הכנסת אורחים היא מצווה גדולה ביהדות והיא מנהג תרבותי עתיק יומין, שרלוונטי עד ימינו אנו. בתורה מסופר על אברהם אבינו שהיה רואה עוברי אורח והיה רץ לקראתם ומזמין אותם מיד לנוח ולאכול אוכל חם. סיפורים על הכנסת אורחים מחממים את הלב וחושפים בפני הילדים והילדות מנהגים חשובים שבין אדם לחברו. הספרים "מקבלים פנינו" בכל פעם בבית אחר, ומזכירים לנו כמה נעים להתארח ולקבל יחס מיוחד, וכמה כיף לארח ולשמח אחרים.
קריאה משותפת היא הזדמנות לזמן איכות משפחתי ומקרב, אך לעיתים קשה לפנות לה מקום בקצב החיים המהיר והתובעני. ביסוס זמן קריאה קבוע בסדר היום המשפחתי יכול לעזור. כמו סבא ועכברה, תוכלו להכריז שעכשיו אתם בזמן רק שלכם ולמצוא פינה שקטה ונקייה מהסחות דעת.
You can encourage the toddlers to actively join in reading the story. They can complete rhyming words, accompany the conversation between the animals with facial expressions and proper hand gestures, and make the sounds of the animals appearing in the story.
You can ask the toddlers: What do you like to do on Shabbat? If the family has special preparations for Shabbat, it is worthwhile to tell and share them with the toddler
The book features a bee, a turtle, an ant, a chicken, a cow and a rabbit. Ask the toddlers to identify the various animals in the illustrations in the book and accompany each animal with its unique voice or add other characteristic detail: the bee hums, the rabbit bounces, the turtle crawls slowly, and the cow is mooing.
How to make a turtle with the palm of your hand? Close the palm to a fist and hide the thumb inside. Call the turtle out, take out the thumb and wave it hello. You can create a bunch of turtles with all the palms present at home You can also be a turtle yourself and walk slowly on all fours. Are you tired? Get inside to rest in your “home”.
While reading a story, you can hug each time a new animal joins the group. You can also play the hugging game: move away from each other, count “three, four,” and then run to each other, and hug!
Invite the rest of the family to sit together with you on the couch, on the carpet or on a mattress. You can also include dolls or pets. Sit close together, then further away, and check: how pleasant is the closeness?
This story prompts a discussion about neighbors and relationships: You may enjoy asking one another which neighbors you know, and come up with an activity that would help you get to know a family that lives nearby better. You, parents, are welcome to share stories about the neighbors living near your childhood home: Who were they, and what did you do together?
You could, perhaps, prepare something together to give to your neighbors: It could be something to eat, a drawing, or a letter that you could leave by the door. You could even just visit them and ask them how they are doing. And the simplest suggestion of all: Smile when you see your neighbors, and say: “Hi, how are you?” and “Have a great day!”
The characters in this book do lots of fun things at Yael’s house! You could look at the illustrations, choose an activity that interests you, and do it yourself, or with the rest of your family.
The children in this book make a building out of boxes. You can do the same! Find different-sized boxes and build a home from them for yourselves or your toys. Don’t forget to invite your neighbors over to visit!
This book was inspired by the well-known children’s song The Little Bunny [HaShafan HaKatan] by Binyamin Caspi. You may want to ask your child which children’s song this story reminds them of, and then sing and dance together.
Do you have any other favorite children’s songs? You could create a family songbook, and select one to sing together from time to time. You too may be inspired to write a story about it.
Reading both words and illustrations – You may enjoy taking turns reading this book to one another: you can read the words to your child, and then have them tell you the story using the illustrations.
Our table – draw an empty table and choose who to invite over: it can be family and friends, real or imaginary, favorite toys, or characters in books. What would you serve your guests? What do you think would happen when they all meet one another?
Having a friend visit us is exciting. You may want to prepare for the visit together and discuss how to welcome this friend, how to pass the time together when they get here, and what to do if each of you prefers to do something else.
