Rosh Hodesh Nisan

Next Tuesday (March 16) marks Rosh Hodesh Nisan! Nisan is also known as Hodesh Ha’aviv (The Springtime Month).

Here are some lessons and activities to bring the excitement of Rosh Hodesh to your students.

Jewpardy! Rosh Hodesh Edition
http://www.babaganewz.com/kids/jewpardy-rosh-hodesh-edition

Rosh Hodesh Activities
http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/lessons/20lesson
These activities include Ten Ways to Celebrate Rosh Hodesh in the Classroom and A Calendar of Rosh Hodesh Ideas.

Birkat Hahodesh Lesson
http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/lessons/2002lesson
Through an art activity and discussion, students will study a part of Birkat Hahodesh (The Blessing of the New Month) related to miracles for the Jewish people both in the past and in the future. Students will then create their own commentator names and become commentators as they write their own explanations for the relationship between this prayer and Rosh Hodesh. These explanations will then be pasted onto a page to create a graphic similar to a page of Talmud.

What’s Your Corner of the Sky?
Personality Quiz: http://www.babaganewz.com/kids/whats-your-corner-of-the-sky
Lesson: http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/lessons/2001lesson
This personality quiz uses the sun, moon and stars as metaphors for types of people. After taking the quiz, students will engage in several activities that will encourage them to visualize these different types of people and use these metaphors as points of personal reflection and renewal.

The World’s Most Unusual Seder Customs

This article shares extraordinary Pesach traditions from around the world and includes fascinating, lesser-known details about their origin and function during the Seder. In this lesson, students will have an opportunity to develop some of their own unusual customs for the Seder based on traditional Jewish texts.

Lesson Plan
Article
Cool web feature

Lessons on Freedom

Here are a set of lessons on the value of herut (freedom) in preparation for Pesach. The Jewish idea of freedom is linked to responsibility. The exercise of freedom must be linked to a higher purpose in life and working for the freedom of others is a core Jewish value. Freedom can be examined on the national and the personal level.

http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/values/nisan5764/

Pesach Mini-lessons

In these five new lessons for Pesach, you’ll have your class doing everything from studying texts to performing magic tricks, to writing poetry and doing a Seder craft!

http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/lessons/7901lesson/

The Questions of Pesach Lesson

Students will review the Four Questions of Pesach and some of the traditional answers. Through a text study and discussion, students will explore the theme of seeing oneself as having been freed from Egypt. Then, students will research and present about a modern-day form of slavery or recent freedom from slavery.

http://www.babaganewz.com/teachers/lessons/7003lesson/

Read About the World’s Largest Matzah Oven

Share information from the Kosher Blog about the world’s largest matzah oven with students, and then whip up a batch of Matzah Munch.

Kosher Blog, “The world’s largest Matzah oven @ Manischewitz”

Matzah Munch recipe: http://www.babaganewz.com/kids/matzah-munch/