How to Support and Nurture Your Child's Passions
01/12/2017 02:00:00 AM
It's hard to pinpoint exactly when parenting became so difficult and intensely competitive. Parents work exceedingly hard to point their children in one direction or another to help them excel. In doing so, we have taken much of the fun out of being a parent and lost sight of what might make our children...Read more...
Hannukah Kavanot
12/14/2016 02:00:00 AM
1st Candle
One solitary candle dances on the Hanukkiah tonight, while the empty candle holders are pregnant with possibility. On this first night, in addition to our Hanukkah blessings, we sing theShehecheyanu - a thank-you to God for supporting us, sustaining us, and helping bring us to this day. How can you and your family add more Shehecheyanu moments into your...Read more...
5 Lessons of Hanukkah to Unwrap
12/05/2016 02:00:00 AM
Ellen Frankel Author
Rabbi Baruch HaLevi
Hanukkah begins on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev and lasts for eight days. This year, the holiday is celebrated from Dec. 8-16. The story of Hanukkah chronicles the four-year war which took place between 167 B.C.E.-163 B.C.E. as oppressed Jews struggled under the rule of Antiochus IV of the Syrian-Greeks. Jews were...Read more...
8 Ways to Teach Kids About Gratitude
11/22/2016 02:00:00 AM
What's Jewish about gratitude? So many things! In Judaism hoda'ah means gratitude or being thankful for what we have. But there's also a phrase, hakarat hatov, which extends beyond simple gratitude to “recognizing the good” all around us. Hakarat hatov is something kids often practice pretty naturally when they're little. For babies, everything is new and everything is...Read more...
5 reasons children need to play
11/18/2016 02:00:00 AM
Reading and writing isn't the only way kids learn. (So don't skip the playing!)
We send our children to school to learn. But did you know that they're also learning when they're playing? Play isn't just good for your kid's body. Play actually helps your child's brain grow and learn.
By play we don't just mean organized team sports. And we definitely don't mean...Read more...
Attention, Students-Put Your Laptops Away
11/09/2016 02:00:00 AM
by James Doubek
As laptops become smaller and more ubiquitous, and with the advent of tablets, the idea of taking notes by hand just seems old-fashioned to many students today. Typing your notes is faster " which comes in handy when there's a lot of information to take down. But it turns out there are still advantages to doing things the old-fashioned...Read more...
9 Reasons Why I Won't Make My Kids Share
11/04/2016 02:00:00 AM
by Joelle Wisler
Imagine this: You have just settled yourself down at your favorite coffee shop with a hot drink and you open up your laptop. A stranger walks up to you and says,
“Hey, let me have a turn on that thing.”
You say, “Um, no. This is MY laptop.”
He says, “No fair! It's my turn!”
And then he goes and...Read more...
When Sorry Isn't Enough
10/27/2016 02:00:00 AM
By Sarah Zadok
It's amazing how much learning can take place on a little trip to the park. It was a gorgeous day and my kids were having a blast at the playground. I sat on a bench on the outer ring of the play area taking in the beauty of my children immersed in play. My six-year-old was busy refining her climbing skills,her eager, calloused hands reaching urgently for the next rung. My five-year-old...Read more...
How You Can Have an Awesome Sukkot
10/17/2016 02:00:00 AM
Even If You Don't Have a Sukkah
I grew up in New York City. My family used to do it up on Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover, and even for Shabbat, but Sukkot was often an afterthought. We didn't have a backyard or even a concrete area in our building where we could put up a sukkah, so while we went to services and sat in the synagogue sukkah, I didn't really appreciate how awesome Sukkot...Read more...
30 Questions to Ask Your Kid
10/13/2016 02:00:00 AM
When I picked my son up from his first day of 4th grade, my usual (enthusiastically delivered) question of “how was your day?” was met with his usual (indifferently delivered) “fine.”
Come on! It's the first day, for crying out loud! Give me something to work with, would you, kid?
The second day, my same question was answered, “well, no one was a...Read more...
Tue, April 29 2025
1 Iyyar 5785
