Comparing Challah with Matzah

This morning, Gan Reut prepared Challah dough from scratch. After adding all of the ingredients and vigorously kneading the dough, we waited for it to rise. In the afternoon, the Matzah Factory came to BPY and we were able to see the differences between Challah and Matzah first hand.  So interesting!

Maror and Taste Testing

In Gan Reut  we discussed that Maror represents the very difficult and bitter life the Jews experienced as slaves to Paroah in Mitzrayim.  With our sense of taste, we tried various foods, each with distinct and different tastes.  We compared and contrasted salty pretzels, bitter radishes, sour lemons, and sweet chocolate chips.  We noted that each of the foods that we sampled required a different Beracha.  The foods in order of preference were: the sweet chocolate chips, the salty pretzels, the sour lemons, and lastly the very bitter radishes.

Cleaning for Pesach!

​The children have begun scrubbing and cleaning our classroom with sponges and soapy water.  They have been especially busy in our kitchen area washing our pots, pans, dishes and cooking utensils and are now truly ready to assist in their own homes! 

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Preparing for the Seder!

The children in Gan Reut have been busy preparing special items to bring to their Seder tables.  From "silver" Kiddush cups covered in sparkling gems, to decorative trays to hold the Matzah, to unique Afikoman bags that they have diligently decorated and sewed to hide the broken, middle Matzah, the children are sure to enhance and dress up their Yom tov tables. 

Gan Reut Recreates Kriat Yam Suf

Gan Reut conducted a science experiment, reproducing their own Kriat Yam Suf, the splitting of the sea that the Jewish people experienced on their way out of Mitzrayim.  They took an aluminum pan, filled it with water, and then sprinkled pepper over it and added a few drops of dish washing soap.  The addition of the dish washing soap caused the pepper to split leaving a clear path of water in the center of the pan.  Hardly the miracle that Hashem performed for the Jewish people, but pretty cool to observe!  

Pesach is just around the corner...

With the use of visuals and songs, the children are becoming very familiar with the entire Pesach story of Moshe, Paroah, the Jews as slaves, Moshe's active role in helping the Jewish people, and finally the pinnacle of the story, Yetziat Mitzrayim and Kriat Yam Suf.