The bunny’s friends thank him, and he uses kind words when speaking to them, like “please”, “so glad you came over”, and “bon appetit!”. When you sit together for a family meal, you could take turns saying kind words to each other: the first begins by giving the one on their right a compliment; the second compliments the third, and so on. The compliment can be about something nice they had done, a good quality they have, having behaved pleasantly, or any other positive thing you can think of. If you look for it, you’ll be sure to find it…
You may want to act out the story using puppets, and invite each character to explain how they ended up being friends.
There are two illustrations of the house in the final pages of the book. You may want to ask your child if they can spot the difference between them. What’s been added to the second illustration?
Is there a teacup, piece of furniture, or photograph that’s been in your family for a long time? Perhaps there is an interesting story associated with this item. If so, you may enjoy sharing it with your child.
Your child may like to draw your home and loved ones. Together, you can make a frame for their drawing, and hang it up on the wall.
Have new neighbors come to your neighborhood recently? Perhaps you know new Olim who have arrived in Israel not too long ago? You may want to make a greeting card for them in the spirit of this book, and print the word “welcome!” on it.
Where does your family originate from? Perhaps you could open an atlas, and show your child the journey made by your family on their way to Israel. You may want to tell your child about your own childhood home, and show them photographs of homes in which you have lived over the years.
“I will save the soup!” You may want to read the story together, pause each time the giant is about to say “I will save the soup!”, and ask your child to shout out the phrase. You may also enjoy looking at the illustrations together, and discover details that do not appear in the text. What do you see in the giant’s kitchen? Have you noticed the bird? You could imagine together what the rest of the rooms in the giant’s big house might be like.
Acting the story out: You could act out the story using cooking utensils. Take out pots of different sizes, a spoon and ladle, and prepare imaginary soup. Your child can act the story out, telling it in their own words. You could continue past the end of the text, and imagine what happened once the guests had left the giant with a pile of dirty dishes and more ingredients for a soup.
Sweet or savory? You may want to experiment with flavors together. Take two identical plates, pour some sugar into one, and salt into the other. Ask your child to taste from each plate, and guess whether it is sweet or salty. Could they figure it out? You could later discuss your family’s preferences, and prepare a family dinner consisting of one savory dish, a sweet dessert, something spicy, and something sour.
Fixing is possible: What is hard to fix or needs fixing in your house? Together you could try to find solutions. Is your room crowded, and filled with items you find little use for? You could ask your child to choose some toys they no longer play with, and give them to a child younger than them. Is one of their games broken? Perhaps it can be glued together again. Are they bored and looking for a new book to read? You could get a group of friends together, and have them swap books among them. You could consult your child about identifying the difficulties, and commend them for finding creative solutions to them.
Soup stories: Do you know any other stories about soup? You may want to look for books such as Nira Harel’s Grandpa Cooked a Soup, or Aubrey Davis’ Bone Button Borscht at home or the public library, and read them together. Both these books were given as part of PJ Library in previous years.
Flip through the pages of the book together and ask your children to tell you the story in their own words, using the illustrations as guides.You may also choose dolls or stuffed animals to represent Aliza and her friends, and enact the story together.
Everyone feels lazy at times. You can discuss this together: when do we find it hard to do things? Maybe it’s when we first get out of bed in the morning, or when we have to do chores we don’t like?
Sometimes young children are actually mature enough to perform certain tasks by themselves, but they don’t do sobecause they’reaccustomed to getting help. You and your children could brainstorm about which tasks you tend to do for them—and then choose one task that they can now do all by themselves. Be sure to give them positive feedback when they show you how independent they can be!
Who are Aliza the duck’s friends? Who are your children’s friends? And who are your friends? Think of the things that Aliza and her friends enjoy doing together, and then share how you spend time with your friends, and have your children tell you what they like to do with their own friends.
You could bake a cake together and invite friends over for a tea party, just as Aliza the duck and her friends do at the end of the story.
If you know the fable: “The Grasshopper and the Ant,” you could tell it to your children.
We hope you enjoy reading and discussing together this book!
