Food for All Seasons

A previous post (8/18/10" On-Time Oreos") featured a weekly treat. In addition, throughout the year, the Jewish Holiday cycle offers a delicious array of foods that nourish mind, body, and spirit. Apples and honey for Rosh Hashana; donuts and latkes for Hanukkah; dates, raisins, pomegranates, carob chips, and Fig Newtons for Tu B'Shvat; macaroons, charoset, and hard boiled eggs for Pesach; Purim Hamentaschen; s'more mix for Lag B'Omer.

Not only are Holiday foods tasty, but their symbolic meanings provide insights into the nature of the Holidays. The sweet taste of the New year; the oily aroma of frying latkes; a desktop full of dried fruits on a wintry day - special foods add a sensory dimension to reading, writing, and talking about the Holidays. The impact is greatest if students share in the preparation of the foods. But as this isn't always possible, especially in weekday Hebrew School, enjoying the foods together is the next best thing.

Like starving artists and Pavlov's dogs, students will work for food. In non-Holiday weeks, wrapped hard candies and chocolate "kisses" make fun rewards for learning games.

Pretzels can form Hebrew letters on a paper plate. Include samples of the actual foods in a lesson on Blessings for food. Learning to count in Hebrew? - count chocolate chips. Learning colors? - sort M&M's.

Food in the classroom - great idea...with a few precautions.
Check with your Religious School Office regarding school policies related to food (guidelines for Kashrut, for example).
Be mindful of food allergies. Before offering any food in the classroom, review students' medical information, which should be available to you.
Provide gluten free or sugar free choices for students who require them.

As nut allergies are fairly common, I avoid foods that contain peanuts or tree nuts.

Provide hand sanitizer gel, so that students can handle foods with clean hands.

To keep your classroom pest free, remove leftover food at the end of the class.

B'tayavon!

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