Sukkot Fun and Games

I love Sukkot! What better holiday for boys than one where you build a structure outside and get to eat and even camp out in it for a whole week! My family won a raffle 4 years ago where we received a ready-made sukkah for the week. The next year we built a sukkah of our own with pvc pipes and lattice and a tradition was born. My husband and the boys cut down bamboo for the roof and hauled it home on top of the car. Great stuff!!

For an engaging outdoor holiday, the lessons, traditions, prayers, and history of Sukkot must be taught in an active manner. My partner parent crafted an amazing afternoon of activities and learning for the kids.

We started the lesson by giving each child a shoe box to make their own sukkah. The kids gathered leaves and sticks from the back yard and as they built we told them the facts about the holiday. When the sukkot were built, we lined the boys up at the top of the driveway and quizzed them on the information that we taught them. A question was asked and then the first boy to raise his hand got to answer. Correct answers were awarded by taking two steps forward. Incorrect answers meant they had to take a step backward. There was a tie so both boys got prizes. The others got stickers for great behavior.

The boys really enjoyed the afternoon and learned everything we taught them. We also read a story from their Hebrew workbook, Shalom Ivrit, about a mouse who lives in the family sukkah. It may be too cold and rainy for the family but the sukkah was just fine for a mouse, especially since he had a box to keep him warm.

It is amazing the connections the kids are making and the retention that follows in their learning. There are days I question the decision to teach them Hebrew but days such as this one confirm that I made a good decision.

Teaching is not easy

When we first began our home Hebrew School, I had lots of planned activities and creative ideas for what to teach. I considered the creation of the curriculum to be the biggest issue. Well, that has turned out to be the easy part. I find that my greatest challenge is teaching, not just my children but the other two boys as well.

Teaching is a tough job! For starters, the kids are different ages and on different levels. They also have different interests. I only have 4 to worry about but imagine the teachers in the classrooms with 20 or more students. How do they reach each and every one of them?

The other mom and I have worked hard to reward the right behaviors and to address the undesirable behaviors among the kids. Sometimes we get down about how our kids behave and worry that their behavior gets in place of the learning and perhaps it has. Then again, I am so pleased with how much the kids have learned. I try not to sweat the small stuff and let them be boys. I am learning how to teach and they are learning that there are times when Mom is the teacher and needs to be treated like a teacher. Judaism is not the only subject we are learning and learning is not just kid stuff.

Getting Started

As I planned to start my own Hebrew School in our home, I spoke to many friends along the way really hoping I could create a Chavurah (a fellowship group) of sorts. There were lots of people interested and I had numerous discussions. One person even began writing lesson plans and we met every couple of weeks to keep each other motivated. Ultimately, she decided this was not the best path for her child. For one reason or another, most people were not ready to take this journey with the exception of one.

My older son has been in class at Hebrew School/Sunday School and played sports with another child his age. This child happens to have a younger sibling in Kindergarten and an older sibling in 5th grade (and two other siblings - one college age and one who is just a year old). Based upon similar ages and levels of ability, the other mom and I decided it would be best to include the 5-year old and 8-year old.

Interestingly, the other mom does not read Hebrew (but wants to learn). She is very creative and is helping with arts and crafts and anything I ask of her. Her husband is a music teacher and is willing to advise us in that area. My husband loves Jewish history so that is his department. So that leaves me with Hebrew, Parsha, Prayers, Holidays, and the curriculum development and planning. In a very organic way, our Chavurah has been created.

Hebrew School Taught at Home

Where do I start? I am a mother of two boys ages 6 and 8. My children are Hebrew School dropouts. You might question if they are even old enough to attend Hebrew School much less have dropped out already! I have taken the path less traveled and in the words of Robert Frost,

"And that has made all the difference." Not only has it made a difference in their lives, it has made my life, my husband's life, and the lives of our children richer and fuller.

Last year when my children were in 2nd grade and Kindergarten, they cried and fought about going to Sunday School and Hebrew School. They just hated it. I hated the routine that required my eight year old to leave for school at 7:10 in the morning, come home at 3:00, have a quick snack, go to Hebrew School for 2 1/2 hours, and then return home at 7:00 PM without having had dinner and with his homework still looming. When my then 5-year old complained about Sunday mornings, it broke my heart to see this child who LOVED his Jewish preschool suddenly turn against the religion based upon a 3-hour per week commitment on Sunday mornings. Something was just not right. Shouldn't kindergarten just be a time to rejoice about being Jewish -- do art projects, sing songs, bake, play games, introduce the alef bet?

I went to observe the Hebrew School/Sunday School program and quickly understood why my children were unhappy. I don't want this blog to be a place of negativity that points out the issues of Hebrew School so I will not go there. That being said, I knew that I had to find a way to create a positive Jewish educational experience for my children so I did what I thought was best and got involved on the Education Committee (kind of like the PTA) for our synagogue. I observed, thought, and ultimately wrote a proposal for making changes that would not incur any additional costs to our synagogue but might be more developmentally and educationally purposeful for the children. The Rabbi, President of the Congregation, and Chair of the Education Committee favored the ideas. However, change happens slowly and given the ages of my children, I didn't have time to wait. I decided I needed a new option for the entire family.

I considered other synagogues with alternative Hebrew School approaches but the bottom line was the same. They all require hours of Hebrew training during the week at times that were not suitable to teaching a foreign language to young children. Their priorities were not my priority which in a nutshell is to impart a positive Jewish identity in my children.

Perhaps we needed to just take a break from all of it? That would not serve my goal. I spoke to my friends. In general, most commented that no one likes Hebrew School but it is a means to an end and somewhat a rite of passage, perhaps a bonding ritual among Jewish youth. I was told it is the kid's job to challenge and the parents to make them do it. A few friends had just taken their children out of Hebrew School and hired tutors for their kids as they approached Bar/Bat Mitzvah age. I wanted more than just to teach my children enough to have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

I should add that I did not attend Hebrew School. My father (who is an unofficial Hebrew scholar) taught me Hebrew at home at a young age. He trained me for my Bat Mitzvah and taught me both Torah and Haftorah Trope. We attended services regularly and somehow I picked up the language and the prayers most likely from repetition. I attended Sunday School the year before my Bat Mitzvah because that year we joined a Reform Congregation and that was the rule. I continued on through confirmation and made great friends. I was involved in the youth group, Jewish camps, etc. and really have fond memories of my Jewish upbringing. Could I possibly do the same for my children? I am a busy woman and certainly NOT a Hebrew scholar! Then again, what could be more important? I had to figure out a way to do this and I am now on that path.

I hope this blog will help others with similar struggles. I am so thrilled to share my alternative approach to educating children Jewishly and creating a positive Jewish identity. I am also interested in opening a discussion on this topic. Please write back with your thoughts and ideas.