If you carefully follow the text and illustrations of the story, you will surely note the different paths taken by the words and the pictures. Read the story again with your child. Each time you arrive at the sentence “Meanwhile, Hannah Banana rushed on her way…” ask your children to describe what they see in the picture. Is Hannah Banana really rushing? What does she do and whom does she meet along the way to Granny’s house?
Did you notice the cat who accompanies Hannah Banana on her way to Granny’s house? You can ask your child to point out the cat on each page, and ask them how they think Granny will greet him when he arrives at her house.
You can play the finger game “One Little Piggy” with your child. According to the story, who “had none” at the end of the rhyme?
Hannah Banana’s Granny Cooked Porridge is actually two stories that happen at the same time. You can act out the stories with your child. First ask your child to be Hannah Banana on her way to grandmother’s house, while you pretend to be Granny. Then you can change roles. If other family members or friends are with you, they can be included in the skit as well and take on the roles of the neighbors.
“To each his own”: At the end of the story we discover that Hannah Banana doesn’t even like porridge! You can ask your children if they believe this, and discuss which foods they like in particular and what they don’t really like.
You can explain to your children that “Hannah Banana” is a nickname. Do your children have a nickname or a special name that only some people use when addressing them? If so, do they like their nickname?
Preparation: Cook the water, milk, semolina and sugar over a low flame, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. The porridge is ready when the mixture is boiling and the semolina is cooked. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add a dab of butter. Bon Appetite!
Each family has its own “special spice” that adds flavor and fragrance and distinguishes it from others. Following the story you are invited to discuss your family’s Shabbat with your children. You may prepare an “Our Family Shabbat” album of photographs and drawings, in which you note all the people and activities that make your Shabbat special.
Look at the illustrations together with your child. Can you find the horse and the goat? You can ask your child: What are they doing on each page? The animals’ facial expressions give us a sense of what the might be thinking. If the animals could talk, what do you think they would have to say about the “missing spice”?
You can draw your child’s attention to the clothes and landscape depicted in the illustrations that are characteristic of the time of the Mishna in the Land of Israel. Ask your child to compare Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi’s clothing with that of Antoninus the Roman. Using the story as inspiration, you and your child can dress up, set a festive table and act out the plot of the story.
“Spice and Spirit”: You can mix together different spices for use at Havdalah or as potpourri to add a pleasant scent to your closets. Invite your child to select the spices (for example, cinnamon, cloves, peppermint…). Carefully pour the spices into a small bag, tie the ends, decorate and take a whiff!
Do you, like Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, welcome company on Shabbat? Many children enjoy taking part in the preparations for hosting others in their home. Young children can participate by preparing a “Welcome!” sign to be posted on the door, helping set the table, assisting in the kitchen or decorating each guest’s setting at the table with a special piece of their artwork.
Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi lived in the Galilee, in the area of Tzipori and Bet She’arim. You can learn more about these sites on the internet, show your child pictures of archaeological findings, and take a “virtual trip” to the nature reserves in these places. And if you’re lucky – you may even visit there as a family!
“Who is respected? Those who respect their fellow creatures” (Pirkei Avot 4:1).The wedding guests learn an important lesson from Marco about treating people with respect. In keeping with the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” you could talk with your children about external and internal qualities. Together, you might discuss traits and characteristics of the different members of your family, emphasizing the importance of treating every person with respect regardless of how he or she looks or is dressed.
You might flip through the book together and compare the illustrations where Marco is simply dressed to those where he is wearing his elegant silk coat. Does “Marco remain Marco”?
While reading the story, you could linger over the page where Marco “feeds” his coat food from the wedding feast. Does this illustration make your children laugh? Do you find it funny? You could ask your children why they think Marco decided to put food in his coat pockets.
The story describes how the Jews of North Africa used to celebrate joyful life cycle occasions. You could talk with your children about weddings and other celebrations in your community today. How do you dress for them? What foods do you eat? Are there any special songs and dances associated with these events? Have your children ever taken part in a wedding or other life cycle celebration? See if you can find photographs from past happy occasions, and recall details from a wedding or other celebration in which you took part.
