plagues.jpgIt’s the time of year to celebrate Passover, and along with the holiday comes the seder. What’s that, you ask?

For one thing, there’s a religious service before anybody gets to eat any real food. For another, there may be a lot of elderly aunts on hand to bring that slight frisson of, let us say, tension to the seder table. And then there’s the fact that the main repast at a Passover dinner is basically a big dry cracker, and that most kids aren’t going to be a big fan of the ritual horseradish.

Truth be told, Passover can be a hard sell for kids when all their friends are getting chocolate bunnies.

Still, the ritual telling of the Hebrews’ escape from Egypt can be made fun — if you keep your audience in mind. Especially if you remember that it’s really intended for children. (Remember the Four Sons?) Here are some tips from local experts on keeping kiddos interested.

 

Rabbi Cliff Kulwin of Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston suggests a “plague bag” (contents pictured) to make the seder more interactive and fun.

We sell ’em in our gift shop, not sure where else they are, little bags of 10 fun things–small toy frog, Styrofoam mothballs for hail, red food dye for blood, etc.–to enliven the plague section. If anyone wants to shlep over this way during the day today or Wednesday morning, someone can open the gift shop for them. Bags are $9 each, though someone should call (973-994-2290) before coming to make sure they are in stock.

Rabbi Steve Kushner of Temple Ner Tamid suggests starting with nibbles to occupy restless hands and mouths.

Having dip and vegetables on the table is a good start; they can nosh while adults talk.

And coloring books always help. I ask them to ask their own questions at the four questions, and the “explanation” should be on a very basic level. I also have the movie “The Ten Commandments” queued to the parting of the waters scene.

Arlene Sherman, director of the Shoresh nursery school at Temple Ner Tamid, is also a fan of the plague bags.

“The best way to make the seder interesting for children is to make it interactive,” she says. “Songs like ‘One Morning’ – this is a song about frogs jumping everywhere, and you can use some cute frogs that the kids can pay with. Or puppets. Do some dramatic play and let the children act out the story.”

Of course, there’s plenty of stuff online, including this collection of silly seder songs. And if the kids in question are teenagers, they’re bound to find the Facebook Haggadah a lot more interesting than Rabbi Elazar.

The words of the “One Morning” follow, but heck if I know the tune: “One Morning Pharaoh awoke in his bed/ there were frogs on his head and
frogs on his bed/ frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes/ frogs here,
frogs there, frogs were jumping everywhere.”

Good luck–and hope your seder is hopping!

4 replies on “Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?”

  1. I have to disagree that “Passover dinner is a big dry cracker”! We have the most delicious seders every year. My mother makes amazing brisket which we all look forward to eating, even the kids! We also have wonderful potato dishes, veggie kugels and matzah kugels that are divine. I’m sorry that you haven’t experienced a yummy seder–there are plenty of recipes online! And we do a lot of singing at our seder, it hardly feels like a ‘religious service’ especially when we all take turns reading around the table. The kids are occupied with the bag of toys as you mentioned and we also give them crayons and paper on the table. It’s fun for everyone. And dessert…well, I come from a baker’s family so we have amazing Passadic (sp?) treats like Lemon Merengue, raspberry nut cake, chocolate layer cake that’s really moist and chocolatey…and all okay for Passover.

  2. Poetic license. Of course I’ve had some delicious passover meals. But in any matchup between the two big culinary symbols of the two holidays — matzo v. chocolate bunnies — the bunnies win. Especially in the eyes of kids.

  3. My wife & I have not had a Seder in many years. Our parents are in their final resting place, as are other extended family. Our son goes to Phila. area to be with his girlfriend, who is Jewiish, but they do not have, nor go to Seders. So, we stay home, and eat a salad with matzoh and some kosher wine and coffee with sherbet for desert.
    It does not feel like a festive holiday, like say the Christan holidays do, nor the national holidays also do. (Like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Labor Day and others.)

  4. My wife & I have not had a Seder in many years. Our parents are in their final resting place, as are other extended family. Our son goes to Phila. area to be with his girlfriend, who is Jewiish, but they do not have, nor go to Seders. So, we stay home, and eat a salad with matzoh and some kosher wine and coffee with sherbet for desert.
    It does not feel like a festive holiday, like say the Christan holidays do, nor the national holidays also do. (Like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Labor Day and others.)

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