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.