You could dramatize the tale using puppets or stuffed animals, or put on a skit based on the story. Make sure to find appropriate costumes: some ragged outfits, dark make-up, fancy wedding clothes, an elegant coat, and so on.
“When you eat the labor of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you” (Psalm 128:2). Marco works as a coal-seller—a job that barely paid enough to eat, and one that no longer exists. You could tell your children about coal, how people used to heat their homes with it, and how the job of coal-seller was regarded in society. Then you can ask your children what jobs or professions they know. If you like, you could tell them about the work that you do. What do you love about your work? What gives you satisfaction?
At the start of the story, Grandpa is sad and lonely, but the guests who come to visit him cheer him up. Are your children always happy when their friends visit? Discuss what gives them pleasure and what might be hard for them whenthey entertain guests.
“A Person’s giving eases his way” – Grandpa’s circle of happiness grows wider and wider as each guest arrives. Even the illustrations in this book bring this point home. Together with your child, you can leaf through the pages of the book and notice how the small circle grows—and how, at the end of the story, it shrinks back down to its original size.
Turn the story into a play, using toys and dolls. Together with your children, decide which doll will play Grandpa and which dolls will play the guests who come to visit. Tell the story in your own words. You can also continue the story yourselves, imagining what happens after the guests say good-bye to Grandpa and return home.
Grandpa enjoys a visit from his grandchildren: “For no particular reason, on a weekday, my granddaughter comes over to eat.” Talk with your children about who visits your family, and what you like to do together with them. Do you have set times for such visits, or special customs for entertainingguests? Maybe there’s a special dish you serve to your guests, fancy plates and glasses you use, or a designated room you use to entertain your visitors?
Many children love to help preparefor entertaining guests. You can work together on hand-made invitations, fold napkins for the table, or draw a welcome sign for the front door.
Hospitality in Abraham’s tent: After reading the book, you could tell your children the biblical story of Abraham and then suggest they make their own “tent” by spreading a blanket over some chairs. They can sit in the tent and receive their friends as their guests—playing together and serving them a snack they’ve prepared themselves.
Just like Grandpa in the story, you too can make soup and serve it to your guests. Maybe your children will also want to invite some of their friends who haven’t visited your home before?
“Strange, what is happening here?” the beggar asks. You might want to stop the reading mid-way and allow the children to express their thoughts and opinions: What is happening in the town? Why does no one invite the beggar into their home? The children can take turns pretending to knock on the doors of the townspeople and ask them, “How are you? Why aren’t you opening the door to the beggar?” The children can invent different responses that the townspeople may give.
Young children should not open the door to a beggar, or to any stranger. In today’s world, we need to warn children against opening the door to strangers. What is the best way to help others? Discuss the ways in which we can help others without inviting them into our homes. Think together how and whom children can help.
After eating the soup, the townspeople sing, laugh, and dance. They even invite the beggar to sleep in their homes. Re-read the description of the townspeople together. What did the townspeople gain from their contribution to the soup that made them so happy? Try to think of a case when something new and better is created as a result of every person giving up something.
Draw or paint a community center (real or imaginary) on cardboard. Cut the picture to create a jigsaw puzzle, which can then be put together. Show the children how each piece of the puzzle helps complete the picture.
Prepare Bone Button Borscht with friends (but without the buttons!): You might want to divide the kindergarten children into groups of three or four, each of which would prepare soup at the home of a different child. Ask each group to write and illustrate their soup’s recipe, and compile a classroom soup cookbook.
Prepare soup in the classroom: Ask each child to bring in a vegetable or a spice, to ensure that everyone takes part in contributing to the group effort of preparing the soup. The recipe of the soup prepared in kindergarten can be the first one to appear in the kindergarten’s cookbook described in the previous activity suggestion!
In order to bring the abstract concept of a “community” closer to the children, start with the joys of being a part of our kindergarten community:Who is a part of it? What do we like to do together? What do we do together that we can’t do alone? What special or added value do we achieve by being a community as opposed to each person being alone in his or her home? What other thoughts do you have on the topic?
