ספרים העוסקים במנהגים, סמלים ומאכלי חג מעשירים את חוויית החג ומסייעים לפתח ציפייה וסקרנות לקראתו. כדאי לקרוא את הספר עם הפעוטות גם במהלך החג, ואפילו אחריו – ולהיזכר יחד ברגעים היפים, במנגינות, בצבעים, בטעמים ובריחות.
בכל קריאה חפשו פרטים מעניינים חדשים באיורים שבספר – איפה התוכי? מה הוא עושה בכל איור? מה עושים האבא והילדים? אילו פריטים ומצרכים יש על השולחן? ואילו חפצים אתם מזהים במטבח? אולי תמצאו אותם גם בבית ובמטבח שלכם.
This book is a gift that can accompany you as a family throughout the year: on festive holidays and in changing seasons, with the arrival of Autumn and in preparation for a birthday celebration. Choose the appropriate song for each coming occasion or holiday, read it together, look at the illustrations, sing and celebrate. Poems and illustrations Read the songs together and look at the illustrations. Which illustrations attract the children’s attention?
Many of the songs in this book were composed to music. You can take a cymbals, wooden spoons or lids of pots and pans, and accompany the singing by playing music and dancing. Once the children are familiar with the song, you can play a guessing game: starting humming the tune, and invite the children to guess the rest and join you.
Open the book randomly, or at a favorite song, and let each person in turn name an item that everyone else must look for in the illustration: Find in the illustration: Where is the house with a red roof? Where is the pomegranate? Where are the clowns?
Authoress Dvora Omer (1932–2013) wrote dozens of books and stories for infants, children, and young adults. She began writing as a child, and continued as she grew older: “When I became a teacher, I began to write for children, and have published many books since then”. Omer wrote historical books for children that centered on prominent figures in the old Yishuv, as well as adventure stories, imaginative tales, folktales, jokes, and books about the challenges faced by both children and adolescents. Dvora Omer won many literature and children’s literature awards, and in 2006 was awarded the Israel Prize for her contribution to Israeli culture.
During Chanukah, parents and children, families and friends, at home and in kindergarten, celebrate the Festival of Lights together. After candle lighting, you can talk about the way you celebrated Chanukah when you, parents, were younger, adding and sharing stories you heard told in your family, singing an old family song, or preparing your favorite food.
Would you like to have your very own mystery box? How about taking a cardboard box, decorating it, and hiding your favorite items in it? Let’s see who can guess which items you hid in it. And what did the rest of your family hide there?
Following this story, you could play hide and seek, and search for one another. You could even hide a dreidel in various places around the house, using clues, arrows or other signs to help others discover its hiding-place.
With the candles lit beside us, and the smell of doughnuts in the air, you could pretend to be dreidels yourselves. You could be a “turtle dreidel” and spin slowly, an “airplane dreidel” – spinning and spreading your arms wide, or a “bear dreidel” that trudges heavily. And what else?
The Shamash understands that a flame is endless, much like love. What do you think? Can love keep growing like a flame, even after some of it has been given to others? Do we have enough love for all those we care about?
The story of Hanukkah is passed down from one generation to the next. Do you have stories, songs, or recipes that are passed down in your family? After lighting the Hanukkah candles, you may want to tell your child how you celebrated Hanukkah when you were growing up, and add stories you heard from your own family. How about singing a good old family song, or preparing some food for all of you to enjoy?
As you light the Hanukkah candles, watch how they pass the flame from one to the other. Just like the Menorah candles, you could pass the love around in your family: stand in a row, and pass round the love “flame” by giving each other hugs and kisses, or saying something nice. You could go round several times, if you wish, finding new ways of expressing love and passing it round to different family members each time.
This game is similar to a relay race, only instead of passing a baton to the next runner, you pass a candle: each time one of your family members runs with the candle to a set point, where another family member is waiting to receive the candle and run on to the next spot. You may want to create a circular route where you play round and round, or one with a start and finish line. Did you manage to pass the candle on? Good job! Afterwards, you can pass round some cushions and drinks, and rest together.
A Hanukkah Kiss
שְׁמִירָה
Doing some arts & crafts – A de-light-ful greeting card
Hanukkah provides us with a wonderful opportunity to bring joy and light into our loved ones, neighbors, and family’s hearts: you may want to make a greeting card in the shape of a candle in which to write a heartwarming greeting that will light up your holiday and that of its recipient.
Ben-Tzion made up the word “s’vivon” (dreidle) for a toy that spun around. Your children, too, can invent Hebrew names for their toys! Try to think together of Hebrew names for some of their toys and games at home such as Lego, Playmobile or dominoes – or any other toy or game that doesn’t yet have a Hebrew name. We would be happy to hear your ideas!
Even adults continue to learn new words. If you read or heard a new word recently, you can share it with your children and ask them about new words that they have learned.
The toys that Ben-Tzion played with were different from those that children play with today. This is an opportunity for you to tell your children about the toys with which you liked to play when you were a child. You can also describe the s’vivonim (plural) that you had when you were young, and compare them with those of
Preparing a s’vivon: Just like Dvora, the mother of Ben-Tzion, you too can make a s’vivon at home. Take an old disk or cut out a circle from cardboard and paint it with pretty colors. Push a pencil through a hole in the center, and you have the “first” s’vivon that Ben-Tzion played
The little s’vivon brought a lot of light and joy to the life of Ben-Tzion during times of difficulty and loneliness. The winter season is particularly suitable for family fun at home. You might want to organize a family gathering one evening and enjoy playing together with simple games and toys – just as during the time of Ben-Tzion Ben- Yehuda.
![כריכת הספר What? What? A Potato! [Mah? Mah? Tapuah Adamah!]](https://www.pjisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/book017-f2-copy.png)
What? What? A Potato! [Mah? Mah? Tapuah Adamah!] 
The Big Dreidel 
A Hanukkah Kiss 
Festive Flavors 
Ben Tzion and the First S’vivon 
קְרִיאָה
שִׂיחָה
שֵׁמַע
בִּשּׁוּל
יְצִירָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
סִרְטוֹנִים
מִשְׂחָק
הַעֲשָׁרָה
כְּלָלִי
– suggestions for game cards and arts & crafts can be found on the PJLibrary Pinterest page.
