make a collage/poster of Israel.
We offer pictures for you to print and cut out - the rest of the creativity is on you with glitter, water colors, markers, tissue paper, etc.
FOR ARTISTS
Sidewalk chalk art
Supplies: Sidewalk chalk
- Watch any of these videos of Israel (or others of your choice) -
- "Tel Aviv on Wheels" https://youtu.be/5nqL-oIC0GA
- "Jaffa: A Port City Dream" https://youtu.be/tgF0zMUYY2g
- "The Old City of Jerusalem" https://youtu.be/FvAWuLQEOJw
- "Eilat: Wet and Wild Adventure" https://youtu.be/lCZClrGH9qM
- "Negev: Where Adventure and Inspiration Await" https://youtu.be/QL3BGy2p77g
OR
- Draw a picture of a yummy birthday cake with chalk and add the number 72 on top (that's how old Israel is this year). Let those walking by figure out what the 72 means!
- Look up "Yom Huledet" (happy birthday) in images.Google.com. Using the Hebrew you see in one of the pictures, write the phrase on the sidewalk.
Make a collage/poster of Israel.
We offer pictures for you to print and cut out - the rest of the creativity is on you with glitter, water colors, markers, tissue paper, etc.
create_an_israel_poster.pdf |
Build Israel in 3-D
“Travel” to some great places in Israel with these photo collections:
- https://tinyurl.com/IsraelPhotos-1
- https://tinyurl.com/IsraelPhotos-2
- https://tinyurl.com/IsraelPhotos-3
Get creative with the Israeli flag or an Israel birthday cake
We offer a few stencils to get you started - use markers, crayons, paint, glitter, whatever! Post in your window when done.
create_an_israel_poster.pdf |
Create a meme or GIF
- Do an internet search for Israel memes or GIFS, then create your own.
Create captions for your own Israel photo album.
- Make a plan - do you want to focus on a city, region, topic (medicine? family fun? plants/flowers? food?)
- Go online and find/print photos that belong in your album. Add a caption (or find clip art). OR print photos from a family member's trip to Israel.
- Bind the book https://babbledabbledo.com/design-for-kids-recycled-handmade-journals/
- Share and enjoy!
Make a video.
Use stop-motion animation to share something about Israel (funny or serious).
Supplies: A stop motion app on your smartphone or tablet, clay or other supplies.
- For a quick explanation of how to make stop-motion animation, check: https://tinkerlab.com/easy-stop-motion-animation-kids/
- Spend some time, adult-and-child, learning about the content your child wants to animate - it might be as simple as moving around some Hebrew letters or photos cut from an online website.
- Read a story
- View a video
- Create a storyboard, basically an outline of what will happen on the screen
- Help your child learn to move the objects about ¼ of an inch at a time, taking a photo of each one using the smartphone app. Most people need a trial run to see how things look as they are moved.
- Share the final creation!
Create a TickTok with an Israel theme. [FOR OLDER CHILDREN]
Make any other kind of video, using your imagination and skills!
FOR GAME-LOVERS
Learn to play traditional Israeli board games that you may already have at home:
- Rummikub (which was invented in Israel) - check this video to learn how to play https://youtu.be/Hx_1EBvQFCo
- Backgammon (a traditional Middle Eastern game, also known as sheshbesh) - check this video to learn how to play: https://youtu.be/JWa0F7EM5p8
FOR LOVERS OF WORDS - SPOKEN OR WRITTEN
Read books. Read aloud or listen to Israel-themed books that help your child learn about this amazing holiday! For older children make it a marathon – read until all are done!
- You might have some PJ Library books already in your home.
- Feel free to listen to some Israel books that have been recorded: https://pjlibrary.org/listen
- Use puppets or make-shift costumes and act out the storylines! Older children can do this without guidance, putting on a show for the others in the family.
- Children who can read might curl up and read an Israel book to your dog or cat.
Write letters.
Write to a family member who has visited Israel or lived there. The contacted relative should be offered the choice of writing back or setting up a Skype/Facetime call.
Make Human Graffiti – With at least three people working together (across households would be cool!), come up with a Yom Ha’atzmaut message, for example:
- Happy birthday Israel
- Can’t wait to visit Israel
- My heart is in Israel
- Jerusalem – city of gold
- Beit Shean – friends and family
Learn Hebrew
- For young'uns, play "Shalom Sesame: Grover Learns Hebrew" https://youtu.be/PCqRRfJVH6Q
- For older learners, consider checking with public libraries for free access to Hebrew learning from Pimsleur or Mango Languages or Rosetta Stone.
- Know a little Hebrew and have the GPS program, Waze? Change the language to Hebrew, get in the car (only those with whom you are currently allowed close contact), and try and follow directions! [Yes, Waze was developed in Israel!]
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