One idea for solidifying the feeling of community is to sing with the children the song “HinehMah Tov U’MahNa’im, ShevetAchim Gam Yachad” (How goodly and pleasant it is for brothers/friends to sit together).
Community institutions: Suggest to the parents that they take a walk with their children in the neighborhood in order to take specific note of the community institutions in it (community center, library, school, synagogue, etc.), and afterwards to draw these buildings. Ask the children to bring their drawings to the kindergarten. By hanging the children’s pictures on the wall, you can create a model of the actual community and its institutions, or even an imaginary community. Or, you may want to build a model of such a community by using blocks, Lego or some other construction material.
What can five buttons achieve? Divide the children into two groups. One group draws a collective picture of the darkened town (houses, inhabitants) as it was when the beggar arrived in the beginning of the story, while the other group draws pictures of the town after the people ate the soup together. You can hang the two pictures on a bulletin board on the wall in order to emphasize the change.
“Receive everyone with a kindly countenance” [Haveimikabel et kul ha-adamb’severpanimyafot(Avot, 1)]: At an in-service-training workshop, “Tali” kindergarten teachers discussed the difference between “Bone Button Borscht”, and Jewish tales that deal with the importance of receiving people with a kindly countenance and the mitzvot of welcoming guests (hachnasatorchim). The behavior of the townspeople in Bone Button Borscht demonstrates the exact opposite of welcoming guests and of “receiving everyone with a kindly countenance”.
Receiving guests is one of the most important and beloved mitzvot of the Jewish tradition. In the Book of Genesis (ch. 18), it is told how Abraham welcomes three strangers, feeds them, and invites them to stay as guests in his tent. Abraham’s behavior teaches us how we should behave in our homes.
During the holiday of Sukkot it is customary to invite guests (“Ushpezin”), and for people to visit one another in their sukkot. And each year on Passover we invite guests to a meal and read: “Koldichfin yeti v’yachol, kolditzrich yeti v’yifsach” (Every hungry person may come and eat, every one who is in need may come and observe). We invite others to come and eat with us, in order that no one remains outside, hungry and alone on the Seder night.
You can share with the children the tale relating that in the tents of Abraham, our forefather, the first Jew, there were four openings. Each opening opened out to a different direction in order that every guest, no matter where he came from, would feel comfortable to enter.
How do we host a friend? What is the duty of the host or hostess, and what is the duty of the guest? Accepting guests is part of the everyday life of children, but sometimes it’s difficult for them to host because they don’t know what to do with the guest, or because it is difficult for them to share their possessions. You can take such an opportunity for discussing the ways in which to make the guest feel comfortable.
The mitzvah of welcoming guests is most meaningful when inviting one who is needy. You can carry out a “campaign” in the kindergarten in which every child invites a new friend, someone who has not yet visited him or her at their home. This is an excellent opportunity for creating new connections between children, and to help children who have difficulties with social skills.
“Bone Button Borscht” is distributed in the month of Adar. Purim is approaching, and with it, mitzvot that are directly connected to community action and to helping the needy – mishloachmanot and gifts for the needy. As a class you can prepare mishloachmanot for all members who serve the community (security guards, the kindergarten staff that works in the after-school/afternoon program, etc.). You might also organize gifts for the needy. Your classroom community can collect and organize food, games or any other useful items that come to your mind that could gladden the hearts of those who in need.
The Dinner Bell 
Shabbat in the Forest 
I Sat On a Cabbage 
Knock Knock Knock – Knocking on the Door! 
The Bunny who Forgot to Close the Door 
The Suitcase 
The Giant is Cooking Soup 
Aliza the Duck and Friends 
Hannah Banana’s Granny Cooked Porridge 
The Missing Spice 
Eat, Coat, Eat! 
Grandpa Made Soup 
Bone Button Borscht 
קְרִיאָה
שִׂיחָה
בִּשּׁוּל
מִשְׂחָק
שֵׁמַע
חֵקֶר
הַמְחָשָׁה
סִרְטוֹנִים
הַשְׁרָאָה
כְּלָלִי
יְצִירָה
חֲגִיגָה
הַעֲשָׁרָה
